Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Kappa Mystery (Part 2)
Of course, a closer look revealed the ghost of an ordinary child. Perhaps because it had been a while since he'd seen so many people, the child cheerfully waved back at the sight of everyone looking toward his grave, a pure smile on his face.
Madara looked normal, as he was not surprised by such things. Atobe really couldn't see anything because he didn't have a racket in his hand. After the initial surprise, Tamane and Natsume quickly calmed down. After all, there were ordinary people around, and they couldn't behave too abnormally to let people notice anything.
"So……"
Yuyin turned her gaze and was about to ask Huangyan for more information when she heard someone running quickly. Turning to look, she saw a short, fat middle-aged man shouting, "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"
Yuyin thought he was a forest ranger in the area. Gunma Prefecture has dense forests, and some people living nearby will take on the responsibility of forest rangers. When they encounter travelers who are lost in the mountains, they are also responsible for bringing them out.
Until the child's ghost saw the person coming, he showed an extremely surprised expression and shouted, "Dad!"
dad?
Yuyin's gaze fell on the middle-aged man. If this wandering soul was Tatsuhiko Numayama who died in this river, then this middle-aged man must be his father?
As expected, Araigan waved his hand and revealed his identity as Tatsuhiko's classmate to the other party, while introducing to everyone that this person was his classmate Tatsuhiko's father, Numayama Banzo.
Unexpectedly, when Numayama Banzo heard that they were here to sweep Tatsuhiko's grave, he immediately got furious and kicked the stone memorial tomb apart. He also warned Araiwa Ichihashi and Tokubi Rokuro not to come here to worship again.
Looking at Numayama Banzo's angry back as he left, Atobe Keigo frowned slightly: "He seems to really not want to hear others mention his son."
Yuyin nodded in agreement: "He is so secretive. Could it be that there really was something wrong with his son's death?"
She inadvertently glanced at the child who was invisible to anyone except her, Natsume, and Madara. Numayama Tatsuhiko had left because his father got angry, and his expression became depressed, without his previous smile.
Yuyin now understands that this child is the victim of the "accident" eleven years ago, so if she wants to find out the truth of the incident, the fastest way is of course to ask the person involved.
Yuyin planned to stay until everyone else left and only a few of them were left, and then ask the child questions.
"That's not the case. Mr. Numayama is just too sad about Tatsuhiko's death." The good old man Araiwa hurried out to explain with a wave of his hand.
Araiwa Ichihashi and Tokubi Rokuro were still packing their things. After this incident, the atmosphere on the riverbank suddenly became a little tense. Mao Lilan quickly avoided the subject and said, "Speaking of which, Yuyin-san, why are you here?"
"It's the school's forest activity, right here," Yuyin explained. "It's the last day, so we're leaving today."
"Is that so..." Xiaolan showed a regretful expression. She was still thinking that if Yuyin and others came to travel nearby, they could spend more time together. "My father, Conan, and I have to go to the Guangluo Hotel mentioned in the commission. It seems that we have to separate now."
"Kōra Ryokan?" Huang Yan said in surprise. "That's the Ryokan run by Mr. Numayama. That's exactly where I was going."
Tokubi Rokuro, who was sorting the paint bottles nearby, nodded and said, "I was on my way to the Kora Hotel as well when I stopped Mr. Mori's car."
Yuyin's eyes narrowed. As of now, the three people related to the incident that year would appear at Guangluo Hotel. Her sensitive intuition told her that she must follow them.
Yuyin's expression changed, and Atobe noticed it immediately, and asked immediately: "Do you want to go with Ms. Maori and the others? It's okay, I can call the driver at home and ask them to..."
Yuyin quickly shook her head: "No need, our luggage and belongings are still at the campground."
Although Keigo Atobe felt that her refusal was strange, he did not directly expose her. He understood that every word and action of Yuyin must have a deeper meaning.
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"So why did you stay here on purpose?"
Atobe Keigo asked the question only after Mori and his group had left.
"It's because of this little guy."
Yuyin pointed to the stones that had been re-pile before Huangyan Yiwa and Debei Liulang left and said.
"This little guy...?" Atobe Keigo looked a little confused at first, but he quickly realized, "Could there be something like that here..."
He had become somewhat accustomed to it. After meeting Yuyin, supernatural creatures appeared around him more and more frequently.
"No," Yuyin shook her head. She understood that Atobe had misunderstood that there was a monster, and quickly explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this child should be Numayama Tatsuhiko."
"Wow! Big sis, can you see me?"
Instead, it was Tatsuhiko Numayama, who was originally sitting on a rock with a depressed look on his face, who finally realized that someone could see him after listening to their conversation and waved happily.
"When I was here before, no one, whether it was my father or the tourists passing by, could see me. That's great! Big sister, can you do me a favor and help me pass the message to my father?"
Yuyin squatted down, looked the child straight in the eye and said, "If you want to pass on the message, then you can. But as a reward, Chen Yan must also answer big sister's questions."
"No problem~" Chen Yan raised his head and chest and said very straightforwardly.
Natsume saw that Atobe frowned slightly, and knew that he couldn't hear what Tatsuhiko was saying, so he relayed it to him.
"What does Chen Yan want to tell your father?" Yuyin thought about it. The child was still young, and it would be too cruel to ask him about the cause of death and the scene before his death, so she started with this topic.
"Tatsuya wants to tell daddy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disobey him and play in the river. I hope, I hope daddy won't be angry anymore, and... and won't be sad about my death anymore!"
Chen Yan was only ten years old when he died, and he didn't have a clear understanding of the concept of death. It was not until recently, or today, when he heard the conversation between his grown-up friend Yihui and his father that he finally understood that he was dead.
