Chapter 114 However, what did the fisherman do wrong again...?
"Hmm... I see, is that so? It sounds a bit... no, it's very bad! What should we do? One 'that person' is already terrifying! If the situation is really as that detective said, we'll be in great danger!"
"..."
"Could it be that this peaceful atmosphere is deliberately created by 'that person' to mislead us? How insidious and cunning! How despicable, how hateful, how evil!"
"..."
"Hehe, did you think I'd say that? That's a tactic even evil leaders wouldn't bother using~ I stopped using those methods after I learned to walk~! Maintaining calm and then suddenly scaring people when they're off guard... that's about it, right?"
"..."
"And to be honest, when I watched those horror movies before, I never thought that the characters could really relax completely after experiencing something terrible. The so-called calmness was just them deceiving themselves. The more someone tries to avoid danger, the harder it is for them to escape from it... That's my opinion."
"..."
"Kozukino wants to say something to you!"
"Hmm, I think the tone at the beginning was quite good, but the expression was too perfunctory and showed no sign of feeling that something was wrong or that it was hateful."
"Because I was lying, right? And Tsukino knew I was lying from the beginning, so I couldn't be bothered to take it too seriously~ But, that's not what I'm asking you, okay?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be silent just now, nor did I mean to ignore Wang Ma. Um, I was just thinking about something."
"Huh? What is that?"
Why does Wang Ma refer to it as "that person"?
"Because I've heard that in your supernatural circles there's a saying that 'the name is the initial contract.' So I think it's best to avoid calling that doll's name too often, lest we actually summon it—"
"Yes, names are indeed very important. A name can influence a person's essence. Rather than saying 'names are the initial contract,' it would be more accurate to say 'exchanging names is the initial contract.'"
"Hehe, so, is this also why Kozukino protects her name?"
"This? Is it... one of the reasons?"
*******
Everything is normal.
The next day, Tsukino and Chiya successfully met with Ohma Kokichi. They had a simple breakfast together and didn't encounter any suspicious people along the way.
Combined with the information from Watanabe Tsuna Bandai... there should be no need to worry about yesterday's meeting with Ayatsuji Yukito attracting unnecessary attention.
Although they initially learned about the detective from a friend who wasn't really a friend, Tsukino and Chiya didn't know much about him. However, not knowing Ayatsuji Yukito didn't mean they didn't know that friend who wasn't really a friend.
Because it was that person who recommended him, Tsukino and Chiya had a certain degree of trust in Ayatsuji Yukito from the beginning. After all, they knew that person wouldn't recommend someone who would pose too much of a threat, or someone who would cause more harm than good by contacting him.
However, just in case, Tsukino and Chiya took precautions beforehand. But in the end, it turned out... everything went smoothly.
Tsukino and Chiya actually had very little time to communicate with Ayatsuji Yukito last night. After they had barely exchanged the information they needed, Ms. Tsujimura successfully came looking for them.
The official team reacted quickly after realizing the person had disappeared.
...Well, none of that matters right now. What's more important right now is—
"Because Kozuki mentioned before that she was going to Yokohama, I also started paying attention to this place."
When we met yesterday, Wang Ma Xiaoji brought this news.
"So, there really is... well, maybe a slightly useful discovery here?"
It is said that a monster resembling "Okigyobori" appeared in a river in Yokohama.
"Okihori?" Tsukino and Chiya, who overheard this, remarked, "Isn't that one of the Seven Mysteries of Tokyo Main Office? Isn't it a bit far from Yokohama?"
“So it’s ‘suspected,’” Wang Ma Xiaoji shrugged. “In short, it seems some fishing enthusiasts in Yokohama have recently disappeared while fishing. Apparently, an insider said that while they were fishing, white fog suddenly appeared, and then…”
“Then,” Tsukino and Chiya recalled the story of Okihori, “they would hear the request to ‘release the fish,’ and if they didn’t do so, the fish they caught would simply disappear. And if they tried to escape, they would be dragged into the water and drowned by a yokai… Is that right?”
“No,” Wang Ma Xiaoji denied. “I heard that if someone didn’t catch a single fish, they would be dragged into the water and drowned.”
Tsukino and Qianye: "...It's so miserable."
Are you going to kill someone just because they didn't catch any fish?! That's going too far!
"In short... I see." Despite the misery, they had encountered another seemingly strange incident, and Tsukino and Chiya still planned to investigate it further when they had time. "I understand."
