Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

"Go ask them yourself, don't ask me," Kazuha Toyama replied, exasperated. She was utterly speechless at Heiji Hattori. His mother had been taken away by his friend, and he knew nothing about it. How could he be so stupid? And he was supposed to be a high school detective! He was incredibly naive.

"Conan, what are Lin Xiaofeng, Aunt Yukiko, and my mom doing?" Hattori Heiji asked, puzzled, and wanted to deduce something. "Shouldn't Lin Xiaofeng be with us?"

"Hehehe... Heiji-nii, I advise you not to know."

Conan already guessed what Lin Xiaofeng was doing. Thinking about how beautiful his own mother was, and how Hattori Heiji's mother was equally stunning, he felt envious of Lin Xiaofeng. If he could be like Lin Xiaofeng and get his hands on both his mother and Hattori Heiji's mother, that would be a blissful thing. However, reality was cruel, turning him into a spineless brat, unable to do anything. He couldn't even…please himself.

"Could it be, Conan, that you've already guessed it?" Heiji Hattori wondered if he had become stupid; his IQ was always slightly lower than Conan's.

"Go and see for yourself, and you'll find out."

Heiji Hattori and Conan went upstairs to their room, only to find it locked from the inside and they couldn't open it even with their room cards.

Left with no other choice, Hattori Heiji pressed the doorbell harder.

However... nothing happened.

This forced Hattori Heiji to call Lin Xiaofeng's cell phone.

"Lin Jun, what are you doing in your room? Why did you lock the door from the inside?"

"Oh. Hattori-kun, you and Conan are back already?"

"Okay. Are you still half asleep? Open the door."

"Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."

Heiji Hattori and Conan have returned, and Lin Xiaofeng has no choice but to bring his battle with Yukiko and Shizuka to a temporary halt.

After waiting for a while, Lin Xiaofeng opened the door.

Heiji Hattori and Conan approached and discovered that Yukiko Kudo and Shizuka Ikenami were also there.

Only then did one see Rei Kōdō Ikiko and Ike no Shizuka kneeling on the tatami mat, their faces flushed, their beautiful eyes glistening with tears, and beads of sweat clinging to their foreheads.

"Mom, Aunt Yukiko, is it hot today? Why are you sweating so much?"

"Hattori-kun, your mom and I were chatting while sitting together. We were working so hard that we were drenched in sweat."

"You can even break a sweat while chatting?"

Heiji Hattori expressed his incomprehension...

"Heiji, you've been out with Conan all day, what did you find?" Shizuka Ikenami deliberately changed the subject.

"Hmm... There were some gains, of course, but... there were new deaths, and even more mysteries... Not only that, the shrine also caught fire. Due to the limited firefighting resources on the island, the fire hasn't been completely extinguished yet. Conan and I wanted to investigate, but the firefighters chased us away."

"These are truly turbulent times..." Chi Bo Jinghua said leisurely. In reality, she didn't care about the case at all; she only cared about her future happy life with Lin Xiaofeng. At her age, she had only just tasted the forbidden fruit, and the wonderful flavor was simply unstoppable.

"Brother Xiaofeng, what have you been doing all day?" Conan asked curiously.

"It's nothing to mention." Lin Xiaofeng sat down next to Yukiko and played with her in front of Conan. "Yukiko, Shizuka, Ms. Toyama, and I met up and went back to the hotel. Yukiko and Shizuka chatted, while Ms. Toyama watched TV downstairs. That's all."

"Who asked you that!" Conan's face turned red with anger. "What I want to know is, what exactly is this so-called trivial matter you're talking about?"

"I'm not telling you." Lin Xiaofeng refused to answer and continued to touch and rub Yukiko in front of Conan.

Conan had long since given up hope, while Heiji Hattori was utterly shocked (1.4). He had met this Aunt Yukiko when he was a child; she was his mother's friend and also Shinichi Kudo's mother.

"After Shinichi Kudo disappeared, did he entrust his childhood friend and mother to Lin Xiaofeng?"

Lin Xiaofeng is so responsible! If I were him, I'd be incredibly annoyed.

Lin Xiaofeng truly lives up to his reputation as Tokyo's top detective; there's still much I need to learn from him.

Conan gave up on treatment, while Yukiko was incredibly shy. In front of her son and her best friend's son, well... at least maintain your image. She's a goddess-level, noble superstar!

He then got up and went back to his room with Jinghua.

Heiji Hattori and Conan also sat down in front of Lin Xiaofeng to discuss the case.

247. Shimabukuro Kimie is dead, Hayashi Kimie is born.

Lin Xiaofeng, Hattori Heiji, and Conan were soaking in the men's bath when they chatted about their discoveries that day.

