Solving cases with Detective Conan's science? No, I'm a cultivator!

The staff member said, "If you want to know more, you can go to the local products shop where Saori works and ask."

……

Local products store.

The shelves were piled high with all sorts of mermaid merchandise.

Kazuha Toyama's attention was drawn to it. "Amulet, suspender clip, and dugong pie?"

She couldn't help but ask, "What is a dugong?"

Ai Haibara, with her hands behind her back, said, "A type of mammal that lives on the seabed, commonly known as a mermaid."

Kazuha Toyama nodded, then glanced at Ai Haibara again, wondering what was wrong with kids these days.

On the other side, Hattori Heiji was asking the shop assistant about the doorknob.

"Saori, she accidentally lost the Dugong Arrow she got at last year's festival, so she's been very scared that the mermaid will come back to take revenge on her!" The shop assistant said with a mysterious expression.

Kitagawa Taki glanced at Haibara Ai. Last year, Vodka stole a dugong arrow; he wondered if it was the one that Kadokawa Saori lost.

Hattori Heiji asked, "The Dugong's Arrow?"

The shop assistant nodded: "Yes, those are amulets for immortality. Every year during the Dugong Festival, three Dugong Arrows are randomly awarded to villagers or tourists."

Hattori Heiji's lips twitched: "Immortality? Where would you find such a good thing?"

Another young shop assistant chimed in: "Yes, there are cases in the world where people have achieved immortality after eating mermaid flesh. The Dugong Arrow, made from the hair that the Longevity Granny grew using her mental power, has the magic to grant immortality."

It's entirely possible that Saori, having lost something so important, would be so frightened that she would flee the island.

After saying that, she turned and left.

Hattori Heiji watched the woman's retreating figure and asked, "Who is she?"

The shop assistant explained, "Naoko Kuroe, she and Saori are childhood friends."

Conan asked, "Who is the 'Longevity Woman' she mentioned?"

Kitagawa Taki interjected, "The longevity granny is the host of the celebration. The immortal woman that Miss Kuroe just mentioned is referring to her. It is said that she is over a hundred years old."

The shop assistant glanced at Kitagawa Taki. "This customer knows very well!"

Conan and Heiji Hattori also looked at Taki Kitagawa.

Chapter 424 The Place Where We First Met

"Because I came here once last year."

Kitagawa Taki didn't hide it either.

"You also came to this island last year for the Dugong Festival?" Hattori Heiji was somewhat surprised. Was the Dugong Festival really that attractive?

Kitagawa Taki nodded: "Yes."

The shop assistant said, "Then this gentleman can take you to the shrine. The shrine maiden there, Kimie, is Saori's childhood friend."

Hattori Heiji rolled his eyes. Were they like a football, being kicked around like this?

……

American shrines.

As soon as Kitagawa Taki entered the shrine, he saw Shimabukuro Kimie, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, sweeping the floor.

"Miss Junhui!"

Shimabukuro Kimie looked up and gave a bright smile. "Mr. Kitagawa! It's been a long time."

Who would have thought that such a seemingly gentle and weak priestess was a murderer?

Ai Haibara glanced at Taki Kitagawa; this guy really seems to know beautiful women wherever he goes.

"This is Ms. Shimabukuro Kimie, the shrine maiden of the shrine," Kitagawa Taki introduced Shimabukuro Kimie.

Shimabukuro Kimie bowed slightly and then said, "Hello!"

Then, Kitagawa Taki emphasized Hattori Heiji's introduction: "This is the famous detective Hattori Heiji from Osaka."

Shimabukuro Kimie couldn't help but glance at Hattori Heiji again.

Hattori Heiji was very pleased with his title as the famous Osaka detective and said with a smile, "Miss Kimie, we've come to ask about Kadokawa Saori."

“Saori? What happened to her?” Shimabukuro Kimie showed no outward signs of distress.

Heiji Hattori didn't mention the letter of authorization, but instead said, "Something went wrong. Can you tell me when you last saw her?"

Shimabukuro Kimie stroked her chin and recalled, "About four days ago, I asked her to accompany me to see a dentist on the mainland, because we don't have dentists on our island."

“Four days ago…” Hattori Heiji and Conan exchanged a glance, then asked, “What did Kadokawa Saori look like back then?”

Kimie Shimabukuro said, "She was terrified because she lost the Dugong Arrow. I told her that such a thing could never happen, but she wouldn't listen at all."

Conan asked, "Have you seen Junhui these past few days?"

