The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan

"Ah? Running to the sea? Helping you investigate the matter?"

Mouri Kogoro put down the newspaper in his hand with a confused expression.

"Yes, the reason why I boarded the ship to Ogasawara was because I had this serious intention... Now look at it, it is indeed very troublesome to go too far to handle the commission." Hattori Heiji patted his own Head, sighed half seriously.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with Karasawa's complaints about this.

"Don't you think the failure rate is a bit high when you run out to handle commissions? Why do you always seem to receive so many unclear commission letters?"

In this regard, Hattori Heiji expressed his innocence.

He is really a serious detective, okay? Who knows what his client is like.

And he complained so enthusiastically, didn’t Tangze himself also give him a commission?

"Is that why I found more than one person?" Tangze asked confidently with a strange expression, as if you were asking questions knowingly.

...This guy Karasawa.

Calm down, calm down, the essence of the purpose of this trip is that they want to find reasons to hang out with Tang Ze. If they continue to think about it, they will lose motivation.

"Would you like me to give you some advice?" Mouri Kogoro looked at him suspiciously, then tilted his head and looked at the young people huddled together on the sofa behind him, "Are you serious? What if? If you were to pay for it, your income from this commission wouldn’t be able to cover it at all.”

No matter how streamlined their line of work is, there are still only six people left.

The travel expenses, food and accommodation for six people to go to the island, how big of an entrustment would it be to have enough income for such a squandering?

"It doesn't matter, my purpose as a detective is not to make money." Hattori Heiji also looked back and tried to find a reason, "I, uh, I think that a famous private detective like you, uncle, should be better than many People are better at handling entrusted situations, right? I do lack experience in this area."

"And for this reason, you decided to pay us such a large amount of money to have fun with us?" Mouri Kogoro frowned and looked at Hattori Heiji with difficulty, "As a private detective, you shouldn't do this in the first place, right? Use this to detect For a career, the input-output ratio should be considered.”

When he said this, he also had some subtle thoughts in his mind.

When you receive a letter that expresses something weird and doesn't clearly explain the content of the request or the circumstances of the request, you come here to investigate regardless of the cost... It's probably because you are always like this that you receive so many weird requests.

Because if you calculate it this way, it is indeed much more cost-effective than hiring private detectives like them.

"Well... anyway, it's definitely not wrong to seek advice from experienced seniors, right?" Hattori Heiji moved his eyes away a little, stared at the chair behind Mouri Kogoro, tried to keep his expression calm and said, "It's just because I don't Understand, I just need some advice and guidance.”

"Okay, since you requested it so sincerely..." Mouri Kogoro, who was praised a few times by him, finally relaxed the wrinkles between his eyebrows, "Which island are you going to and what are you investigating?"

"The destination is the American Island near Wakasa Bay." Hattori Heiji breathed a sigh of relief, "If you want to investigate anything...this is the strange thing about this commission."

"What, another commission with no clear purpose?" Thinking of what happened to Hattori Heiji on the cruise ship two days ago, Mouri Kogoro subtly clicked his tongue, "This kind of strange commission, if there is no clear client, It’s okay if you don’t answer.”

Just like him, ever since he became famous, he has received strange letters from time to time.

Some are inexplicable crime warnings, some are strange invitations or riddles...

Anyway, he will only deal with commissions that have a clear target or money, which was the case last time he went to Moon Shadow Island.

Based on his experience, some were weird pranks, and some were shows where he didn't want to spend money to invite him, but wanted to gain his popularity. All of them could be solved by calling the police.

"There is a client." Hattori Heiji thought of the phone call he had made before coming to Tokyo, and his expression became more solemn. "The request sent to my home, it said in crooked and trembling handwriting - 'I will be killed by a mermaid. Die, please save me!'"

"Ah? Mermaid?" Mouri Kogoro made a weird expression, and couldn't help but look at Maori Lan and the others who were chatting without knowing what they were talking about, "Have you already told them about this?"

No matter how you look at the two cheerful girls, they don't look like they are going to investigate a mysterious incident, but like primary school students about to go out for a spring outing.

