svetikya Page 24
Page 24
But after thinking it over, it seemed that bringing Conan along would not do him any good.
Not only will it disrupt his and Ran's time together, but it will also become an obstacle for him to change Asai Makoto's fate later on.
And so, under Conan's resentful gaze, Hoshimiya Hayao and the other two packed their bags and embarked on their journey to Moonshadow Island.
"Wow, there are so many people. It seems like Moonshadow Island has been very popular lately."
As Xiaolan boarded the cruise ship at the port, she looked around and said with some surprise.
The sea was shrouded in fog, offering little scenery to see. Kogoro Mouri continued to complain on the deck about having to spend his precious vacation on a small island.
After showing off to Conan, he was left with nothing but complaints.
Because the commission was really strange, if the client hadn't paid a commission fee of 500,000 yen in advance and Xiaolan hadn't forced him to work, he would definitely have taken this opportunity to enjoy the flowers and go sightseeing.
Maybe I can even strike up a conversation with a few pretty girls.
After gaining the title of "Sleeping Detective" thanks to Conan, Kogoro Mouri's luck with women has indeed improved considerably.
Seeing Xiaolan's enthusiastic appearance, Xinggong Yu couldn't bear to spoil her fun, so he had to give up his plan to take a nap and force himself to stay awake and chat with her.
Fortunately, this trip to Moonshadow Island will last a week, and there are still two days until the full moon.
It's unlikely that a case will occur as soon as we arrive; getting some rest for the night shouldn't be a problem.
On the other hand, although Kogoro Mouri complained, since the client had paid a fee of 500,000 yen in advance, he wasn't worried about not finding the mysterious client when he arrived.
Or rather, he might as well not find a client at all.
That way, you can travel for free with 500,000 yen.
Moon Shadow Island is located in the Izu Islands area. Around noon, Hoshimiya Yu and her two companions arrived on the island.
Seeing that it was still early, Kogoro Mouri decided to go find the client first.
Because once a client is found, accommodation and meals for the next week will be free.
Unfortunately, the person who wrote the letter, Keiji Aso, had passed away more than a decade ago.
Kogoro Mouri was nowhere to be found, and instead, mentioning Keiji Aso made him unpopular with some people on the island.
Anyone who's a bit older on the island knows the real reason for Keiji Aso's death: Tsukikage Island was originally a drug trafficking island.
In the end, the sacrifice of Keiji Aso's family was used to whitewash the entire island.
Perhaps some people feel guilty, but most are afraid of the truth being exposed.
Unable to find the client and frightened by the situation, and with the islanders ignoring him, Kogoro Mouri was so angry he almost turned back home immediately.
Xiaolan has always been afraid of ghosts and the like. Knowing that the client had been dead for more than ten years, and especially after learning about the so-called ghost under the moonlight, she was reluctant to stay any longer.
Hoshimiya Yu knows the truth, but now is not the time to reveal it.
"Ran, Uncle Mori, if you want to go back, then go back."
Hoshimiya Yu didn't stop him. Although he was a little disappointed that he couldn't go on a date with Ran, it was indeed more convenient for him to act alone.
“I think this island is nice. Since we’re already here, why not spend a few days here? If you don’t mind, you can entrust this to me. While you’re sightseeing, I can help you gather clues.”
Kogoro Mouri was somewhat tempted, and going back now would be a timely way to cut his losses.
There will be opportunities to enjoy flowers and chat up beautiful women during the remaining days of the holiday.
"Fine, but I won't be giving you the commission fee."
"Don't worry, I'll just consider this a trip at my own expense."
Hoshimiya Yu smiled as he took the letter from Kogoro Mouri.
"Then I'll stay too."
Xiao Lan then spoke up: "That commission fee will serve as your living expenses for the next few days, Dad. If you run out of money, you'll have to go hungry until I get back."
Five hundred thousand yen is more than enough for a week's food expenses.
But that's not necessarily true for Kogoro Mouri.
