Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 102: Legend of Immortality [Two in One]

Fukui Prefecture.

There is a very famous island in Wakasa Bay. There is a legend on the island about a long-lived woman who achieved immortality by eating mermaid flesh. After the mermaid's skeleton was discovered three years ago, it caused a huge sensation after being reported by the media.

There have been legends about mermaids and the elixir of life here since ancient times. After the fame of Changshoupo spread, a large number of tourists visit here almost every year.

Gao Mo was invited during the annual festival.

On this day, a few days before the festival at the end of the month, Gao Mo took a boat to Mermaid Island in advance.

The invitation letter stated that his specific identity was a friend of the inviter "Kadowaki Saori" and a fisherman from an outer island.

Taking the environment and identity details into consideration, his outfit this time was to use special potions to paint himself black, with long hair and a mustache.

I haven't started learning voice changing techniques yet, so I'm still using a voice changer and a scarf as a disguise.

Even with the "Disguise Expert" talent, level 3 makeup is still not enough. After some dressing up, I feel like a dark-skinned version of Kindaichi.

But it's not a big problem.

This is the world of science, and there are so many people who look alike.

As long as no one meets Conan, no one would associate him with it.

“Beep—!”

The sea was calm, with seagulls circling.

A ship sailed towards the Mermaid Island Pier under a slightly gloomy sky.

Gao Mo stood at the bow facing the wind, gazing at the isolated island ahead that was surrounded by a faint ominous aura.

When he came, Ai also wanted to follow, but he let Sonoko take Ai away.

It is better to act alone when playing a mission.

"call!"

The ship docked with a blast of whistles.

Gao Mo mixed in with the crowd and stepped onto the pier. Before the festival day even arrived, a large number of tourists who came to visit had already gathered around.

Follow the signs all the way to the island office——

Unlike before, perhaps because the date was vague, the inviter did not come to greet us this time.

I called the number on the letter but no one answered.

An old man with a rice ball head was very busy. When he heard Gao Mo was looking for Kadowaki Saori, he pointed outside the office and said, "Saori should still be working in the gift shop around the corner. You can go over and take a look."

There are various shops in a row nearby. In addition to gift shops, there are also many food stalls. The aroma of food aroused Gao Mo's appetite.

The tourists who were on the same ferry with him gathered in groups of three or four and lined up.

"There are so many people."

"Today isn't the busiest time yet," the rice-headed uncle laughed. "On the day of the festival, there will really be a lot of people. I remember quite a few big names came two years ago. It was a sensation..."

"Did the mermaid's skeleton really get discovered three years ago?" Gao Mo asked subconsciously to find out the news.

"Well, I'm not too sure about that." The rice ball-headed uncle smiled without saying anything and turned to greet other tourists.

You're so tight-lipped.

Gao Mo didn't care too much and walked towards the gift shop at the intersection with his bag.

Three years ago, a warehouse on the island caught fire and a strange charred corpse was accidentally discovered, which was widely believed to be the body of a mermaid.

But he guessed that someone might have been murdered, and then three years later, a revenge killing was triggered.

Those things have nothing to do with him for now, he just needs to complete his role-playing task first.

"Saori's friend?"

The proprietress of the store who was sorting the merchandise asked in surprise, looked at Gao Mo and shook her head.

"Saori lost the dugong arrow she won at last year's festival a few days ago. She's been afraid of being punished by the mermaids, so she's been absent from work since yesterday. As for today..."

The proprietress turned to a short-haired female clerk wearing a dark blue sweater and said, "Naoko, can you take her to Saori's house?"

"I don't want to go. Saori's dad is disgusting."

The short-haired female clerk had a gloomy temperament and glanced at Gao Mo when she heard the words.

"Are you really Saori's friend? We've been friends since we were little, and we've never heard of someone like you... Are you up to something bad?"

"how come?"

"Hmph, be careful. The dugong's arrow is tied with a strand of hair endowed with divine power by the Longevity Lady. Whoever possesses that arrow has a chance of having their wish come true, even realizing the dream of immortality. However, in return..."

The short-haired female clerk sneered and raised the corner of her mouth.

"If you lose that arrow, you will be retaliated by the mermaids, and it will bring disaster to you and those around you. It's best not to look for Saori at this time."

"Haha," Gao Mo laughed, "I don't believe this. I'm not interested in dugong arrows. Mermaids and immortality are just legends..."

"That's because you haven't seen the power of the Longevity Lady."

A tall, beautiful woman with long black hair walked into the gift shop.

"The Longevity Lady is an immortal who ate mermaid flesh. Wasn't the mermaid's remains found in her warehouse three years ago?"

"Sumi?"

