Chapter 154
Bourbon and Scotland felt somewhat speechless.
Undoubtedly, dressed so garishly, Usuha Izuki looked like a big fat sheep at first glance. Even if this person sincerely wanted to spread their message, once it reached the higher-ups who knew their real purpose was making money, they'd definitely understand what Usuha Izuki's greatest value was.
Usuha Izuki was still acting, and agreeing immediately would seem foolish, so he put on a skeptical expression: "Really? Supernatural powers? You're not trying to scam me again, are you? You don't do things like human sacrifice to gain divine power, do you? I won't touch that stuff!"
Hearing this, the cult member knew this person must have urgent needs, so he was looking everywhere for help, and had already been scammed before... How pitiful! So he definitely needed to abandon darkness for light!
"Come to us! We don't scam people! We don't do those crooked methods!" the cult member said excitedly. "Our Spring Mother Cult Leader—you'll know once you see him! We're heading back now, come with us!"
"It's a bit too late today, let's do it tomorrow. I still want to soak in the hot springs." Usuha Izuki wasn't that eager to watch the drama.
This person left him a phone number and hurried off to help other cult members "rescue" the person locked up by the proprietress.
Usuha Izuki closed the door and immediately shared with his two roommates: "Did you hear that? This Cult Leader can read minds! This trip really wasn't wasted—let's go check it out tomorrow!"
In this remote area, no matter how good the hot springs or how great the food, with no other entertainment activities nearby—not even a shopping street—staying two or three days would feel boring.
Though for many office workers, lying around every day would be blissful, just enjoying that leisure, for Usuha Izuki, why not go see excitement when it was available?
Bourbon and Scotland were actually quite interested in this "Spring Mother Cult" too.
If they could expose the deceptive methods this cult used to fool people, they might be able to save some families, since these cults' ultimate goal was always money, often causing families to be destroyed.
Even if they'd originally needed to consider reasons for intervening in this matter, now that Usuha Izuki had brought it up himself, they could just follow along without worrying about anything else.
So both nodded, indicating they had no objections.
"I'm also quite curious about that 'mind reading.'" Bourbon said with a smile. "Would it be useful for finding traitors?"
Usuha Izuki frowned: "Why are you being so Gin-like? Stop learning from him—always saying others are rats, undercover agents, traitors. Your paranoia has reached terminal stages, hasn't it?"
Bourbon: "..........."
How did Gin become an adjective...
And Usuha Izuki, shouldn't you reflect on what you've said yourself?
I feel like your enthusiasm for pointing out traitors everywhere is even more active than Gin's!
Scotland's mouth also twitched: "Bourbon probably just said it casually, since his previous mission was assisting Gin in catching traitors."
Usuha Izuki: "Don't mention traitors and such in front of me. I'm an ordinary person—I'm not interested in these things."
Bourbon: "..."
Scotland: "..."
Not seeing him for half a year, how had this guy become like this... They couldn't tell if his condition had improved or worsened...
But since he didn't want to hear it, the two didn't mention it anymore, starting to eat the food that had just been delivered, preparing to go soak in hot springs after eating.
On the way to the hot springs, they happened to encounter the proprietress with a worried expression. Usuha Izuki asked: "Was your child taken away? Will there be life-threatening danger?"
"Probably not, since I was the one forcing him to stay..." the proprietress said, covering her chest. "But they cursed me, saying if I snatch people again, I'll definitely die within seven days... I heard their curses are very effective—someone wanted to leave this cult but died within a few days..."
Saying this, the proprietress couldn't help wiping her eyes: "What should I do? Should I find someone to check what's really going on? What if they're not fraudsters but the god they worship really is an evil god? Am I going to die?"
Usuha Izuki: "...Probably not that serious."
So this person wasn't a materialist warrior, just thought this cult was rather sinister, but would still be superstitious when she should be.
Scotland also felt this situation had become somewhat tricky, because this kind of half-believing person was more likely to be converted into a cult member after witnessing the Cult Leader's so-called "supernatural powers."
And the curses are very effective... could it be murder? That would make the situation much more troublesome than simple fraud.
Bourbon, a proper intelligence officer, decisively stepped forward to inquire: "I haven't heard of this 'Spring Mother Cult' before. Could you tell us the specific situation?"
The proprietress hesitated: "You're outsiders—there's no need to know so much. If you're worried, it might be better to leave early..."
At this crucial moment, Usuha Izuki stepped forward: "Actually, I'm a detective. Since you wanted to find someone to investigate this cult anyway, why not just commission us? If we don't find any problems, we won't charge!"
