The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

"Oh, sorry, I think I said something strange."

Lost in her thoughts, feeling sad and gloomy for a moment, Yuko Arisawa quickly raised her head again and waved to the group.

"where……"

Ran Mouri and Eri Kisaki exchanged a glance, both with understanding smiles, ready to move on from the topic.

To be honest, Yuko Arisawa's tone was indeed strange to strangers. It was clearly a sentiment that could only be expressed when discussing private topics. It made it difficult for people to ask further questions, since asking would inevitably touch on these issues.

Everyone else was ready to steer the conversation away from the topic, but Tang Ze had other ideas.

The dishes have been served one by one in order. If we don't keep the conversation going now, and give Yuko Arisawa some free time, this highly lethal martial arts expert will go out and commit murder.

Even though they were so crazy, it wouldn't be a big pity if they died, but it's a bit unfair that someone was involved in a murder case over such a trivial matter.

Who told them to be the Phantom Thieves of the Heart, specializing in dealing with the mentally ill? Fine.

"Are Ms. Arisawa and Mr. Kajimoto Hajime on good terms?" Tang Ze chose a relatively tactful approach. "I remember Mr. Kajimoto is not young this year."

Yuko Arisawa has been retired due to injury for three or four years, and Hajime Kaji has long been married and had children. According to the normal development of an athlete's career, the two of them should not have had any chance to get to know each other.

"We do have a pretty good relationship. On one hand, Kajimoto-senpai is still paying attention to the national team's training and often comes over to give guidance. On the other hand, when I started playing, Kajimoto-senpai hadn't retired yet." Since the discussion was about a very superficial topic concerning Kajimoto Hajime, Arisawa Yuko didn't try to avoid it and cheerfully continued the conversation.

"I haven't paid much attention to this kind of project." Tang Ze nodded slowly. "Is Mr. Hajime Kaji known as the coach of all of Japan because of this?"

"Yes, he had a very good track record until his retirement. Even after retiring, he continued to serve as a coach for the team, bringing out many players with excellent results. He is a senior figure worthy of respect."

“I vaguely know that. He used to be a very good player, right? But it seems he got married quite early, and his child should be almost graduating from elementary school now?” Eri glanced at Tang Ze, who was stirring things up, and thoughtfully continued the conversation.

“Yes, when I met Kajimoto-senpai, he was already married. He and his wife have a great relationship, and their child is adorable. Our two families still keep in touch. He's really a very caring person towards his juniors. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet my husband.” Yuko Arisawa smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"You two met through him?"

"Pretty much. Shiro has always been in the sporting goods business and used to be a supplier for many teams. He said he was interested in our competition, so Kajimoto-senpai introduced him to us. That's how I met him."

Yuko Arisawa's words were cautious and respectful, as if they were indeed in a normal senior-junior relationship. It was hard to tell what prompted her earlier remarks, but Karasawa knew roughly what her situation was.

This problem can be seen from the part where she and her husband argued to the point of almost causing someone's death.

Yuko Arisawa's husband had been in contact with her since before she retired, and could be considered a fan of hers during her competitive years. They became friends during this period, which can be seen from the fact that her husband is also very familiar with other members of the Kajimoto family.

Therefore, her husband, Tsuguro Arisawa, was absolutely certain that he could clearly perceive the complex feelings that Yuko Arisawa had for her senior.

It's certainly a lot of respect, but it doesn't quite feel like admiration. However, to say it's just pure longing would be a bit too heavy a word.

No one knows what Yuko Arisawa is really thinking, but in Tsuguro Arisawa's mind, this question can probably be summarized as follows.

—My best friend is richer than me, dresses better than me, and is more likable than me, so why did you choose me? Answer: Because she didn't agree.

From Arisawa Shiro's perspective, he felt like a backup option. The only reason the goddess chose him was because the male god got married young and had no chance.

Like everyone who discovers their lover has a "white moonlight" (a romantic ideal), although they eventually fell in love and got married, the sense of imbalance caused by this disparity always remained in Arisawa Tsugurou's heart.

