Outside the village office, by the flower bed at the entrance, Uncle Mouri held the letter sent by Aso Keiji 2, looking at it and muttering, "It's a letter from the deceased! What a malicious prank!"
Mu Tianyuan and Uncle Mouri, after some inquiries, finally found the village office. However, after the staff checked, Aso Keiji 2's name was nowhere to be found. Aside from Mu Tianyuan, who already knew the truth,
Uncle Mouri and the others were initially puzzled. It wasn't until a staff member told them that Aso Keiji 2 had suddenly killed his wife and daughter twelve years ago on a full moon night, then set his house on fire, and finally immolated himself while playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."
At this point, Uncle Mouri looked at the letter and felt completely played. At the very least, Uncle Mouri didn't believe that a person who had been dead for twelve years could pop up and write him a letter! If he had that ability, he should have contacted him through dreams!
The more Uncle Mouri looked, the more annoyed he became. What did he come all this way for, trekking over mountains and waters? Was it just to be played for a fool?
He'd rather stay at home or go out and admire flower girls—er, admire flowers! After confirming he had been played, the unhappy Uncle Mouri immediately intended to crumple the prank letter and throw it in the trash.
But before Uncle Mouri could act, Conan, standing nearby, looked at Uncle Mouri and said, "Not necessarily. The processing fee has already been paid. No one would spend 500,000 yen just to pull such a prank."
"Hmm..."
Hearing Conan's analysis, Uncle Mouri paused, then nodded and said, "You're right..."
Even if it was a prank, there was no need to wire the money first. Was making him take a trip worth 500,000 yen? If that were truly the case, as long as it covered his round-trip expenses and still left him with a profit, then please, by all means, prank him a few more times!
At this moment, Mu Tianyuan took some dried fish, sausages, and small breads from his bag to feed the hungry Little Fox and Meow Knight, while saying, "Uncle, I think it's very likely that... Aso Keiji 2's relatives or friends felt that there was something fishy about that incident twelve years ago, which is why they specifically invited you, the nationally renowned detective, to investigate."
"Hmm, when you put it that way, it's not impossible!"
Uncle Mouri's mood immediately improved upon hearing Mu Tianyuan call him a "nationally renowned detective." He happily nodded at Mu Tianyuan. Seeing Uncle Mouri's expression, Mu Tianyuan smiled and said, "Speaking of twelve years ago,
don't you think there's something a little strange about... Aso Keiji 2's death? He just finished a concert, yet that very night he suddenly killed his wife and child, then committed suicide. It just feels off. Could it be that he wanted to commit suicide beforehand but didn't want to die elsewhere, so he specifically returned to rest in his hometown?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing Mu Tianyuan's words, Uncle Mouri and Conan both began to ponder. Then, Uncle Mouri looked at Mu Tianyuan seriously and said, "Perhaps... it's just... as you said!"
Hearing Uncle Mouri's reply, both Liam and Conan, who had already felt something was off and were trying hard to think, all tilted. Then Mu Tianyuan, with a twitching mouth, looked at Uncle Mouri and said, "Uncle, I was just talking nonsense..."
To be honest, Mu Tianyuan had held no hope for Uncle Mouri from the beginning. He said those things only to pique Conan's interest further. After all, at the village office earlier, Mu Tianyuan had noticed Conan's serious expression. Now he just wanted to remind Conan.
But when Uncle Mouri actually agreed with his outlandish idea, even if he didn't hold hope for the uncle, it was still a bit much for Mu Tianyuan to bear! At this moment, Ran also spoke, "Anyway, since we're already here, why don't we investigate? Dad, how about we ask the mayor? Maybe we'll find some clues."
"Like giving us rusty iron swords and telling us to clear out packs of wild dogs and bring back their pelts, and he'll give us rewards?"
Mu Tianyuan said, stroking his chin with a chuckle. Then Mu Tianyuan continued, "I pretty much know the lines: 'Oh, brave outsiders, recently there's been a pack of ferocious wild dogs around our village. Many villagers have been bitten by them, so please help us get rid of... how many... wild dogs!'"
Conan: "..."
Brother, I'm here to solve a case! Not for you to level up, alright! And who told you they were just... wild dogs? Maybe he'd even ask you to kill rampaging wild boars! Ran also looked at Mu Tianyuan helplessly and said with a smile, "Little Mu, honestly, you're not playing a game. How could there be lines like that...?"
The clues I'm talking about aren't clues for you to accept quests. I'm talking about Mr. Aso Keiji, very, very seriously! Uncle Mouri, who didn't play games, simply couldn't keep up with Mu Tianyuan's pace.
