Mermaid Island was located in Fukushima Prefecture in northern Kyushu. By the time they departed from Tokyo and arrived at the island, it was already afternoon.
The long journey itself was exhausting enough, but for Shiho, the three men in black sitting beside her were even more mentally draining.
Throughout the entire trip, she felt countless eyes glancing at her face. They were probably assuming she was the mysterious daughter of some yakuza family, with three "ferocious-looking" bodyguards escorting her around.
Today, Ritsu was still wearing Augier's face. Or rather, this scarred face marked by a cross-shaped knife wound was closer to his real appearance.
Well… aside from the eye color.
Stepping onto Mermaid Island, Ritsu shoved both hands into his pockets and looked toward Gin beside him.
"Gin, can you finally tell me the details of the mission now? Don't tell me we actually came here to search for mermaids. I'm a materialist, I don't believe fairytale creatures really exist."
Shiho was still wearing her white lab coat. Clearly, she had no interest in dressing up for missions. Especially after hearing Ritsu's remark, she scoffed coldly.
"Heh. Dugongs do exist, but there definitely aren't any in the waters around Fukuoka Prefecture."
Gin indifferently glanced at Shiho before pulling a document from his pocket and handing it to Ritsu, signaling for him to read it.
Ritsu took it and discovered it wasn't a document at all, but a newspaper. The article explained that Fukui Prefecture's U.S. Island had the nickname "MermaidIsland" because of a certain elderly woman known as the Long-Lived Granny, who was supposedly already 129 years old.
In the past, Ritsu would have immediately clicked his tongue in disbelief at such a number.
But now that he already knew the Organization's deepest secret, he found himself strangely unsurprised. Calmly handing the newspaper to Vodka, he asked,
"So our mission is to find this Long-Lived Granny and ask her about the secret to longevity?"
"Mm. Thatgentleman is interested in longevity and wants to create a drug capable of extending human life."
It seemed Gin and Vodka were still being kept in the dark. They still didn't know that the research purpose behind APTX4869 was connected to life extension.
Apparently, thatgentleman was getting impatient about developing the drug. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent them all the way to Mermaid Island searching for the Long-Lived Granny.
"A drug that extends life, huh…"
Ritsu glanced at Shiho, who kept her head lowered in silence, before proactively suggesting, "Let's head to the island information center first. You and Vodka shouldn't come with us."
Gin & Vodka: ??
"You two look way too much like debt collectors. You'll scare people."
Keeping a straight face, Ritsu crooked a finger toward Shiho. "You're coming with me."
Shiho genuinely admired Augier's courage for daring to speak to Gin like that. Quietly following him toward the island information center, she easily gathered some relevant information.
For example, the island had become a tourist attraction because of the existence of the Long-Lived Granny. Many tourists came specifically because of the mermaid legend and the old woman herself.
You could say the specialtyproduct of U.S. Island was the dugong.
"Mermaid Arrows? What are those?" Ritsu asked curiously.
"That's a charm said to grant eternal youth and longevity. Every year during the annual Mermaid Festival, three Mermaid Arrows are awarded to lucky villagers and tourists," the middle-aged man at the information desk explained patiently.
Mermaid Arrows. Charms for eternal youth. Both Ritsu and Shiho internally felt rather helpless. The islanders were seriously superstitious.
"Oh right, if you're interested, you can head to the shrine and look for Shimabukuro Kimie. If you're lucky, you might still make it in time."
"In time for what?"
The information desk attendant smiled warmly.
"The Mermaid Festival is being held tonight. If you go now, there might still be some unsold number tags left. The Mermaid Arrows are distributed through a lottery using those tags."
So that was it. No wonder they specifically came today.
"Alright, thank you."
After leaving the information center, Shiho said disinterestedly, "You're planning to go to the shrine?"
"I figured someone like you wouldn't care about mermaid legends. Don't girls usually want to age more slowly?"
Ritsu found it rather strange. Someone like Shiho, who liked luxury goods and cared about appearances, should've been interested in this sort of thing.
"Living longer and aging slower are two entirely different things. Rather than surviving as some wrinkled old hag, I'd rather reincarnate early and enjoy my next life."
Ritsu pursed his lips but didn't argue with her philosophy. Shrugging, he said,
"Let's go. At the very least, we should figure out what's really going on here. And… you don't need to stay so far away from me. I'm not going to eat you."
Shiho frowned tightly, maintaining a safe distance as she replied coldly, "I don't like being too close to you. Is that a problem?"
"Of course not."
'How hurtful, though.'
The little sister he cherished now truly disliked him.
As the two headed toward the shrine, they spotted a shrine maiden sweeping fallen leaves. She had beautiful black hair and a fair, delicate appearance. Combined with the miko outfit, it looked as though the attire had been tailor-made for her.
"Excuse me, does Shimabukuro Kimie work at this shrine?"
The beautiful shrine maiden paused her sweeping and asked in confusion,
"I'm Shimabukuro Kimie. Do you need something from me?"
'So she was the mention person? Could she possibly be the 129-year-old Long-Lived Granny?'
Ritsu frowned and carefully studied her face. There were no signs of disguise.
Then could she… somehow be connected to APTX4869?
"So you're Kimie-san. Here's the thing, I'd like to participate in tonight's Mermaid Festival. Are there still extra number tags available?"
Kimie pulled out several dozen tags from her pocket and smiled. "There are still plenty left unsold. Pick any two numbers you like."
"Just give me any two. How much?"
"Five yen each."
'Five yen?'
Ritsu couldn't help feeling surprised. He hadn't expected the Long-Lived Granny to be so honest. Each ticket only cost five yen.
Even after hosting the Mermaid Festival for so many years, she probably hadn't earned much money from it at all.
"Thank you for your purchase. Remember to come here tonight at 7 PM for the festival."
"Will do."
Ritsu looked at the two number tags in his hand, marked Forty-Nine and Fifty respectively. He handed one to Shiho, since a single person couldn't exactly hold two tickets.
After confirming the festival time, the two returned to the harbor, where they found Vodka happily stuffing himself with oden while Gin smoked nearby. Watching the way Vodka wolfed down his food, Ritsu honestly suspected the guy hadn't eaten in days.
"Mmph, Aniki, they're back."
Gin turned his head toward them. "How did it go?"
Ritsu waved the number tag labeled Fifty.
"We didn't meet the Long-Lived Granny, but we gathered some information. While we were at it, we also bought lottery tags for the Mermaid Arrows."
After spotting the number on the tag, Vodka exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Augier, your number's only two digits away from mine."
"You… bought one too?"
Vodka nodded and pulled his own tag from his pocket.
"There's actually another important reason we came here this time. Some important figures connected to the Organization are also attending tonight's festival. It's basically a team-building event."
Important figures connected to the Organization? Things suddenly became much more interesting.
"And Gin?"
"Aniki's number is Forty-Seven. Heh, wonder if any of us will win."
"Vodka, don't tell me you're interested in longevity too?"
Vodka immediately shook his head. Leaning close to Ritsu's ear with a sneaky grin, he whispered,
"If I win, I can give it to Yoko-san, hehehe."
"…"
'This idol otaku was seriously hopeless.'
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bonus chap every 20 PS
read ahead on my pa reon @Siamus404