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

Ran kept a cold face. She felt she needed to show some authority, otherwise Conan would always ignore her words.

"Dad can't cook, you can order takeout."

"I want to go..." Conan still wanted to throw a tantrum.

"Huh?" Ran glared at Conan.

Conan immediately chickened out, hanging his head dejectedly, and said, "Okay, I won't go this time..."

Damn it! Conan felt that Sonoko or Kitagawa Taki must have whispered something in Ran's ear, otherwise, if he had said a few nice words, Ran, with her soft heart, would definitely have taken him there.

Conan was a little annoyed. He used to be Kogoro Mouri, but now even Ran was getting fierce.

……

Early the next morning.

Downstairs from the firm.

Kitagawa Taki said to Miyano Akemi and Haibara Ai, "You two take Sonoko's car, I'll go pick up Koizumi Akako."

Koizumi Akako? That woman is coming too?

Ai Haibara was unaware that Akako Koizumi would be coming today; she always felt that this woman was dangerous.

"I'll ride in your car," Ai Haibara said calmly.

After saying that, Ai Haibara sat in the passenger seat.

Kitagawa Taki fastened his seatbelt and joked, "Kids can't sit in the front passenger seat."

Ai Haibara crossed her arms. "Do you treat me like a child?"

Kitagawa Taki chuckled, started the car, and drove towards Koizumi Akako's villa.

Ai Haibara asked, "Who is this Koizumi Akako? Have you found out? She gives me a dangerous feeling."

So that's why he followed. Kitagawa Taki glanced at Haibara Ai out of the corner of his eye.

"She is a witch."

Ai Haibara was somewhat taken aback: "A witch?! Magic?"

"Does magic really exist in this world?"

Kitagawa Taki didn't want Haibara Ai to overthink things, "That's right, but don't worry, she can't do anything to me yet."

Hearing Kitagawa Taki say that, Ai Haibara felt a little more at ease.

Living in the Black Organization for a long time made her somewhat sensitive to danger.

Soon, the two arrived at the villa.

Koizumi Akako was waiting at the door when Kitagawa Taki got out of the car and helped her put her suitcase away.

"Thank you." Koizumi Akako was about to open the passenger door when she realized that Haibara Ai was sitting inside, so she had to sit in the back seat.

On the way, Kitagawa Taki asked, "Miss Akako, do you know that the Yuki-onna (snow woman) really exists?"

Koizumi Akako seemed to know quite a bit about these things; he felt that Koizumi Akako might know something.

"I don't know," Koizumi Akako answered simply.

Seeing Kitagawa Taki's disappointment, Koizumi Akako added, "However, I've seen it in an old book at home. According to the description in the book, she should exist, but everyone who saw her is dead!"

"That's amazing?"

Kitagawa Taki felt that he was still quite weak, and it would be awkward if he encountered someone he couldn't beat.

If it really comes to that, the best course of action will be to leave.

"It's alright. With me, Lord Hongzi, here, a mere snow maiden is a piece of cake."

"Oh hahaha!"

Koizumi Akako covered her mouth and burst into laughter, completely oblivious to Ai Haibara in front of her.

Time passed by as the two chatted, with Ai Haibara never interjecting.

……

Sanri Town.

After arriving, the group first bought some skiing equipment in town, including ski goggles, safety gear, and so on.

Afterwards, everyone drove up the mountain to the guesthouse.

About several tens of minutes later, a small self-built house came into view.

The guesthouse is called "Genbei's Guesthouse". It has only five rooms in total. Apart from the one room for the elderly couple, only four rooms are available for rent. The decoration is also in the old Japanese style.

As the group approached the door, they saw two women who looked somewhat alike talking to the elderly couple.

"Hey, that person looks like Akiko Kinoshita!" Ran exclaimed.

"Who is Akiko Kinoshita?" Sonoko thought for a moment, but had no recollection of her.

Akemi Miyano answered for Ran, "It's that actress who starred in 'The Snow Woman's Love'!"

Snow Woman?

Kitagawa Taki looked at him strangely. "She's playing the Yuki-onna (snow woman)?"