Heiji Hattori and Conan told Lin Xiaofeng about what had happened that day, expecting him to be very surprised. However, Lin Xiaofeng's reaction was rather indifferent.

"To be honest, I've given up. No matter how much I investigate this case, it won't lead to anything."

Hearing Lin Xiaofeng's answer, Hattori Heiji and Conan were even more shocked, never expecting Lin Xiaofeng to lose his fighting spirit so much.

"Lin-kun, how could you say such a thing? Have you forgotten your identity as a famous detective?" Hattori Heiji was so angry that he wanted to fight Lin Xiaofeng. After all, he regarded Lin Xiaofeng as his role model!

"Brother Xiaofeng, what exactly is it..." Conan was also puzzled. How could Lin Xiaofeng, who was usually so confident, say such discouraging words?

"Wu Bu-kun, Conan, haven't you noticed yet? This is a curse. A curse triggered by the mermaid!" Lin Xiaofeng's expression turned serious.

"curse!".

Heiji Hattori and Conan exchanged a glance, almost ready to jump up and fight Lin Xiaofeng. How could a high school detective believe in a curse?

"Lin-kun, I really misjudged you. I never thought you would believe in curses, it's utter nonsense!" Hattori Heiji raised his fist, ready to fight Lin Xiaofeng.

"That's right, today, Heiji and I found the mermaid tomb. But the tomb doesn't contain the remains of a mermaid at all; it contains the remains of a person who perished in a fire. However, the remains are incomplete and look like the remains of a mermaid," Conan chimed in.

“It’s obvious. Mermaids don’t exist. Three years ago, it wasn’t a mermaid who was burned to death, but Shimabukuro Kimie’s mother. I already know that.”

Lin Xiaofeng revealed the truth, shocking Hattori Heiji and Conan. It turned out that Lin Xiaofeng had known everything all along.

"Then what about the mermaid curse you mentioned?"

"Yes. Since mermaids don't exist, how could it be a curse from them?"

"The fact that mermaids do not exist does not mean that they cannot cause curses."

Lin Xiaofeng revealed the truth to Hattori Heiji and Conan: "We all know that mermaids don't exist. However, the villagers on the island firmly believe in mermaids, and many tourists even come specifically for this reason. Naturally, to cater to everyone, the shrine on American Island created a non-existent being called the Longevity Granny. On the surface, mermaids don't exist, but they act like a curse, cursing the Shimabukuro family and the villagers on the island."

Heiji Hattori and Conan understood Lin Xiaofeng's meaning. The villagers of American Island and the Shimabukuro family deceived everyone using the name of mermaids, and suffered a backlash—this was the curse of the mermaids.

Heiji Hattori and Conan fell into a deep silence, unable to blame Lin Xiaofeng for his superstition.

On the other side, following the directions given by Lin Xiaofeng, Shimabukuro Kimie actually found the person who was supposed to meet her.

A woman dressed in a black bodysuit and wearing sunglasses, exuding a dashing and confident aura.

"Are you Kimie Shimabukuro?" the woman asked.

"Um... it's so dark, and you're wearing sunglasses, can you even see me?" Shimabukuro Kimie felt that the people in the organization didn't seem very bright, no wonder Lin Xiaofeng wanted to recruit her.

"Oh...you've reminded me!" The woman took off her sunglasses and carefully examined Shimabukuro Kimie. She was indeed the same as the photo Lin Xiaofeng had provided.

"It seems there's no mistake, you are Shimabukuro Kimie, come with me."

"Yes. I am Shimabukuro Kimie. I'm coming right now."

Shimabukuro Kimie followed the woman onto the speedboat.

"Friend, what is your name? Could you tell me who you are?"

"My name is Kiel, and from now on, I will be your direct supervisor."

“Yes.” Shimabukuro Kimie looked curiously at the profile of the woman piloting the yacht. “Kiel, I think you look like someone.”

"You mean I look like Rena Mizunashi, the female host of Nichiuri TV, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes... They look so alike, they're practically identical."

"I am Rena Mizunashi, not someone who looks like me," Rena Mizunashi replied irritably. "Kir is my code name in the organization. In private, you have to call me Lord Kir, understand?"

"It is Lord Gil."

“I have already prepared a fake identity for you. From now on, you will use the identity of Lin Junhui and work with me at Nichiri TV Station for the time being.”

"Yes."

Shimabukuro Kimie responded happily, overjoyed. Lin Xiaofeng had even arranged her identity; he was so meticulous. A sense of happiness welled up inside her; she felt reborn.

