The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

“Okay, I understand that part. You think your husband's infidelity is serious, but what's even more serious is that you can't accept the person he cheated with…”

After struggling to digest the information for a while, Eri Kisaki sighed and readjusted her glasses.

She is a lawyer, and no matter how outrageous her clients are, she must maintain her professional ethics and integrity.

“I think it’s more important to have an open and honest talk with the other party than to take a more radical approach. What do you think? Although I often help clients in these kinds of cases reach out-of-court settlements, frankly speaking, when it comes to issues related to marriage and relationships, as long as there’s still room for maneuver, I wouldn’t prioritize going through legal proceedings…”

Their interpersonal relationships are slightly more complicated than those of ordinary couples whose marriages have broken down, but not by much. It's not a bad thing that everyone involved in the dispute knows each other, as this gives them more room to sit down and have a serious discussion.

In short, compared to Yuko Arisawa's current state of being almost completely immersed in her personal emotions and unable to extricate herself, Eri Kisaki believes that doing this is the best way to solve the problem.

“…We’ll see.” Yuko Arisawa held the cigarette that had burned out under the sink and extinguished it, her voice low.

"What, you don't want to bring this up? Are you worried about Mr. Kajimoto Hajime's feelings? Since you know Ms. Kajimoto Yana, you can sit down and have a proper talk..." Eri Kisaki subtly hinted.

If Yuko Sawa's request is to prevent Hajime Kaji from finding out about this, there are actually quite a few ways to do so.

The simplest approach is to sit down, lay out your thoughts, and then offer some concessions in the divorce proceedings to persuade Arisawa Shirou to break up with Kajimoto Mei.

This is not fair, but this is the price to be weighed when seeking conditions beyond the division of property, and it is also where lawyers can play a role.

Alternatively, he could lay out the emotional trauma he suffered in this regard, considering that the woman who cheated had a family and children, and that both of them were famous athletes who needed to consider the impact of public opinion, etc. The process would be more complicated, but the result might be more in line with Yuko Arisawa's wishes.

It will be difficult to deal with this scandal without anyone noticing, but it's not impossible.

“It’s not just this problem…” Yuko Arisawa closed her eyes, squeezed the cigarette holder in her hand with her fingertips, and the particles stuffed inside broke through the wrapping paper and leaked out.

Eri pushed up her glasses again, staring at Yuko Arisawa, who was unwilling to continue speaking, with a sense of helplessness.

Yuko Arisawa was ashamed to express these feelings honestly, but she already understood to some extent what Yuko Arisawa was thinking.

A cracked mirror, once glued back together, can never be restored to its original state. Similarly, a vessel with cracks, no matter how perfectly repaired, is still imperfect to those who know how it was formed.

For Yuko Arisawa, who regarded Hajime Kajimoto as an aspiration or even a dream, shattering this perfect dream was an unforgivable sin that could not be remedied or resolved through any means or discussions.

Since she resisted so much, there was nothing Eri could do.

A lawyer can only offer advice, not force a sale. If the other party has no intention of resolving the matter peacefully, what can a lawyer do?

If we expect every client to make rational judgments and responses, then there's no need for lawyers to exist.

“Alright, since you’re so determined, I can’t force you,” Eri Kisaki loosened her arms. “I’m just offering you some advice as your lawyer and your friend. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“Eri…” Yuko Arisawa, having calmed down somewhat, turned to look at him, her expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, I just…”

"Yes, everyone has their own thoughts, and I understand your choice. Let's go, the children are still waiting for us."

"it is good……"

The two of them straightened their appearance and walked out with normal expressions.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom next door, listening to the echoing sounds from the other side, Arisawa Shiro's face turned pale and then red. He stood blankly in front of the mirror, letting the person next to him wipe his wet coat clean, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

Others may not understand Yuko Arisawa's personality, or have little understanding of the relatively extreme aspects of her personality, but Tsuguro Arisawa, who has lived with her for several years, knows it very well.

Yuko Arisawa's tone revealed genuine anger; his approach to Mei Kajimoto was even more unforgivable to her than his infidelity.

