After a long journey, everyone arrived at a hotel nestled in a forest. As soon as they got off the bus, the friendly hotel manager uncle warmly welcomed everyone to the forest behind the mountain.
They were allowed to pick matsutake mushrooms, but adults were only permitted to collect three, while children could collect two. This was quite normal, after all, matsutake are pretty expensive. If people just picked as they pleased, this hotel would go bankrupt quickly.
Inside a pine forest.
Fujino walked behind the group, hands in his pockets, wearing sportswear. The pine needles around them were gradually drying out, and the grass was turning yellow. In the past couple of days, autumn had arrived... Although he had gotten used to this seasonal change, it still made him feel a bit sentimental...
"Seriously, the uncle at the hotel just said there were lots of matsutake here, so how come I haven't found any?" Genta complained, sweating profusely from flipping through weeds and digging in the dirt. "Could that uncle have been lying to us?"
"That uncle wasn't lying, this environment is suitable for matsutake to grow," Fujino glanced around. "However, matsutake are very difficult to find if you don't have patience and luck. If you're unlucky, you might not find even one in a whole day..."
"What?!" Genta stood up. "So if we're unlucky, we won't find even one?!"
"You shouldn't be unable to find any at all," Fujino stroked his chin. "You should be able to find at least one."
"How is one enough to eat..." Genta sat down on the ground dejectedly. "If we only find one, we won't get a matsutake feast tonight."
"It's because you wanted to come find matsutake, Genta-kun..." Ayumi also squatted nearby, searching through the grass. "I originally wanted to go pick apples."
"But matsutake are widely recognized as the number one best mushroom, and besides, their price can't be compared to apples." When it came to food, Genta's little brain immediately cleared up significantly.
"Besides the price, in traditional Chinese medicine, they're also a valuable medicinal ingredient." Fujino fully agreed with Genta. Here in Japan, matsutake were indeed very expensive... In terms of price, one matsutake could be exchanged for several, even more than ten apples. Hmm, I gotta sneak a few away this time. If I don't take a few extra, I feel like I'm letting down the portable space I worked so hard to get.
"It's precisely because of their medicinal properties and high price, coupled with excessive logging of forests, that wild matsutake are now very hard to find..." Ai Haibara took over the conversation. "However, compared to matsutake, I feel that apples, these 'fruits that discern good and evil,' are more mysterious. After all, in legend, Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden because they stole and ate the 'forbidden fruit.'"
"Yeah, yeah, Ai-chan knows so much!" Ayumi said with a smile, then teased Genta, "Since it's the fruit that discerns good and evil, Genta, you should eat more of them!"
"Ugh..." Genta was a bit speechless. "Mind your own business..."
Professor Agasa turned his head and asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, Ai-chan, is this idea of the apple being the forbidden fruit from the Old Testament?"
"There are many different theories about that. Most accounts of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden are民间 legends," Ai Haibara stroked her chin. "I only thought of it because I heard the legend of the missionaries searching for the Golden Apple a hundred years ago in that village last time. Though Fujino-kun told me those Golden Apples were actually marijuana."
Professor Agasa was momentarily speechless. "Marijuana..."
"Yeah, they were indeed marijuana, but that's just a localized theory," Fujino laughed. "Compared to being a literal fruit, I feel like the Golden Apple is more like some ancient artifact, perhaps some kind of ancient technology that can control people's minds or something. In those stories from the Bible or churches, there are corresponding legends that don't fit common sense. Of course, I've only heard about them."
"Ancient technology?" Professor Agasa, being a doctor (PhD), frowned. "Something that can control minds... that shouldn't exist, right? If it really existed, it would be too unscientific."
"It certainly is very unscientific." Fujino glanced at Professor Agasa. As if the things you make are scientific. Unscientific, but Conan-scientific.
'I didn't expect this Fujino guy to be interested in illogical things like that...' Conan's mouth twitched, finding Fujino's interest in such topics puzzling for a fellow detective.