Bourbon: "...?"
Scotland actually chimed in: "That's right, don't look at his youth—this is the famous detective Conan, who has assisted police in solving cases. His insight and deductive abilities are first-rate."
The proprietress was half-convinced.
Usuha Izuki had indeed grown a few years older and looked somewhat more mature than when he first joined the organization, not likely to be dismissed as children playing around—he'd need to show his abilities to be recognized.
To increase persuasiveness, Usuha Izuki even said: "I'm also the son of the Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters chief. Oh, and not just that one—I know other Police Superintendents' sons. If this cult really has problems, I can solve it much more efficiently."
Scotland was puzzled. The son of the Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters chief he knew about—Usuha Izuki had met him while toying with elementary students. But who else? How many Police Superintendents' sons did Usuha Izuki know? Was he planning to buy influence starting with the second generation? Would this be okay?
So he used his eyes to ask Bourbon: Who is Usuha Izuki talking about? Do you know?
Bourbon held his forehead and nodded.
Scotland had told him about the Osaka one before. As for the others... this brat Usuha Izuki was probably referring to Kitami Hitoshi!
Both father and son were dead! And he still wouldn't let go of their utility value, pulling them out to fool outsiders!!!
Though knowing all these Police Superintendents' sons sounded a bit unreliable, the proprietress thought about it, looked at this guy's age, and felt she could understand.
Japanese workplaces emphasized seniority—often it wasn't simply about merit for promotion. Those who became Police Superintendents were at least middle-aged, so they really wouldn't have much to chat about with kids like this. If this guy said he was close friends with several Police Superintendents, she wouldn't believe it.
Police Superintendents' sons should also be police officers, and the possibility of being familiar with this guy was relatively high. Maybe this guy was telling the truth.
Besides, she couldn't find any suitable detectives around here...
The proprietress considered for a while and made up her mind: "I understand. Please go soak in the hot springs first—I still have some work to do... After you've rested well, let's sit down and talk properly."
This arrangement was quite appropriate. They'd originally come for vacation, and even carrying things clearly meant for hot springs—experiencing nothing and immediately taking on a commission would make them too tense to relax, which felt too troublesome for the clients.
The three also understood the proprietress needed time to organize her thoughts, so they all agreed to go to the hot springs first.
Otherwise they might not have time to relax later.
Since this inn mainly served locals, there weren't many people. When they entered, there were only two or three others.
After soaking for a while, Bourbon deliberately started discussing the "Spring Mother Cult."
"First time hearing about this cult. If the Cult Leader was really powerful, he should be famous, right? Was that person lying to us?"
Usuha Izuki enthusiastically responded: "Mind reading and such are easy to fake. There's a technique called 'cold reading' that can extract lots of information from people you're meeting for the first time, just like those fortune-telling fraudsters—all little tricks."
Scotland said: "They also said the Cult Leader could levitate... was he suspended by wires?"
"If only it were real." Usuha Izuki sighed. "I do have wishes I want fulfilled... But this cult is troublesome—people die when they try to leave. I'm a bit hesitant."
Hearing this, a middle-aged man nearby couldn't help speaking up: "Don't go! People really do die!"
The three immediately turned to look.
Bourbon immediately asked: "Sir, do you know something?"
The middle-aged man hesitated: "This... I'd better not say."
"What? If you speak ill of them, they'll curse you to death too? Then isn't this definitely a cult!"
"Shh! Shh! I didn't say that!" The middle-aged man quickly explained. "Their Cult Leader really is powerful. I attended once, and he really did guess what I was thinking! I just want to say that people really have died for questioning the Cult Leader and wanting to leave..."
Usuha Izuki moved closer: "How did he read minds? Did he use leading questions?"
Bourbon also questioned: "Could there have been plants? Like pre-arranging answers and having people perform below..."
The middle-aged man shook his head: "No, they had me write my question on paper, then put it in an envelope. Then the Cult Leader directly said my question and immediately took out the paper for everyone to confirm. The answer couldn't be changed, so it was definitely real!"
"...This kind with prop elements is the easiest to fake!"
Bourbon was confident, feeling he should be able to expose this cult's true face soon.
Vacationing with the organization while helping citizens take down a cult—Bourbon felt that being forcibly called out by Usuha Izuki wasn't such a loss after all!
But the middle-aged man still insisted: "The envelope was under my eyes the whole time, definitely not opened. I even went up to check—it wasn't some magic prop... You'll know if you go once! The Cult Leader really has supernatural powers!!!"