"I just happened to be passing by," the long-haired woman smiled and said to Gao Mo, "If you want to find Saori, I can take you there. I just saw her going home."

……

Kadowaki family.

A two-story house.

Led by the long-haired woman, Gao Mo met the inviter, Kadowaki Saori, for the first time.

Wearing blue clothes, with short hair dyed brown and wearing a pair of glasses, he looks quite androgynous.

Facing Gao Mo who suddenly showed up, the woman was momentarily confused: "You are..."

Gao Mo quickly took out the invitation letter and stepped forward: "I'm Maru Goro, I just came here because I happened to be free."

"Oh," Kadowaki Saori said, her expression suddenly clearing up when she saw the invitation letter. "You came just in time. I was wondering why you didn't call back."

"The call never got through." Gao Mo's forehead was sweating.

I almost attracted the attention of the God of Death just now.

It’s so thrilling every time you play the role of a liaison. Can’t you just deal with all the identity issues directly?

"Ah?" Kadowaki Saori realized belatedly, "I went to the dentist's clinic on Honjima Island. Maybe my phone ran out of battery."

"Saori," the long-haired woman chuckled, crossing her arms. "Who on earth is this person? Why would they suddenly invite an outsider over here..."

"Goro is a friend I met by chance in Tokyo," Kadowaki Saori said with a displeased expression, "He's not really an outsider, right?"

Without paying too much attention to the long-haired woman, Kadowaki Saori directly pulled Gao Mo into the house.

"I'll clean up the guest room for you. I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days."

"You haven't told me what you want me to do for you," Gao Mo observed the room simply as if it were his professional habit. "Are you going to ask me to come and find that dugong arrow for you?"

"You know everything?" Kadowaki Saori's face turned even uglier, as if she had thought of something terrifying. "It's useless. Once it's lost, I'll be cursed. Now the only way to save me is to find the mermaid's tomb!"

"What mermaid tomb?"

"It's the mermaid corpse that was discovered three years ago. It was originally buried nearby, but because of tomb robbery by tourists, the longevity lady had someone move it to another place."

Saori Kadowaki's face was covered in sweat of fear.

"There's no time left. Perhaps by the time the festival starts the day after tomorrow, I'll be transformed into a speechless mermaid and disappear into the sea... The sudden toothache is a sign!"

"..."

Gao Mo was speechless about this neurotic woman.

"Didn't you go to the dentist today? It should just be a common cavity, right?"

"That's right..."

Kadowaki Saori was still as afraid as ever.

"There are still many strange things. Sometimes I always feel that someone is peeping in the dark, and things often disappear... Before going to the main island today, I clearly prepared an insurance card, but in the end I couldn't find it, so I had to use Junhui's insurance card." "Junhui?" Gao Mo's eyebrows twitched.

It didn't sound like a sign, but rather that someone was really targeting this woman.

"It's the shrine maiden. We've been friends since childhood, but she refuses to tell me the location of the mermaid's tomb."

In fear, Saori Kadowaki's face showed confusion, anger, and sadness, which finally turned into fanaticism.

"As long as I find the mermaid's tomb and eat the mermaid's bones, I can gain the immortal power of the Longevity Lady. Not only can I live forever, but I can also lift the curse."

Gao Mo felt uneasy.

It seems that besides being afraid, this woman also wants to find the mermaid's tomb.

"Why do you people believe in legends so much? I don't believe that the longevity lady you say is really immortal."

"We saw it with our own eyes, three years ago..."

Saori Kadowaki suddenly stopped talking and seemed to have lost interest in talking.

"Anyway, I must find the mermaid's tomb this time, and I already have my suspicions."

"Saori!"

An angry shout came from the door.

A drunk uncle with a stubbled face staggered into the house and yelled, "You're really going too far. You actually brought a strange man home!"

"What wild man?" Kadowaki Saori said without hesitation, "He is my friend, stay out of my business!"

"Hmph, brat!" The drunk uncle turned to Gao Mo with a bad look on his face and held up five fingers. "If you want to marry our Saori, you don't have that much. Don't even think about it!"

"Stop embarrassing me!"

Saori Kadowaki pushed the drunk uncle away in disgust, and angrily left the house with Gao Mo.

"He's my father, a gambler who only cares about money... There's no other way. You can stay at Jun Hui's house first. Her house is big and not crowded. If you're lucky, you might be able to find out something."

A good idea.

Gao Mo rubbed his brows.

This role-playing mission... he felt that his preparations might have been in vain.

Finding the mermaid's tomb has nothing to do with the fisherman.

I'm afraid it can only get a good rating at best.

……

"Live in my house?"