"I did tell them." Hattori Heiji grinned, "There happens to be a festival held on the island. I think if the commission is not a serious matter, then just treat it as a tourist. You can experience the island customs and you won't lose money, right?"

On the sofa, several people were discussing together, and they were talking about something with high interest.

"Three years ago, there was a sensation, about the legend of 'immortality'." Toyama and Ye touched their faces, feeling a bit of real yearning, "Eternal youth and beauty, even if it is just a legend, It’s good to be blessed, right?”

"I've heard about that very long-lived mother-in-law who is over a hundred years old." Mentioning these magical stories, Mao Lilan's eyes sparkled, "It is said that she gained immortality by eating mermaid meat. Blessings or something.”

"It sounds like you are no longer young." Conan, who was chewing biscuits slowly, couldn't help but say this after hearing this.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but lowered his head and looked at his short legs and hands again.

For people of their age, it’s hard to say whether “returning to the time of youth and beauty” is a blessing or a curse.

"Hey, no one takes this seriously, right? Although it is true that elderly people over 100 years old are rare, but simple longevity is not completely unprecedented." Toyama and Ye waved their hands indifferently, "Islands guarded by mermaids , which is romantic enough in itself.”

"An island guarded by mermaids, and then an old woman who ate mermaid meat appeared on the island..." Karasawa, who was still stuffing cookies into Conan's hand, couldn't hold back after hearing this, "This is really a romantic legend, isn't it? horror story?"

"Hey, is that possible? It would be nice to use this as a patron saint to protect the people, right?" After thinking for a while, Mao Lilan asked in confusion.

"Generally speaking, if this kind of legend is really regarded as a belief, wouldn't it be a kind of blasphemy against the gods? Eat its meat raw and eat the totem that protects the island... That is to say, there are quite a lot of tourists on this island. If it happens in a very closed and conservative village, there have been cases where the fanatical and ignorant villagers directly executed the person." Tang Ze crossed his arms and commented very objectively.

"I have seen similar news." Conan finally swallowed the biscuit in his mouth and said, "Generally in a relatively closed environment, people's attitude towards rumors is indeed quite extreme."

"That means you think the legend of mermaids is unreliable?" Toyama and Ye said, carefully paying attention to Karasawa's expression, trying to confirm his thoughts on this trip.

Hattori Heiji actually didn't take this slightly childish request seriously, and prioritized its handling after Furukawa Dai's request.

Without him, although the client left his contact information, he could never get through. It was hard to tell whether this was a serious commission or another prank.

After becoming famous, no matter what kind of person you are, you will inevitably experience some troubles because of your fame, and Hattori Heiji is no exception.

I will use it as a reason, and the main purpose is to invite Tangze to hang out with me.

In the words of Hattori Heiji—

"It's rare to go on a trip, and I got involved in a troublesome case, and even fell into the sea. I felt a little bit guilty... and it seems that Tangze is prone to getting into trouble as soon as he goes out. If you take him with you, maybe it will really happen. What kind of cases can I encounter?"

Well... let’s not mention the second half of the sentence.

"No, I think it's a good tourist destination." Tang Ze shook his head and analyzed seriously, "Did you just say that? If it is really a convincing legend, the attitude of the locals is impossible. If it is so plain, there is a high probability that this story is packaged by them to promote a selling point."

"...Can things like packaging also become a selling point?" Conan, who didn't feel the attraction at all, was surprised. "It's better to say that the island has a pleasant environment and is suitable for health care. In that case, there are really rich people who would consider taking a vacation and Live in it.”

"As long as it attracts enough attention, anything can become a selling point." Karasawa pursed his lips and held back his laughter for a few seconds. Considering that Conan also knew that Asai Narumi was fine, he said the second half of the sentence, "Tsukiyage before. Due to the public sensation caused by the serial cases on the island, the new village chief, Mr. Masato Shimizu, took advantage of the situation and packaged the old sites of Aso's house and activity center into relics..."

"Ah? Isn't this too bad?" Mao Lilan looked in disbelief, "Although Mr. Narumi... the fire in Aso's house really caused a lot of casualties!"

