"Stopping Mr. Asou won't be easy, will it?" Hii Eri said skeptically. "He's agreeing to crime for his son's medical bills."
"Even if Shuichi goes to Moonshadow Island, if he can't solve the kid's issue, he won't convince the father."
"I've thought about that," Tomizawa Chie said, touching her injured side with a flicker of pain. "But I'll handle it once I'm healed."
"You're not planning to steal, are you?" Hayashi Shuichi asked, frowning.
"You already know I'm Lady Phantom," Chie shrugged nonchalantly, a rebellious smirk on her lips. "Some people get rich by cheating and exploiting. Stealing from them to help those in need? I sleep just fine."
Seeing Hayashi Shuichi's furrowed brow, Chie's expression darkened, a flash of displeasure in her eyes at his reaction.
"I thoroughly investigate my targets. I never wrong anyone."
Chie crossed her arms stubbornly, head tilted defiantly. "If you don't trust me, forget it. I'll handle this myself!"
"I'm not worried about the rich," Hayashi Shuichi shook his head. "You play with fire, you'll get burned. I don't want you getting caught."
"Really?" Chie's face lit up, and she patted her chest confidently. "Don't worry, I'm too skilled to get caught!"
With that, she stood to leave.
"It's almost noon. Stay for lunch?" Hayashi Shuichi offered with a smile.
Eri, who'd been silently fuming, couldn't hold back. "Shuichi!"
Aspiring to be a national lawyer, Eri had little patience for a "chivalrous thief" like Lady Phantom, who operated in a gray area.
She'd warned her childhood friend to steer clear of her before.
Yet, instead of Hayashi Shuichi seeking her out, Lady Phantom came to him!
Chie shot Eri a knowing, teasing glance, as if seeing through her thoughts. "No thanks, I snuck out of the hospital. If I linger, I'll get caught."
"I'm off, little brother Shuichi!"
At the izakaya door, Chie turned, blowing Hayashi Shuichi a kiss.
Her movement was graceful and flirty, her eyes carrying a hint of provocation aimed at Eri.
Eri's already sour expression darkened further.
Once Chie left, Eri demanded, "You're really going to Moonshadow Island?"
"Yeah," Hayashi Shuichi nodded firmly. "If we ignore this, it'll end in tragedy. Say Mr. Asou agrees to smuggle drugs for his friends. His son's condition improves, but he regrets it and wants out."
"Then his friends, to keep him quiet, kill the Asou family on Moonshadow Island, burn their house, leaving only Seiji, who's in the hospital."
"Seiji grows up, disguises himself as a girl to return to the island, avenges his father by killing those responsible, then, consumed by guilt, sets himself ablaze to atone."
Hayashi Shuichi sighed, eyes full of regret.
"…"
Eri stared at her childhood friend, speechless. "I'm worried about your safety, and you spin that story to brush me off? It's so dramatic, you should write a novel!"
"Novel or manga, is it possible?" Hayashi Shuichi asked with a smile.
"Possible or not, you've decided to go, so what can I do?" Eri huffed. "But I'm coming with you."
"Sounds good. Just the two of us," Hayashi Shuichi agreed. "It's not that dangerous. Mr. Asou and his friends don't know their talk was overheard. We'll treat it as a trip to Moonshadow Island and investigate on the side."
"Just the two of us?" Eri's mind fixated on those words, her thoughts drifting.
"Yep," Hayashi Shuichi explained. "Yukiko's off to her film set tomorrow. Moonshadow's not far but not close either—we'll need at least a day. Kogoro's taking care of his mom, so he can't come. Reiko's visiting her parents next week, so it's just us."
"Just the two of us…" Eri's cheeks flushed deeper, and she froze, lost in thought.
"What's with her?" Yukiko, emerging from the storeroom after Chie's departure, looked puzzled. "Wrong medicine?"
"You took the wrong medicine!" Eri snapped, glaring at Yukiko before humming a tune and skipping back to the counter.
"Weird," Yukiko muttered, then turned to Hayashi Shuichi, eyes full of grievance. "You teased me like that in front of a stranger, Shuichi! That was too much!"
"Miss," Hayashi Shuichi spread his hands helplessly. "It was just a casual remark. You're the one who jumped in."
Yukiko paused, realizing it was her fault.
Her face reddened, embarrassment in her eyes as she fidgeted with her hair. "Still, no more dirty jokes in front of others! It's… too crude…"
"No jokes in front of others? So, just with you?" Hayashi Shuichi teased.
He meant it as a joke, but Yukiko, face red as a ripe apple, nodded faintly, her voice barely a whisper. "Only when it's just us…"
Eri, at the counter, couldn't hear Yukiko's words but saw her flushed face and guessed most of it, feeling a pang of jealousy.
"Always flirting with girls!" she muttered.
But thinking of the upcoming Moonshadow Island trip with Hayashi Shuichi, Eri's lips curved up, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, already picturing their moments together.
It was their first trip alone. Before, there was always Kogoro or some other "third wheel" tagging along…
(Chapter End)
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