I'm in Detective Conan, and I start with the Grand Theft Auto system.

The dinner at Lin Shen's house was completely different from what Fei Ying had imagined.

She had assumed that sitting at the same table with someone like Lin Shen, who was involved in illegal activities and would readily pull out a gun to kill people, would create a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

They might even have to keep the curtains tightly drawn while eating, and not dare to say much, leaving as soon as they finish.

As soon as she sat down at the dining table, she realized she had been overthinking things.

On the table were steaming miso soup, perfectly grilled saury, a dish of cold spinach salad, a small pot of stewed beef, and a pot of white rice.

It was a simple meal of three dishes and a soup, but the presentation and aroma were very homey, not at all like something that would be served from the home of a ruthless "terrorist".

The three of them sat down around the dining table, turned on the TV, tuned to the news channel, and chatted casually about the news being broadcast while picking at their food.

A ridiculous news story was playing on TV: "Archaeological expert's 20-year-long 'buried stone artifacts' scam finally exposed."

Akemi picked up a piece of stewed beef and put it in her mouth, mumbling indistinctly as she chewed:

"Didn't we just hear about a restaurant selling imported eel as domestic? How come there's another case of counterfeiting?"

Eri Kisaki took a sip of miso soup, put down her bowl, shook her head, and said with a calm tone that suggested she was used to such things: "It's not just that, even hot springs are faked."

Mingmei was about to put the second piece of beef in her mouth when her chopsticks stopped in mid-air, her eyes widening: "No way? They can fake hot springs?"

Eri nodded, gestured in the air with the tip of her chopsticks, and continued as if she had opened a floodgate of words:

"The number of natural hot spring sources is limited; where do so many truly natural hot springs come from?"

"More than 90% of the hot springs on the market are actually just tap water or well water heated by boilers, which are actually fake."

She picked up a piece of cold spinach with her chopsticks and slowly continued, "To make the fake hot springs look more real, the operators add all sorts of things to the water."

"For example, the famous 'Shirogone Onsen' in Nagano Prefecture was exposed before for using commercially available bath salts to create their signature milky white 'white bath' to fool customers."

She paused and then added, "And in Kagoshima, there are businesses that use ordinary bath salts to create green 'hot spring water'."

Mingmei was stunned, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air, forgetting to put them down: "No way? This...this is consumer fraud! Doesn't the government care?"

Eri Kisaki gently shook her head, a hint of helpless smile in her voice:

"We can't control it, because strictly speaking, it's not illegal."

"The definition of 'hot spring' in the Hot Spring Law promulgated in 1948 was quite lenient."

"As long as water with a temperature above 25 degrees Celsius is used to build the bath, it can be considered a hot spring regardless of whether the water contains minerals."

Lin Shen was eating when he heard this and couldn't help but put down his bowl, revealing a shocked expression: "So casual?"

Eri Kisaki pushed up her glasses: "That's just how casual I am."

She put down her chopsticks and added an even more explosive statement, "And it's not just a matter of counterfeiting. In some places, hot springs reheat used water and reuse it to save costs, which leads to the growth of a large number of bacteria in the water."

"Legionella levels exceeded the standard by 3,700 times."

Looking at the two faces opposite her, which were gradually turning to stone, she continued, "Many guests have contracted Legionnaires' disease after soaking in these hot springs."

"This is an acute respiratory infectious disease, and in severe cases, it can lead to death due to respiratory and multiple organ failure."

Akemi was completely stunned. Her eyes widened even more, and her mouth formed a perfect "O": "Huh?? Really?!"

Eri Kisaki smiled helplessly, picked up her teacup and took a sip: "It's true. One of my clients is the unfortunate guy who contracted Legionnaires' disease while soaking in a hot spring."

After listening, Lin Shen and Mingmei exchanged a glance and then simultaneously let out a sigh full of emotion.

Eri lowered her head, ate a mouthful of rice, and then put a piece of beef in her mouth. A feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time welled up inside her.

The family sat around the dining table, eating, watching TV, chatting and complaining.

