The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

Kogoro Mouri glanced at the landlady in surprise, then looked at Heiji Hattori and the others.

“That’s right.” The proprietress of the local products shop smiled. “Grandma Shimabukuro’s great-granddaughter, Kimie, was also a childhood friend of Saori. I think she should be there now.”

Hattori Heiji, noticing that the group was rushing around in different places, rolled his eyes and muttered with a strange expression, "It feels like we've turned into rubber balls..."

Kogoro Mouri and Conan both nodded as if they understood.

Ran and Kazuha, who treated it all as a sightseeing trip, didn't complain at all.

Instead, they were filled with anticipation for the shrine the landlady had mentioned, and took the lead in following the direction she indicated.

Seeing this, Aragaki Yu followed Ran and Kazuha out of the local products store.

Of course, as she passed by Heiji Hattori, she didn't forget to pat him on the shoulder and comfort him, saying, "What does it matter? Just think of it as playing a game and doing a mission. Isn't it quite interesting when you think about it that way?"

Hattori Heiji:"……"

……

In Aragaki Yu's memory, he also had some impression of Miss Kimie, whom the proprietress had mentioned.

Of course, I still remember some of what happened on this so-called Mermaid Island.

There are actually no mermaids on Mermaid Island.

Similarly, there were no blessings or curses on the dugong's arrow.

Even the so-called longevity is a complete lie.

Even in the real-life example Naoko mentioned, the old woman herself was a fake.

The longevity queen on Mermaid Island is actually a figure passed down through generations of women from the Shimabukuro family who have disguised themselves in disguise.

In the past, the role of the long-lived old woman was always played by Naoko Shimabukuro, the mother of Kimie Shimabukuro at the shrine.

It wasn't until the dugong celebration three years ago.

Saori Kadowaki and her two friends were resentful for not being able to draw the dugong's arrow, and after getting drunk, they decided to secretly take the dugong from the shrine's storeroom.

However, before they could steal the arrows, they saw the long-lived old woman walk into the warehouse.

So, emboldened by the alcohol, they locked the warehouse door from the inside, imprisoned the longevity woman inside, and even deliberately set it on fire.

The purpose was to see if the legendary longevity woman who ate mermaid flesh was truly immortal.

The result can be imagined.

Naoko Shimabukuro, who was impersonating the long-lived old woman, naturally had no immortality and was burned alive in the warehouse.

On her deathbed, knowing she wouldn't have time to escape the warehouse, Naoko Shimabukuro made her last phone call to her daughter, Kimie Shimabukuro, hoping she would continue playing the role of the longevity matriarch and that the dugong festival on the island could continue.

After the fire, Naoko Shimabukuro's lower body, which had been burned to a skeleton, was crushed by a collapsing pillar in the warehouse. The remaining upper body skeleton looked like a mermaid without legs.

The night before, Saori Kadowaki, who had gotten drunk and set fire to the warehouse, and her two friends saw the mermaid skeleton inside.

And then there's Granny Changshou, who was locked in the warehouse last night but appeared unharmed before everyone today. Amidst their fear, they also became the most devoted believers in the mermaid legend.

Chapter 457 Mermaid Illusion

At this time, the old woman who is about to die is actually Shimabukuro Kimie, who is pretending to be an old woman with tears in her eyes, just as her mother told her to.

That's why, not long ago, after losing the Dugong Arrow, Kadokawa Saori, who deeply believed in the legend of mermaids, was certain that she would be punished by the mermaids.

After realizing that he could not find the lost dugong arrow no matter what he did, he had no choice but to go to the granddaughter of the old woman, who was also her friend, Shimabukuro Kimie, to ask for the arrow.

At the same time, she inadvertently revealed that she knew that the old woman was in the warehouse when it caught fire three years ago.

Shimabukuro Kimie was struck dumb, because it was impossible for anyone other than her to know that her mother was in the burning warehouse.

The only possibility is that Kadokawa Saori was a witness to the fire, or even the arsonist.

As expected, under Shimabukuro Kimie's prompting, Kadokawa Saori revealed that three years ago she and two friends set fire to a warehouse and burned the mermaids.

What infuriated Shimabukuro Kimie even more was the sentence that Kadokawa Saori blurted out in a fit of emotion—

"If you can't get the arrow, at least tell me where that tomb is—the tomb where the long-lived old woman's mermaid skeleton was reburied in the warehouse! How wonderful it would be if I could be immortal like the long-lived old woman, able to survive being engulfed in flames!"

