Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 28 Psychology

"Officer Takagi, did you see that clearly?"

Lin Xiuyi raised her hands in a gesture, her face full of innocence.

"I didn't lay a hand on him; Officer Sato carried him over on his own."

"Takagi, this isn't Mr. Hayashi's fault."

Sato Miwako wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, slowly released Lin Xiuyi, straightened her police uniform, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her voice trembled with emotion.

"Anyway, thank you for today. I feel much better after you said those things."

She paused, took a deep breath, composed herself, and her face regained its usual seriousness as she looked at Eri Kisaki expressionlessly.

"This lawyer, what do you have to say about Mr. Lin Xiuyi's illegal actions?"

Eri Kisaki gave Lin Xiuyi a cold look, the anger in her eyes still burning.

"Officer Sato, let's talk in another office. I have sufficient evidence and reasons to explain my client's situation to you."

Sato nodded and turned to walk towards the lounge next door. Eri followed closely behind, not forgetting to glare at Lin Xiuyi before leaving, thinking, "I'll deal with you when we get back!"

Sumiko Kobayashi, along with her three children and Ran, remained in the original office, waiting to be summoned to testify.

Takagi stood in the corner, repeatedly pounding his head with his fists, muttering, "Damn it! Bastard! I'm so stupid!"

He firmly believed that the information he had previously revealed about Sato had allowed Lin Xiuyi to find Sato's weakness, which enabled him to take advantage of the situation and lower Sato's guard against him.

The thought of this made him wish he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Lin Xiuyi walked over to her daughter, squatted down, and patiently explained what had just happened.

"Ran, I really have absolutely no feelings for that Officer Sato, you have to believe me!"

"Just now, I noticed she seemed troubled and down, so I used a few psychological techniques to offer her some encouragement..."

"Haha, does psychological counseling require hugging?"

Xiao Lan asked back with a forced smile, clearly not believing his explanation at all.

"Xiao Lan, you saw it yourself, I didn't lay a hand on her!" Lin Xiuyi protested, feeling wronged. "Officer Sato took the initiative to hug me. I couldn't just push her away, could I? That would be too inhumane."

After saying that, he hurriedly looked at Kobayashi Sumiko, who was standing to the side, hoping that the female teacher would say something good to prove his innocence.

"Well, Mr. Lin..."

Sumiko Kobayashi gave an awkward laugh, her eyes darting away.

"Regardless, it is indeed a bit... somewhat inappropriate for two people of the opposite sex to be hugging in the office."

As Xiaolan's teacher, she was too embarrassed to continue.

Ms. Lin was too embarrassed to say it, but the three mischievous kids next to her didn't have so many concerns. They all crowded around and started talking all at once.

"There's definitely something fishy going on!"

Mitsuhiko, looking completely at ease, analyzed the situation like a little adult.

"I saw it on TV; only people who like each other hug!"

"Is this what cheating is?"

Genta asked, somewhat dazed, clearly having heard the word in the adults' conversation.

"My dad said that if you're married and still hugging someone else, that's cheating!"

"An adult's illicit affair, a married man and a female detective from the Metropolitan Police Department..."

Ayumi covered her flushed face, twisting and turning, muttering to herself, imagining countless melodramatic scenarios.

"Hey, you three brats, stop talking nonsense!" Lin Xiuyi quickly interrupted them. "Officer Sato and I are just ordinary friends, nothing like what you're thinking!"

But the three little devils didn't believe him at all and continued to chatter and discuss among themselves around him.

Xiao Lan stood to the side, her face stern and silent.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Eri Kisaki finished talking with Sato.

Through Eri Kisaki's professional negotiation, along with the testimonies of Sumiko Kobayashi and Ran, it was finally proven that Hideichi Hayashi was not a criminal who attempted to "peep on and molest" elementary school students, but simply a foolish father who loved his daughter dearly but used the wrong methods.

"In short, Mr. Lin, I hope this kind of thing will not happen again in the future."

Sato, with a stern face, gave Lin Xiuyi a serious warning.

"If you're really worried about your daughter, you can communicate with the teacher beforehand and visit her at school openly and honestly. Don't do things that could easily cause misunderstandings."

"Go to school?" Lin Xiu was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up instantly.

Yeah, if I could become a teacher at Teitan Elementary School, wouldn't I be able to spend every day with Ran?

It's perfect – I can take care of her and keep an eye on her at all times!

"Okay, I understand. I promise I won't do it again."

Lin Xiuyi nodded in agreement, a meaningful smile on his face. Sato was a little confused, but he didn't think much of it and turned to deal with other things.

After leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, Judy was also released by the First Investigation Division.

Lin Xiuyi asked his female secretary to take Kobayashi Chengzi and the three kids home first, while he, Eri Kisaki, and Ran rode back in Eri Kisaki's MINI Cooper.

When they parted, Lin Xiuyi pulled Kobayashi Chengzi aside and whispered a few questions about the teacher recruitment at Teitan Elementary School.

Although Kobayashi Sumiko was a little puzzled and didn't understand why he suddenly asked this question, she still answered his question truthfully.

……

In Eri Kisaki's MINI Cooper, Hideaki Hayashi sat in the middle of the back seat with his head down, being interrogated by the "mother and daughter" in the front row.

"So..." Eri Kisaki glared at Hideaki Hayashi through the rearview mirror as she drove, "you mentioned her ex-boyfriend and father to that Officer Sato, and then she had an emotional breakdown?"

"To be precise, they weren't lovers. They just started to have feelings for each other, but before they could confess, Officer Matsuda Jinpei sacrificed his life while defusing a bomb."

Lin Xiuyi quickly explained in a sincere tone,

"This incident, coupled with her father's death in the line of duty, cast a deep shadow over Officer Sato's mind. She kept it all bottled up inside and didn't dare tell anyone. I was just taking the opportunity to help her release her emotions."

Eri Kisaki remained silent, her fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel, seemingly already believing Lin Xiuyi's explanation.

Xiaolan, standing to the side, pouted and said, "Mom, you don't actually believe that, do you? He might be deliberately using these things to break down Officer Sato's defenses so he can take advantage of the situation!"

"Why don't you believe me?" Eri glanced at her daughter. "Shuichi studied psychology in college, and his dream used to be to become a psychologist."

"Actually, I went on to study psychology in America later, and now I have a PhD in psychology from Harvard University." Lin Xiuyi proudly raised his chin, his tone full of smugness. "How about that, Xiaolan, isn't Daddy awesome?"