The world of science is unscientific

“It’s a talisman for immortality,” the proprietress explained patiently. “Every year, three dugong arrows are given to the villagers at the annual dugong festival. Saori accidentally lost the arrow she received at last year’s festival, so she was very scared a week ago.”

"afraid of what?"

"She's afraid the mermaid will come after her for revenge." As she said this, the proprietress's expression unconsciously turned somewhat frightened.

Kogoro Mouri scoffed, "There are no mermaids in this world."

Just then, a short-haired beauty appeared at the shop entrance, saying, "There really are mermaids in the world."

Everyone looked at her.

Naoko Kuroe continued, "Because there are real cases in the world where people have achieved immortality after eating mermaid flesh."

"And the dugong arrow made from the hair that the long-lived old woman grew with her mental power, no matter who it falls into, will be able to realize their dream of immortality."

Yusuke Suzuki shook his head. If such a thing really existed, everyone on Mermaid Island would have been killed by the organization long ago, leaving only that Immortal Woman to slowly spy on the secret of immortality.

Even if the organization doesn't come, plenty of forces will turn this place into a secret haven. Tourism? Even a mosquito flying in will get slapped twice.

"Who is this?" Kogoro Mouri asked the landlady after Naoko Kuroe left.

“She’s a childhood friend of Saori,” the proprietress said in one go. “As for the longevity woman she mentioned, she’s the main character of this dugong festival and also the symbol of our island, that old lady from the island’s pouch.”

Then, like a ball, the group was kicked to the island's shrine.

Here lives Shimabukuro Kimie, the great-granddaughter of the old lady Shimabukuro, who is also a close friend of Kadokawa Saori, whom she grew up with.

Kimie Shimabukuro is like a grown-up Ayumi, or perhaps even prettier. She's currently a shrine maiden, and her attire reminds Yusuke Suzuki of a bellflower. Thinking of a bellflower brings to mind...

“How could my great-grandmother be 200 years old?” Kimie Shimabukuro said speechlessly. “Actually, she just turned 130 this year. You can find out by checking her household registration.”

"She just lived a little longer than the average person, and that's caused such a commotion?"

Yusuke Suzuki remained silent; he was 130 years old.

'He's lived a bit too long.'

"It's been a bit long."

'了点'.

'point'......

Chapter 105 Finding a Way to Win Heart

Later in the chat, Kimie Shimabukuro went even further, saying that mermaids don't exist and that they were just made up by others, leaving everyone completely confused.

Only then did they realize that the Dugong Arrow originally represented a cursed arrow inscribed with exorcism spells.

"Later, the people on the island associated these arrows with mermaids and changed them into dugong arrows without authorization," Shimabukuro Kimie said, somewhat absentmindedly. "These are all things my late mother told me."

"So your mother has passed away?"

“Yes, she and my father perished at sea five years ago, and even my grandparents disappeared during a boat trip before I was born.”

Although Shimabukuro Kimie stated these words with a smile, there was still some regret in her eyes when Toyama Kazuha questioned whether there was a special reason for the death of her relative.

She laughed and said, "There's no reason at all. I also took a boat trip to the mainland with Saori before, but nothing happened."

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji and Mori Kogoro hurriedly inquired about the time. Upon learning that it was four days prior, they couldn't help but wonder if Kadokawa Saori had already become emotionally unstable at that time.

Unexpectedly, another woman ran out at that moment.

Toshimi Ebihara pinched her chin. "You don't believe in your great-grandmother's power at all, do you? She really does have magic powers, and she did eat mermaid flesh before. Didn't a mermaid's corpse appear three years ago?"

Yusuke Suzuki was really fed up. These people were suddenly appearing one after another, and the worst part was that he couldn't even notice them. What if he was being hunted down by the organization and Gin walked up behind him without him noticing? That would be too much.

and many more.

Being hunted by an organization?

Yusuke Suzuki suddenly looked up at Kimie Shimabukuro. He remembered that this woman was the mastermind behind the three upcoming serial murders, and that she probably wouldn't have confessed if Conan hadn't deduced the truth.

What's even more amazing is that she's also a master of disguise, and quite skilled at it.

Shouldn't I have my own power?

What if I recruited someone with such strong mental fortitude, intelligence, and the ability to disguise himself into my ranks?

Putting everything else aside, at least in the future when I'm busy, I won't have to bother Kaito Kuroba every time, since he's not always available.

After making up his mind, Suzuki Yusuke began to think about how to get Shimabukuro Kimie to follow him. At present, he only had one bargaining chip, which was that Kadokawa Saori had already been killed by her.

However, threats are never a long-term solution; what he wants is a heart that will not easily betray him.

To win someone's heart, you must first win their heart; I need to think about this carefully.

While he was still in a daze, the bumbling detective and Osaka Black Chicken were already asking Shimabukuro Kimie to take them to Kadokawa Saori's house.

Kimie Shimabukuro readily agreed, "I'll be free after the festival."

What do you usually do during the festival?

“We will sell the numbered tickets to the guests in advance. As long as the number matches the one my great-grandmother showed, you can get the Dugong Arrow,” Kimie Shimabukuro said after thinking for a moment. “It’s actually a bit like a lottery.”

“Oh, right,” she said, taking out two number plates, “why don’t you two try your luck? An elderly couple returned their number plates this morning, and I have two left.”

Kazuha Toyama and Ran Mouri each took one, filled with anticipation for the evening's ceremony.

Kimie Shimabukuro appeared dressed as her great-grandmother, lit a torch, and burned three numbers onto the paper door.

The corresponding lieutenant generals are Kazuha Toyama, Naoko Kuroe, and Toshimi Ebihara.