This prompted him to test his wife's thoughts, hoping to get her to focus more on him and stop dwelling on her past feelings for Kaji Hajime. So he made a very foolish decision: he wanted to pretend to have an affair to make his wife feel insecure and give them a chance to rebuild their relationship.

As it turned out, Arisawa Tsuguro's concerns were not unfounded. In the end, what truly provoked Arisawa Yuko's murderous intent was not his infidelity itself. After all, she also had a job and was not a full-time housewife. Infidelity could easily be resolved through divorce. What made her determined to kill him was the discovery that his "cheat partner" was actually Kajimoto Hajime's wife.

I could tolerate your arrogance, but you dare to arrogance towards my ideal woman? You've already dug your own grave.

Between her husband and the senior she admired, she could never find a balance. Arisawa Tsuguro proved with his life that his doubts were indeed correct, which could be considered a kind of "hearing the truth in the morning and dying in the evening" kind of thing.

After this conversation, while social elites like Ran Mouri and Conan, who weren't as worldly-wise, didn't realize it yet, Eri Kisaki's eyebrows were already furrowed.

She looked at Yuko Arisawa with worry, as if she had finally grasped some of the clues to the changes in the other's marriage.

Could it be because of this senior...?

"I remember when you achieved your results, Mr. Hajime Kajimoto had already retired for some time. Was he really that concerned about judo results?" Ran Mouri, sensing the atmosphere was heading in an odd direction, quickly changed the subject.

Yuko Arisawa seemed relieved and quickly continued the conversation on the topic: "No, no, I only started to achieve results after I entered university, but I actually started competing quite early. I didn't really study hard in high school."

Tang Ze made an exaggerated look of realization: "Oh, so you got into college because of your talent in competitions?"

"That's why I worked so hard in college. If I slacked off even a little, I would be letting down the spot they gave me..."

"No wonder Sister Fei wanted to invite Xiaolan over. This is actually a good option for further education. If you don't have particularly strong confidence in your exams, this is a good path. What do you think?"

Tang Ze chatted with her for a few minutes, then shifted the topic from Hajime Kaji to herself, and finally brought up Ran Mouri.

Yuko Arisawa, who was initially a little wary of the topic of Hajime Kaji, relaxed again and instead explained to Ran Mouri a few things about schools to consider and how to weigh the pros and cons.

The topic seemed to have returned to the physical competition itself, no longer revolving around marriage or her interpersonal relationships. Yuko Arisawa relaxed somewhat, while Eri Kisaki, who sensed Karasawa's intentions, became much more serious.

Yuko Arisawa's situation is far more complicated than she claims...

"I need to use the restroom first." After chatting for a while, Yuko looked at her watch, stood up, and said, "My husband should be going home soon."

The main event is coming.

Tang Ze rolled his eyes and secretly nudged Eri Kisaki, who was sitting on his other side, under the table.

Eri Kisaki sensed his subtle encouragement and immediately stood up as well: "I'd like to go too, let's go together. It's pretty close to your house, I remember, so there shouldn't be any rush."

Yuko Arisawa was clearly taken aback when Eri Kisaki suddenly joined them, and blinked.

Tang Ze knew that, according to the original plan, she would find her husband, kill him, throw his body into the trunk, and then return with a normal expression, driving the passengers and her dead husband in the trunk home together.

If Eri Kisaki follows along, and then she finds an excuse to separate from Eri Kisaki, then that would be going too far.

Yuko Arisawa glanced at Eri Kisaki, then looked towards the restroom. She quickly composed herself, nodded, and said, "Okay. Let's go together then. Speaking of which, I thought you were going to invite your ex-husband along today."

“You said it yourself, he’s my ex-husband.” Eri Kisaki smiled and took her arm.

"There's still room for negotiation. This is about the division of property, and you told me that yourself. Didn't you say he also practices judo?"

"Didn't you say yourself that you felt bad about bothering the great detective over something so trivial?"

So it's my fault?

The two women left, chatting and laughing.

Once they were out of sight, Ran Mouri and Conan immediately stopped smiling and leaned towards Tang Ze.

"What kind of riddles are you and Mom playing? Honestly, sometimes the atmosphere feels a bit suffocating..." Ran Mouri asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, what did you guys figure out? I saw you secretly patting Aunt Fei's hand..." Conan's eyes narrowed into slits.