Yuyin looked at Natsume, who was about to relay the story. Judging from the child's tone and words, could it be that it was really an accident and he didn't fall into the water?
Natsume had just heard about this kappa case from Tamane-san not long ago. He also wanted to stay and investigate the truth to find out whether the child fell into the water accidentally or was killed by the evil kappa.
Yuyin asked cautiously, "Tatsuyan, when you were playing in the river, were there other people around? Did you accidentally fall in and get washed away, or did someone push you, like... a kappa?"
Hearing Yuyin's question, Chen Yan immediately answered very straightforwardly, "Yes, yes, I came to the river with Yihui." It was not until he heard the last few words, especially the kappa, that he opened his eyes wide and waved his hands repeatedly, "No, I walked to the middle of the river by myself, and suddenly the flood washed me away. No one pushed me, and I had never seen a kappa back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have pretended to be a kappa. I should have just asked adults to come and see the real kappa."
Hearing the child's innocent answer, Yuyin looked at Chen Yan's soul state but still had green skin, and suddenly realized the truth.
"You mean, you were the one who disguised yourself as a kappa and ran to the middle of the river so that people could see you?"
"I'm sorry, big sister. I didn't mean to lie," Chen Yan said embarrassedly, "but I saw that my father was worried about the hotel business, and I heard the guests staying here said that they came here to look for kappa, so I thought..."
Unexpectedly, while playing the role of Kappa, a flood suddenly occurred, which led to this tragedy.
The soul left in the world will appear in the form that the deceased most wanted to appear in his lifetime because of his obsession. Yuyin thought she should have figured it out long ago. The reason why Chen Yan looks like a kappa at first glance is because of his own wish.
Natsume showed a look of sympathy. Could it be said that this child's behavior was wrong? Although he deceived the tourists, his starting point was for his father's good. He was considerate of his parents at such a young age. If nothing happened and he could grow up safely, that would be even better.
"When I opened my eyes, I was already like this. It's a pity that no one can see me," Chen Yan was still narrating in a daze. Suddenly, he remembered something and said loudly, "It turns out that there really are kappas in this world, but I couldn't see them before. I even played with them, but I couldn't stray too far from the river..."
Yuyin couldn't help but sigh. This child was still able to find joy in the midst of hardship. "Have you been by the river for a long time?"
"No, no," Chen Yan shook his head repeatedly, "I only woke up in the last few months. I was really surprised today. I've grown so much in a blink of an eye. It's been so long..."
Yuyin finally understood. She had always thought that Chen Yan was originally from a world with monsters, so she had a preconceived notion that the case was related to monsters. But in fact, Chen Yan should have originally come from a world without monsters, and he only regained consciousness by the river after the recent fusion of the worlds.
At this time, Atobe Keigo, who had already listened to Natsume's retelling, suddenly spoke up: "So, Mr. Numayama and Mr. Araiwa should know that Tatsuhiko's death was an accident and had nothing to do with the kappa. So..."
After hearing Tatsuhiko's story, out of inertia, Tamane and Natsume first thought about the connection between this matter and monsters. Only Atobe first thought of the letter of commission received by Kogoro Mori. Based on what they had heard before, the person who commissioned Mori obviously wanted to overturn the case of "Kappa". In short, the other party did not recognize that Tatsuhiko's death was a simple accident. Thinking further, it is very likely that the client wanted to find the real murderer for "revenge."
According to Tatsuhiko's earlier statement, Araiwa Ichibi had come to the river with him and witnessed him being swept away. Numayama Banzo, as his father, was the one who collected Tatsuhiko's body, so he must have known about Tatsuhiko's impersonation as a kappa. This completely clears Araiwa Ichibi of suspicion as the client. Will Numayama Banzo, suspecting his son's death was caused by his classmates' inaction, seek revenge?
Or is there a third person in the hotel who they don't know about and wants to avenge Tatsuhiko?
Atobe Keigo expressed his thoughts.
"You have a point," Yuyin said, taking two steps along the river. "It seems we have to go to Guangluo Hotel anyway."
To prevent the client from retaliating against the wrong person.
"Meow, what is that?"
They were discussing serious matters here, and Ban was bored listening to them. Suddenly, he saw a reflection in the stones by the river. He hurried over to check it out, but was greatly disappointed.
"What? It's a cell phone."
Natsume Takashi heard this and quickly shouted, "Mr. Cat, if you find something, you must return it to the owner."
"Humph, if I pick it up, it's mine."
Although Madara was unwilling to admit it proudly, his body was still honest, holding the phone in his mouth. He jumped back to Natsume, threw the phone to him and said, "But this thing has no use to me, so I'll give it to you as a reward. Why don't you thank me for the reward."
Natsume took the phone and was about to say a few words to stroke the cat teacher's fur to complete the matter of picking up the phone, when he heard the voice of Miss Saionji.
"This... seems to be Xiaolan's phone?"
The more Yuyin looked at it, the more certain she became, because Xiaolan took great care of her cell phone, which impressed her so much.
"So it's Miss Mori's?" Natsume immediately handed her the phone.
"Yes, it's Xiaolan's." Yuyin flipped open the cover of her phone and saw the screen saver, which made her even more certain. She raised her phone to indicate, "It seems like we have no choice but to go to the hotel now."
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The author has something to say: This case is in episode 651 of the anime. The anime sets the time on December 19th, but according to the eight-month time principle of Detective Conan and the number of episodes, it should be the end of July, so the setting of the end of July was adopted.
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Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-03-03 23:58:33 and 2022-03-04 23:56:08~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of Yuangungun; 3 bottles of Xiaoxiaolu; 1 bottle of SY and kkll;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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