However, Ai-chan's words still piqued his curiosity. He slowly approached Ai Haibara and quietly asked, "Speaking of which, what exactly happened in that village?"
"Didn't the news say?" Ai Haibara glanced back. "Didn't you watch the news?"
"Of course I know..." Conan was a little embarrassed. "It's just that the news didn't go into detailed specifics. Can you tell me in detail what happened?"
"What... happened..." Ai Haibara was startled by his question and recalled her thoughts. A faint, visible blush appeared on her cheeks.
Conan: "...?"
What are you blushing for?! No, something's definitely up! Conan frowned, sensing things weren't simple. He instinctively pulled a handful of melon seeds from his pocket. "Yeah, after all, it was such a big deal... Hmm, by the look of you, could it be you made some progress with that Fujino guy?"
"Ahem!" Ai Haibara lightly coughed. "Of course not, you're thinking too much." She turned around and walked over to find mushrooms with Fujino.
"Tsk..." Conan scratched his head, watching Ai Haibara walk away. He cracked a melon seed, and just as he turned around, he saw Mitsuhiko standing behind him, looking dazed. His little face was bright red.
Conan: "..."
What are you blushing for?! Is there more gossip? Thinking this, he walked over with a smile and asked Mitsuhiko, "Mitsuhiko, why is your face so red?"
"Where...?" Mitsuhiko was startled by Conan, recovered, and looked at Ai Haibara not far away. "I was just looking at her..."
Conan was speechless. "You weren't perhaps looking at Haibara, were you?"
"Um... Although Haibara-san seems cold, she's very knowledgeable and steady... and sometimes she shows a really cute side," Mitsuhiko said wistfully. "Don't you feel she has a mysterious aura about her?"
Conan: "..." You didn't perhaps fall for Ai Haibara, did you?
"Ahem!" Mitsuhiko lightly coughed, quickly laughing awkwardly, "Of course, that doesn't mean I..."
"Give up, Mitsuhiko-kun," Conan said like an old senior, patting his shoulder with heartfelt advice. "Although I don't want to pour cold water on you, I still advise you to give up as early as possible."
"Huh?" Mitsuhiko was bewildered. Clearly, he was a bit confused by Conan's behavior.
Conan shook his head, turned around with his hands in his pockets. "Although I don't want to speak ill of her, trust me, a woman like her is really someone you can't touch. You absolutely won't be able to handle her!"
Mitsuhiko was bewildered again. Woman... can't handle... What does that mean? Could Conan also like Haibara?
"Sigh..." Conan sighed and pulled a melon seed from his pocket to crack. He was actually telling the truth. In her eyes, these kids were just kids. Even though she looked like an elementary school student, she was actually a girl one year older than him. No matter what, she shouldn't fall for a kid. In other words, if she did, it would be spooky.
On the other side, Ai Haibara also vaguely felt someone watching her. She turned her head back in confusion and glanced at Conan and Mitsuhiko. She was a bit puzzled about what these two were talking about. However, she didn't pay much attention, raising her head to look at Fujino. "How is it? Did you find any matsutake?"
"Yeah, found two..." Fujino was using his Eagle Eye, scanning the forest with his system cheat. Soon, he found several matsutake. Of course, he could only *say* he found two. The rest he had to secretly put into his system space.
Fake Eagle Eye: A handy tool for solving cases and tracking.
Real Eagle Eye: Used for finding matsutake.
After searching for a while, with Conan's hints and Fujino leading the way, everyone found some matsutake nearby. However, most of the matsutake had already been secretly pocketed by Fujino.
"One, two, three..." Fujino counted the matsutake he had secretly picked in his portable space, feeling extremely satisfied. Generally speaking, in a forest, even if you searched for a whole day, you might not find five. This time, he harvested over ten matsutake. I have to say, this forest is a treasure trove... So many wild matsutake are truly rare. Could this be the slight charm of Conan-science?
Ten matsutake, this much should be about a pound. As for the value, he wasn't sure for now. But it should be worth at least 100,000 Japanese Yen. In Japan, the price of matsutake is significantly higher than in China...