At first glance, Yuko Arisawa's mental state seemed fine, but after talking for several hours, she gave off a feeling of calm on the surface but not on the inside, like a live volcano about to erupt, and you never knew what kind of commotion she was going to cause.

“This…” Tang Ze drawled out the word.

After walking away, Eri Kisaki, arm in arm with Yuko Arisawa, entered the restroom, took off her glasses, and stood in front of the vanity mirror fixing her hair, asking similar questions.

"Yuko, you seem to be in a really bad mood today. You've been forcing a smile the whole time. What's wrong? Is there something going on between you and your husband?"

This vague premonition had been there since Yuko Arisawa reconnected with her and complained about her husband's paranoia. Today, after meeting him, especially after receiving that phone call where he stood her up, she couldn't suppress it anymore.

Her marriage is in serious trouble, a problem she can't handle on her own. If it's not resolved soon, even divorce might not be enough to end the relationship gracefully. That's the feeling I get from the experienced Eri Kisaki.

Yuko Arisawa froze in mid-air as she tidied her hair. She looked at Eri Kisaki for a moment, and seeing her serious attitude, she finally put away the smile she had maintained all day.

"...Is it that obvious that you could see right through it? Or have you been influenced by the famous detective to some extent?"

“Ha, let’s not talk about that man at a time like this. Sometimes, women are scarier than Sherlock Holmes. Tell me about it, just to relieve some stress, or you can treat it as a trial period for divorce counseling, I have no objection.” Eri Kisaki said, taking out a women’s cigarette and handing it over.

"How thoughtful of you." Yuko Arisawa smiled and lowered her head, taking the cigarette from her hand and checking the time again.

Arisawa said he would go home at 9:25. If he went back from here, it would only take five or six minutes, including the time it takes to leave the parking lot.

It's only 8:40. Even if this trip doesn't go through, there's no need to rush. She can wait until it's time to pick up the car and have Eri and the others wait for her at the door while she goes to get the car...

Having mentally reorganized her plans, she was no longer in a hurry. She turned her back and lit a cigarette.

“He cheated on me, Eri.” As she spoke, Yuko Arisawa felt a bitter taste in her mouth, unsure whether it was from her emotions or the smell of cigarette smoke. “And I found out who he was cheating on me with.”

Eri crossed her arms and leaned against the table behind her, unsurprised.

Yuko Arisawa isn't the traditional type of virtuous wife and loving mother, but based on my interactions with her, she seems to be the kind of woman who, even if feelings fade and conflicts arise, will maintain the marriage as long as there are no fundamental issues.

This undeniable decline in condition must indicate a truly serious situation.

"So, you actually plan to ask me about the divorce, or perhaps you want me to investigate your husband's true financial situation?" Eri Kisaki guessed.

If the meeting is just about discussing divorce, then today's meeting is actually unnecessary.

However, if she wants to be fully prepared, or suspects that her husband is transferring assets or concealing income, then this direct investigation at the home is very necessary, similar to the evidence-gathering process of a detective.

Yuko Arisawa exhaled a puff of smoke and remained silent for a moment.

"...No, I think he did it on purpose. He deliberately let me find out, deliberately let me find the evidence...Eri, you don't understand, he's getting revenge on me."

Eri Kisaki put her glasses back on with a strange expression: "Revenge? By letting you get the evidence in advance, to prove that he is the one at fault?"

They might enjoy the thrill of the relationship, but they've put themselves at a legal disadvantage. Given their income levels, this could amount to a loss of hundreds of millions of yen. Are the Arisawa couple really that love-struck? How come I didn't realize it?

"He retaliated against my choice by seducing Kajimoto-senpai's wife."

Yuko Arisawa sighed slowly and revealed the most important secret that had been weighing heavily on her heart.

Since the day I discovered it, this disbelief, this pain and inner turmoil have tormented me for many days, to the point that I had to find an outlet to vent it.

Eri Kisaki feels like she's stumbled into some melodramatic TV drama: ?

She was just thinking that these two didn't seem to be love-struck... Was she wearing her glasses wrong? Should she take them off and wipe them again?