……

The fire at the shrine burned all night and was not extinguished until dawn. The shrine, which was fine yesterday, was now razed to the ground.

The detective trio arrived at the shrine early in the morning to follow the police investigation.

Police found a charred body at the scene of the fire...

"Another death?!" Hattori Heiji's scalp tingled, and his heart raced.

Who is it?

Missing Saori Kadowaki?

Or... Kimie Shimabukuro, or perhaps the old woman who lives a long life?

“Yes,” one of the men in charge of putting out the fire said, “Although it’s charred a bit, you can still tell that it’s wearing glasses and blue clothes… It’s probably the charred body of Saori, who is missing from 123.”

Conan, with his back to Hattori Heiji, said, "Hattori-nii, I remember Kimie-san said that she had just gone to the main island to see a dentist."

"She did say that," Heiji Hattori's expression changed, "Could it be..."

“If we ask her by her name, we should be able to find out which dental clinic it is right away…” Conan said.

"Idiot!" Hattori Heiji interrupted, his face darkening. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Stop pretending!" Conan turned around, looking at Hattori Heiji with a serious expression. "You must have guessed it too, just like me, you have a bad feeling about this..."

Hattori Heiji gritted his teeth and immediately called the police to ask them to investigate.

In the afternoon, the police called—they had located the dental clinic and compared the shape of the charred corpse's teeth with the records left by Shimabukuro Kimie during her dental treatment; the match was perfect.

Heiji Hattori stood there stunned after hearing the police's report.

In other words, that charred corpse really was Kimie Shimabukuro?!

"impossible!"

At the scene of the fire, Fukuyama Rokuro knelt on the ground, breaking down in tears: "This isn't real! The one I truly loved was Shimabukuro Kimie, how could you be dead?"

248. Ikeha Shizuka moves into Kudo’s house

Conan said dejectedly, "She was with us last night, but this trip here has been terrible. People around us keep getting into trouble..."

“Conan… no matter who the murderer is, there’s something we absolutely have to say,” Hattori Heiji looked up at Conan with unwavering determination, “we can’t let that guy get away with this. We have to take down that murderous maniac who takes lives so lightly!”

Lin Xiaofeng looked at the indignant Conan and Hattori Heiji with a mocking expression: "Don't you two understand yet? It's all over."

Reminded by Lin Xiaofeng, Conan and Heiji Hattori suddenly realized who the real culprit was.

"Brother Xiaofeng, are you saying that the murderer is Shimabukuro Kimie!"

"And Shimabukuro Kimie has already perished in the fire. Is it all over?"

"You said it, not me."

Lin Xiaofeng yawned, not wanting to stay there any longer.

Heiji Hattori and Conan were extremely dissatisfied. The case ended without a conclusion, which was not what the two detectives had expected.

"At least, in the future, there will be no more long-lived women or mermaids on the American islands. The curse of the mermaids will come to an end."

After saying this, Lin Xiaofeng headed towards the hotel, intending to meet up with the three women and take a boat back to Tokyo.

Lin Xiaofeng believes that no one on American Island possesses the special disguise technique that allows Shimabukuro Kimie to change her body shape. Therefore, the Longevity Granny will cease to exist, and the villagers of American Island's attempt to use her to create hype and attract tourists will also become a pipe dream. American Island will soon return to its original tranquility.

The group took a boat back to Tokyo, and then went to a train station in Tokyo.

Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama took the Shinkansen back to Osaka, while Shizuka Hattori chose to stay in Tokyo.

"Heiji, Kazuha, I will stay in Tokyo and live with Yukiko."

Shizuka Ikenami announced her decision.

Heiji Hattori had already prepared himself; he shouldn't be too happy that no one would be watching him anymore.

"Okay, Mom, I understand. Just stay in Tokyo."

"Heiji, I won't be around, so please take good care of yourself. ~".

If Hattori Shizuka had to say what she couldn't let go of in Osaka, it would only be her silly son.

"Alright, alright, I'm not a child anymore."

"I'm not in Osaka, so you should get along well with Kazuha and try to become lovers."

"Mom, stop joking. This isn't funny at all." Just like in the anime, Hattori Heiji flatly refused, "Who would want to be Kazuha's lover? Impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Kazuha Toyama was furious: "You're right, Heiji. I can be lovers with anyone, but not you!"

Seeing Hattori Heiji's attitude towards Toyama Kazuha, Lin Xiaofeng understood why, even after more than a thousand episodes of the anime, their relationship remained unchanged. Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha were simply not compatible and had absolutely no chemistry. Every time they tried to create a sentimental scene, it was so awkward it was unbearable to watch.