Shimabukuro family.

A young and beautiful girl looked foolishly at her friend and the Gao Mo beside her friend - Maru Goro.

"But……"

"Please, Kimie," Kadowaki Saori pleaded, "I can't let my friends stay in a hotel at their own expense, right? It's just for a few days, I won't disturb you!"

"Well... okay," Shimabukuro Junhui sighed helplessly and reminded Gao Mo, "But don't walk around casually, and try not to go to the back room. My great-grandmother doesn't like to be disturbed, and there will be a festival in a few days."

Gao Mo's first impression of Shimabukuro Kimie was that she was beautiful, even prettier than Okino Yoko.

But at the same time, there was also a strange feeling.

After reaching level 4 in reasoning, he also has a nose for cases similar to Conan, not to mention that his role-playing missions are inseparable from murders.

He had already felt the undercurrent surging.

The fire in the Shimabukuro family warehouse three years ago, the charred corpses... This should be the center of the storm.

"call!"

The sky on the island was covered with dark clouds, and it looked like it was about to rain.

After Kadowaki Saori left, Shimabukuro Kimie personally helped Gao Mo clean up the guest room.

"I heard from Saori that Mr. Maru is also a fisherman?"

Gao Mo: "What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing much, it's just... your skin doesn't look like a fisherman's at all, it's just a little darker." Shimabukuro Kimie said awkwardly.

"I have changed my career to become an actor now." Gao Mo remained calm, but his heart was beating wildly.

Just when I was thinking about getting a good rating, I ran into trouble.

This woman...

"actor?"

Shimabukuro Kimie turned around and brought a quilt.

"I'm sorry, the house hasn't been renovated much, so it's a little shabby. Please forgive me."

"It's okay," Gao Mo took the quilt and asked, "I heard that the festival has always been hosted by your family. Don't you make any money?"

"My great-grandmother said we shouldn't desecrate the sacred ceremony, so I didn't think much about making money," Shimabukuro Kimie smiled and said nothing more. "Mr. Maru probably hasn't eaten yet. I'll go prepare it right away."

"How can this be so embarrassing? I'll go eat out..."

"It's just a matter of convenience anyway."

Gao Mo watched Shimabukuro June leave from the corridor, feeling a little dazed.

Although he had just arrived at Mermaid Island and had only met a few people, he still gained a lot of clues.

The plot may not develop according to revenge, but Shimabukuro Kimie did catch his attention.

I hope this woman is not the victim, nor does she become the murderer...

Although he could understand why Dr. Zhongyuan killed someone and did not choose to report him, he really couldn't like a woman with blood on her hands.

That would be a pity.

Solving problems through killing, especially the cruel method used by Kaori Nakahara, is like opening Pandora's box.

It will be difficult to live like a normal person in the future.

……

There was a light rain on the island in the evening.

Gao Mo enjoyed the cooking skills of the shrine witch and dined with Shimabukuro Kimie to the sound of rain. The dishes were light but had a unique flavor.

"Won't your great-grandmother come over for dinner?"

"My great-grandmother was used to eating alone," Shimabukuro Kimie explained with a smile.

At this moment, a hoarse voice came from the back room: "Jun Hui, is the bath water ready?"

"Just a moment, Great-Grandma!"

Shimabukuro Kimie stood up apologetically.

"By the way, if you're interested, Mr. Maru, remember to go to the shrine tomorrow night and buy a number plate. You can use it for the raffle at the festival the day after tomorrow. It's not expensive, only 5 yen. If you're lucky, you might even win a dugong arrow."

It’s really not expensive.

Gao Mo asked, "What's so special about that dugong arrow? Everyone says it has magical powers and can make people immortal."

"How is that possible? It's just an ordinary arrow," Shimabukuro Kimie laughed. "I heard it was originally called the 'Cursed Arrow', a talisman used to ward off evil spirits. Later, because of my great-grandmother's reputation for longevity, it was called the 'Dugong Arrow'.

"Actually, my great-grandmother only just turned 130. She just lived longer, so they say she ate mermaid flesh and became immortal... Seriously, how could there be mermaids in this world? Humans can't even achieve immortality. The ceremony is just for blessing."

"But Saori seems to believe in the dugong's arrow and the mermaid legend." Gao Mo whispered tentatively.

"Saori..."

Shimabukuro Kimie sighed.

"Oh, it's all my fault. To avoid those who asked for arrows from getting into trouble because their wishes were not fulfilled, I said that if the arrows were lost or their power was doubted, the mermaid would bring disaster.

"Actually, that's not the case at all... No matter how I explain it to Saori, she won't believe it. Please help me persuade her."

(End of this chapter)