Chapter 14

Akaso Kaze pinched her little cheek and said: "Big brother is an Onmyoji, specializing in dealing with ghosts."

"What? An Onmyoji!"

"Big brother can catch ghosts!"

"That's so amazing!"

Except for Conan, all three children showed looks of admiration.

"Let's go, I have a car, I'll take you there in a bit."

Akaso Kaze recalled that tonight seemed to be safe despite the thrills.

There were no ghosts, only people pretending to be ghosts.

"Wow, that's awesome."

"We get to ride in a car!"

"Big brother is so nice!"

Conan bit into his fried chicken angrily.

Somehow, he swallowed it without chewing.

"Ugh~"

He choked until his eyes rolled back.

In the evening, as the sun was setting, the Porsche pulled up in front of a villa.

Iron gates, Western-style architecture, crows cawing in the sky.

"Conan, do you really not need me to go in? Your luck today isn't very good."

Akaso Kaze kindly reminded him.

"No need, this is an operation for our Young Detective League; how can an adult participate?"

Conan waved his hand dismissively and was the first to crawl into a hole in the wall.

Can't let him come in, otherwise my spotlight will be stolen again.

Away from Akaso Kaze, Conan felt refreshed.

He took long strides and ran toward the Western-style building.

Splat.

He fell face-first into the dirt.

An hour later, a bruised and battered Conan and his three little friends were cornered in the basement.

"Hehe, I've already figured out the whole case."

"There is only one truth: the person who killed the owner of this villa is his son."

"And you, as the mother, have kept him locked in a cage, not letting him turn himself in, living a life of hiding."

"It's a pity, although you set up layers of traps here, leaving me covered in injuries, you ultimately cannot stop me."

"Because I am a detective."

"Edogawa..."

Creak.

The cabinet beside him suddenly made a sound.

Conan turned his head vigilantly.

This Western building is too eerie.

There are traps everywhere.

Walk into a room, the door slams into your face.

Search for evidence, get hit in the foot by a chair.

Close a window, get your hand pinched.

Finally found the basement, but stepped on a watermelon peel while going down the stairs and rolled all the way down.

And that's how he was discovered so easily.

"It's okay, Conan, Mitsuhiko accidentally touched the cabinet, just like this..."

Genta stood behind him.

As he spoke, he pushed the cabinet.

Whoosh, bang.

An iron bucket placed on top of the cabinet fell down, landing right on Conan's head.

The three children shivered in fear.

"Co, Conan, are you okay..."

Ayumi asked in a small voice.

Conan's defiant voice came from inside the iron bucket.

"I'm fine, these little traps can't stop me, because I am a detective, Edogawa..."

Creak, creak~

The cabinet beside him suddenly let out a shrill groan.

The entire door panel fell off, slamming into Conan's small body.

His voice stopped immediately.

"Hehe, heehee, hahahaha..."

The old woman opposite let out an eerie and terrifying laugh.

"It's fate, it's all fate. I will never let you tell anyone."

She walked toward the three children with a knife.

The three children huddled together in fear.

"Big brother Akaso, come save us!"

Large teardrops rolled down Ayumi's pitiful little face.

"Heh, cry all you want, scream all you want, no one is coming to save you."

The old woman slowly raised the knife.

"Who says no one is?"

A voice rang out behind her.

The old woman turned around immediately, revealing a fierce expression.

"Someone else is here to die!"

She charged at Akaso Kaze, who had just walked down the stairs, with the knife.

"Big brother Akaso, look out."

Ayumi screamed in panic.

Akaso Kaze gave her a comforting smile.

Then he snapped his fingers coolly.

A hand of thought suddenly appeared under the old woman's feet, grabbing her ankle.

"Thud."

The old woman fell heavily to the ground.

She even knocked out a few teeth.

"Do you think this will help your son?"

A faint smile appeared on Akaso Kaze's face.

"Everyone must be responsible for their own mistakes."

"Either in life, or after death."

"Today, let me show you what hell looks like."

Eye of Space!

Scene after scene of terrifying images instantly appeared before the old woman's eyes.

Kishida's soul lay in the void.

A giant blade fell from the sky, instantly severing his head.

The blade lifted.

His head flew back on.

Then the blade fell again.

Over and over, constantly decapitating him.

The soul of Akiyoshi Fujie was locked in a cage.

Two palms appearing out of thin air kept slapping his face.

Kenzo Hirota was hung in the air by a rope, his tongue hanging out long.

A pair of dead-fish eyes stared fiercely at the old woman.

The tall man without a name kept spitting white foam from his mouth, continuously.

Akemi Miyano was being whipped by a leather lash, a strange expression on her face.