In Yuko Arisawa's heart, is her husband still not even a fraction as important as Hajime Kaji...?

"Okay, that should solve the problem."

Having confirmed that Arisawa Shigeo had heard everything clearly, Asai Narumi finally smiled, raised his head, and released his grip on the other man's collar.

If a suit fabric gets wet, it's very difficult to remove the stains completely unless you use a dryer.

However, at this moment, Arisawa Tsuguro probably doesn't have time to care about what kind of situation their soup was in.

Having achieved their goal, they no longer needed to hold Arisawa Shiro hostage. Soon, surrounded by more polite words and apologies, they watched the distraught Arisawa Shiro leave.

He pretended to cheat on his wife so she would find out and see her reaction. Now that she has given him her reaction, there's no point in him continuing to pretend.

Whether he was defeated by Yuko Arisawa in one move or something else happened, that was not something they needed to consider.

What they still need to do is what the Phantom Thief of Hearts should do: deliver a direct blow to certain shadows.

"Speaking of which, Yuko Arisawa's hatred for her husband actually stems from the idea that he's the culprit who destroyed an idol's family. It's hardly enough to warrant murder. Do you think getting rid of her trauma would solve this problem?" Asai Narumi asked tentatively, observing Hoshikawa Teru's reaction.

"It's hard to say. It depends on how much she values ​​Kaji Hajime. Or rather, it depends on her concept of an idol." Hoshikawa Teru, who was engrossed in fiddling with the otherworld navigation tool, didn't notice the gazes of those around him and casually replied, "Perhaps she hates her husband more for shattering her illusions."

Asai Narumi's eyebrows shot up immediately: "That's an interesting point of view. Why do you say that?"

Indeed, of all the people who know about this, perhaps only Hoshikawa Teru can understand Arisawa Yuko's thought process.

After typing the name, Hoshikawa Teru looked up, frowned, and organized his thoughts for a moment before slowly saying, "Because, Arisawa Yuko's life seems to have many regrets. The things she wanted to do were never quite successful, while Kajimoto Hajime was far too successful."

Driven by her admiration for Hajime Kaji, Yuko Arisawa chose her current professional path and embarked on a career in sports.

It is undeniable that she has talent in this area. Her success is largely due to her talent and hard work. The path she chose cannot be considered wrong, but it is not easy for a woman like Yuko Arisawa to choose this path.

Physical sports competitions have heavyweight requirements and require exceptionally rigorous training. During puberty, in order to meet the standards, one must constantly push one's physical limits. For a woman like her who still wants to return to family life in the future, this means constantly narrowing her range of potential partners. Not all men can accept that their wives are taller and stronger than them, and can lift them up with one hand.

Unfortunately, she persevered until she was 20 years old before finally making her debut and reaching the peak of her career, but due to injuries, she was unable to truly stand at that highest position.

After that, she chose Arisawa Tsuguro, got married, and then retired. This was not her most satisfactory choice, but a compromise made to cut her losses.

After experiencing so many setbacks, she sees Hajime Kaji as more than just a symbol of professional achievement.

Hajime Kaji had a smooth career from the start of his competitive career. Occasional injuries never hindered his progress. He swept awards with unparalleled achievements until he could no longer compete, at which point he retired to become a coach, found a like-minded wife, and had children.

He was a man of great achievements, respected by all, with a harmonious family and a perfect life—the dream state that Yuko Arisawa longed for but could never achieve.

This made Yuko Arisawa start to really act like those fans, projecting her unattainable fantasies onto Hajime Kaji, hoping that Hajime Kaji could have the best of everything that she couldn't have.

"Kaji Hajime was the perfect role model in her mind. Rather than moving to a better position herself, she hoped that Kaji Hajime's life would be smooth and continue to be perfect. That's why she had the murderous intent towards Arisawa Tsugurou, who destroyed this perfection."

This cannot be explained by simple romantic feelings between men and women. Under such emotional projection, it is not surprising that she would become irrational.

"...Why do you look like you understand her so well?" Asai Narumi's eyebrows twitched violently.