Drinking, horse racing, pachinko, and flirting with beautiful women are all extremely expensive activities.
Kogoro Mouri was a little worried about Ran and Hagoromo Hoshimiya being alone on the island, but in the end he couldn't resist the urge to be carefree by himself.
All I could do was repeatedly remind Xiaolan not to let herself be taken advantage of, and if she noticed anything amiss, to teach Xing Gongyu a lesson in karate.
Xiaolan blushed bright red as she was told this, and kept glancing at Xinggong Yu, probably thinking of some embarrassing scenes.
"Alright, Dad, you should go now."
Finally, Xiaolan felt really embarrassed by what she was being said, and with a stern face, she said, "If you're not leaving now, then don't leave at all. Stay and investigate the case properly."
"Leave now, leave now."
Kogoro Mouri chuckled twice and went to buy a ferry ticket back to Tokyo for the afternoon.
After Kogoro Mouri left, Ran looked at Yu Hoshimiya curiously and asked, "Hoshimiya-nii-san, did you discover something?"
As expected of having the [Sixth Sense], an orange-quality intuitive talent, Hoshiguma Yu didn't expect that Xiaolan could detect it even like that.
However, unlike Shinichi Kudo, he did not intend to raise Ran into a pure and innocent girl, and this incident was very suitable as a starting point to change her values.
With her thoughts racing, Xing Gongyu had already formed a rough plan.
He looked at Xiaolan and said seriously, "The postmark is definitely from Moonshadow Island. It must have been sent by someone from the island, and they paid the commission fee in advance, so it must be very important. I think it's necessary to keep it and investigate it."
033 Asai Makoto
"Really?" Ran stroked her smooth chin, looking at Hoshimiya Hayao with suspicion. "If Shinichi said that, I wouldn't be surprised..."
"When did Hoshimiya-nii-san become so curious about cases?"
Faced with Xiaolan's questioning, Xinggong Yu smiled somewhat awkwardly.
He hasn't watched all of "Detective Conan," but he has happened to have watched some of the cases he's encountered so far.
Knowing the whole story already, they naturally wouldn't show much curiosity.
During the roller coaster incident, Hoshimiya Yu mentioned that she was somewhat interested in deduction and had read Sherlock Holmes.
Xiao Lan took it as her saying that on purpose to avoid putting her in a difficult position.
"Alright, actually I'm a little curious about the ghost of Keiji Aso that the villagers are talking about."
Hoshimiya Yu said, half-jokingly, "Every full moon night, piano music comes from the auditorium. Coupled with the bizarre deaths of the Aso Keiji family, don't you find this kind of ghost story exciting?"
Xiao Lan instinctively hugged her arms tightly; just listening to Xing Gongyu's description, she could almost picture the terrifying scene.
"Yes...yes...it is indeed very strange. How could there be ghosts in the world...hehe...hehe..."
Xiao Lan subconsciously moved closer to Xing Gongyu, trying to hypnotize herself.
She was not a staunch materialist and had been afraid of scary things like thunder and ghost stories since childhood.
Hoshimiya Yu knew that Ran was afraid of ghosts, so he naturally wouldn't deliberately scare her.
He held the girl's trembling hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, even if there really are ghosts, I will protect you. And based on my judgment, the so-called ghosts on this island are definitely man-made."
Feeling the warmth from Hoshiguma Yu's palm, Xiaolan gradually calmed down.
"But why do that?"
"The purpose is naturally to cover up the truth about the deaths of Keiji Aso's family," Hoshimiya Yu explained calmly. "As for the real purpose of this strange request, it's probably to get Uncle Mori to investigate this matter."
"Ah! I see..."
After being enlightened by Hoshimiya Yu, Xiaolan also realized and said, "No wonder the client's name is Aso Keiji."
"Let's go, let's see if there's anywhere to stay."
Xinggong Yu held Xiaolan's hand and walked along the village road.
He was indeed looking for accommodation, and he was very tired, but the most important thing was to get in touch with Makoto Asai first.