"Yes, she's become quite popular lately because of this show."

It seems that Akemi Miyano has watched quite a bit of this show.

Ran walked up to them and greeted them, "Hello, are you Ms. Kinoshita Akiko?"

Akiko Kinoshita nodded. "Yes."

"I especially loved your performance in 'The Snow Maiden's Love,' particularly the scene where you resolutely jumped into the lake at the end."

Although this drama is related to the Snow Woman, it is not actually scary, which is why Xiaolan was able to watch it.

Akiko Kinoshita pointed to the woman next to her and said with a smile, "Actually, the last jump was Yoko's, not mine."

The woman introduced herself: "Hello, my name is Yoko Asanuma, and I am a stuntwoman."

Xiao Lan said, "Ah, I see."

At that moment, the elderly man next to him asked, "Excuse me, are you Ms. Sonoko Suzuki?"

Sonoko stepped forward and said, "That's me."

The old man said with a smile, "I knew it was you. Your rooms are ready; they are the three rooms at the end of the corridor."

The old man's name is Kitamura Genbei, and his wife's name is Kitamura Kayo. Together, they run this small guesthouse.

Chapter 84 was all taught by Kitagawa-nii.

"Um, can I switch rooms with you?" Yoko Asanuma asked somewhat shyly.

Sonoko paused for a moment, then asked, "Which room should we change to?"

"The innermost one."

"can."

Sonoko didn't understand why Yoko Asanuma wanted to change rooms, but she didn't care.

Yoko Asanuma bowed slightly, "Thank you very much!"

"Let's go inside first!" Akiko Kinoshita said, waving to the others.

The group was assigned rooms: Sonoko, Ran, and Akako Koizumi shared a room; Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara shared a room; and Taki Kitagawa shared a room alone.

Kitagawa Taki walked into the room and saw that it was quite large; no wonder there were only five rooms.

After everyone had settled in, they gathered together for lunch, which was provided by the guesthouse. Since it was run by an elderly couple, the variety of dishes was limited, but the food was quite delicious.

"Taki, what are your plans to deal with the Yuki-onna?" Sonoko asked excitedly.

Ran covered her forehead. Sonoko was always very enthusiastic about these kinds of things. "Sonoko, even a Yuki-onna might not exist!"

Kitagawa Taki said, "Isn't it rumored that the Yuki-onna often appears on mountain roads at night? I plan to go for a stroll in the mountains tonight."

Seeing Sonoko's eager expression, he knew what she wanted to say and quickly stopped himself.

"Sonoko, you two shouldn't go together this time. If there really is a Yuki-onna, it will be very dangerous."

Although the Yuki-onna is not as great a yokai as the Great Tengu or Shuten-dōji, she is still a relatively well-known yokai in Japanese legends.

"Alright then..." Sonoko was a little disappointed, but she understood that Kitagawa Taki was thinking about their safety.

dong dong~

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in!"

When the door opened, it turned out to be the owners of the guesthouse.

"Excuse me!"

Kitamura Kayo, holding a pot of tea, poured it for him while asking, "How was it? Was the food to your liking?"

"not bad!"

"Excellent craftsmanship!"

Everyone praised it.

"That's good. Here, please have some tea!"

The two handed out tea to everyone.

Kitagawa Taki picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Boss, I've heard that snow women often appear around here. Is that true?"

"It's true. Our area has been known for the presence of the Snow Woman for a long time. So, I want to remind everyone, never go on the mountain roads at night, you might encounter the Snow Woman!"

Kitamura Kayo's voice was hoarse, which was rather frightening.

"Actually, not long ago, a mountaineer was killed by a snow woman, and he froze to death in a relatively warm tent, with a happy smile on his face!" Kitamura Genbei said, referring to what Sonoko had told him before.

"It is not surprising that people who freeze to death have smiles on their faces. After experiencing severe hypothermia, people may feel hot due to the disorder of their body's temperature regulation mechanism. The brain sends incorrect instructions, causing the body to take off its clothes, mistakenly believing that this will make it more comfortable and that it has gotten rid of the cold, which is why it smiles."