The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

The dial tone rang monotonously in my ears.

Yuko Arisawa was extremely anxious, and by the time the phone rang for the sixth time, she was almost at her wit's end.

She had fully prepared herself mentally to end the worthless life of this man who had betrayed his family and ruined other people's lives today. At this moment, she really didn't want to continue to feign compliance.

Is there any point in continuing this pretense?

For that shallow affection that neither of them wanted to maintain anymore?

Just as she was about to hang up the phone and make an excuse that the other party hadn't answered and might be driving, a familiar voice rang out behind her.

"...Yuko. You're here."

Yuko Arisawa turned around abruptly, and standing behind her was none other than her husband, Tsuguro Arisawa, who was looking at her with a sad and melancholy gaze.

To her surprise, Arisawa Tsugurou stood right in front of her so openly.

She discovered her husband's infidelity two weeks ago.

This restaurant wasn't the one she had discovered and liked, as she had told Eri and the others. Rather, it was a place she had specifically sought out after finding matchboxes with the restaurant's logo multiple times at home, confirming that her husband was likely meeting his mistress there.

She had followed Arisawa Tsuguro twice and knew how her husband always hid his face, as if afraid of being discovered. It was at this time that her plan to kill him took shape.

The guilty husband would cover his face with sunglasses and a hat to carefully avoid the range of surveillance cameras, and would also use phone recordings to pretend that he was busy elsewhere. He really went to great lengths.

As long as she pretends not to have discovered these things and makes others believe it, that is a natural alibi, proving that she did not interfere in the slightest.

She decided to turn the tables on him, turning the cover-up and deception he had created for his infidelity into a deadly trap...

However, after preparing myself mentally, I was surprised to see him appear so directly and without any attempt to avoid me...

Yuko Arisawa's cheek muscles twitched as she clenched her back teeth, clearly indicating that her emotions were fluctuating. Her gaze towards the man in front of her also shifted uncertainly.

"Weren't you supposed to be keeping vigil? How did you find this place?" Taking a deep breath, Yuko Arisawa's voice was cold and deep, but she maintained her composure as she asked.

"Haven't you already discovered me? Why ask when you already know the answer?" Arisawa Tsuguro's expression was very sad.

The group of people at the table, who had already guessed what the couple was up to, looked at each other without saying a word.

To be fair, Yuko Arisawa is estimated to be over 178cm tall, while her husband is noticeably smaller than her in both height and build.

Considering Yuko Arisawa's formidable fighting prowess and impressive record, it must be said that Tsuguro Arisawa's audacity in testing his wife with such a potentially contentious method is truly remarkable.

Yuko Arisawa crossed her arms and sneered twice: "Oh? Is that so? So you've finally realized you can't fool me anymore and want to make peace? You only realize your mistake when you're about to die. You're such a bastard."

Aside from Eri Kisaki, who was talking to Yuko Arisawa and not listening to their reasoning, everyone else at the table leaned back.

The phrase "on the verge of death" carries real weight. If this accident hadn't happened, Yuko Arisawa would most likely have been preparing to take action tonight. It's no exaggeration to say her husband's life hung by a thread...

"Of course I can't lie to you. I've never been able to lie to you, you know that. I've never been good at lying to you." Arisawa Tsugurou didn't show any guilt at her questioning; instead, his face was filled with sorrow. "Actually, I was looking for..."

"shut up!"

Almost as soon as Arisawa Shirou uttered the first syllable of the surname Kajimoto, Arisawa Yuko's voice suddenly rose, and she stopped her husband from saying the woman's name with a nearly broken scream.

No, I can't let my elders know, I can't let anyone else find out that their marriage, like my own, has fallen into such a tragic state...

Adhering to the principle that even if her own problems caused a huge mess, she could not tarnish Osamu Kajimoto's reputation, Yuko Arisawa's accusations were almost like a machine gun, bombarding the man standing in front of her.

"You know how clumsy your lies are! Damn it, who do you think you can fool! If you're not happy with your marriage, you can just ask me for a divorce instead of humiliating me like this! And you even went to see that person, how dare you go to see that person!"

