Amuro Tooru smiled and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.

"Don't be too nervous. I assure you, 'she' won't come this time."

Both of them understood who "she" referred to.

"Because I'm the one who will be conducting follow-up investigations on you and Kudo-kun."

Yoruichi Toyama laughed heartily.

"Are we going to play dumb like 'her'? It's really unlucky for the distillery to have people like you."

Vermouth's report upon returning made no mention of Akemi and greatly downplayed the threat posed by Toyama Yoichi to the organization—information Amuro Tooru later discovered.

It seems that the aunt not only kept her bet, but also inexplicably did someone a favor.

I have no idea what kind of mental journey it was.

Yoruichi Toyama silently shook her head, thinking that it was really too difficult to guess what Aunt Vermouth was thinking, who was so unpredictable.

He could only exchange information with Amuro Tooru and go over the details of their lines.

"Actually, I also wanted to ask you, this incident might just be baseless speculation, is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?"

Amuro Tooru's gaze swept across the ship's side.

Kogoro was standing there smoking and looking at the sea view. Next to him were a high school couple, and on the other side were the Akemi sisters and Takato, who was a little distance away.

Yoruichi Toyama rolled her eyes at him.

How was I supposed to know that Uncle Kogoro would bring you and Ran along, and that Ai and the others would also come to join in the fun!

But in the end, he simply said, "I think it's necessary."

“I looked up information about American Island, which is most famous for a woman who is said to be over 130 years old and for the annual dugong festival.”

"Fukui Prefecture is the birthplace of the legend of Yaobikuni, whose story of eating mermaid flesh and thus becoming immortal is deeply ingrained in people's minds, and that island is also known as Mermaid Island."

"So do you think it's a lighthearted joke that someone on an island that firmly believes in this legend would claim to be killed by a 'mermaid'?"

Amuro Tooru paused for a moment, then said, "Perhaps it's just a habit of theirs, like how religious people always talk about 'the Lord'..."

"But would believers say 'The Lord will kill me'?"

Yoruichi Toyama didn't explain further, but simply turned her gaze to the small island that was already in sight.

"Go and check it out; only by checking can we determine if anything is wrong."

"After all, behind deep-rooted superstitions, there are always many tragedies."

...

Yoruichi Toyama remembers the Mermaid Island incident very clearly.

A tragedy caused by superstition led to an even greater tragedy.

So he decided to set off immediately upon receiving the distress call.

But after three days of waiting, he began to suspect that Saori Kadowaki, who had sent the letter, had met with some misfortune.

Saori Kadowaki, Naoko Kuroe, Tomi Ebihara, and Kimie Shimabukuro, the shrine maiden of the island's shrine, are four girls who grew up together.

They later entered the same university, and after graduation, they both chose to return to their hometown to work.

Kimie Shimabukuro inherited the family business and serves as the presiding officer for shrine festivals.

The legendary long-lived woman on the island was her great-grandmother, Mikoto Shimabukuro.

However, although Mikoto Shimabukuro lived a long life, she didn't live to be 130 years old.

Many years ago, Mikoto Shimabukuro passed away, but in order to continue the legend of the long-lived old woman of Mermaid Island and to promote tourism on the island, Kimie Shimabukuro's mother disguised herself as the long-lived old woman and appeared at the festival.

If a lie isn't exposed, it can only continue to be a pretense.

Kimie Shimabukuro's grandparents and father died early, leaving only her and her mother to support the family.

Because playing two roles was too difficult, Junhui's mother even chose to fake her own death, leaving only the identity of the longevity grandmother.

As time went by, the longevity woman lived even longer, and the legend became even more miraculous.

For just 5 yen, you can get a lottery number at the festival and draw a dugong arrow, a symbol of good fortune.

But if you win the lottery, a single Dugong Arrow can be resold for up to 1 million yuan on the island's market.

The allure of immortality, primarily through the gimmick of "longevity," has captivated everyone.

So three years ago, Saori Kadowaki, Naoko Kuroe, and Tomi Ebihara, who were all shrine maidens but none of them had drawn the Dugong Arrow, had the whimsical idea of ​​testing the longevity of the old woman.

They saw the old woman, who was actually Junhui's mother, enter the warehouse, block the door, and set it on fire.

With their shallow minds, if she were burned to death, then the longevity woman wouldn't be a longevity woman at all; it would all be a lie.

They didn't care that they didn't draw the Dugong's Arrow.

But if the longevity woman survived, it would prove that the legend of longevity truly exists.

Then they will believe the legend even more.

Junhui's mother was not Yaobikuni, and did not have the ability to be immortal.

By the time people discovered the warehouse was on fire and called the alarm, she had already tragically died in the fire.

Knowing her mother's feelings, Junhui disregarded her grief and took on the responsibility of playing the role of the longevity grandmother.

When the Longevity Granny reappeared before the three arsonists, they finally fully believed the legend of longevity.

The myths and legends that I was immersed in from childhood have completely washed away my university education.

The three firmly believed that it must be the power of the mermaids, and that the longevity woman must have gained immortality by eating mermaid flesh, just like the legendary Yaobikuni.

At the same time, if you disrespect the mermaid, you will be cursed by her.

The three people, who had guilty consciences, regarded the mermaid as their only faith and the dugong arrow as the way to connect with the mermaid's power.

They were even more obsessed with the Dugong's arrow.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!