The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

As the thunderous drumming gradually subsided, it was replaced by solemn music.

Upon hearing this music, the noisy crowd around the shrine subconsciously fell silent.

Just then, after confirming that everything was ready, the shrine staff, dressed in kimonos, slowly opened the shrine gate, revealing the altar inside.

What came into view was a small, thin figure with a full head of silver hair, her back to everyone, kneeling solemnly in the center of the altar.

In front of her was a wooden stand with a rather long pole on it, one end of which seemed to be wrapped with a wad of cloth.

I don't know what the purpose of this long pole is.

Yuu Aragaki curiously observed the figure on the altar, wondering how Kimie Shimabukuro had managed to disguise herself as such a petite woman.

Just at this time.

The figure on the altar slowly rose and picked up the long pole in front of him.

Amidst the surprised expressions of the crowd, she slowly turned around, revealing a pale face covered in heavy makeup.

"!!!"

Ran and Kazuha were clearly startled by this makeup.

Even Aragaki Yu, who was already somewhat prepared, looked surprised when he saw the other person's appearance.

Chapter 461 I actually won the lottery!

Most of the tourists present showed similar expressions when they noticed the figures on the altar.

Only the island's inhabitants seemed unfazed, even appearing somewhat fanatical.

"It's the Longevity Granny!" an uncle next to Aragaki Yu exclaimed in surprise.

"Grandma Longevity has finally appeared!" The middle-aged woman next to the uncle also shouted in agreement.

"What, is this the Longevity Granny?" Conan muttered in surprise as he looked at the Longevity Granny in front of him.

The appearance of the longevity woman was completely different from what he had imagined.

After all, the longevity grandmother's granddaughter, Shimabukuro Kimie, was a graceful, fair-skinned, and beautiful woman.

"Ah! This...it's so small?" Kogoro Mouri opened his mouth in surprise.

"So she's just an old woman with heavy makeup!" Hattori Heiji looked at the longevity woman on the stage with some disappointment.

Only Aragaki Yu stood quietly among the crowd, glancing a few more times at the longevity goddess on the altar.

Whether it was because Aragaki Yu stood out too much in the crowd, or because of his piercing gaze, the first thing the old woman noticed when she turned around was Aragaki Yu staring at her from below.

However, when the old woman's gaze met Aragaki Yu's, she immediately broke down and subconsciously turned her head away.

Perhaps because she had something to hide, the old woman dared not linger her gaze on the stage any longer.

She quickly composed herself, focusing intently on the horizontal bar, and extended the end with the attached object toward the burning campfire ahead.

The next second, the far end of the long pole was instantly ignited by the campfire, and a dazzling flame burst forth from the tip.

Then, the longevity woman slowly brought the flame to the doors that had been opened on both sides of the altar.

The paper pasted on the door instantly burst into flames.

Apart from the island's residents, all the spectators were clearly taken aback by what they were seeing.

Hattori Heiji's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "How could you light a fire on the door!"

However, just as he instinctively wanted to rush out to put out the fire...

However, they discovered that the flames burning on the paper door were not spreading randomly in all directions.

Instead, it was as if guided by some mysterious force, burning in a regular, characteristic direction.

Finally, with Conan's exclamation, the flames burning on the door gradually formed a word.

The guests present couldn't help but gasp in amazement at the sight before them.

Ran and Kazuha were so shocked that they covered their mouths and couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

After completing this series of actions, the longevity woman standing in front of the door ignored the exclamations of the guests below the stage.

He simply continued to slowly bring the flame from the far end of the long pole to the paper door on the other side.

Sure enough, as the flames burned, characters made of flames also appeared on the other side of the paper door.

Only after the flames on the three paper doors were lit did the old woman extinguish the flames on her long pole, turn away without a word, and return to the shrine.

"Tsk, I see. So the numbers burned on the paper door are today's winning numbers!" Hattori Heiji rolled his eyes and remarked with a hint of boredom after realizing that this was just a little trick.

Even Conan showed the exact same expression as Heiji Hattori.

"Ahem, yes... I actually expected this a long time ago..."

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to say something, a woman's voice, filled with surprise and joy, came from behind them.

