"The weekend..." Hearing that, Fujino, who was clearing the leftover dishes from the dining table, paused.
Normally, after just finishing a two-day break, you'd have to wait three days for the next weekend. But in this world... one day, two days, three days, even six days were all possible.
Alright, time for another surprise blind box event. Fujino looked at Ayumi and guessed, "By the way, the weekend should be tomorrow, right?"
"Fujino-nii, what are you talking about?" Ayumi blinked in confusion. "The weekend is clearly the day after tomorrow."
"..." Yeah, guessed wrong again. Fujino showed a gentle smile and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, it's the day after tomorrow, huh? I completely forgot with all the busyness."
"In that case, how about we all go together on the weekend?" Just then, Akemi Miyano came out of the kitchen, having heard Ayumi and Fujino's conversation. "You know, it's been a while since we took a trip. It's the off-season these two days, so we can close the shop and take a break."
"Akemi-nee is going too?"
"That's awesome!"
"I think this is our first time going out with Akemi-nee!"
The three kids were really enthusiastic about going skiing with Akemi Miyano. Gentle and kind older sisters are always popular with children.
They were always well taken care of when they came to Snow King Ice City. In the eyes of the three kids, Akemi Miyano was like a beloved teacher...
Fujino didn't say much either and agreed. Going skiing to relax a bit would be nice... But why did this plot feel a little familiar? Yeah, it would probably be tomorrow. Professor Agasa would catch a cold from staying up late watching videos... If his prediction was right.
...
The next day. The sky was just beginning to faintly light up; it was another refreshing spring day. Fujino's day was simple. Early in the morning, around three or four o'clock, he would wake up as usual, change into his tracksuit, and do his morning exercises. Sometimes he'd turn into a complete lazybones and skip the morning exercise part entirely. And after morning exercise, it was time to check the mail... After all, sometimes clients sent their requests via letter.
"Mr. Fujino, you have mail!" Just as Fujino finished exercising and came back, timing it perfectly to wait for the mail, the mailman rode up on his bicycle and handed him a thick brown envelope.
"Thanks, mailman," Fujino took the envelope, opened it, and took a look. The letter contained the following:
[To be opened personally by Mr. Fujino Tongzhi (藤野同治様亲启)
I'm about to be killed by a mermaid! Please save me!
Saori Kadokawa: xxxxx]
In addition to the letter, there was also fifty thousand Japanese Yen in cash.
"Fifty thousand Yen... Is this the deposit?" "That's a bit low..." Fujino glanced at the deposit with a strange expression, sighed, and quietly put the money away. Then, he looked at the contents of the letter again, his eyes slightly narrowed. "A mermaid, huh?"
A letter like this, which seemed like a joke, would normally be treated as prank mail... After all, being killed by a mermaid was just too ridiculous. But 'mermaid,' and 'Saori Kadokawa.' This letter, however, jogged some memories for Fujino.
If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the storyline on Mermaid Island. Mermaid Island, or to be precise, 'USA Island.' The sending address on the envelope described it, but didn't give a detailed address. That's right, the 'USA' as in the United States of America. Although it was a bit absurd, it really was called 'USA.' But this 'USA' wasn't *that* USA; it was likely the 'Utsukushii' (beautiful) 'U' and 'Shima' (island) 'SA' – referring to 美好岛 (Měihǎo Dǎo). Honestly, Fujino really couldn't figure out what kind of 'abstract person' would come up with such an 'abstract name.'
But the name wasn't unfamiliar to him. He remembered that it had been famous a few years ago, with rumors of mermaids or something similar being born there. After thinking for a moment, he turned and went back upstairs, took out his notebook, and started gathering related information.
Soon, he found relevant news reports. The reports stated that on a small island in Fukui Prefecture, there was an 'Oracle-sama' who was over 130 years old. To put it simply, she was what people called a medium or shaman.
The reports mentioned that this medium with the surname Shimabukuro had once eaten mermaid flesh and was therefore granted some kind of mermaid power, becoming immortal. Because of this legend, the island spontaneously held a Mermaid Festival led by that medium. During each Mermaid Festival, the medium would randomly give out three 'Dugong Arrows' as souvenirs.
