"Was Saori a ghost last night?" This question arose in both Kazuha's and Ran's minds at the same time.
The sound of a cane came from nearby. The old woman, Changshou, looked slightly worried and called out, "Junhui, Junhui, where are you?"
When the old woman mentioned it, everyone remembered that Junhui, who said she was going to the warehouse to look for the roster last night, had not returned yet. Guangyou watched the old woman walk away and a smile appeared on his lips.
Conan looked at Kōyū's smile and asked suspiciously, "Kōyū, do you know something?"
Guangyou suddenly raised an eyebrow and took out a conch shell he had picked up on the beach earlier from his pocket: "Want to know? Then ask the magic conch shell!"
Conan: "..."
"I shouldn't have believed him." Conan turned to look at Heiji, whose expression was now complex. "You thought of that too?"
Heiji sighed deeply: "I don't want to admit it either, but it seems to be the most likely possibility right now. I'll go talk to the old man about it."
Half a day later, the investigation results came out. When Uncle Mori heard the results, his heart sank. He turned to the others and said, "You were right. The police compared the shape of the teeth on the charred corpse with the dental treatment marks on Miss Junhui's teeth and found that they were exactly the same."
Lu Lang, who was anxiously waiting for news at the door, couldn't believe it either. He knelt down and shouted as if that would vent his frustration.
The news was heavy, but the group still told it to the old woman lying in bed. The old woman was unusually calm after hearing the news, and only sighed: "Is that so? Junhui is dead. Young lives are leaving one by one, and I am left to drag this body on and on."
...
Kōyū and Ai returned to the town once again. This time, all the restaurants in the town were open, and tourists were seen walking out from time to time, patting their bellies.
The two casually walked into a small shop. The owner was an elderly man, but he was very neat and tidy despite his age.
Upon seeing the two enter, the uncle forced a smile onto his otherwise serious face and greeted them, "Please sit down."
After the two finished eating, the uncle still had that same smile on his face: "Little friend, what would you like to eat?"
The names of the dishes in the restaurant are written on bamboo signs and hung on the wall. In Japan, almost every small restaurant like this has fried chicken.
The two ordered fried chicken and some seasonal seafood. The uncle was very efficient, and the dishes were served quickly. It has to be said that although the uncle's smile wasn't very appealing, the dishes he made were mouthwatering.
The fried chicken has a perfectly crispy skin that isn't too thick, so it doesn't feel like you're eating powder. The meat itself is also quite good, with each strand distinct.
Guangyou couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle, what you made tastes pretty good!"
Hearing someone praise him, the uncle finally showed a natural smile. Guangyou looked around the shop and asked with some doubt, "But why are there so few people?"
Logically speaking, shop owners naturally hope their business will be booming rather than deserted, but the uncle didn't care about that at all. While tidying up the stove, he replied, "It doesn't matter. I didn't come here to make money."
"Uncle, you're not from the island?" Guangyou mumbled, chewing on fried chicken.
The man's hand movements suddenly paused, but he quickly resumed: "Yes, I came here when I was in my twenties, and now I'm over forty. I'm from Tokyo."
Guangyou's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he asked, "Then why did you come here? Wouldn't it be better to develop your career in a big city?"
After finishing tidying up, the uncle sat down, picked up the wine bottle next to him, and took a sip: "Back then, I had a fight with my mother. In my youthful arrogance, I left home. I was so busy with work that I didn't have time to think about anything else. Until the day my mother passed away, I didn't even have time to see her one last time."
A hint of regret flashed in the uncle's bright eyes, and he took another swig of wine: "Later I found out that my mother was already sick when she argued with me. She didn't contact me until the day she passed away. She was afraid of affecting my work. If my relatives hadn't told me about her death, I probably would still be in the dark."
Guangyou also sighed and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I don't know."
“It’s alright, that was my problem to begin with.” The uncle smiled calmly. “Later I came to this island. This island allows me to calm down. I cook every day and go home to rest at night. Life is very comfortable. Although big cities are bustling, this place is more suitable for me.”
Guangyou put a piece of lobster meat into his mouth. The lobster meat was firm, tender, and delicious, with a sweet taste after chewing carefully. However, it tasted like cardboard in Guangyou's mouth.
While chatting with the uncle, I was also lost in thought. Soon, I finished my meal, said goodbye to the uncle, and walked out of the store.
Looking at the azure sky, Guangyou sighed and thought to himself, "I wonder how my mother is doing now."
What he had just heard reminded Guangyou of his mother from his previous life. Back then, they were in the same world, and Guangyou had secretly gone back to check on her. After seeing that she was alright, he quietly left. But now they were separated into two worlds, and he couldn't go back even if he wanted to.
Of all the money Guangyou had, aside from some charitable donations, he kept only a small portion for himself and sent most of it to his mother. After seeing how much their lives had improved, Guangyou quietly left.
Guangyou had spoken to his mother by phone, but his father was always engrossed in playing cards and drinking, and didn't care at all about his long-lost son.
Thinking about these things always makes Guangyou feel a little sad. Since he was a child, he has envied those families where parents love their children very much, where there is no fighting or arguing, where fathers and sons can joke with each other, and where they can have heart-to-heart talks with their parents. These are things that Guangyou has always envied.
However, those are things you can only dream about; in reality, it's impossible to talk about them, or they'll argue with you.
"What's wrong?" Ai asked with concern when she noticed that Kousuke's mood was off.
Guangyou shook his head with a forced smile. It was better not to talk about this kind of thing. He just wanted to bring joy to Xiao Ai. He replied, "It's nothing. I just feel a little regretful that we won't be able to eat such cheap and delicious seafood in the future."
Seeing that Kouyu was clutching his chest and pretending to be in pain, Ai chuckled and said, "I'll come with you again next time."
Her words of comfort were effective. After a sigh, Kōyū smiled at Ai and said, "That's true."
They had pretty much explored the town, bought some traditional island snacks along the way, and then headed towards Mermaid Falls. The focus of the evening's celebration was on the event itself, so they didn't really take the time to appreciate the island's natural scenery.
The number of tourists along the way decreased significantly after the celebration ended, and the island's residents also had more free time. There were quite a few aunties chatting and eating sunflower seeds by the roadside.
As he passed by an older woman, something she said caught Guangyou's attention.
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