Shimazaki scratched his hair in annoyance, and his voice tone couldn't help but rise a few degrees.
"Why are you bringing this up now?"
"Half a year ago, didn't Okubo mysteriously drown in his bathtub? Isn't that the curse of the mermaid?"
When talking about the curse of the mermaid, Yukako turned pale and began to tremble, with a deep-seated fear and terror.
"Hasn't the police already investigated? Okubo committed suicide. It has nothing to do with that monster."
Shimazaki showed a trace of awe, but he immediately suppressed it and whispered:
"If it was really a mermaid curse, why did it take four years to kick in? And aren't the remaining five of us all fine? Okubo was the most timid one, always suspicious, and it's normal for him to commit suicide because he couldn't stand the pressure."
"But……"
The short-haired woman wanted to say something unwillingly, but Shimazaki had already covered her mouth roughly and looked around vigilantly.
After making sure that no one noticed the conversation between the two, he leaned close to Yukako's ear. His voice was so soft that only the short-haired woman who was nearby could hear it.
"Stop talking about it, stop talking about it! The mayor has already issued a gag order to everyone regarding the incident five years ago. No one will believe that there are really mermaids haunting Wakasa Bay."
Shimazaki seemed to remember something and threatened in a very low voice:
"And have you forgotten about the mysterious people from Tokyo who asked us to sign a confidentiality agreement? My uncle told me that they showed up in the mayor's office again these past two days. Yukako, you'd better be careful with your words and actions, or else don't blame me for being rude to you!"
"Uuuuuu——"
The short-haired woman's eyes turned red and she nodded repeatedly.
Shimazaki then took his hand off Yukako's mouth. After saying so much, his mouth felt a little dry, so he picked up the cup in the store and took a sip of cold water to moisten his throat.
"Namiru, Uchiha-san, the mackerel rice in chazuke is ready."
Suzuki Maika walked over with a smile on her face, holding a tray with three steaming bowls on it.
"Crack!"
It was the sound of a glass falling to the ground and breaking, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the store.
"Suzuki?"
Shimazaki stared at Suzuki Maika in amazement, his voice trembling slightly.
And Yukako, who was nestled in his arms, was in even worse condition. Her face was pale and she was trembling, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Shimazaki, it turns out it's you two."
Suzuki Maika, who was originally smiling, turned cold and spoke in a cold tone.
"No, you are not Suzuki...it turns out to be you, Suzuki's sister..."
Shimazaki came to his senses, let out a long sigh, immediately stood up, and fled with the woman who was slumped in the seat, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"What's going on? Did you meet someone you know? The atmosphere seems a little off." asked Sakaki Namiryu.
"What a bunch of annoying guys! I didn't want to see them, so I stayed in Tokyo for five years. Forget it, let's not talk about this, let's try this mackerel chazuke."
In ancient times, there were no refrigerators, so in order to preserve the mackerel, they could only pickle it and make it into dried fish. When eating, wash off the rice bran covering the surface, then burn it with charcoal fire for a few times, and then pour tea on it, and a bowl of mackerel tea rice with good color, aroma and taste is ready.
Uchiha Ming looked at the tea rice in front of him, but his ears moved slightly.
Although the conversation between the two people became as quiet as a mosquito in the second half, with Uchiha Ming's enhanced senses due to the addition of chakra, as long as he listened carefully, he could still hear every word.
It's really getting more and more interesting.
After eating the rice with tea, the mackerel feast was almost over.
Sakaki Namiryu was half drunk again. If it weren't for the Mermaid Festival tomorrow, Uchiha Ming would have doubted whether she would have gotten a hangover on a whim.
Uchiha Ming had no choice but to help Sakaki Namiya return to the fisherman's inn.
Just then, the waiter at the front desk called out Suzuki Maika.
"Ms. Suzuki, there is an uncle named Okubo who wants to meet you."
Chapter 222 Chapter 223 The Mermaid's Revenge
"Okubo?"
Suzuki Maika frowned, as if she remembered something, and a trace of gloom appeared on her face.