The Dugong Arrows had the medium's hair tied to them. People who possessed these arrows were said to be blessed with immortality, but likewise, losing an arrow would bring misfortune. However, not many people paid attention to the Mermaid Festival itself. What truly made this matter popular was the fire that happened three years ago...
A warehouse suddenly caught fire during the Mermaid Festival ceremony, and a body was found inside. However, the lower half of the body's skeleton was very strange; it had no feet, like a mermaid. But after police identification, the skeleton was indeed confirmed to be human. Coupled with the island's legend, this incident attracted widespread public attention. Many media outlets rushed there to get the scoop, and the story of mermaids on USA Island basically became hot news.
If this were on 'Mysteries Explored,' they could definitely make ten episodes about it. But later, as the hype died down, the place was no longer mentioned by the public.
But the island name 'USA Island,' and the mermaid legend stuff, weren't the main points. The main point was that a series of murders would occur on this small island, and the victims would include this client who claimed she was going to be killed by a mermaid.
In Fujino's memory, on Mermaid Island, the so-called 130-year-old medium and mermaid legend were actually just things passed down and faked by the women of the Shimabukuro family for generations. The mermaid body from three years ago was faked by the previous medium, who was the mother of the current 'Mermaid Girl,' Kimie Shimabukuro.
As for why the body ended up looking like that... that story starts with this client, Saori Kadokawa.
At the Mermaid Festival three years ago, Saori Kadokawa and two friends, full of anticipation, went to pray for the Dugong Arrow, wanting to obtain the power of immortality. But things didn't go as they wished; none of them drew one, so they were very upset. After getting drunk that night, feeling resentful, they just happened to see the 'mermaid' go into the warehouse.
To get revenge and to prove the mermaid story, fueled by the alcohol, they locked the warehouse from the outside and set it on fire. The mother of Kimie Shimabukuro, who was playing the medium at the time, died in that fire. The fire burned for a day and a night, leaving only bones in the end.
Since she had called her daughter before she died and told her to keep the Mermaid Festival going, this incident wasn't revealed. As for why the body became that way... it was likely a false appearance caused by her legs being crushed by falling beams during the big fire.
And just recently, Saori Kadokawa lost her Dugong Arrow. After experiencing what happened back then, she had become a devoted believer in the mermaid. To prevent herself from suffering misfortune or being killed by the mermaid for revenge, she ran to Kimie Shimabukuro for help, wanting to ask the medium for assistance. She also confessed what happened that year and even wanted to eat the 'mermaid's ashes' to gain the mermaid's power. She wasn't just imagining this; apparently, someone had tried it before.
As the daughter, Kimie Shimabukuro was instantly furious upon discovering the truth about her mother's death that year. She became exceptionally enraged when she learned that Saori Kadokawa had not only burned her mother to death but also wanted to dig up her mother's grave.
Driven by rage, she personally killed Saori Kadokawa and the other two friends who participated in setting the fire, to avenge what happened that year.
"Feudal superstition really kills people..." Pulling back his thoughts, Fujino took a deep breath, sighing inwardly like this.
It was just pathetic for Kimie's mother; even after dying, she was going to be dug up and have her bones eaten. You could only say this was all the result of feudal superstition... If there hadn't been the mermaid lie, none of this would have happened. But since it did happen, you could only say those three girls were absolutely beastly.
"I wonder if her murder plan has started yet..." Fujino thought for a moment, then took out his phone from his pocket.
He remembered that Heiji Hattori should also get involved in this case. However, in the original story, Saori Kadokawa was already killed by the time he received the letter. He wondered if the plan had started yet.
The call was quickly answered. A young girl's voice came from the other end. "Excuse me, who is this?" The call went through, so it seemed the person wasn't dead yet...
Fujino then cleared his throat and said in a strange tone, "I am the mermaid."
"Aaah!!!" A scream came from the other end of the phone.
"Ahem." Fujino lightly coughed and re-introduced himself. "That was just a joke. I'm Fujino. You should have sent me a letter earlier; the phone number was left in the letter."
"Phew..." Saori Kadokawa on the other end of the phone took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then complained in a mournful voice. "Seriously, please don't joke like that..."
"Well, sorry, I just thought the mermaid thing was funny," Fujino said flatly. "But your letter mentioned that you think you're going to be killed by a mermaid. Can you tell me exactly what's going on?"
