Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 110: The Sound of the End, the second five-star

Entrance to Mermaid Forest.

Shimabukuro Kimie and others were at the side of the mountain road, and saw Gao Mo's fox-masked figure from afar.

The ordinary fox mask seems to have some kind of magic, leading to another mysterious and unknown world.

Like a god who walked out of a legend.

"Mr. Maru, are you... who are you? Was Saori and the others' death really just an accident? Or was it you..."

She doesn't think Gao Mo is really Saori's friend.

Unfortunately, with Saori's death, Gao Mo's true identity has become a complete mystery.

Shimabukuro Kimie thought of the death that gradually spread after the "art museum incident."

"I didn't do anything. Like you, I was just a witness to death."

The rules of death completely disappeared, Gao Mo felt completely relaxed, and his thoughts returned to the trip to Mermaid Island.

There is no way to complete the role-playing mission.

What he wants more now is to obtain Shimabukuro Kimie's ability to disguise herself.

The more difficult the task, the higher the extraction quality.

[Fulfill Mother's Last Wish] is the current selected task, and the chances are pretty good.

"Miss Jun Hui, can you answer me now? What are your plans for the future?" Gao Mo asked, "Leaving this island?"

The selfishness of the islanders is actually largely responsible for the tragedy of Mermaid Island.

It's no surprise that Shimabukuro Kimie resents the islanders.

If he really can't complete it, he can only settle for the next best thing, use the extra re-draw opportunity, and try his luck.

"My mother loves this island so much," Shimabukuro Kimie said sadly, "I will put an end to this farce and make the truth known to the world...

"However, Changshoupo will continue to exist according to my mother's wishes. This is a true continuation and inheritance... without lies."

After a moment of silence, Shimabukuro Kimie brushed her hair back and turned to the still calm Gao Mo, her eyes filled with expectation: "Maru Goro should just be a pseudonym, right? Your real name is..."

"Don't get too close to death."

Gao Mo passed Shimabukuro Junhui and went down the mountain.

"When was the last ship to leave?"

"It should be two hours later." Shimabukuro Kimie replied.

"Then please wait two hours before revealing your hand and completely forget about my existence," Gao Mo began to think about the ending. "Is that okay?"

"But……"

Shimabukuro Kimie wanted to ask more questions when a sudden noise came from the foot of the mountain.

"Hurry up and lead the way! How do we get to the other side of the valley?"

"Someone died again!"

……

shrine.

Shimabukuro Kimie was putting on makeup absentmindedly, and gradually transformed from a beautiful young woman into a lifeless old woman. With her legs bent and a cane in hand, she slowly walked out of the room covered by a wide robe.

The mood for this disguise is completely different from before.

There is both sadness about fate and a sense of relief and comfort.

By this time, the man should have boarded the ship leaving the island, right?
The paper door opened, and Shimabukuro Kimie raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she was completing her final performance, and appeared in front of the islanders and many tourists in an old look.

"Is that what the Longevity Lady really looks like?"

"You look so bad."

Everyone's eyes were focused on the longevity lady with a dead look on her face, and they couldn't stop talking about it.

The old people on the island also looked at each other, wondering why Shimabukuro Kimie suddenly called everyone together.

Moreover, appearing in front of tourists in such an old state does not seem like something Shimabukuro Kimie would do.

"what happened?"

"I do not know."

"Hoohoo!"

Hattori Heiji rushed into the venue covered in dirt, followed closely by Kazuha.

The Fukui Prefecture police also walked to the front and sat down with a blank expression.

"I finally know the truth! I know everything that happened on this island!"

Hattori's face was filled with excitement at having solved the mystery, but when he looked at the longevity lady on the steps of the shrine, his expression froze for a moment.

There seemed to be a faint sadness surrounding the venue.

"Three years ago," the longevity woman's hoarse voice slowly spread, "three young men on the island, having failed to draw the dugong's arrow at the festival, got drunk and ran to the warehouse. They saw my mother, who was dressed as the longevity woman, entering the warehouse..."

The discussion below became louder. The tourists were confused and the old people's faces changed.

"Just because they wanted to test whether the Longevity Lady was truly immortal, they set fire to the warehouse."

The longevity woman choked up as she recounted her crimes, and her old voice gradually turned into the clear and emotional young voice of Shimabukuro Kimie.

"Kimi?" Fukuyama Rokuro, the young fisherman who cared the most about Shimabukuro Kimimi, suddenly rushed out of the crowd. "Why is that Kimimi's voice? Could it be that you..."

"Yes."

Shimabukuro Kimie untied the leg straps, stood up tall in everyone's astonished eyes, and tore the mask to the side with both hands.

"My great-grandmother passed away a long time ago. Three years ago, I was the one who made up my mother to look like this. But three years ago... my mother called me at the last moment after the fire and begged me not to let the longevity lady disappear no matter what."

Shimabukuro Kimie tore off all her disguises, revealing her long black hair as if emerging from a cocoon, and there were continuous exclamations from the audience.

"It's that witch!"

“There’s actually this kind of makeup technology!”

"Incredible, the difference is too big!"