"Uncle? Isn't he a man in his twenties?"
"No, not that young. That uncle must be over 50 years old." The waiter said confidently and gave an address.
"Uchiha-san, please take this drunk back to his room by yourself. I have something to take care of."
There was a hint of doubt in Suzuki Maika's eyes, but she still decided to meet the inexplicable visitor. After parting with Uchiha Ming, she walked out of the fisherman's inn and came to a Sea House restaurant not far away.
There was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with an unshaven beard and looking a little haggard, waiting for her inside.
"You must be Suzuki Kimie's younger sister Maika, right? I heard today that someone saw you return to Obama City. I'm sorry to call you here."
"Sir, do you know what your relationship is with Okubo Ryo?" Suzuki Maika asked straight to the point.
"I am Liangye's father." said the middle-aged man.
Suzuki Maika's expression turned cold and she was about to get up and leave.
"Then I have nothing to discuss with you."
"Liang Ye died half a year ago." The middle-aged fisherman closed his eyes and said with a painful look on his face.
Suzuki Maika was stunned.
"Ryoya, he committed suicide."
How dare he commit suicide?
Although Suzuki Maika had no good feelings towards the six people who belonged to the same yacht club as her sister but survived the storm that year, the lives of these six people were still based on her sister's precious sacrifice.
One of them, Okubo, actually chose to commit suicide. What was the meaning of his sister's sacrifice?
Since Okubo was going to commit suicide, he might as well have died in the shipwreck and left an empty space on the life raft. In this way, his sister wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself and drown in Wakasa Bay, and her body hasn't been recovered to this day.
"Why, why do you want to commit suicide?" Suzuki Maika asked in a dry voice.
"sorry!"
The middle-aged fisherman suddenly leaned over, supported the corner of the table with his hands, rested his head on the table, and confessed to Suzuki Maika.
"What are you doing? Okubo committed suicide, why are you apologizing to me?" Suzuki Maika was in a very complicated mood.
Suzuki Maika hated those six people so much that she was willing to leave her hometown, but she didn't hate them so much that she wanted them dead. Her sister sacrificed herself to make them happy. To some extent, the six of them should live well to make up for her sister's sacrifice.
"I just can't tell you."
The middle-aged fisherman stammered a few times, then finally took out a notebook and placed it on the table.
"I found this by accident when I was cleaning Ryoya's room recently. It was a diary written after the accident five years ago until Ryoya committed suicide. I've read it..."
Suzuki Maika sensed something and her face turned pale.
The shipwreck five years ago involved seven people from my sister Suzuki Kimie's university yacht club, who were on a yacht to an uninhabited island in Wakasa Bay.
On the way back, they encountered a sudden storm that overturned the yacht. The survivors drifted on the life raft for several hours before they were rescued.
And that small life raft can only carry six people at most.
Suzuki Kimie was the only victim in that shipwreck.
According to the unanimous statement of the survivors at the time, it was Suzuki Kimie, as the initiator of this club activity, who, feeling guilty, voluntarily gave up her seat and gave the chance of survival to the other six people.
Although Suzuki Maika had her doubts in her heart, she had the impression that she was a kind and responsible sister, so she was not incapable of such a righteous self-sacrifice.
Suzuki Maika, who was alone and powerless, was unable to investigate and finally had to accept the official investigation results.
In order to avoid being reminded of the past, I left Obama City, this sad place, and stayed in Tokyo for five years without returning to my hometown.
Could it be that there was some hidden story behind my sister's sacrifice?
Suzuki Maika opened the diary with trembling hands. The more she looked at it, the more distorted her expression became. The knuckles that were pinching the pages turned white from excessive force.
"According to Okubo, the person who initiated the club activity of the uninhabited island adventure was not my sister." Suzuki Maika had a blank expression on her face, and there was an inexplicable murderous intent in her tone.
"Moreover, it was not my sister who voluntarily gave up her place on the life raft. Was she abandoned by everyone and left there to die?" Tears welled up in Suzuki Maika's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Liangye, he's actually a good kid. He felt guilty all these years, and finally chose the path of no return."