However, he didn't mind. After all, this wasn't the first time Uncle Mouri couldn't follow Mu Tianyuan's wild ideas; he had long grown used to it. He merely pondered for a moment after hearing Ran's words and then made a decision: "I just heard that... person say the mayor should be at the community hall. In that case, let's go check it out."
After deciding to find the mayor for a "quest," Uncle Mouri led his team towards the community hall, which they weren't sure where it was.
Thanks to their previous experience, Mu Tianyuan and the others quickly found—someone suitable to ask for directions! In front of a small house with a sign that read "Moonlight Island Clinic," Mu Tianyuan and the others spotted a "navigator" who could help them: a young,
beautiful woman with a ponytail, wearing an over-the-knee skirt and flesh-colored stockings, with a pink top and a large eight-trigram shawl, who had just finished talking to a child! After that child happily skipped away, Ran called out to the woman who was about to go back into the clinic: "Excuse me... could you tell me how to get to the community hall?"
Hearing the question, the woman turned to Ran and smiled, pointing out the way for her. At this moment, Mu Tianyuan, while sizing up the woman, whispered to Little Fox via telepathy, "I bet three steamed buns that this person is... that... cross-dressing master!"
"No way! She... he is...!"
Although Little Fox already knew the story of the cross-dressing master, when she heard Mu Tianyuan say that this beautiful woman in a uniform was actually a man, the small bread she had been holding in her mouth in shock dropped to the ground. Little Fox felt this was too unexpected. This was a beautiful woman with a pretty face and a gentle female voice, and she was actually a man! "Hmm, I'm one hundred percent certain..."
Mu Tianyuan wasn't doing much better himself at this moment! But he could already confirm that this person was definitely a man! He was... the cross-dressing master who went by the alias Asai Narumi,
whose real name should be Aso Narumi! At this point, the beauty who had refreshed Little Fox's worldview had already pointed Ran in the direction of the community hall, then looked at Ran somewhat happily and asked, "Judging by your accent, you're from Tokyo too, right?"
"Yes, we just arrived on that boat."
Ran replied with a smile. Immediately, the cross-dressing master looked happy, as if "fellow villagers meet fellow villagers, tears welling in their eyes," and said to Ran, "I was born in Tokyo too! But this island is different from Tokyo, it's great, isn't it?"
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore! Looking at his appearance, even more feminine than a woman, I just find it too strange..."
Little Fox, looking at this "cross-dressing big brother" with his girlish demeanor, immediately buried her head behind Mu Tianyuan's. Mu Tianyuan also said, "Yeah... Speaking of which, Sonoko, that busybody, should really see this. This big brother is the true woman..."
At this moment, the "big brother" who looked like a female doctor opened his arms and said happily, "The air is so fresh, and it's so quiet!"
No sooner had Narumi finished speaking and was still intoxicated with arms outstretched, than a car came down the road. A car on the road wasn't a big deal, but this car was spewing black smoke, and a girl in the passenger seat was yelling at Mu Tianyuan and the others with a megaphone: "Shimizu, Masato Shimizu! Please vote for Masato Shimizu!"
Narumi-san: "..."
Uncle Mouri, Conan, Ran: "..."
Mu Tianyuan, Little Fox, Meow Knight: "..."
After the car passed, Mu Tianyuan coughed lightly, then whispered, "Speaking of which, this car's exhaust emissions are worse than a tuk-tuk, right? And the noise seems to be a bit over the regulated limit too..."
"Cough cough..."
Although Mu Tianyuan's mumbling wasn't loud, Narumi was standing close by. Narumi immediately said awkwardly, "That's just an exception..."
Narumi felt like this public humiliation came too suddenly. Is it really appropriate for you guys to tear down my reputation and slap me in the face right after I finished boasting...? Then Narumi continued, "Because the village mayor election is coming up soon..."
"Oh, the village mayor election..."
Uncle Mouri, being a man who appreciated beautiful women, knew that the lady in front of him was a bit embarrassed at this moment. So he immediately nodded, trying to ease the awkwardness. And when Narumi heard Uncle Mouri's words,
he started introducing the candidates without caring if Uncle Mouri wanted to listen: "The candidates include Mr. Shimizu, the representative of the fishermen, Mr. Kuroiwa, the current mayor whose approval ratings have dropped, and Mr. Kawashima, the island's biggest asset owner. The patients all say they're going to vote for Mr. Kawashima..."
Seeing that the lady in front of him seemed eager to give a thorough introduction, Uncle Mouri immediately waved his hand and said, "Alright, nurse, we have no interest in the village mayor election..."
There's really no need to introduce so much! It's your business who you want to elect as mayor, it really has nothing to do with us!
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