The Detective Conan's Luck-Changer: Ran Begs for Mercy at the Start

"Being trapped in the mountains, I'm afraid I'll have to disturb your temple for a whole night."

"I wonder if it's convenient for you, sir?"

He was both bald and elderly, a common sight in temples.

And then he made those remarks as if he were the master of the house.

Clearly, this old man was abbot-like figure in the temple.

"Convenient, of course convenient."

The old monk immediately smiled broadly, "However, the price for accommodation and meals is 10 yen per person per night."

"There are five of you in total, which amounts to 500,000 yen."

Hearing this exorbitant price, Mingmei and the others couldn't help but frown.

"50 yen a night? Even a five-star hotel isn't that expensive!"

"This dilapidated temple dares to... mmm..."

Koizumi Akako was even more outspoken.

But before she could finish speaking, Izuki Karita covered her mouth.

Under the overwhelming force, Koizumi Akako was unable to break free. Her punches and kicks had no effect, and she could only glare fiercely.

Akemi, Sherry, and Vermouth all had some doubts about Izuki Karuta's actions.

However, out of trust, believing that Itsuki Karuta had a reason for doing so, they did not say anything more.

"We are just tourists who came to climb the mountain to enjoy the cherry blossoms."

"I don't carry much cash with me."

Izuki Karuta took out her wallet and handed it to Vermouth.

Vermouth understood and took out her own wallet as well.

The two of them had a mere 30 yen in cash combined.

"You can pay the rest when you go down the mountain to get the money."

"By the way, there is a Fog Tengu on this Tengu Mountain."

"It's best not to linger outside after dark."

The old monk was somewhat displeased, but he collected the money quickly, seemingly afraid that the people would change their minds. He then told them some information about ghosts and monsters.

Then, the old monk beckoned the group into the temple.

"Mist Tengu..."

"No wonder there are so few tourists on this mountain, even though the scenery is so beautiful," Izuki murmured softly.

The future will be influenced by these ghost stories.

It was raining heavily outside, and the sky was overcast.

There are no electric lights in the temple; it is only lit by candlelight, so it is somewhat dim.

"Mu Nian! Tun Nian! Kuan Nian! Xiu Nian!"

Upon arriving at the temple hall, the old monk called out his disciples.

The four disciples were all male, each with a different appearance, representing one of each type of height, weight, and build, and all were in their early twenties.

The old monk explained that the group were guests who would be staying for one night.

The disciples nodded in understanding, but their eyes remained fixed on Mingmei and the others.

He acted like a savage who had never seen a woman before.

Although the light was dim, only the face was clearly visible.

But those ulterior motives in those gazes made Mingmei and the others feel very uncomfortable.

"If you keep looking at these things, I'll poison you!"

Shirley cursed viciously.

At this moment, the old monk also scolded, "How have you been practicing all this time?!"

"If you continue to be rude to the guests, you'll be sent to the solitary confinement room later!"

Only then did the four young monks lower their heads.

But I was still a little curious.

In particular, Izumi Karuta's behavior of constantly covering Koizumi Akako's mouth,

This raises suspicions that Koizumi Akako may have been kidnapped.

Since the disciples were unruly, the old monk had no choice but to personally lead Izuki Kōda and the others to their guest rooms.

But they only gave 30 yen, and there were only three guest rooms.

As for how the rooms were assigned, the old monk ignored it, simply saying that dinner was at 6:30, and then turned and left.

Afterwards, Izuki Karuta asked everyone to come to the same room to talk.

The light only became slightly brighter after the candles in the room were lit.

Koizumi Akako, whose mouth had been covered the whole time, was finally able to speak:

"Why won't you let me speak?!"

"You don't realize how unreasonable your actions were just now!"

"Why would anyone pay so much money to be a sucker?!"

Koizumi Akako launched into a barrage of questions.

"You dare to speak up and anger that old bald monk."

"What are we afraid of tonight? We don't want to be dragged down by you and end up hungry and soaked in the rain."

"Also, go next door and change your clothes before you speak."

Izumi Karuta glanced at Koizumi Akako, then asked Vermouth to find a set of clothes for her from her luggage.

Koizumi Akako was soaked in the heavy rain, her school uniform clinging tightly to her body.

In addition, her naturally alluring appearance made her look incredibly tempting, easily leading people to commit crimes.

However, the light was dim along the way, so only Izuki Karita could see clearly.

"snort--!"

Koizumi Akako blushed slightly, took the clothes, and ran to the next room.

"boss."

Vermouth also brought out another set of clothes belonging to Izuki Karuta.

When Koizumi Akako struggled earlier, she punched and kicked, and a lot of water splashed onto Itake Karuta's clothes.

Izuki Karuta hesitated for a few seconds.

In the end, he changed into dry clothes in front of the three of them.

While changing clothes,

Izuki Karuta clearly sensed that Akemi and the others' gazes were somewhat too intense.

This phenomenon

This further convinced Izuki Karuta that something was hidden around the temple.

For example... that escaped demon.

Not only Mingmei and others, but also the old monk and the young monk were affected.

The fact that Akemi and Sherry had been in a state of lethargy was probably due to the influence of evil spirits.

The only two who were unaffected were him and Koizumi Akako.

A short while later, Koizumi Akako changed into clean and comfortable clothes and returned to her room.

Because of her similar build to Vermouth, Koizumi Akako was wearing a business-style women's blouse and a knee-length straight skirt.

She still looks great on her figure.

Shirley was eyeing this covetously.

Whether you believe it or not.

There's something I need to tell you.

Koizumi Akako said with a serious expression, "The demon that was sealed on the mountaintop has somehow escaped."

"The path down the mountain has now been blocked by evil spirits."

"If you are willing to help me, you might have a chance to survive."

While speaking, Koizumi Akako's gaze remained mostly fixed on Itake Karuta's face.

At least from the struggle just now, Koizumi Akako knew that Itake Karuta had some strength.