The Mermaid Festival Begins

It was around that time that Shimadai Kimie, having finally learned how her mother had died, developed murderous intent towards these childhood friends.

After that, after bringing Saori Kadowaki back to the island, Shimadai Kimie used some means to bind her in this warehouse, preparing to use her life to avenge her mother.

The reason she hasn't killed Saori Kadowaki is probably because she wants to use Saori Kadowaki's life to achieve another purpose.

Jiang Hang pondered for a while and felt that there was probably more than one person who secretly set the fire back then Shimadai Kimie probably wanted to take advantage of this festival to catch all of them in one fell swoop and eventually frame the murderer as the current Saori Kadowaki.

Having learned what he needed to know, Jiang Hang decided to have a frank talk with Shimadai Kimie.

After a brief exchange with Shimadai Kimie Saori Kadowaki, Shimashiro Kimie resealed Saori's mouth with tape, leaving her unable to move.

Jiang Hang did not choose to show himself directly in the warehouse. After all, Saori Kadowaki only looked weak because she hadn't eaten for a few days, and it would take at least two or three more days before she couldn't hold on.

It's fine to let this woman suffer a little in the warehouse first.

Jiang Hang quietly left the warehouse, and then found a spot in the road between the warehouse and the shrine where the moonlight was still fairly bright, where he quietly waited for Shimadai Kimie to arrive.

About 10 or 20 minutes later, after venting her emotions and calming down, Shimadai Kimie left the warehouse.

Walking along the dimly lit path bathed in moonlight, Shimadai Kimie pondered how she should carry out her revenge the next day, and how she should completely clear herself of suspicion.

"Most importantly, we can't let all our efforts over the years go to waste... Life-Giver of Mermaid Island absolutely cannot be harmed."

She muttered to herself softly, then her mind was suddenly disturbed by a series of questions coming from beside her.

"Has something happened to that Life-Giver?"

Hearing this question suddenly in the darkness startled her quite a bit.

Already feeling guilty, she quickly looked towards the source of the sound.

Under the moonlight, she could see the figure of a man dressed in black, who seemed to have been waiting there for a long time.

"Who are you?"

She hesitated as she tried to identify the other person, and a bad feeling began to creep into her heart.

Jiang Hang turned on his phone's backlight so the other person could see his appearance clearly.

"Ah, you're the detective who came to investigate Saori's whereabouts. What are you doing here?"

Shimadai Kimie recognized Jiang Hang.

Not only because the other party directly told her that they could buy the Dugong Arrow with money, but also because they were so open to her asking for whatever price she wanted.

Rather, it was because his reputation as the Eagle-Eyed Detective was already quite high on the island.

Perhaps in Fukui Prefecture, Jiang Hang's reputation as Eagle-Eyed Detective is not yet that well-known.

But on their Mermaid Island, Jiang Hang's reputation is definitely not bad.

Because in one of the cases the other party had solved, a girl who walked out of Mermaid Island was someone who witnessed it firsthand.

They are not much different in age, so they can be considered friends who grew up together.

Although the girl had rarely returned to Mermaid Island since getting married four or five years ago, when they came back to the island to visit relatives recently, they still promoted Jiang Hang's detective work and said that his fees were not expensive, and that if they encountered any trouble, they could directly call or write to him for help.

It was for this reason that after discovering the loss of the Dugong Arrow, Saori Kadowaki searched the entire island and asked all her friends before seeking help from the famous detective Jiang Hang.

Knowing that Jiang Hang had helped the police solve many cases and was now a special advisor to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Shimadai Kimie couldn't help but feel a little nervous when she suddenly encountered this Eagle-Eyed Detective on the road between the warehouse and the shrine.

Could it be that the other party is really that powerful, having discovered in such a short time that Saori Kadowaki is now under her control?

She was somewhat worried that her actions would be discovered by the other party before they even began.

However, it must be said that her acting skills are quite good.

After realizing what was happening, she immediately asked Jiang Hang, "Mr. Jiang Hang, why are you here alone so late at night?"

"Although there are no dangerous wild animals on the island, for your safety, it's best not to go to these remote places alone at night."

Jiang Hang waved his hand casually. "After all, I came to this island on behalf of your friend. I've only just found out some things, so I have to come and confirm them."

"As for safety, I don't think there's anything on this island that can threaten me."

He paused for a moment, then continued to speak to Shimadai Kimie, "Regarding the missing Dugong Arrow of Saori Kadowaki, it's highly likely that her father took it to sell for money. I think the detective who came with me during the day has already mentioned it to you, right?"

Shimadai Kimie paused for a moment, then quickly nodded to indicate that Heiji Hattori had already told her about it.