Hattori Heiji was also quite shocked: "So you want to avenge your mother in three years, right? Miss Saori was exposed because of the loss of the dugong arrow, and let you know the truth about the fire three years ago..." Shimabukuro Kimie glanced at Hattori Heiji calmly, feeling that even a famous detective was no more than this.

"I did have thoughts of revenge, but that person stopped me. He made me realize that my own life is more important than revenge."

"But now all three of your friends have died," the middle-aged policeman frowned. "It can't be such a coincidence that this is all an accident, right? Since you're willing to reveal your identity, can you also explain these three murders?"

"All I can say is, this world might actually have a mermaid curse—a punishment from the god of death. Officer, you should have sensed it, right?"

Shimabukuro Kimie turned her gaze towards the elderly people on the island who lowered their heads and dared not look at her.

"At this point, don't you want to say something?"

"I'm sorry, Junhui... Actually, after your mother faked her death, everyone basically knew the truth."

"At first, I didn't know how to tell your mother... No one expected something like that to happen."

The islanders kneeling in the front row all prostrated themselves.

"After the fire, we all discussed telling you the truth and canceling the festival. But... seeing you, like your mother, appear before everyone in the guise of a longevity goddess, we were speechless..."

"Plus... after all, this is Mermaid Island, and it concerns the livelihood of the entire island..."

"Although it's for this island... I'm sorry, please forgive us, Junhui..."

"What's the use of saying sorry now?" Shimabukuro Kimie wiped her tears and turned away.

Whether it was selfish or a white lie, the tragedy has already happened.

Her mother and her childhood playmates could no longer be the same as she remembered them.

This nightmare caused by the legend of immortality...

"Ms. Jun Hui! Where is the person you mentioned now?"

Hattori Heiji rushed to the front, passing the islanders who were asking for forgiveness, and looked around. Although there were a few people wearing fox masks, they were obviously not Gao Mo.

"If you're looking for Mr. Maru," Shimabukuro Kimie looked towards the dock from afar, a look of disappointment hidden in her eyes, "he should have boarded the ship back to the main island by now."

"what?"

Hattori Heiji ignored the police's shouts behind him and hurriedly ran out of the shrine.

He hasn't figured out the identity of the fox mask yet, and there are still many things he can't understand.

Aside from Kadowaki Saori, it seems like a "friend" that no one has ever seen...

I came to Mermaid Island 3 days ago, so I suspect I already knew the truth about the island...

He stopped Shimabukuro Kimie from committing a crime, and seemed to have known what was happening on the cliff in advance, having prepared a rope long ago...

He wanted to clarify everything to this person face to face!
“Beep—!”

The sound of a ferry whistle was heard from the outlying island.

Hattori Heiji was still a step too late and could only watch the ship leave from afar at the dock.

At the stern, you can vaguely see the fox mask in the sea breeze. Holding the railing with his hands, his windbreaker fluttering in the wind, it seems that he can feel the gaze from another world.

"call!"

The sea breeze was getting stronger and stronger, causing the corners of my clothes to rustle.

The chirping of seabirds, the rolling of waves, the sound of oars... everything mixed together like the ending theme song of "Detective Conan", composing the ending sound of the mermaid legend.

Gao Mo withdrew his gaze from the isolated island, of which only its outline remained, and turned his thoughts to the projection of the notes in his hand.

This time he clearly felt——

Notes...seems to be getting stronger too.

It seems to be constantly seizing the power of rules.

If this continues... perhaps a truly extraordinary battle will break out?
I hope that day doesn't come too soon.

【Reward Settlement】

Shimabukuro Kimie's Makeup Guide, 5 stars.

[Professional Performance: Good, 2 stars, additional bonus 3 stars.]

……

I actually got another 5-star book.

Gao Mo looked surprised.

It's not like I haven't intervened in cases before, but Director Ochiai and Shimabukuro Kimie were exceptions.

Both times there were 5-star books, and both times there were extra rewards for playing an important role.

I don't know if it's because he triggered a hidden mechanism, or because Director Ochiai and Shimabukuro Kimie are special...

Gao Mo couldn't help but look at the island again.

But then again...

He didn't seem to do anything related to being a fisherman, so how could his career evaluation be good?

The only thing that seems to be related is that they just found a fake mermaid tomb.

"Thank you, Mr. Maru."

Suddenly, a whisper echoed in Gao Mo's ears. It seemed like an illusion. When he listened carefully, there was only the sound of the wind and the sound of the ship.

But he truly felt Shimabukuro Kimie's prayers, as if he could see the shrine maidens in red and white clothes dancing a light and mysterious ritual dance in front of the shrine.

The clear sound of the Kagura bells echoed like flowing water.

"You're welcome."

Gao Mo stared quietly for a while, until the island completely disappeared from his sight, then he turned and walked into the cabin.

Although this trip to Mermaid Island failed to complete the actor upgrade task, I gained something more important.

A 5-star Makeup Guide is the equivalent of a career upgrade, or even more.

Because in addition to talent binding, the 5-star book itself is also a knowledge book, so it is not impossible to have talent but not be able to materialize it.

And you can save a lot of stars.

(End of this chapter)