After walking along the road for a few minutes, Hoshimiya Yu saw a clinic.
Tsukikage Island is very small, and there's only one clinic there. You can be sure that Makoto Asai works there.
Thanks to the publicity, Moonshadow Island has become more popular than before, but there are still not many people in the village.
Tourists from other places usually visit the scenic spots on the island, and few of them venture into the villages that are no different from ordinary residential areas.
Hoshimiya Yu was still thinking of an excuse to get into the clinic and contact Asai Makoto when she happened to pass by the clinic and Asai Makoto came out of it.
There was no one else on the road, and Xiaolan, who was worried about where to go, suddenly had a bright idea and immediately went up to ask for directions.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a hotel or other accommodation?"
"Just follow this road straight ahead and you'll see it; there are hotels there specifically for tourists."
After giving directions, Makoto Asai chatted with Ran very enthusiastically.
"Are you from Tokyo?"
"Yes, we just arrived by boat," Xiaolan replied politely.
"I was born in Tokyo too."
Seemingly having his idea validated, Makoto Asai became even more enthusiastic and took the initiative to introduce the island: "However, this island is different from Tokyo. The air is so fresh, and it's very quiet."
Before he could finish speaking, a car equipped with a horn sped past.
"Masato Shimizu! Please support Masato Shimizu!"
The noisy sounds echoed through the empty streets as the car drove by.
Makoto Asai wasn't embarrassed at all, and said with a smile, "This is an exception, because the village chief election is about to take place."
Looking at the enthusiastic doctor in front of her, Xiaolan asked curiously, "Village chief election?"
Makoto Asai immediately began his introduction.
"Yes, the candidates include the current fishermen's representative, Masato Shimizu, and the current village chief, Mr. Kuroiwa, whose evaluation has recently declined..."
While Makoto Asai and Ran were having a pleasant conversation, Yu Hoshimiya was carefully observing her.
Makoto Asai is about the same height as Ran, and he is wearing a white lab coat on top and a black short skirt on the bottom.
Her pair of fair and slender legs were completely unadorned, with delicate and smooth skin that made it hard to look away.
Her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail at the back of her head, making her look mature and capable.
Her fair and flawless oval face was lightly powdered, with a touch of perfect blush on her cheeks.
Even with a simple and unpretentious outfit, her innate charm is still undeniable.
No matter how Xing Gongyu observed, even with the [Eye of Truth] activated to its maximum, he couldn't find a trace of a man.
She doesn't have an Adam's apple, her figure is real, and her voice is gentler and sweeter than most women's.
Even when deliberately pretending to bump into someone by chance and behaving somewhat exaggeratedly, every movement is still graceful.
Upon observation, Hoshimiya Hato even noticed that Asai Makoto intentionally dressed himself in a more androgynous manner.
Perhaps her real appearance is too delicate and feminine, making her unsuitable for fulfilling the duties of a doctor.
Perhaps because Hoshimiya Yu's scrutiny was too presumptuous, or perhaps because he had finished talking with Ran, Asai Makoto shifted the topic to Hoshimiya Yu.
"By the way, my name is Makoto Asai, and I'm a doctor at this clinic. I also have a full medical license."
"Oh, it's Dr. Asai. I thought it was a nurse."
Xiao Lan was somewhat surprised, never expecting that such a young and beautiful woman was actually a licensed doctor.
In Japan, obtaining a formal medical license is very difficult.
Basically, once you have this license, you won't lack jobs, and the salary is usually quite good.
"I wonder who this gentleman is..."
"Hoshimiya Yu, a health and physical education teacher." Hoshimiya Yu smiled and introduced herself, "I can barely be considered a colleague of Dr. Asai."
"Fellow traveler... ha... ha..."
This attempt at impersonation was so forced that even the masterful actor Makoto Asai couldn't maintain his composure and could only manage an awkward yet polite smile.
It wasn't them? Could my judgment be wrong? That shouldn't be the case...
Makoto Asai was somewhat puzzled that he couldn't find Kogoro Mouri.