"I plan to ask Uncle Kadowaki about this privately during the festival tomorrow. If it can't be resolved, I'll have to disqualify the Kadowaki family from future lotteries," Shimadai Kimie quickly replied, feeling slightly relieved.

If the other party is only here to tell her this much, then they probably haven't found anything further.

She even had the time to soothe Jiang Hang's emotions.

"Uncle Kadowaki does have a bad temper. If he says anything harsh to you, please don't take it to heart."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hold a grudge against a drunkard. I stopped taking what he said to me seriously a long time ago," Jiang Hang nodded casually, then changed the subject to the arson case three years ago.

"However, that's not why I came to find you. It's because while I was investigating Saori Kadowaki's whereabouts, I suddenly discovered some clues about the arson case from three years ago at DeFer. So I decided to come to the site of that arson case to observe and see if there was any connection. I didn't expect to run into you, Ms. Shimadai Kimie had just returned from that warehouse."

Shimadai Kimie's heart skipped a beat.

Unexpectedly, this famous detective has already figured out what happened back then, even though he has only just arrived on the island.

What a truly keen sense of smell!

Then she quickly offered an explanation.

"It's because the festival is tomorrow, and I have a lot of things to prepare stored in that warehouse, so I went over to check the things inside."

She made up an excuse for not having anything in her hands, and then implied that there was nothing interesting about Jiang Hang's warehouse.

"However, the warehouse is now filled with a lot of miscellaneous items that can be used in the festival, so even if you go there now, Mr. Jiang Hang, you probably won't see anything."

"It's getting late, Mr. Jiang Hang. If you'd like to go take a look, I'll come back and take you to the warehouse after the festival tomorrow. What do you think?"

Shimadai Kimie naturally didn't want Jiang Hang to focus his attention on that warehouse.

After all, Saori Kadowaki is currently secretly tied up inside, and if the other party goes to check and finds something amiss, it could be troublesome.

Of course she could bring herself to harm those who killed her mother back then.

However, she was still unwilling to lay a hand on an innocent person like Jiang Hang.

More importantly, she knew she definitely couldn't beat him.

Although the friend who got married used some exaggerated metaphors when describing Jiang Hang.

However, Shimadai Kimie had also searched online this afternoon for information about Jiang Hang's exploits and knew that his skills were definitely much better than what he was currently displaying.

If it weren't absolutely necessary, Shimadai Kimie really wouldn't want to be an opponent of someone like that.

But she also had to admit that the moment she had the urge to kill, she was already destined to become his opponent.

In short, let's delay as much as possible.

Jiang Hang glanced at the warehouse in the darkness, which had been burned down and then rebuilt, and did not continue to provoke the other party on this topic.

"Shimadai Kimie, tomorrow is the Mermaid Festival. Will you be very busy tonight? I remember that it's just you and your great-grandmother at your shrine. You usually have to take care of your great-grandmother. You must be very tired lately."

When suddenly asked this question, Shimadai Kimie first nodded, then shook her head.

"To be honest, when I first took on these tasks, I was definitely very busy, but I gradually got used to it over time."

"Compared to most of the year, I don't have much to do at the shrine. It's only during the Mermaid Festival that I feel my value."

As she said this, Shimadai Kimie seemed to remember something and said earnestly to Jiang Hang, "By the way, Mr. Jiang Hang, I have already asked Great-Grandma about the Dugong Arrow for you. Great-Grandma said that if you are selected tomorrow, the Dugong Arrow will be given to you as a gift from our Mermaid Island."

"If you are selected tomorrow, please remember to keep it safe."

Chapter 514: Chapter 510: The Mermaid Festival Begins

Upon hearing what Shimadai Kimie said, Jiang Hang couldn't help but smile.

It seems like the other party is planning to give me special treatment.

However, he didn't care much about such a backdoor.

But given the other party's attitude, Jiang Hang felt that he could still save them.

"Although I only arrived at Mermaid Island today, I do think the scenery here is quite nice, and I hope that the Mermaid Festival on the island can continue in the future."

He said to Shimadai Kimie, "Excuse my bluntness, but compared to having your great-grandmother perform the ceremony every year, what would happen to the festival on your island if one day your great-grandmother had some health problems?"

Looking at the silent Shimadai Kimie, Jiang Hang continued, "This afternoon, you told us that your great-grandmother was simply long-lived and had not actually eaten any mermaid flesh, nor was it as outrageous as those outsiders claimed. So what I'm saying is something that the residents of your island should consider."

"While it's good to maintain tradition, when it really comes time to make changes, we still have to keep looking forward."