The middle-aged fisherman choked up.
"Ryoya kept apologizing to Suzuki in his diary. He also wanted to apologize to Suzuki's only relative, Miss Suzuki. But before he could do that, he..."
"This was also Ryoya's last wish. As his father, I am the only one who can apologize on his behalf. Miss Suzuki, can you forgive Ryoya?" The middle-aged fisherman raised his head and looked at Suzuki Maika hopefully.
"Why should I forgive him? If Okubo committed suicide, will my sister come back? My sister is still alone, at the bottom of the cold Wakasa Bay!"
Suzuki Maika said this through gritted teeth, becoming emotionally agitated.
"And did Okubo really commit suicide out of guilt? He was guilty and afraid that his sister had turned into a mermaid and was haunting him. He couldn't bear the mental torture and committed suicide."
Okubo Ryoya's diary contains a lot of crazy words, such as Suzuki Maika has turned into a mermaid in Wakasa Bay and killed several people.
None of the six people in the club can escape! He is the next one!
Of course Suzuki Maika would not believe such nonsense that her sister turned into a mermaid.
It was obvious that Okubo Ryo had mental problems five years ago, and he became increasingly insane, even his diary was incoherent, and he committed suicide to seek relief.
"Ms. Suzuki, how can you be so cruel? Ryoya is already dead, can't you forgive him?"
"No, I will never forgive you! Not only for the dead Okubo, I won't forgive the other people either!"
Suzuki Maika had a ferocious expression on her face. She grabbed the diary, held it tightly in her arms, and ran out of the door.
Rushing out of the Sea House, Suzuki Maika wandered aimlessly on the beach of Obama City.
Because tomorrow is the Mermaid Festival, Obama City is crowded with tourists, and near evening, there are many people even on the beach.
Suzuki Maika, who was full of worries, felt more and more annoyed as she watched these tourists laughing and playing.
She avoided the crowded coastal tourist areas and came to a remote beach with complex terrain that only locals knew about, wanting to be alone and quiet.
"elder sister……"
Suzuki Maika's tears burst out and flowed at the corners of her mouth. The sea breeze made them even saltier and more bitter.
Their parents were fishermen, but unfortunately died in a shipwreck before they entered high school. The two sisters have been dependent on each other ever since.
Unexpectedly, when she revisited the place after five years, she unexpectedly learned the truth about her sister's death, which made Suzuki Maika feel heartbroken and burst into tears.
After wiping away her tears, Suzuki Maika began to think about what to do.
Call the police?
However, this diary with weird contents and confusing word order cannot be considered as evidence at all.
Even if this is used as a breakthrough point to get the other five to confess, the maximum sentence in Japanese prison would be three to five years, or even suspended sentence, without having to go to jail.
If this is the case, how can I be worthy of my sister's spirit in heaven!
Suzuki Maika frowned and tried hard to recall.
She had some understanding of the members of her sister's yacht club. After all, in a small city like Xiaobin with a population of tens of thousands, it was not a problem to get to know people of the same generation who were not much different in age.
Of the couple we met today, Shimazaki is the president of the yacht club, and his father is also the chief of the local police station in Obama City.
No, you can't call the police!
That would be like walking into a trap, and they might even destroy the diary.
Just when Suzuki Maika was feeling confused and overwhelmed, she saw a short-haired woman standing on the beach not far away.
It’s Yukako!
She was also one of the six survivors that year.
Yukako was standing on the beach, seemingly waiting for someone, but she looked a little impatient.
Because of the angle, Yukako didn't have time to notice Suzuki Maika, who quickly lowered her head and hid.
Looking at Yukako, bloodshot eyes appeared in Suzuki Maika's eyes, and a strong hatred burst out from the depths of her heart.
Since childhood, people have always said that I look like my sister, especially my thick and beautiful long hair like seaweed, which is proof that the two sisters are blood-related.
No wonder this woman and Shimazaki were so scared when they saw me today that their legs went weak, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
