Jiang Xia heard the commotion and turned to glance at Mouri Ran's suitcase, silently noting the brand: It didn't even break. Looks like it's good quality. I should buy a few to keep as spares.
As he was thinking that, Mouri Ran grabbed him with her free hand. "G-g-ghost... there's...!"
Jiang Xia said, "No, it's a stone statue."
As he spoke, he reached out and flicked the head of the nearest stone statue.
Tatsumi Seimaru was stunned, then immediately began gloating. "Disrespecting samurai will bring divine punishment. Be careful—the vengeful spirits of the samurai might crawl into your bed tonight to find you."
With Mouri Ran clutching him, Jiang Xia felt like his arm was about to break. Distracted, he blurted out, "Thank you."
Only after the words left his mouth did he snap back to his senses. He casually changed his story: "They won't. There are no ghosts in this world."
Mouri Ran drew strength from his firm tone and loosened her grip on his hand a little. "R-really?"
Jiang Xia nodded with certainty.
The Mermaid napping atop his head was jostled twice. She groggily sat up and looked around. "?"
In any case, with a materialist Detective nearby, Mouri Ran felt much more at ease.
Following Sentan Saruhiko's lantern, the group walked forward. They soon passed through the two rows of samurai welcoming them and entered the village.
After winding through several turns, they arrived before a courtyard.
Sentan Saruhiko raised his lantern and gave a brief introduction. "This is the Tatsumi Family Old Residence. The guest rooms have already been prepared. I'll take you there."
This courtyard covered an enormous area. Behind its walls stood an imposing Japanese-style building. Every room was lit, as though welcoming its masters home.
Mrs. Tatsumi and Tatsumi Seimaru went to