"Huh? It really happened! Wow! I actually won!"

Kogoro Mouri and his companions instinctively turned around and saw that the person who spoke was none other than Ms. Kotomi, whom they had met at the shrine earlier.

"Xiao...Xiaolan..."

At the same time, Kazuha suddenly tugged at Ran's sleeve, her voice trembling.

Ran turned around in confusion and saw Kazuha staring blankly at the lottery card in his hand. Then, with an incredulous look, he showed the number on the lottery card to Ran beside him, "I... I won!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Ran's mouth dropped open in surprise as she stared incredulously at the number plate in Kazuha's hand.

Then, Xiaolan mechanically turned her head, glanced at the numbers still burning on the paper door, and only believed it after confirming it several times.

Excellent! Kazuha has indeed drawn the Dugong's Arrow!

Just at this time.

At that moment, the shrine staff promptly extinguished the flames with fire extinguishers.

Next, the shrine maiden Shimabukuro Kimie arrived at the center of the altar and solemnly announced, "Everyone, please listen carefully. We will officially award the Dugong Arrows in one hour. Please prepare to assemble at Mermaid Falls immediately!"

After giving these words, Shimabukuro Kimie bowed slightly and immediately turned back into the shrine, whereupon the staff closed the door.

It seems that the activities at the shrine have come to an end.

Unlike Ran and the others who are still surprised and surrounding Kazuha.

Yuu Aragaki, however, looked thoughtfully at Kimie Shimabukuro, whose figure had already disappeared from sight at the shrine, as if he were struggling with something.

Seeing that the celebration had temporarily come to an end, the surrounding guests turned around and walked out of the shrine, heading towards the mermaid waterfall that Shimabukuro Kimie had mentioned.

However, there were always a few people with strange expressions among the crowd, and these people naturally did not escape Aragaki Yu's eyes.

In particular, Ms. Sumi, who had drawn the Dugong Arrow and was being closely watched by Aragaki Yu, was looking around excitedly. Finally, after realizing that no one was paying attention to her, she deliberately began to break away from the group.

After glancing at Ran and the others who were still surrounding Kazuha, Aragaki Yu followed silently without making a sound.

……

Having separated from the main group, Sumi soon arrived at a desolate, dimly lit path.

She looked somewhat nervous, yet couldn't hide her excitement.

While hurrying along, he kept glancing around, as if afraid that someone was following him.

Their furtive behavior made it seem as if they were hiding some secret.

As for Aragaki Yu, who was following far behind her, he naturally wouldn't be discovered by Ms. Sumi so easily.

As for getting lost, let's not even talk about how this place isn't some maze with interconnected paths; there's only one narrow path, so there's no risk of getting lost.

Furthermore, since the Snow Woman has already attached herself to Ms. Kotobuki, Aragaki Yu is not worried at all that Ms. Kotobuki will leave him.

Chapter 462 Everything is going according to plan... that would be a miracle.

I estimate it took about twenty minutes to walk.

Just as Aragaki Yu heard the faint sound of water, Sumi finally stopped.

This is a clearing in the woods.

Not far away is a fast-flowing stream, and a short distance downstream, a section appears where the water flows down to form a waterfall.

Aragaki Yu knew in his heart that the place was probably the Mermaid Falls that Shimabukuro Kimie had mentioned.

And with Miss Sumi arriving at this place at this time, it's likely that something unexpected is about to happen.

As expected, things unfolded exactly as Aragaki Yu had anticipated.

After stopping at the edge of the riverbank, Shoumei looked around for a while, then shouted loudly, "Come out quickly, I've arrived!"

The riverbank was quiet, and no one answered.

However, Ms. Sumi was not in a hurry, as if she was certain that someone would appear.

The snow woman, who was originally on Sumi's shoulder, suddenly floated towards the woods not far away, as if she had discovered something.

After a while, a figure slowly walked out from where the Snow Woman had just floated in and appeared in Aragaki Yu's sight.

"I'm so sorry, Sumi, I was a little late because I had to take my great-grandmother back to her room." The person said apologetically as they walked towards Miss Sumi.