i am just a student? in Conan world

"Just 130 years old…"

The group fell silent, dumbfounded.

130 years old wasn't exactly young, was it?

That's enough to apply for a Guinness World Record…

"Is her koseki still active?" 

Fujino, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

If he remembered correctly, the so-called *Mei-sama*—the great-grandmother of the Shimabukuro family—had long since passed away.

He hadn't expected her koseki, or family registry, to still be active.

Probably some special treatment from the island's village committee, right?

After all, in a way, she was the backbone of the island's tourism industry. If it came out that her koseki listed her as deceased, continuing to scam—er, *persuade*—tourists wouldn't work so well.

"She's reached the ripe old age of 130, huh…" 

Hattori Heiji sighed, his mind a bit scrambled.

Even now, he hadn't found any solid leads related to Monkyo Saori's kidnapping.

What they knew so far: a week ago, Saori lost the *Dugong Arrow*, then started fearing retribution from a mermaid… so she hired him and Fujino… and then got kidnapped.

The only lead they had was the Dugong Arrow itself…

Curious, he glanced around and asked Shimabukuro Kimie, "Um, where is your great-grandmother right now?"

"She's currently at the shrine, enchanting the arrows that will be given out at the festival later… If_you want to meet her, you'll probably have to wait until after the festival."

Shimabukuro Kimie thought for a moment before coming up with a quick excuse to brush them off.

In truth, the Shimabukuro family was down to just her.

And *Mei-sama*, her great-grandmother? That was just Kimie in disguise.

All of it was to fulfill her late mother's wish: to keep the island's Mermaid Festival alive…

"Uh…"

Mouri Kogoro suddenly recalled the rumor Hattori Heiji had mentioned about an old lady eating mermaid flesh.

Combined with the seemingly absurd age of 130…

He couldn't help but ask, "Miss Shimabukuro, did your great-grandmother really eat mermaid flesh?"

"Huh?"

Kimie blinked, then broke into a chuckle, sweatdropping. "There's no such thing as mermaids in this world! It's just a rumor!"

"What about the Dugong Arrow?" Ran piped up, unable to resist.

Kazuha added, "I heard it's cursed. If you lose it, you'll face a mermaid's wrath or something…"

"That's not true at all," Kimie said, her smile fading as she explained seriously. "My late mother once told me the Dugong Arrow was originally called the *Hama no Ya*—an arrow to ward off evil spirits, a protective charm. But because my great-grandmother lived so long, the islanders started calling it the *Dugong Arrow* due to the similar sound, tying it to mermaid legends. When handing out the arrows, I'd warn people that if they didn't believe in the arrow's power or lost it, misfortune might strike. But honestly, it's all just talk—there's no curse."

"Hmph, Kimie, you're only saying that because you've never witnessed your great-grandmother's power, right?"

A woman approached, dressed in a purple gown and white high heels, her long brown hair tied back with two stud earrings. She had a commanding, almost *onee-san* aura, and her tone was teasing. "She definitely ate mermaid flesh… Three years ago, a mermaid's corpse was found on this island!"

"You mean that TV special from three years ago, *Undercover! The Truth Behind the Mermaid Corpse*?" 

Ran thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she recalled something.

"I think I heard about that too…" Kazuha mused, nodding. "Wasn't it something about finding a strange corpse in a warehouse?"

"You remember something from *that* long ago?" 

Fujino shot Ran a surprised glance.

Everyone knew Ran's nickname: *Three-Second Ran*. Her memory usually lasted about as long as a goldfish's.

To recall a news report from three years ago so clearly…

Fujino couldn't help but wonder if Ran was possessed or something.

"Of course I remember!" Ran said, oblivious to Fujino's jab, smiling lightly. "It was a huge deal back then. Tons of important people showed up, and Sonoko wouldn't stop talking about mermaids, saying she wanted to eat mermaid flesh to live forever."

"Oh, that makes sense." 

Fujino nodded, finally getting it.

That sounded exactly like something Sonoko would do.

No wonder Ran remembered—it was perfectly in character.

Snapping back to the moment, Fujino added, "If I recall, that corpse had both leg bones crushed by a beam, which made it look like a mermaid's body…"

"Crushed? No way!" 

Ebiwara Hisami, the woman in purple, protested. "That was absolutely a mermaid's corpse!"

"Enough, Hisami!" 

Kimie turned to her, exasperated. "It was just media exaggeration!"

"Why are you saying that too?" 

Hisami leaned in, her expression turning cryptic. "You saw it back then, didn't you? The way those bones were broken was bizarre, and that eerie…"

Kimie's eyes flickered with a hint of murderous intent as she looked at Hisami.

These three—Hisami, Saori, and Kuroe Naoko—were her childhood friends, practically her *osananajimi*.

Under normal circumstances, she'd have no reason to kill them.

But for the sake of avenging her mother's murder, even their bond wouldn't stop her.

That's right: Ebiwara Hisami, Monkyo Saori, and Kuroe Naoko were the ones who killed her mother.

If Saori hadn't lost the Dugong Arrow a few days ago and come to her in a panic, Kimie might never have uncovered the truth.

Fujino glanced at Hisami.

As someone who knew the plot, he was well aware of this.

If he wasn't mistaken, Hisami was slated to be the first victim.

*Hmm, guess I'll stick to the original order for my Mermaid Reformation Project…*

Fujino's eyes narrowed as he mentally marked Hisami as his next target.

