Upon returning to his house last night, Senichi did two things besides packing his belongings.
The first thing was to check his rewards.
As expected, this wave of rewards only amounted to 200 Fate Points.
However, this was within Senichi's expectations, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.
As for the second thing...
Yes, Senichi had called Ayako yesterday and invited her to go on this trip to the island together.
Coincidentally, Ayako had the time and readily agreed, leading to the scene that now made Conan feel a mix of envy and jealousy.
Regarding this, Senichi commented, "Isn't this only natural?"
After all, you two high school brats already have your respective girlfriends, even if the relationships aren't confirmed yet.
As an adult in a confirmed relationship, it's only natural for me to bring my girlfriend along on the trip. Isn't that expected?
And think about it, would I come here by myself while you guys both have girlfriends? Doesn't that make me the one who'll be tortured and not you?
So, it's the survival of the fittest. To avoid being the one tortured, I have no choice but to tease you guys~
Anyway, Senichi already had a plan for the Mermaid Island case, ensuring that the murder wouldn't occur. So bringing Ayako to the small island for a vacation is fine~
After all, they've only been having dates in the city recently, watching movies, shopping, and it's getting a bit tiresome. It's nice to come out for a change once in a while~
The incident of "tormenting the dogs" on the ship naturally didn't need to be mentioned much. The ship soon arrived at Mermaid Island, a small island rumored to be inhabited by mermaids.
Coming from the pier and entering the town, the overall appearance of the small town entered the view of everyone.
Perhaps due to its location on a small island, the population wasn't that large, and there weren't very tall buildings here, mostly just three or four stories high.
Not far from the town, you could still see a small hillside a couple of hundred meters away. At this moment, the island was bustling with activity.
However, they were here on a matter of business, so the group first made their way to the administrative office.
Usually on these islands, the administrative office is basically the convenient place to find people.
After all, it's a village on a small island, and the local population isn't that large. Basically, one administrative office is enough for the villagers to handle their daily affairs.
And generally, whenever you go to the administrative office to find someone, that person is either dead or missing.
The client who sent a letter to Hattori Heiji, named Saori Kadowaki, also couldn't escape this "Detective Conan world's Law." She had already gone missing before their arrival.
After inquiring, according to the person in charge of the office, Saori Kadowaki didn't come to work yesterday. her neighbor speculated that she might have taken a boat to the main island.
Coincidentally, the time also matched the time when the commission letter was sent to Hattori Heiji's house.
After seeing the contents of the letter, Hattori Heiji and Kazuha set off in the afternoon and eventually found Senichi's group, who had encountered a case with Shizuka in the evening.
"We've arrived just in time. The head of the office said that this is the island's annual festival," Ayako said while holding onto Senichi's arm. "After we're done with business, let's explore the island."
"No problem. We can also buy some souvenirs to take back. The things here are quite unique," Senichi said, looking at items like "Mermaid Charms" and "Mermaid Steamed Buns" around them with a smile.
"Speaking of which, isn't this small island rumored to be inhabited by Mermaid? Why is the festival called that?" questioned Kazuha curiously.
"Because it's the origin of mermaids," Hattori Heiji explained. "In ancient times, it was said that the flesh of Mermaid could be refined into an elixir of immortality."
"What does a Mermaid actually look like?" Ran asked curiously. "Is it really beautiful?"
"No, quite the opposite. It's not attractive at all, resembling a Dugong," Senichi explained with a smile.
"Huh? How could it be considered a beautiful mermaid then?" Kazuha heard Senichi's words and couldn't believe it. "The appearance of a Dugong doesn't resemble a beautiful creature like a mermaid, no matter how you look at it."
"In reality, appearance doesn't matter much. You see, many mythical creatures are just modifications of existing human imagination. It's just a matter of whether the modification leans toward the positive or negative aspects."
Senichi smiled and explained, "The reason Dugongs are called mermaids by people is because female Dugongs occasionally have the habit of nursing their young near the water's surface.
So, in ancient times, when ships passed by Dugongs from a distance, it wasn't strange for people to mistake them for 'mermaids.'"
"I see, so that's the reason."
"I feel like this explanation is closer to the truth."
"That's right, ancient people were quite superstitious. Seeing a Dugong nursing its young from a distance on the sea surface, they naturally took it for a human-like creature."
Ran, Kazuya, and Ayako listened with interest, and afterwards, they huddled together to discuss.
During their lively conversation, the group arrived at the shop the head of the office had mentioned. This was also where Saori Kadowaki worked.
From the shop owner, they learned that Saori Kadowaki had become restless ever since she lost the Dugong arrow she had drawn at the festival last year. She was constantly fearful of mermaids seeking revenge on her.
"But it was just an arrow, right? How could someone disappear just because of a lost arrow?" Kogoro Mouri clearly showed disbelief at this.
"Because mermaids do exist!" At this moment, a short-haired female shop attendant suddenly spoke up. "That arrow is a talisman of immortality. Just look at all the tourists who've come today because of it. You can see how attractive it is."
Seeing some skepticism from the group, the short-haired attendant smiled and continued, "This was stated by the immortal Elder herself, who obtained eternal life after consuming mermaid flesh.
And on that arrow, there's hair with the divine power of the elder tied to it, and the wish of immortality can definitely come true!!"
After saying this, the short-haired woman smirked in a somewhat mocking manner, "You think losing something so precious, she wouldn't be afraid? Even if she escaped from the island, I don't think it's impossible."
After finishing her statement, the short-haired woman paid no attention to the group's reactions and walked away with an air of arrogance that practically screamed, "I'm the only one awake among fools."
Kogoro Mouri asked the female shop owner after the woman left and learned that her name was Naoko Kuroe. She had grown up together with Saori Kadowaki and was her childhood friend.
As for the term "immortal elder" she mentioned, it referred to the officiating priest in charge of the main festival, a representative figure of this small island, the legendary figure who had consumed mermaid flesh and gained immortality.
According to the female shop owner, the granddaughter of this "immortal elder" was also a childhood friend of Saori Kadowaki. She might have some information about her.
With no other choice, Senichi and the others set off once again toward the shrine.
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