Since she witnessed the scene where Joker rushed into the fire and grabbed Asai Narumi's hand, Mao Lilan was more inclined to believe that Asai Narumi was not dead and might have been rescued by Joker, so although this subsequent development was hell, it did not arouse her too much. Reaction.

On the contrary, it was the matter of Keiji Aso that made her even more disgusted.

It was not an accident, or what the islanders said, the curse of the piano. Aso Keiji's family was massacred by criminals.

It is really unethical to regard this as a selling point.

Conan's face was also filled with disbelief and shock, and he couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

Asai Narumi himself did not die in the fire as they said. After imagining his feelings, Conan felt the unspeakable black humor.

Considering that during the last meeting, Asai Narumi confessed that he wanted to make a complete separation from everything on Moon Shadow Island, including his past, this matter was even a little bit more hellish.

——His revenge made his name completely inseparable from Moon Shadow Island.

"Well, it's better than continuing to engage in illegal industries." Karasawa shrugged and quoted Asai Narumi's own comments after learning the news, "There are some consumption brought by tourism, plus local traditions Agriculture and fishery can bring some new atmosphere to the island."

"So, you said that the American island is suitable for tourism, and you think it is a similar situation?" Toyama and Ye, who seemed to understand but probably understood what they meant, were thinking hard.

"Yes, at least it proves that they are indeed fully prepared for the island's tourism industry. In other words, they welcome tourists and will work hard to provide supporting facilities." Tang Ze analyzed rationally. , "It is better to travel to a place like this than to have an adventure experience in a place where there are real ghost stories."

"It seems that there is such a truth..." Mao Lilan, who had recently attended some courses with her best friend, fell into deep thought, "Well, and as for Wakasa Bay, is it located in Fukui Prefecture? It happens to be the birthplace of the legend of the Eight Hundred Bhikshunis. , from the same place?”

"Yes, you see, this is an excellent business vision." Karasawa was pleased with her inference, "Generally speaking, the mermaid legend can easily evolve into several commercial tourism directions, and there are many in Japan. Competing products include pearls, seascapes, and marine life. There are already many famous attractions. Choosing such a legendary direction to create differentiated competition is indeed a blue ocean that captures the pain points of users... Well, I mean, In terms of longevity, it is indeed a very good choice.”

"According to this theoretical analysis, the direction of Yueying Island is actually very innovative..."

"Isn't it? I have to say that the new village chief has a little money-making mind."

"Ah, according to this theory, there are many places in Tokyo..."

"...It is indeed a selling point of 'suicide resort' or 'shocking crime'. I only discovered it after coming to Tokyo. It's magical, isn't it?"

"ah?!"

After listening to the completely sidetracked discussion behind him, Hattori Heiji twitched the corner of his mouth, turned back, and continued to speak to Mouri Kogoro: "The client left his contact information, and it was a person named Kadori Saori. So although there is only one person in the letter, It’s a word, but I think it’s not a joke.”

"Well, okay, then you can contact the client again. Decide on the time. We can make it in time if we set off quickly before the holiday is over." After listening to his description, Mouri Kogoro didn't object to this. way.

Although Hattori Heiji's remuneration was only tens of thousands of yen sent with the letter...

It's the black-skinned guy who's losing money, not him, it doesn't matter.

"Since receiving this message, I have tried to contact her every day, but..." Hattori Heiji shook his head helplessly, took out his mobile phone, and dialed the number in the address book again, "No answer at all. If the address given was not very detailed, I might actually think of it as a prank..."

Not to mention, the other party was still provocative and wrote on his head, Mr. Kudo Shinichi, accept...

Damn it, who did this? !

"Beep...beep..."

Regular beeps rang one after another, and as Hattori Heiji turned on the speakerphone of his cell phone, they echoed clearly throughout the entire office.

"Click——"

Just when Hattori Heiji thought that this time it would be like every time in the past, he would automatically hang up after enough time and switch to the unanswered reminder, when the call was suddenly connected.

After a few seconds of surprise, he quickly picked up the phone.

"……Hello?"

There was no reply from the other side of the phone that had been connected.

Only the more regular sounds of the waves, mixed in with sounds that were unclear whether they were moans or seagulls, kept echoing.