After a while, Shimadai Kimie slowly said, "I have thought about making changes, but those tourists come to the island because of the great-grandmother, and everyone on the island is counting on the annual Mermaid Festival to attract more tourists. If the changes don't satisfy everyone, then it would be a disservice to everyone's hard work over the years."

Jiang Hang shrugged. "Actually, the world has changed. It's been three years since that case involving the suspected mermaid remains."

"Three years ago, perhaps because of the rumors of immortality, many important people came to the island, such as former prime ministers or prime ministers."

"But three years have passed now. Do you think those important figures still care about these things?"

"Perhaps those big shots have already found out the truth about that corpse from back then, and confirmed that there is no such thing as immortality on this island. They just feel that there is no need to make these things public."

"Tourists who come to the island now may initially have some ideas because of the rumors of immortality, but most of them know that immortality has nothing to do with them."

"They come here simply to experience the island's scenery and the lively festival. If possible, they might stay here for a few more days to see if living here can help slow down aging."

"To be honest, most tourists probably don't care whether the person presiding over the festival is a girl or an old lady whose exact age they can't even say. No matter how mysterious the island's residents make it sound, they just treat it as a story that goes with the attraction."

Jiang Hang casually cited some stories and legends about tourist attractions he had visited in his previous life.

In later generations, which tourist attraction doesn't have a few legends about gods and ghosts? If it weren't for these stories that later generations pieced together and forcibly fabricated, it would seem as if the attraction wasn't so authentic.

However, the people on Mermaid Island still adhere to those traditions from decades ago. They themselves haven't even figured out why they've persisted with the Mermaid Island festival for so many years, even though Mermaid Island had always been in a state of semi-death before.

What truly Mermaid Island into the public eye was the case three years ago.

"Letting your great-grandmother retire peacefully is actually not a bad thing for your island."

After listening to Jiang Hang's explanation, Shimadai Kimie clearly showed some interest.

However, after persisting for so many years, being told that all those years of persistence had actually been of little use made her feel quite sad.

"Or, you can take your time and try to talk to the older people on the island about your ideas. I think you can gain some insights from talking to them."

After Jiang Hang spent an afternoon probing, he basically confirmed that the older people on the island probably knew the truth of what happened back then, but no one was willing to tell this cruel truth to the woman in front of him, leaving her to bear all the pressure alone.

This is actually unfair.

That's why Jiang Hang said that, suggesting the other party go and confirm with the older people.

After he said all that, Shimadai Kimie seemed to recall the case from three years ago, and her eyes changed again.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, thank you for your reminder. I will give your suggestions a good consideration. However, preparations for this year's festival are almost complete. Even if we want to make changes, it will be at least a matter for next year or later."

With that, Shimadai Kimie gave Jiang Hang a slight bow and then made a gesture of taking her leave.

Watching the other person turn and leave, Jiang Hang stroked his chin.

Could it be that after realizing that the Mermaid Festival might continue even without her or that 130-year-old Miyo-sama, as long as tourists wanted to see it, the other Mermaid Festival decided to take a gamble?

Then his advice would have the complete opposite effect.

"Let's take another look," he said, glancing back at the warehouse before returning to his room without further ado.

When he returned to his room, he was somewhat surprised to find that Shizuka Sakaki and Koharu Yoshino were both waiting for him there.

Seeing him return in civilian clothes, Shizuka Sakaki first asked Jiang Hang with some suspicion, "You didn't solve this case while you were out, did you?"

They originally came to Jiang Hang's room to invite him to have some late-night snacks together.

After all, there are many seafood specialties here, and they taste pretty good. It's rare for them to let loose and they're planning to have a few more seafood feasts.

However, when they finally found Jiang Hang, they discovered that he wasn't even in the room.

So the two girls started making a bet about Jiang Hang's whereabouts.

Koharu Yoshino Jiang Hang's calm expression throughout the afternoon meant he must have found some crucial clues, and perhaps he would have already solved the case by the time he returned.

Shizuka Sakaki recalled Heiji Hattori's reasoning and concluded that Saori Kadowaki was probably hiding somewhere on the island and would likely reappear after the festival next year.

She felt that since Jiang Hang had already figured out how the Dugong Arrow was lost, the case was practically over, which was why Jiang Hang could so easily let them relax on the island.

She felt that Jiang Hang probably didn't go out because of Saori Kadowaki's case. Perhaps he was interested in the mysterious mermaid corpse case from three years ago and wanted to investigate the truth behind it.

Hearing the two girls' discussion, Jiang Hang simply shrugged.

"What you're saying is all right, but also all wrong."

"I roughly know where that client is, and I also have some leads on the case from three years ago."