Chapter 35

"Dad! Are you planning to take money to buy alcohol again!"

Mouri Ran stood with her hands on her hips, looking serious.

After Mouri Kogoro and Eri separated ten years ago.

He lived with his daughter Mouri Ran.

He drank heavily all day long.

Most of his daily expenses were spent on alcohol.

Facing his daughter Mouri Ran's questioning, Mouri Kogoro had nothing to say.

He smiled ingratiatingly, attempting to muddle through.

Mouri Kogoro's group had specially rented a car to go to a remote mountain to view cherry blossoms.

It was supposed to be a very relaxing and pleasant trip.

But they encountered getting lost and a flat tire on the way.

"Eh? Where's Conan?"

Mouri Ran looked a bit nervous, searching everywhere for Edogawa Conan's figure.

"Why is that brat running around everywhere? Seriously!"

Suzuki Sonoko complained, but she still searched the nearby bushes.

"I'm here! Big sister Ran!"

Edogawa Conan is short in stature.

He popped out of the bushes all of a sudden.

"Seriously, why are you running around, you brat?"

Suzuki Sonoko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Conan, where did you run off to?"

Mouri Ran was very worried.

"I saw a temple up ahead!"

Edogawa Conan said in a childish, high-pitched voice.

He raised his arm and pointed to a temple in front.

The three of them looked in the direction his arm was pointing.

"Really. We don't have to sleep out in the deep mountains and old forests tonight."

"Let's go and ask to stay for the night."

Mouri Kogoro suggested.

"By the way, Sonoko! Didn't you say you had a nightmare?"

Mouri Ran whispered:

"Why don't we go to the temple and offer some incense? Maybe it will help?"

Suzuki Sonoko pondered for a moment, felt it made sense, and shouted at the temple:

"Alright, then let's go!"

The group left the car behind and went to the temple together.

"We're here, look!"

Mouri Ran looked up at the temple's plaque.

"Sanni Temple!"

Sanni Temple is located under a high mountain waterfall.

The cherry blossom petals on the high mountain were in full bloom, drifting everywhere.

The waterfall carried the fallen cherry blossoms from the mountain, washing over the temple's boardwalk.

The scenery was like an otherworldly fairyland, very elegant.

Opening the temple gate and looking around, they found the furnishings inside were very old.

As if no one had cleaned it for a long time.

And the environment was dim, with no lights on.

"Hey!"

At this moment, a bald head suddenly popped out.

It was a hunched old man with skin full of wrinkles on his face.

Bloodshot eyes, with what seemed to be a knife hidden in his pupils.

Thick white eyebrows and a beard hung on his terrifying diamond-shaped old face.

His shriveled, cracked mouth smiled in a pale and eerie way.

"Ahhh!"

The group was so scared they screamed.

"I am the abbot of this temple—Monk Ten'ei."

The other party directly revealed his identity to them.

"If you are here to interview about 'that matter', please go back, I have nothing to say."

Only then did they see clearly that the other party was just an old monk.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"We are not here for an interview. Our car broke down, and we would like to stay here for the night."

Mouri Kogoro explained.

"Oh, so you want to stay the night! Hahaha! Welcome."

The abbot monk, who had just been gloomy and terrifying.

Immediately changed into a fawning, smiling face upon hearing they wanted to stay.

His hands were rubbing together non-stop.

"The temple hasn't had guests for a long time, we provide food and lodging."

The abbot monk said with a smile:

"There are four of you including the child, let's make it 15,000 yen."

"What? 15,000 yen?"

Mouri Kogoro was heartbroken.

He was feeling the pain in his wallet.

There clearly wasn't enough money for alcohol this month.

"Come on out, come out to welcome the distinguished guests!"

The abbot monk gave an order.

Four young monks ran out from the room.

They were the masters practicing here.

Sonoko, Sonoko!

Under the arrangement of the monks, everyone ate dinner and then rested.

It was already late at night.

Mouri Ran came to Suzuki Sonoko's bed, patting the quilt on her chest.

"Woo~ what's wrong? Ran?"

Suzuki Sonoko was sleepy-eyed, struggling to get up despite her drowsiness.

"Accompany me to the bathroom!"

"Okay! Ahhh!"

Suzuki Sonoko yawned.

Although she was very sleepy, she still decided to accompany Mouri Ran.

"You must be afraid of the Mist Tengu, the old abbot made it sound so terrifying!"

"Yeah, after all, I'm still just a girl."