Even without saying the name aloud, mentioning her husband's mistress caused Yuko Arisawa's expression to contort, almost to the point of tears.

Her husband's infidelity was a blow to her, a denial of her sexual charm and ability to maintain her family. The fact that her husband's affair was with Kaji Hajime's wife was an even heavier second blow.

"You know perfectly well, you know perfectly well that the last thing I want to hurt is them! Why, why—!"

"It's precisely because I knew you had this attitude that I approached Yaya to try and get her to cooperate with me, to see your reaction!" Unable to contain himself any longer, Arisawa Shirou raised his voice even higher and sharper than his wife's this time, roaring, "You keep calling me 'senpai,' forced to retire and choose to marry me, is that so unbearable for you?!"

"What?" Yuko Arisawa, who hadn't expected to hear such a sentence, raised her eyes, which were already filled with tears.

"What?" Everyone at the table was stunned, not expecting such an unexpected turn of events.

Focused on arguing with his wife, Arisawa Tsugurou only seemed to realize that there were other people at the table when he heard this sentence, and he began to glance at the people sitting around.

He saw Eri Kisaki and forced a smile: "Attorney Kisaki, please excuse my rudeness. I don't know what Yuko said to you, but it's a misunderstanding. I'm afraid you won't have the chance to earn this income this time."

Even through the echo from the bathroom, he recognized his wife's voice immediately, but he didn't know who was with her.

Upon getting closer and discovering it was Eri Kisaki, his emotions intensified.

When a spouse experiencing relationship problems comes to have dinner with a lawyer they've worked with, everyone's first reaction is that the spouse is there to discuss divorce proceedings.

“Mr. Arisawa Tsugurou, even if what you said is true, and you didn’t actually cheat, the responsibility for this matter lies more with you.” Eri Kisaki quickly understood the whole story and calmly replied, “You acted so genuinely, it’s perfectly normal for Yuko not to want to continue this marriage, isn’t it?”

"Then why don't you come to me directly? Why don't you talk to me directly! Ask me anything, even just one question!" Upon hearing this, Arisawa Tsuguro became agitated again and turned to look at his wife, who was still in shock.

Yuko Arisawa's expression was even more astonished than he had expected. She was staring at him with wide eyes, seemingly still unable to come to her senses.

Recalling what he had heard Yuko Arisawa say, Tsuguro Arisawa clutched his chest, looking as if his heart was being torn apart: "Yes, you can't accept your senior being cheated on more than me, right? The way you look at me makes it seem like this is a lie, and it's more unacceptable to you than if I were really cheating. You also said you have no romantic feelings for him, so where does this emotion come from? Tell me!"

Conan, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, naturally knew the reason, and exchanged indescribable glances with the others.

This is a question that Yuko Arisawa would probably find difficult to ask.

How should I put it? If I said I was already prepared to kill you, and now you're telling me it's all fake, it would be a bit of a waste of my feelings.

It was only at this moment that Yuko Arisawa finally snapped out of her near-murder because of a deliberately created misunderstanding. Seeing Tsuguro Arisawa's resentful eyes, she was instantly filled with rage.

"Huh? Is this something to joke about? Is this something to test?! How childish of you! Of all people to ask, why did you have to ask Yaya to act out this boring drama with you?!"

"What's wrong? Are you resorting to attacks because you can't answer? Then tell me, if you don't have those kinds of feelings for Mr. Hajime, why do you care more about Yana than about my affair? Tell me!"

“I never had those kinds of feelings for him! I introduced you two, and you went and broke up someone else's family. Did you even consider my position or my feelings? This has nothing to do with who she is. She's the wife of the friend I introduced you to!”

"Stop dodging my questions! Look at your expression when you find out I didn't actually cheat on you. So surprised. What, you're disappointed that Yaya didn't betray him and there's no hope for you two being together!"

"Have you figured out that you've been the one causing all this trouble from beginning to end?!"

"Then why don't you think about why I'm so anxious!"

"you--!"

Eri Kisaki tilted her body to the side and raised her hand to cover her ears.