"Hey, have you seen where Genta went?" Conan regrouped with everyone, holding a matsutake, and noticed someone was missing.
"I haven't seen him since just now..."
"Could he be lost?" Everyone else hadn't noticed Genta either.
"Wait, could he have jumped over to the hunting area?" Conan looked at the iron fence not far away. "I just said there are quite a few matsutake under the yellow-green pine trees..."
"That would be troublesome..." Professor Agasa stroked his chin. "His Detective Badge has been with me for repairs these past few days, so I can't find him using the tracking glasses..."
"In that case, I'll go over there and look for him..." Fujino turned his head and looked at the iron fence beside him. He had indeed noticed Genta climbing over the fence earlier. But he hadn't stopped him. After all, he remembered there were more matsutake on the other side of the fence... It would be a good reason to go over.
"I'll go too..." Saying this, Conan was about to climb the wire mesh. Then Fujino grabbed him and pulled him down. "That's the hunting area, it's too dangerous for a kid like you to go there."
"Hey, hey..." Conan was about to say something when Fujino interrupted, "If you go, those kids will probably follow you."
Conan thought about it and realized that was true. If he went, that group of kids would probably follow him again, claiming he was just trying to show off.
"Phew..." Conan sighed. "Then I'll trouble you to bring him back."
"Okay, I'll be back soon." Fujino nodded and was about to set off.
"Wait a minute..." Ai Haibara handed the Detective Badge to Fujino. "If he comes back later, use this to contact us."
"Got it." Fujino took the Detective Badge and put it in his pocket. He turned around and looked at the iron fence behind him. About one or two meters high. He could jump over...
After sizing up the height of the iron fence, Fujino took a deep breath, then pushed off with his legs, soaring high into the air. He grabbed the fence mesh, and with a push, flipped directly over to the other side.
Conan's half-moon eyes: "..."
This Fujino guy is getting more and more abnormal.
...
Hunting Area.
"Over there?" Fujino quickly moved through the forest, his Eagle Eye constantly scanning the surroundings. Soon, he spotted Genta bending down to pick matsutake. Fujino stopped and cast his gaze towards the area not far away. "There's no danger here for now, the main concern is over there?"
Not far away, there were clearly four distinct life signs. Two humans, two animals. In his memory, this case should be one where a person killed someone for animals. About ten years ago, an old hunter accidentally fell down the mountain. He was saved by a large black bear named Jūbei. However, because of this, he was blinded in one eye by the supporting hunters. Since then, the old hunter had tried his best to prevent Jūbei from being hunted.
Just today, another hunter killed Jūbei's cub and hung it on a tree, attempting to use the animal's natural emotions to kill Jūbei when he came to save his cub. But the old hunter discovered this. To prevent his benefactor from being shot, he fired first and killed that hunter...
"Rustle, rustle!" At this moment, there was suddenly a rustling sound from the bushes. Fujino collected his thoughts, lowered his head, and saw a plump little black bear sticking its head out from the bushes.
The little bear looked at Fujino and tilted its head in confusion. "..."
Fujino looked at the little black bear. "..."
The little black bear wasn't very big. From its size, it should be less than a year old, in its幼年期 (cub stage). From its species, it should be an Asian black bear, also known as a "bear blind" (熊瞎子 - Xiōngxiāzi, a common nickname). Asian black bears are considered a relatively docile species. In Russia, they are only fit for riding bicycles. In his original world, they were also very rare, a Class II endangered species, and killing one would land you in jail.
"Kuma!" The little black bear walked out of the bushes, looked at Fujino in confusion, and then rubbed against his pants leg.
"A bear cub?" Fujino squatted down and touched the black bear's head. To be honest, the little black bear was really cute... He didn't know what that hunter was thinking, wanting to hunt a black bear. But given how abstract Japan is... When you think about it, maybe it makes sense. They don't even bat an eye when killing whales, how can you expect them to protect animals?
(End of Chapter)