Shimabukuro Kimie shook her head: "No, I've been busy with the festival at the shrine these past few days."

At this moment, a voice came from behind them: "It seems that Junhui, you still don't understand the power your great-grandmother possessed! She really had magical powers, and she really did eat mermaid flesh."

The woman glanced at everyone and then said, "After all, a mermaid's corpse was found on the island three years ago."

"A mermaid's corpse was found?" Hattori Heiji exclaimed in surprise, and quickly asked, "Really?"

"Of course it's true! The way the bones on that corpse were broken was absolutely bizarre!" The woman became more and more excited as she spoke, clearly having an extreme superstition about mermaids.

"Shoumei, stop talking!" A hand was placed on the woman's shoulder.

That was a dark-skinned man, almost as handsome as Hattori Heiji.

The man added, "There are many things that are inconvenient to say in front of outsiders, so let's not say any more."

"If you're looking for Saori, you should go to her house, as long as her drunkard father welcomes you."

After saying that, the man and the woman named Shoumei walked away.

Kitagawa Taki joked, "Hattori, you're finally not the darkest one anymore."

Hattori Heiji's lips twitched, and he argued, "This is a healthy wheat color, not black, okay?"

Conan also had a smile he couldn't hide on his lips. Then, he looked at the two people who had left and asked Shimabukuro Kimie, "Kimi-neechan, who are they?"

“They are my and Saori’s friends.”

The woman's name was Ebina Sumi, and the man's name was Fukuyama Rokuro.

"They're all friends?" Hattori Heiji retorted. "Then why doesn't she seem worried about Saori at all?"

Kimie Shimabukuro explained, "Because Saori often argues with her father and then runs away from home for many days at a time, everyone is used to it."

Then he asked, "Saori, did something happen to her?"

Hattori Heiji then revealed the truth.

After listening, Kimie Shimabukuro sighed, "Why won't Saori believe me?"

Conan and his friends all had strange expressions. Why were the shrine maidens here not superstitious at all? On the contrary, the ordinary residents were all acting strangely.

"Junhui-neechan, could you take us to Saori's house?"

Shimabukuro Kimie bowed and said, "That's possible, but we'll have to wait until the festival is over."

Kazuha Toyama, who had been silent until now, asked, "What do you usually do at festivals?"

She was quite curious about what was so attractive about the Dugong Festival that made that scoundrel Kitagawa Taki revisit the place.

Is it for the sake of a beautiful woman?

Thinking of this, Kazuha Toyama couldn't help but take another look at Kimie Shimabukuro.

He had delicate features, a handsome appearance, and a faint smile on his face.

Kimie Shimabukuro said, "We will sell number plates to the guests in advance, and then my great-grandmother will announce the numbers. Those with the same number can get the Dugong Arrow."

"Oh, right, I have two more number plates here. An elderly couple returned them to me. Would you like to try them?" As she spoke, she took out two wooden number plates from her sleeve.

The numbers above are forty-seven and eighteen.

Kazuha Toyama took forty-seven.

"I'll take this one then." Kitagawa Taki took the eighteen.

Shimabukuro Kimie smiled and said, "Don't forget to come to the shrine for the festival tonight. I have to go now."

……

Ai Haibara pulled Taki Kitagawa aside: "Why did you also get a number plate? Does that Dugong Arrow really work?"

She didn't figure out anything about the one that Vodka took last year.

They also took a portion of the mermaid corpse that Ebina Sumi mentioned from three years ago.

But after her examination, it turned out to be just human bones.

Kitagawa Taki said, "It has the function of bringing good fortune and avoiding misfortune. I just keep it for fun."

Ai Haibara narrowed her eyes and asked, "That shrine maiden isn't an ordinary person?"

Kitagawa Taki nodded: "He has a little bit of magic power."

"So you came here specifically for her?" Ai Haibara said coldly.

Kitagawa Taki never told her why she came to this island.

"This is where we first met." Kitagawa Taki smiled and patted Haibara Ai's head.

Ai Haibara slapped Kitagawa Taki's hand away and snorted coldly.

Having gone through so much, she has come to accept the fact that Kitagawa Taki has many women.

But she felt she couldn't be as indulgent as her older sister, spoiling Kitagawa Taki too much.

"Let's go, let's explore the island." Kitagawa Taki took Haibara Ai's hand.

The festivals on this island are quite well organized; otherwise, they wouldn't attract tourists every year.

But after this, there probably won't be any more dugong celebrations.