“Saori, that girl, always runs away from home!” Naoko Kuroe said.
"As for the reason, it's because her father thinks she can't get married and will become an old maid."
"That uncle is an alcoholic. He spends all the money Saori earns on alcohol and he also scolds Saori. There's not a single day without arguments in their family."
She spoke her mind with a gossipy expression before covering her mouth with her hand as if just waking up.
"Miss Saori is only 28 years old, isn't she?" Yoruichi Toyama said casually. "Isn't it normal that she's not married yet?"
“That’s your big city. Here, parents arrange marriages between their children when they are very young,” Naoko Kuroe said. “Like our other friend, Sumi.”
She did not mention her own situation.
Yoruichi Toyama didn't ask that question, but instead asked, "What about Kimie Shimabukuro?"
“She’s a shrine maiden!” Naoko Kuroe waved her hand.
"Besides, she must have eaten mermaid flesh, just like the old woman who lived a long life..."
He spoke the last sentence in a very low voice.
Naoko Kuroe's face showed a mixture of envy and jealousy.
"Mermaid?" Mingmei asked. "Is that what you call a dugong?"
"No, no, no, how could it be an ordinary mammal! It's a real mermaid, a mermaid!"
Yoruichi Toyama looked at Naoko Kuroe's face and thought to herself, "So you do know that dugongs are mammals."
They received modern scientific education from a young age, yet they became hopelessly entangled in illusory superstitions, harming themselves and others.
Is this foolishness or greed?
Seeing Akemi's curious expression, Naoko Kuroe smiled with considerable satisfaction.
"Haven't you heard? Three years ago, a fire broke out in a warehouse on the island, and a mermaid's corpse was found inside!..."
...
"We've heard about the warehouse fire," Shinichi Kudo said after he and Ran returned.
“When we questioned Shimabukuro Kimie at the shrine, her friend Saori’s friend, Ebihara Tomi, was also there.”
“She described it vividly,” Xiaolan said, “but it just felt a little awkward to talk about a fire like that.”
“But Miss Junhui insisted that the corpse was not a mermaid, but just an unidentified middle-aged woman, possibly a tourist,” Shinichi said.
"However, the police couldn't find out his specific identity, so they could only record him as an unidentified person," Xiaolan said.
Apart from Kogoro, the rest of the people watched with great interest as the two of them took turns speaking.
"So this is what detective partners are like!" Akemi joked. "Looks like I still have a lot to learn."
The young couple, realizing what had happened, blushed instantly.
Their hands were clasped tightly together, never separating.
“As for us,” Amuro Tooru continued, “Master Kogoro has been drinking with Kadowaki Benzo in an attempt to get information out of him.”
That's probably why he turned out this way...
That was the message on everyone's faces.
When Kogoro, who was lying on the sofa, heard his name called, he suddenly leaned forward, chuckled twice, and then murmured himself back to sleep.
Amuro Tooru shrugged: "However, Conan and I also took the opportunity to look into Saori's room."
There's nothing suspicious about it.
The only thing worth noting was a travel bag containing essential daily necessities.
There were changes of clothes, toiletries, ID card and bank card, and some medicine.
"It was very organized, like someone who goes out often," Amuro Tooru said.
In other words, it is true that what people around her say about "Saori often running away from home".
Yuanshan Ye nodded, pondering where to begin next.
We can't really wait until the evening festival and let Shimabukuro Kimie kill someone again.
Oh, right...
Before he could speak, a voice leisurely cut in front of him.
"That Ms. Saori, I think she used to be an amateur actress."
"Huh? How did you know?" Amuro Tooru looked at Takato, who was dressed as Conan.
“When you were looking through her things, I just flipped through the photo album,” Gao Yuan said.
"A large proportion of the photos are makeup photos and performance photos of several young women."
Shinichi Kudo nodded upon hearing this.
"I also heard from Miss Junhui and Miss Shoumei that they were in the same club during their university years and even made a short film together."
“So,” Gao Yuan smiled, “that Miss Saori is probably skilled in makeup and disguise.”
Shinichi Kudo's eyes widened suddenly.
"You mean... she might not be dead, but is impersonating someone else?"
“Or someone else is impersonating her…” Gao Yuan said, “Aren’t she and her friends all in that club?”
That's the professional instinct of a former murderer!
Yoruichi Toyama thought with a touch of wistfulness.
However, the clues at hand seem to be taking a roundabout route.
Before he could figure out how to steer the conversation back on track, Shinichi Kudo had already picked up his phone and started dialing.
"Hello, is this XX Dental Clinic?... I'd like to ask, did two young women come for a checkup four days ago?... Yes, one had dyed hair and wore glasses, and the other had long, straight black hair..."
“Miss Junhui said that four days ago, Miss Saori accompanied her to see a dentist on the main island.”
While Shinichi was on the phone, Ran offered an explanation.
After the call ended, Shinichi's expression became much more serious.
“Miss Junhui told us that she went to see a dentist, but the clinic said that the person who saw her was the girl with dyed hair and glasses.”
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