"Stop it, Hisami. Some things aren't meant for outsiders," said Fukuyama Rokuro, a dark-skinned man who approached and placed a hand on Hisami's shoulder, cutting her off.

Turning to the group, he added, "I heard you're detectives investigating Saori's kidnapping. If you want clues, I'd suggest checking her house."

"A mermaid corpse…" 

Hattori Heiji frowned, eyeing Fukuyama and Hisami as they walked away.

This was getting more complicated… Now there was talk of a mermaid corpse?

Still, they had a lead: Saori's house.

At least someone with the same skin tone as him was being helpful. Everyone else was just gossiping, completely useless.

Turning to Kimie, he asked, "Could you take us to Saori's house?"

"Of course," Kimie said with a gentle nod. "But I'll only have time after the festival."

"By the way, what exactly is this festival about?" 

Ran, clearly more interested in the event than the case, stepped closer to Kimie, curious.

"It's kind of like a lottery. We sell numbered tickets to participants in advance, and then, based on the number *Mei-sama* announces, we draw a lucky winner to receive the Dugong Arrow."

Kimie paused, as if remembering something, and pulled two tickets from her red skirt's pocket, handing them to Ran and Kazuha. "I happen to have two tickets returned by an elderly couple this morning. Want to try your luck?"

"Huh?" 

Ran and Kazuha blinked. "Is that okay?"

"Of course!" Kimie smiled softly. "Who knows? Maybe one of you will actually gain immortality this time."

Ran and Kazuha exchanged a grin and accepted the tickets.

"Say, Miss Kimie, where can you buy those?" 

Fujino glanced at the tickets in their hands, suddenly curious.

"Fujino-tantei, feeling lucky too?" 

Kimie looked at him, surprised, then chuckled. "I don't have any extra tickets, though. If you want one, you'd need to buy it at the festival's event booth…"

Fujino shook his head. "If it costs money, forget it."

He only wanted a ticket because it was free.

Paying for it? That'd make him a sucker.

After all, *Mei-sama* was just Kimie in disguise. She could rig the raffle to pick whoever she wanted—luck had nothing to do with it.

…

To visit Saori's house, they'd have to wait until Kimie finished the festival.

In the meantime, the group decided to wander around the island.

Since it was a festival day, the atmosphere was lively.

The streets were lined with scattered stalls selling snacks like fish balls, candied apples, and yakisoba.

"I wonder if I'll get a Dugong Arrow…" 

Kazuha held up her ticket, practically bouncing with excitement as she led the way.

"You totally will, Kazuha!" 

Ran smiled. "If not, I'll lend you my luck. Maybe tonight you'll really win one!"

"Thanks, Ran!" 

Kazuha hooked her arm around Ran's, beaming.

"I was just joking," Ran said, a bit helplessly. "Luck's such a vague thing—how could you actually lend it?"

"Maybe you can," Fujino said suddenly from behind. "I mean, Ran, your luck's always been pretty great."

"Yeah! Ran-neechan always wins first or second prize in raffles!" 

Conan nodded, realizing Fujino had a point. Ran's luck was consistently uncanny—she won at everything.

"Hey, Kazuha, you don't *actually* believe the Dugong Arrow can make you live longer, do you?" 

Heiji, munching on fish balls wrapped in a paper bag, looked at the two excited girls waving their tickets and sighed. "That kind of thing's impossible. If magic were real, murder would be way too easy."

Honestly, they should be looking at Kudo right beside them!

That guy was living proof of shrinking.

Instead of chasing raffle tickets, they'd be better off asking him how he got knocked out and turned into a kid.

"Of course I don't *really* believe it'll make me live longer…" 

Kazuha waved her ticket. "But better safe than sorry, right?"

"Tch…" 

Heiji shook his head, exasperated, then turned to Fujino. "What about you? You seemed kinda interested in the Dugong Arrow earlier."

"Nah, I don't believe in it. I'm a staunch materialist," Fujino said firmly, meeting Heiji's gaze. "I just figured if it's free, why not? Maybe I'd get a cool souvenir. But if I have to pay? No way."

"Haha…" 

Heiji stared at Fujino, sweatdropping.

So your "materialism" is just about *stuff*, huh?

"But, you know…" 

Fujino paused, his tone turning cryptic. "Magic, ghosts, even monsters like mermaids… in this world, they might actually exist. Objectively."

He thought back to that *witch* he'd encountered, a spark of curiosity about magic flickering in his mind.

As a staunch materialist, Fujino didn't believe in supernatural nonsense.

At least, not in a fictional, made-up context.

But in the *Keiraku* world? Forget ghosts and goblins—magic was real.

If his materialism wasn't rock-solid, he might've been whisked away by that witch last time.

And flying around on a broom? That was just *too cool*!

Though, he couldn't help but wonder: didn't riding a broom like that… hurt down there?

"Huh?" 

Heiji froze, stunned. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Who knows?" 

Fujino shrugged, not elaborating. "But with today's tech, give it a few decades or centuries, and humans might develop an immortality drug. Then we won't need to pray for unrealistic stuff like this."

"Ugh…" 

Conan, listening nearby, went quiet.

Why did that melancholic tone sound so familiar?

It was like Fujino had been possessed by a certain loli.

No surprise, considering they lived together.

But, Conan thought, forget decades—immortality drugs were already in use!

Say what you want, but instead of chasing raffle tickets, they'd have better odds begging that *organization* for the de-aging drug.

He was a victim of that "immortality" drug himself…

(End of Chapter)