She hadn't experienced this feeling in many years.

Since she moved out and separated from Kogoro Mouri, eating has become a purely functional thing for her; as long as she can fill her stomach, she doesn't care about the atmosphere.

Sitting at Lin Shen's dining table, eating and chatting with these two "dangerous people" whom she should have kept her distance from, she actually felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation and ease.

She found it incredible.

After dinner, Eri Kisaki intended to help clear the dishes, but Akemi stopped her.

Mingmei smiled and said, "You're a guest, how can you let a guest wash the dishes?" Then she quickly took the dishes into the kitchen herself.

Eri stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Akemi tie on her apron and start washing the dishes. After hesitating for a moment, she went in, picked up a dry cloth, and stood beside her to help wipe the dishes.

The two women chatted casually as they worked.

After washing the dishes, Akemi dried her hands and smiled at Eri Kisaki, saying, "Attorney Kisaki, how about I mix you a drink? I recently learned a new way to make it."

Eri Kisaki initially wanted to decline, but seeing Akemi's enthusiastic manner, she swallowed her words and nodded with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you."

Akemi led her to the back of the small bar in the corner of the living room. Eri had never noticed before that there was a fully equipped little bar there.

Mingmei skillfully took out a cocktail shaker, measuring cup, and several bottles of base spirits, and began mixing drinks with fluid movements.

She continued chatting with Eri Kisaki while swirling the cocktail glass.

The two talked about the fake hot springs, then about workplace stress, and finally about their own growth experiences.

Eri discovered that Akemi was a very good listener, always able to nod, smile, and chime in at the right time, making people feel very comfortable when chatting with her.

Before they knew it, the two of them were sitting at the bar, drinking and chatting, completely losing track of time.

When Eri glanced at the time on her phone screen, she suddenly realized it was already eleven o'clock.

She put down her wine glass and slapped her forehead somewhat embarrassedly: "Oh dear, Ms. Mingmei, I was so engrossed in chatting with you that I forgot to talk about the important matter."

Mingmei smiled, waved her hand, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's okay, there's no rush. We can talk again next time."

Looking at her composed demeanor, Eri Kisaki couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards her.

Mingmei gave her a sense of security, like someone who would never rush her or make her feel anxious.

She smiled, finished the last sip of her drink, and stood up: "That's true. It's rare to be able to chat so relaxed and at ease."

She picked up the paper bag next to her, straightened her clothes, and said, "But it's getting late, and I have work to do tomorrow, so I have to go back."

Upon hearing this, Mingmei immediately stood up, wiped her hands, and said with earnest concern, "Then wait a moment, I'll have President Lin drive you home."

Upon hearing this, Eri Kisaki waved her hands repeatedly, shaking her head like a rattle-drum: "No need, no need! I can just walk to the station and take a taxi myself. There's no need to trouble President Hayashi to make the trip."

Akemi's attitude was even more resolute than hers, shaking her head repeatedly: "That won't do. The security situation in Beika Town isn't very good. There have been a lot of perverts around lately."

"Besides, you've had a little to drink, and I'm worried about you walking alone at night."

As she spoke, without giving Eri a chance to refuse again, she turned around and went to find Lin Shen.

Eri stood there, watching Akemi's retreating figure as she walked quickly towards the stairs, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.

She recalled everything that had happened in the villa that evening: Lin Shen teaching her how to shoot at the shooting range, the three of them eating and talking about the news around the dining table, Mingmei chatting with her while washing dishes in the kitchen, and that carefully mixed drink just now.

She discovered that these two people were completely different from the vicious criminals she had imagined.

Just like ordinary people, they stay up late to follow the news, complain about social problems, and insist on taking their friends home when they are about to leave.

I even felt that these two people were more humane than many so-called "decent people".

She silently wondered to herself: if they were all good people, why did they have to do those illegal and criminal things?

She plans to ask Lin Shen and Mingmei about this later when she's more familiar with them.

We're not very familiar with each other yet, so it's not appropriate to ask such a sensitive question rashly.