Finally, the charcoal-like Masaki Negishi turned around.

His hollow eyes and hollow mouth faced the old woman, as if telling of the horrors of hell.

"Which punishment do you hope your son receives after he dies?"

A deep voice echoed in the basement.

"No, don't, I don't want my son to suffer, please, Lord Death, spare my son."

"We'll turn ourselves in, we'll go turn ourselves in right now."

"Please don't torture my son after he dies."

The old woman completely broke down.

Akaso Kaze stepped over the old woman crawling on the ground and met the children.

Little Ayumi threw herself into his arms.

"Big brother Akaso, thank you for saving me."

[Ding, Ayumi has developed a favorable impression of you. Current favorability: 3 stars.]

A phone call, and the matter was quickly resolved.

The police came and took the criminal away.

The case from five years ago was solved, and the Young Detective League was in the newspaper.

Akaso Kaze was, of course, in it too.

This was a great opportunity to advertise his identity as an Onmyoji, and he certainly wouldn't miss it.

"Big brother Akaso, why did that old woman keep shouting about hell, ghosts, and the God of Death when she was arrested?"

Conan furrowed his little brow, looking puzzled.

The curse had expired, and the kid was no longer unlucky.

But the bruises and swelling on his face hadn't faded yet.

"I'm an Onmyoji, I manage seven or eight ghosts under me, isn't it easy to scare her?"

This is the world of science, where would there be ghosts?

Conan curled his lip disdainfully.

That line might fool the other kids, but it's absolutely impossible to fool me.

"I get it." A smile of understanding appeared on Conan's face.

"I heard many Onmyoji know a bit of hypnosis; they can make clients see some illusions to collect more money."

"Does big brother Akaso know hypnosis too?"

Hypnosis?

Ghost hypnosis, yeah.

Looking at the smug Conan, Akaso Kaze really wanted to show him a ghost.

But even if he showed him, he would just say it was hypnosis.

Need to think of another way.

"Big brother Akaso, where are we going to explore next?"

Ayumi asked excitedly.

Looking at Genta and Mitsuhiko, who were equally excited, Akaso Kaze revealed a mischievous smile.

"Have you heard? There's a gloomy house in 2-chome where a boy used to live alone."

"Suddenly one day, he disappeared inexplicably."

"Since then, that house always makes eerie sounds, and ghost fires often appear."

As Akaso Kaze described it, the eyes of the young detectives grew brighter and brighter.

"After school, let's go explore the haunted house together."

"2-chome is very close, we can just walk there."

"2-chome?"

Conan furrowed his brow.

My house is in that area, how come I've never heard of it?

"Big brother Akaso, whose house is that?" he asked curiously.

"Whose house? I actually don't know."

Akaso Kaze held back his laughter, "But there's a 'Kudo' sign hanging outside the house."

"Ku, Kudo?"

Conan was dumbfounded.

A boy living alone...

Disappeared inexplicably...

Kudo...

Isn't that my house?

Akaso Kaze didn't plan to participate in the Young Detective League's subsequent actions.

He was very busy now.

Because he was in the newspaper, the fame of the Onmyoji spread rapidly.

Some people even came to his door to invite him.

"Respected Lord Onmyoji, hello, I am Kenji Suzuki, the butler of the Hatamoto family."

"There is an urgent commission, please must come with me."

The person speaking was an old man who looked very dignified, bowing slightly.

"This is the advance payment for the commission, sorry for the trouble."

Taking the check, Akaso Kaze raised an eyebrow.

Just showing up earns ten million yen; this money is really easy to make.

"Let's go."

Akaso Kaze stood up.

"Are you... not going to make some preparations?"

Kenji Suzuki looked at him hesitantly.

"Prepare what?"

Akaso Kaze was a bit curious.

Kenji Suzuki looked at him for a moment, didn't say anything else, and bowed to lead the way.

They got into a luxury car and arrived at the pier.

They boarded a luxury ship docked there.

Only then did Akaso Kaze understand why the old butler had asked that question.

There were already three Onmyoji on the ship, all wearing ancient clothing, holding fans, bells, divination plates, etc., and some holding a stack of talismans, muttering to themselves.

This is an Onmyoji brawl.

By comparison, Akaso Kaze was wearing ordinary modern clothes and holding nothing, looking nothing like an Onmyoji at all.

"Hmph, not even wearing hunting robes, carrying no ritual tools, no talismans; you call yourself an Onmyoji?"

"The incident that happened here is not something a young person like you can handle, retreat quickly."

"If you don't want to leave, just stay on the side and watch obediently; the profound secret arts of an Onmyoji aren't something you can see just anytime."