Then, Kimie Shimabukuro appeared in her original form and announced, "Everyone, please listen carefully. We will officially issue the Dugong Arrow in one hour. Please gather at Mermaid Falls immediately."

After a while, noticing that Ebihara Tomi had left the group, Suzuki Yusuke pulled Conan aside, squatted down, and whispered, "Conan, you guys go ahead, my stomach hurts a little, I'll be right back after I go to the restroom."

"Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?" Conan couldn't help but think of the time when Ran Mouri lost her memory.

In response, Suzuki Yusuke flicked his forehead, while Hattori Heiji chuckled to himself.

After leaving, Suzuki Yusuke immediately accelerated and headed towards Mermaid Falls. With his physical abilities, he could take many unconventional routes, such as climbing directly from the side of the waterfall to the top.

As soon as he went up, he saw Shimabukuro Kimie talking to Ebihara Toshimi not far away, and they should be about to make their move.

Yusuke Suzuki hid in the jungle and crept up quietly. His position was a bit off; there was a waterfall between him and the two of them. The water wasn't strong, but if he appeared, he would definitely be discovered by the other party.

Since he was going to talk face-to-face anyway, he didn't bother to dawdle any longer. He simply used his legs to propel himself forward and burst out.

Before Shimabukuro Kimie could react, Suzuki Yusuke rushed over and knocked Ebihara Toshimi unconscious with a karate chop.

"Shh~~" Suzuki Yusuke put a single finger to his lips. "We'll talk about this in more detail next time. I'll kill this person for you."

As he spoke, he directly used what Shimabukuro Kimie had prepared and replicated the technique.

"Alright, now go back and continue distributing the Dugong Arrows."

He didn't even need ten minutes to go back and forth.

After returning to the group, they were just about to head to Mermaid Falls.

"Brother Yusuke, the marks on your body..." Conan, that kid with sharp eyes, immediately noticed something was wrong.

Yusuke Suzuki said calmly, "I thought you would go first, so I ran here."

After hearing this, Conan didn't ask any more questions; he was just asking out of habit anyway.

Upon arriving at Mermaid Falls, amidst the thunderous roar of water and the misty spray, Kimie Shimabukuro, having composed herself, appeared before the group.

"Now, please invite our three lucky guests to come forward tonight."

Kazuha Toyama immediately went over happily, while Kimie Shimabukuro continued her act, asking if the other person who hadn't arrived had come.

As a result, Menkyo Benzo came out drunk, holding a sign.

Shimabukuro Kimie's pupils contracted instinctively, and Conan and Hattori Heiji also noticed something was wrong.

Ten minutes later, the body of Tomi Ebihara, hanging from the waterfall, was discovered.

After some reasoning, Kogoro Mouri concluded that it was an accident, and Conan and Heiji Hattori also failed to find the swimming ring that they were supposed to find.

Has Kimie Shimabukuro been recycled?

Yusuke Suzuki was a little surprised. He thought the incident would proceed as originally planned. But this was fine. The next step was to pin all the suspicion on Saori Kadokawa and then arrange for her to commit suicide.

Even if I can't bring Shimabukuro Kimie under my wing in the end, at least I can keep her around so she can temporarily fill in for me in the future.

Chapter 106 Failed Attempt to Win Hearts and Minds, Exchange of Interests

After the older man finished his reasoning, Hattori Heiji expressed his doubts.

"Isn't the celebration held at the bottom of the waterfall? Why does she insist on going up there?"

“She’s probably looking for the mermaid’s grave,” Naoko Kuroe, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. “Because the mermaid’s grave is somewhere in this forest.”

"Three years ago, on the night of the festival, after the shrine's warehouse caught fire, the mermaid's bones were reburied here."

Hattori Heiji was baffled. "You guys keep talking about mermaids, are you sure those are mermaid skeletons?"

“It’s hard to say, that’s what the villagers on the island say,” said Kimie Shimabukuro, though she was looking at Heiji Hattori. Her attention was focused on Yusuke Suzuki, and she could not sense any tension or panic on the handsome young man’s face.

After several people explained, everyone realized that the skeleton from three years ago only had the upper body; the lower body had been smashed to pieces by the beams and pillars, which is why there was such a story.

“Later, some tourists came to rob the grave, believing that the mermaid's skeleton was also a panacea,” Shimabukuro Kimie continued. “My great-grandmother had someone secretly move her grave into the forest last year, and I don’t know where it is.”

"Then who did she ask to do it?" Kogoro Mouri asked.

"She only said it was someone she trusted."

The investigation came to a halt, and just as Kogoro Mouri was about to treat it as an accident, Heiji Hattori and Conan walked over.

“Uncle, this shouldn’t be an accident. Conan and I found signs of multiple people trampling over there. The deceased was definitely not alone here before he died.”

Hattori Heiji continued, "We saw Ms. Kotomi two hours before the fireworks were launched. It wouldn't take more than an hour to get to the top of the waterfall."

"Therefore, this crime could be committed by either men or women, but we don't know exactly how the murderer did it."

Taking this opportunity, Yusuke Suzuki chatted with Kimie Shimabukuro for a few minutes. He could tell that the shrine maiden was a little nervous, but he just smiled slightly to indicate that she was alright.

After returning to their shrine residence, the group sat together drinking tea and chatting. Before long, Kimie Shimabukuro appeared, disguised as her great-grandmother.

"So, you're the ones who wanted to see me about something?"

Everyone was quite frightened by the old lady's appearance, but Conan was the first to come to his senses and ask, "Grandma, may I ask how you decided on the lottery number for the Dugong's Arrow?"