The couple had clearly gotten carried away with their argument, and the topic gradually veered off the rails, turning into a pure shouting match. It was so unreasonable and absurd that it hurt the ears of anyone who listened.

"If they could put the energy they use from arguing into solving the problem, things wouldn't have escalated to this point..."

Eri saw from afar that the restaurant staff, who had been disturbed, were approaching with troubled expressions, seemingly trying to drive away the noisy couple. She couldn't help but complain to her daughter.

Ran Mouri gave her a subtle look: "Really? I'm quite used to this kind of situation..."

Her parents, one a lawyer and the other a former criminal police officer, were both quick to argue and debate with others.

When those two argue, they're far more unreasonable and disruptive than these two.

“Hey, Ran…” Eri, who was feeling a little embarrassed, tugged at her to stop her from continuing.

"What's wrong? Doesn't this look familiar, Mom? Ah, speaking of which, this matter is actually quite similar..."

Even after the restaurant staff, who were fed up with their noise, came out and cleared the two of them, along with the other innocent people at the table, out of the restaurant, Ran Mouri was still making similar remarks.

"What do you mean by 'different tunes, similar results'? You know what kind of person your father is. When I argue with him, isn't it always his fault?" Eri Kisaki turned her head and snorted.

"I'm talking about the situation." Conan put his hands behind his head, recalling Kogoro Mouri's unwavering and certain tone, and couldn't help but ask his question, "So, Uncle Mouri reacted so quickly because he actually did it before?"

"Heh, what else?" Eri Kisaki couldn't help but chuckle when the topic came up. "He called and said a client dragged him to play mahjong and even played the recording for me. And what happened? He ended up partying at a bar all night and didn't come back until now. I don't know where he's been fooling around. I've caught him so many times, but he never learns!"

Ran Mouri, who was in a difficult position to defend her father on this issue, looked around awkwardly before finally turning to Tang Ze for help once again.

Well, the problems between the Yuzawa couple haven't been resolved yet, and now Mom's anger is rising again because she's bringing up old grievances. Tang Ze, please save the day...

Tang Ze, who was engrossed in fiddling with his phone, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, as if he had really received her gaze. He looked up and advised, "You can point out these problems of his and ask him to change them. Uncle Mori specifically instructed us to remind you not to be fooled."

This statement isn't entirely false, but it's obvious that Kogoro Mouri wouldn't have expressed it that way.

If he were truly that honest, he and Eri wouldn't have ended up separating.

However, those words were quite effective, and Eri's angry expression did indeed subside considerably.

She smoothed the hair behind her ear, her face still stern, though her tone softened a bit: "You mean he still cares about me? Humph, as for him, I know exactly what's going on..."

“A couple should talk openly and honestly about any problems they have. Didn’t you just advise Ms. Youze like that?” Tang Ze tilted his head and gestured to the couple standing on the other side.

Their argument didn't stop on its own; it was only interrupted by the restaurant staff, who were now standing on the other side of the door, each turning their heads away, ignoring each other, a clear shift from a heated argument to a cold war.

Eri Kisaki straightened her hair, looking a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, her tone became firm again: "Our situations are different. There is no misunderstanding between us."

Although the real reason for their separation was not the conflict itself, but the argument that broke out after the conflict, the origin of the conflict was real and the source of her resentment. It was not something that could be dismissed with a few light words.

"Well, that's hard to say..." Tang Ze smiled, his eyes crinkling. After thinking for a moment, he made a shushing gesture and then walked over to the Youze couple who were standing by the roadside enjoying the cold wind.

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment, and was about to go over and grab him to stop meddling in other people's family affairs when she saw Tang Ze hand something to Yuzawa Yuko.

Yuko Arisawa, who was wiping away tears with a cold expression, glanced at the scene casually, but her expression suddenly froze, as if she couldn't believe it.

Conan blinked rapidly, almost immediately recalling the question that had been lingering in his mind, and quietly pricked up his ears.

Tang Ze and Yuzawa Yuko barely exchanged a few words, so what could he possibly be handing over?