Upon hearing this, Shimabukuro Kimie, who was originally prepared to let go of her hatred, was instantly stunned.

Because this guy in front of her wasn't satisfied with just burning her mother to death, he now wants to eat her mother's bones.

Overwhelmed by murderous intent, Shimabukuro Kimie decided to kill all three arsonists, including Kadokawa Saori, using the curse of the Dugong Arrow.

The missing Kadokawa Saori had actually died by this time.

……

With the Dugong Festival just around the corner, Mermaid Island was unusually lively.

Especially on the way to the shrine, there are all kinds of small vendors on both sides of the road, as well as a constant stream of tourists.

Ran and Kazuha were frequently distracted by the various small items on both sides of the street, so Heiji Hattori and Conan had to search for Kazuha and Ran, who had gotten separated and disappeared into the crowd.

Using the crowded masses, Aragaki Yuya quickly distanced himself from the main group.

And "unwittingly," they secretly deviated from the path to the shrine and headed towards the woods.

Unlike the bustling streets, the paths in the woods were exceptionally quiet and peaceful.

The trees on both sides were lush and verdant, and if it weren't for the fireflies guiding the way, Aragaki Yu estimated that he would have gotten lost in this forest sooner or later.

That's right, as soon as she arrived on the island, the restless Firefly Grass "sneaked" into the forest on Mermaid Island.

The purpose, of course, is to have a good chat with one of one's own clansmen.

In this season, dandelions can be seen everywhere in the woods and along the roadside.

However, judging from the considerable number of dandelion fluff stuck to Yingcao's hair, this "exchange" between Yingcao and others was definitely not simple.

Soon, Hotaru, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and turned to look at Aragaki Yu.

Upon seeing this scene, Aragaki Yuya knew that their destination was probably just ahead.

"What could it be?"

With these questions in mind, Yuu followed Hotaru through the thicket ahead.

next second.

A stone tombstone appeared before Aragaki Yu's eyes.

The tombstone was very simple, with no words even engraved on it.

Just like someone's blank tombstone, not even the name of the person buried there is on it.

However, Yuu Aragaki soon realized that this blank tombstone was probably the legendary "Mermaid Tomb"!

This is the grave of Naoko Shimabukuro, the mother of Kimie Shimabukuro, who was burned to death in the warehouse three years ago.

What made Aragaki Yu's eyes widen even more was—

On that tombstone, a phantom-like shadow was clearly visible.

It was a semi-transparent figure, about the size of a person.

Although it is similar in size to a human, its shape is not a simple human silhouette.

Instead, they are like mermaids from mythology.

It has a human body and a fish tail, and its body is not covered with any clothes. Instead, its private parts are covered with crystal-clear scales and shells. Its ears are pointed like those of an elf, and it has long light blue hair that hangs down to its waist.

This……

Could this really be the soul of a mermaid?

"So... so beautiful!"

Looking at the ethereal figure before him, Aragaki Yu subconsciously muttered something.

However, this single, softly spoken sentence startled the mermaid phantom that was perched atop the tombstone.

On her delicate, elfin face, a pair of bright eyes suddenly opened.

Almost simultaneously, with a twist of her slender waist, a long, translucent fishtail instantly magnified countless times and slammed down hard towards the spot where Aragaki Yu and Hotaru were standing.

Yuu and Hotaru instinctively took two steps back as the enormous fishtail phantom slammed down in front of them.

It stirred up a cloud of dust.

After the mermaid's attack missed, she retracted her body and returned to its normal size.

She silently rose from the tombstone, her tail fin taut and twitching slightly, staring intently at Aragaki Yuu and Hotaru before her.

Her expression was indifferent, but also slightly wary. A pale blue scale, like thin ice, adorned the corner of her eye, shimmering in the sunlight.

Aragaki Yu looked her over for a while and confirmed that she was indeed not a physical being.

It's unclear whether the souls of mermaids who died on this island truly existed, or whether they were spiritual entities formed by the island's faith in mermaids.

No matter what, it's very eye-catching.

Ignoring Hotaru's advice, Aragaki Yu took two more steps forward to get a better look at the mermaid on the tombstone.

Of course, he also released all the shikigami in the Yin-Yang Domain, just in case.

On the other side, the mermaid phantom frowned slightly as it watched the boy approaching it.