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

Ran felt uneasy, and looking at Eri's unhurried demeanor, she felt that something was wrong.

Mom was too calm.

It was eerily calm.

My mother is not the kind of woman who can be easily fooled, nor is she the kind of person who would force a smile even if she was wronged.

The more indifferent she acts, the more serious things become!

Ran grew increasingly uneasy. She reached under the table, pulled out her phone, and secretly sent Kogoro Mouri a text message: "Apologize to Mom right now! Be sincere! Otherwise, she'll get in trouble."

Kogoro Mouri felt his phone vibrate, took it out and glanced at it. After seeing the message, he looked up and exchanged a glance with Ran.

Xiaolan mouthed: Quickly! Apologize!

Kogoro Mori quickly bowed his head and replied: 【Understood! Right away!】

Xiaolan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her father had received the notification. She put down her phone and stood up. "Um... I'm full! I want to go to the souvenir shop and buy some gifts for Yuanzi."

She turned to Lin Shen and Vermouth, "Do you two want to come along?"

Hearing her words, Lin Shen put down his chopsticks, glanced at Xiao Lan, and then at Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki sitting opposite him.

He saw through Xiaolan's intention almost instantly, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he stood up cooperatively and said, "Okay, I was just thinking of buying something too."

Vermouth noticed it too.

She smiled and stood up, saying, "Sure, let's go shopping together."

The three people left their seats naturally.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold as soon as the three people left.

In front of Kogoro Mouri was a plate of food that hadn't been touched much, his chopsticks resting on the edge of the bowl, and his fingers unconsciously rubbing his trouser leg.

He glanced at Eri Kisaki, who was drinking water with elegant movements and no emotion on her face.

The more she acted like this, the more uncertain Kogoro Mouri felt.

He rubbed his hands together and coughed lightly: "Eri..."

Eri Kisaki put down her cup, raised her eyelids slightly to look at him, and said in a flat tone, "Hmm?"

Kogoro Mouri swallowed hard. "Um... what happened last night was my fault."

Eri Kisaki didn't say anything, but picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks and chewed it slowly.

Seeing that she ignored him, Kogoro Mouri panicked even more and lowered his voice, "I shouldn't have gone to that kind of place, and I definitely shouldn't have lied to you... I know I did something wrong, I..."

He paused, gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and said, "I was wrong."

These three words were especially difficult to utter when they came from Kogoro Mouri's mouth.

Although he is usually carefree and unreliable, he can lower his proud head when he really wants to admit his mistakes.

Eri Kisaki did not respond immediately after hearing this.

She put down her chopsticks, leaned back in her chair, and stared at Kogoro Mouri for a long while.

Then she held out her hand: "Where's the ring?"

Kogoro Mouri's eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled the gold ring from his pocket, handing it over with both hands: "It's here! It's right here!"

Eri Kisaki took the ring, examined it from all angles, and her expression remained calm.

Kogoro Mouri rubbed his hands together, pressing his advantage: "Eri, you see... we've been separated for many years now, and Ran has grown up... why don't you... move back in?"

Eri Kisaki didn't answer, but simply placed the ring back on the table and pushed it in front of him: "Take it back."

Kogoro Mouri paused for a moment, then said, "You..."

Eri Kisaki said calmly, "I accept your apology. But I can't accept this ring."

She glanced at the gleaming gold ring. "Xiaolan bought it for you, right? Just wear it yourself. She meant well."

Kogoro Mouri panicked: "But this is..."

Eri interrupted him, "I don't need this kind of thing anymore."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, freezing Kogoro Mouri completely.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't seem to find the right words.

Eri looked at him with a complicated expression, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "Kogoro, we can never go back to the way things were."

Her tone was calm, without resentment or sarcasm; she was simply stating a fact.

Kogoro Mouri looked down at the dish on the table and said in a muffled voice, "Then...then could you...?"

His voice trailed off, "Can't we start over?"

Eri Kisaki gently shook her head, her gaze filled with the patience of someone looking at a child: "No."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Think about it, I'm way past the stage of giving up everything for love."

"I can't give up my job, and I can't go back to being a housewife who stays at home all day."

"You know, I've always been this kind of person."

Kogoro Mouri moved his lips as if he wanted to retort, but Eri Kisaki didn't give him a chance to speak: "You don't like strong women, you never have."

"And I don't like spineless men either."

She said this in a low voice, even with a hint of self-deprecation.

Kogoro Mouri's expression changed.

He could tell that what Eri Kisaki said was true.

She was telling the truth, a truth that was harsh and hurtful, yet undeniably real.

He lowered his head, unable to speak.

He suddenly realized that he had been standing still all these years, never thinking about getting better, and never making any changes for her.

He has no one to blame but himself for his current predicament.

After Eri finished speaking, she patiently added, "Of course, I'm not saying that men with your personality are bad."

"You're more suited to a stable life, which is why I feel comfortable entrusting Xiaolan to you."

"But I don't want to waste my time on a mundane and boring life. After studying for so many years, I want to do something!"

Looking at Eri Kisaki's resolute refusal, Kogoro Mouri didn't show any particular distress.

They've been separated for over ten years and don't keep in touch regularly.

He had already considered the worst-case scenario.

He simply remarked, "You're still as calm as ever."

Eri Kisaki remarked with a sigh, "Yes, after all, the price of being impulsive is heavy. It cost me many years of taking the wrong path."

She lost interest in chatting and instead said, "Eat! Your daughter worked so hard to earn this money, don't waste it."

Kogoro Mouri nodded and said, "That's true."

Then he started eating.

Eri Kisaki glanced at him and shook her head.

Seeing that Kogoro Mouri was completely oblivious to the crux of the problem and had no idea about Ran's issue, she knew that her decision was right.

Kogoro Mouri is far too insensitive.

He never imagined that a girl could earn so much money; it was utterly unreasonable!

Not to mention, this job is easy and effortless, with triple pay for overtime, and you don't have to pay anything extra!

Having worked at the agency for so many years, Eri Kisaki knows very well that there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Any job with high pay and good benefits but not tiring is only suitable for those who own a family business or conglomerate.

Otherwise, every single one of them would be breaking the law and committing a crime!

With this level of skill, what kind of detective are you...?

And Xiaolan completely inherited her useless father's sharp eyesight!

Did she really think that being a maid at Dangdang Cafe could earn that much money?

Eri sighed silently to herself, increasingly convinced that her decision to cut things off was the right one.

If we really drag Kogoro Mouri and Ran into this abyss of Lin Shen, they probably won't even know how they fell into it!