"It's an arrow that can grant immortality..." Saori Kadokawa's voice on the other end became unstable. "But I lost it recently, and I can't find it anywhere! If I don't find it, I'll definitely be punished and killed by the Mermaid-sama!"
"Uh... calm down, calm down," Fujino was speechless for a moment, then said. "I've already looked into the specific situation. If my guess isn't wrong, the reason you want to hire me is probably to find that Dugong Arrow, right?"
"That's right!" Saori Kadokawa's tone was firm. "As long as you can find it, I'll spend everything I have! Just please find it!"
"Hmm..." Fujino pondered for a moment, glancing at the time. "Since it's a request to find something, let's meet first. Are you available?"
"Today!" Saori Kadokawa said hurriedly. "I have a dentist appointment this morning, and I should be able to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo in the afternoon."
"Okay, then I'll see you this afternoon. As for the address... let's meet at the detective agency. I'll text you the location later; you should know where it is." Fujino sent the address, hung up the phone, and took a deep breath.
He felt he had gained a new understanding of religious and supernatural legends. Sure enough, this kind of thing was a quick way to make money. A bunch of idiots just throwing money at him. But it worked out well; he could lure them over, make some money, and give them a good lecture while he was at it.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.
"Knock, knock, knock!" The door to the detective agency was knocked on. Facing him were two young girls.
One of the girls had soft, long black hair, wearing a gray-black blazer and slim-fit pants, which highlighted her slightly striking figure. She had a gentle and cute appearance, even subtly resembling Akemi Miyano.
The other girl had shorter brown hair, wearing a white shirt with a blue knitted cardigan over it, and khaki shorts, showing off her fair legs. She wore round-rimmed glasses, giving off an intellectual vibe.
"Ms. Saori Kadokawa?" Fujino looked at the two girls curiously and asked.
"Um... I'm Saori Kadokawa, who called earlier..." One side of Saori Kadokawa's face was flushed red; it seemed she had just come from the dentist and was having trouble speaking clearly.
She nodded, then turned to the girl beside her and introduced, "This is Kimie... She came with me to the dentist this time..."
"Hello, I'm Kimie Shimabukuro." The other girl bowed slightly and greeted him.
"Okay, please have a seat." Fujino ushered the two girls to the sofa in the agency and poured a cup of black tea. But considering Saori Kadokawa had just come from the dentist, he changed his mind and poured a glass of plain water instead. After all, they were clients now, and he should be professional where it counted. As for non-work hours...
Fujino sat on the sofa, his gaze on Saori Kadokawa. "So, the matter you want to entrust to me this time should be finding that Dugong Arrow, right? According to my investigation, that arrow is said to grant people a long life, but losing it will bring about punishment or something like that..."
"That's right, it's that arrow! It suddenly disappeared recently, and I can't find it no matter how hard I look!" Saori Kadokawa nodded repeatedly, very satisfied that Fujino had investigated the arrow's background.
Fujino asked a few simple questions about how the incident happened. Saori Kadokawa also answered truthfully and quickly, afraid that any delay might mean not finding the arrow.
"Okay, I think I understand the general situation now. If my guess isn't wrong..." Fujino crossed his arms. "The next step would be to go to the island to investigate what happened and then help you search for that arrow... However, before that, we need to discuss the commission fee."
"The commission fee is absolutely no problem!" Seeing that Fujino was already confident, Saori Kadokawa quickly said, "As long as you can help me find that arrow, fifty thousand Japanese Yen is fine."
"Saori..." Kimie Shimabukuro whispered beside her, trying to persuade her. "Let's just forget it. It's just one arrow, and it's too wasteful to spend fifty thousand Japanese Yen to look for it..."
"If I don't find it, I'll be killed!" Saori Kadokawa completely ignored the persuasion, clinging to that final desperate hope and unwilling to give up.
Kimie Shimabukuro sighed at her words. She wasn't actually feeling sorry for her good friend's money. What she was worried about was whether her murder plan would be exposed.
After all, standing in front of her was a famous detective who had solved numerous major cases, even dismantled several criminal organizations, and prevented several major disasters from happening... To be honest, such superhuman achievements made her feel a little fearful.
If he really went to the island to investigate... she'd probably be caught immediately.
(End of Chapter)