Hattori Heiji yawned. He looked bored.
Conan, next to him, also looked like he was running on fumes.
But then again, what was there to do on this island? Other than the Mermaid Festival, it was basically one big scenic rock. So here they were, sticking around for the dugong arrow ceremony.
Even if none of them had drawn a winning ticket, they'd heard the ceremony was lively. Fireworks, crowds, ancient local superstition—peak small-town fun.
Jiangxia Tongzhi, naturally, agreed to tag along.
The ceremony wouldn't start for another hour. No need to rush.
So, everyone went off to grab dinner first.
While waiting for the food, Jiangxia casually summoned the Tengu shikigami in a nearby hideout.
Then he possessed it and flew off, ghost-style, carrying the mermaid ghost up into the mountains above Mermaid Falls.
That big clearing beneath the waterfall? That's where the arrows would be awarded soon.
Shimabukuro Kimie wasn't down there with the crowds yet. She was up on the mountain too. Because earlier, she'd arranged a private meeting with Toshimi Ebihara.
Kimie was the one giving out the dugong arrows, and Toshimi Ebihara wanted one. It wasn't hard to use that as bait to lure her out.
…
Toshimi Ebihara showed up on schedule. But the shrine maiden? Nowhere in sight.
Bored, Toshimi strolled down to the riverbank, half-heartedly kicking stones into the water.
From behind a tree, Shimabukuro Kimie silently stepped out. Her expression was complicated. She was holding a rope.
She approached quietly. Stealthy. Focused.
Just as she was about to strangle Nami from behind—
Splooosh.
A huge wave surged up out of the river.
Out of nowhere. Direct hit.
It rolled straight over Toshimi Ebihara like it had a personal vendetta.
Kimie blinked. She looked again. Target: missing.
The riverbank where Toshimi had been was now just soggy grass.
The water was still churning, growing louder.
Kimie crept closer and spotted Toshimi Ebihara flailing underwater. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
The river wasn't even that deep—but Toshimi couldn't get up. It was like something had grabbed her ankle and was yanking her down.
It was dark under the water, but Kimie could vaguely make out a shape. Something long. Slimy. With… a fish tail?
A mermaid?!
Kimie stared, frozen, as her would-be victim got dragged around by the current.
Then, just like in her original murder plan, the protective rope by the river tumbled in.
It twisted in the water.
Looped around Nami's neck.
Tightened.
Formed a nasty knot.
And then—whoosh—Toshimi Ebihara was swept off the cliff. She dropped like a stone and ended up dangling lifelessly in front of the waterfall.
Exactly the way Kimie had envisioned it in her head.
She stood there, dumbfounded.
Was this… a dream?
She peered back into the river. Nothing. The "mermaid" was gone. Probably her imagination.
Probably.
But…
There was now a very fresh corpse hanging on the cliff. Kimie didn't think she could just chalk this up to coincidence.
And if you assumed—just for argument's sake—that mermaids did exist…
Technically, Toshimi Ebihara hadn't received her dugong arrow yet. The award ceremony hadn't started. So she hadn't "lost" the arrow. There was no reason for a mermaid to attack her under that rule.
But judging by the sheer malice in that tidal slap, the mermaid had some personal beef with Toshimi Ebihara.
And now that she thought about it… Kadowaki Saori had also mysteriously drowned recently.
Something clicked in Kimie's mind.
That mermaid in the river… the one who did her job for her before she could act—
Could it be… her mother?
…
About ten meters away, Jiangxia was perched in a tree, currently switched over to Xiaobai's puppet.
The Tengu had just been released from the earlier possession, and now glided over to where Kimie stood by the riverbank, lost in thought.
It detected the faint traces of murderous aura—still warm, with a sweet-and-sour fishy tang—lingering around her.
Like scooping cotton candy, the Tengu carefully rolled up the extra murderous aura Kimie had built up for the kill that didn't happen.
Since the person she wanted to kill was already dead, she couldn't pour that murderous energy onto her anymore.
It would just fade away in a few days.
But hey, they'd made the trip all the way out here. Would be a shame not to collect the leftovers.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 21/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*