Wang Ma Xiaoji immediately beamed: "Then tonight we'll—"
"No, no. I have another place I absolutely must go to tonight."
That place was the doll shop where I met Ayatsuji Yukito.
However, considering that the meeting with Ayatsuji didn't take much time and the night was still long, Tsukino and Chiya originally planned to go to the river that Ohma Kōkichi mentioned to find out more, but this time it was Ohma Kōkichi who refused.
Last night, Wang Ma Xiaoji rejected Tsukino and Chiya on the phone, saying that "the evil leader is busy, let's talk about it tomorrow."
At this very moment, he is recounting his experience from last night—
"Those people were probably having a company team-building event, right? Well, that's not important. What's important is that I saw someone floating in the water, and I got so excited thinking it was some kind of supernatural event! Pshaw, it turned out to be a suicide. How boring."
Tsukino and Chiya: "Well, that's really a pity."
"Right? But then we had a pleasant conversation about fun suicide methods! He really has a lot of creative ideas in his head! Next time a subordinate is disobedient, how about using that method to make them apologize? But soon, that guy was called away by his colleagues—I guess they were his colleagues."
Tsukino and Chiya: "I see, so that's how it is..."
The black-haired boy habitually echoed twice. However, despite this, he actually thought that Ouma Kokichi might not like suicide when it wasn't necessary.
Seriously, wasn't that person a bit too eccentric? But considering that the world is full of wonders, and I've met all sorts of unique people before, it's not surprising that Wang Ma encountered a guy obsessed with suicide yesterday.
"But, after all, it's called by that name. So I think this setting is quite reasonable?" Wang Ma Xiaoji tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded as if to show his agreement. "That's right, very reasonable."
Tsukino and Chiya: "What?" The setting is reasonable? What's reasonable? Suicide? What is this guy talking about?
It's been a long time since Tsukino and Chiya found Ouma Kokichi's words so baffling.
Suddenly, the purple-haired boy, who had been talking and walking forward on his own, stopped abruptly and pointed to a spot on the left side of the street.
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Look, it's right there. One of the people I met last night."
Tsukino and Qianye: "?"
Tsukino and Chiya: "What a coincidence...? Wait a minute, isn't this—"
Isn't this someone from the Armed Detective Agency?
Following the direction pointed out by Ouma Kokichi, Tsukino and Chiya saw the figure of someone they knew unilaterally.
He was a dark-haired young man wearing a brown hat, his eyes lazily squinted, making them difficult to read. He wore a trench coat of the same color as his hat, the hem of which fluttered slightly in the wind. He appeared to be just an ordinary, unremarkable stranger passing by, only with a striking appearance.
But Tsukino and Chiya knew him.
He was a formidable detective in Yokohama—no, his fame had spread far beyond Yokohama—named Edogawa Ranpo. He wasn't entirely clear on the specific members of the Armed Detective Agency, but he knew a little about Edogawa Ranpo, who was considered the core of the agency.
After all, the most important thing about a detective agency is... detectives, right?
What's this called? What's meant to happen will happen; there's no escaping it.
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Hmm... no, that's not it. It's just that this person is in cahoots with that weirdo I met yesterday, and he's quite an interesting person too!"
Tsukino and Chiya: "I think I know why this is interesting..."
No, we shouldn't be so pessimistic. After all, it was just a chance encounter.
Tsukino and Chiya, who had deliberately avoided Yokohama's forces, including the Armed Detective Agency, comforted themselves with this thought.
There are so many people we meet and brush past every day in this world, but once we meet, that's it. In reality, apart from being in the same place at the same time, most people we meet by chance will not have any further interaction.
Therefore, the chance encounter with the members of the Armed Detective Agency was really just a coincidence; there would be no further interaction between them.
"Hey, those two over there!"
However, less than two seconds after such a thought crossed their minds, Tsukino and Chiya immediately heard the voice of Edogawa Ranpo, an important member of the Armed Detective Agency.
This time, Tsukino and Chiya stopped trying to deceive themselves by thinking, "He must be calling someone else." Just like what Ouma Kokichi said last night, the more someone tries to avoid danger, the harder it is for them to escape... What's meant to happen won't stop just because you try to avoid it.
Sure enough, the next second, Tsukino and Chiya saw the famous detective wave precisely in the direction they were.
"Don't go there, that place has already been taken over by someone else!"
Edogawa Ranpo kindly reminded him.
"Going now would just be a wasted trip, so let's not bother."
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