"Don't make that weird face." Hoshikawa Teru glanced at him and walked towards the subway entrance. "Her mentality is very strange. I won't act like that."

"Because you don't think Tang Ze is perfect?"

“No, I mean, it’s strange that she admires Hajime Kaji so much, yet she has so little confidence in him.” Hoshikawa shook his head without even thinking. “Hajime Kaji is a professional athlete who has reached the top all the way and has witnessed countless ups and downs. Yet she thinks that he can’t handle this kind of thing? She’s almost middle-aged, and she still treats her idol like a fragile child. That’s really strange.”

As for Tang Ze? There's probably nothing in this world that he can do but Tang Ze can't.

Ultimately, the fact that he stayed and remained in the Phantom Thieves until now is an unexpected situation. According to Tang Ze's normal plan, Hoshikawa Teru should have been sent to America long ago and had no connection with Tang Ze anymore.

If anyone affects Tang Ze's plans, Tang Ze will definitely act faster and more thoroughly than him. No matter what unexpected events occur, there are always backup plans to cover them up, and he doesn't need someone like him.

He wouldn't do something so pointless as to get rid of someone who could threaten Tang Ze.

Having understood Hoshikawa Teru's subtext, Asai Narumi tensed up, followed the other into the subway, and quickly switched her phone to the Phantom Thief LINE app to start sending messages again.

It sounds like Hoshikawa's condition is much more serious than Arisawa Yuko's; without a strong response, it will be difficult to resolve this situation...

At the kaiseki restaurant on the other end, Tang Ze, having finished his rice ball, scrolled through his phone, checking the messages sent by Asai Narumi.

[Lunar: The shadow location has been located. We'll resolve the issue immediately.]

[Lunar: But Leader, don't you really think Hoshikawa's problems are much more serious than this lady's?]

[Joker: Really? He's not dangerous enough to easily kill someone, is he?]

[Lunar: That's not that bad...]

[Lunar: But I feel that's not the point...]

[Joker: Okay, I know what you're going to say. You're saying he's not afraid to do it, but that he feels he can take care of people who need to be eliminated without him, so there's no need to waste his time, right?]

[Lunar: Don't you know this very well?]

[Joker: Who among you can fool me? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.]

Tang Ze looked up at Yuzawa Yuko, who had walked back to the table, smiled gently at her, and placed his phone face down on the table.

Although he couldn't directly see what Hoshikawa Teru was thinking, he vaguely sensed that the guy was planning something very dangerous.

Perhaps inspired by the resistance he encountered in his own case's retrial, he decided to take some action.

However, nothing has happened yet, and even if he directly brought it up with Hoshikawa Teru, the other party probably wouldn't admit it, so Tang Ze wasn't in a hurry.

Hidden problems cannot be identified until they surface. It is better to guide than to suppress. Sometimes, conflicts and contradictions can only be eradicated when they are brought to the surface.

In this regard, Tang Ze has always preferred to catch people in the act.

Just like now.

"It's almost time. Although my home is very close by, I still need to go to the parking lot to find where I parked my car. It's been several hours, and I've almost forgotten exactly where I parked it..."

Having managed her emotions well without revealing any flaws, Yuko Arisawa smiled brightly again as she looked at the children who were staring at her silently.

Adult conflicts and sordid family problems shouldn't involve so many children; she was a bit despicable today.

"Your phone just rang, Arisawa-senpai." Ran Mouri smiled, interrupting her as she was about to leave the table to finish dinner. "I didn't feel comfortable taking your phone to look at it, but it seems like it was your husband calling."

Yuko Arisawa immediately picked up her phone from the table, her smile vanishing instantly.

She originally planned to use this time to observe Arisawa Shirou's movements, and then find an opportunity to call him to a secluded place and strangle him.

To avoid arousing suspicion, she didn't bring her phone with her, but unexpectedly, Tsuguhiro Arisawa called her.

This could ruin her plans, this is troublesome...

With several people watching, she couldn't afford to make a scene, so she could only keep a straight face and call back, preparing to play it by ear.