This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 495 - 323. The Isolated Island_2

Chapter 495: Chapter 323. The Isolated Island_2

He still had to return to the hotel to inquire about Shen Gu Mirai’s parents, so naturally, he didn’t have time for pleasantries with Hayakawa Sei.

It took him over twenty minutes to get back to Hirasaka Ichiro’s guest room.

Beichuan Si went straight to the elegant room without a word—

Then...

"Why didn’t you wake me up, Mr. Temple!" Shen Gu Mirai exclaimed angrily.

She had rehearsed the scenario of leaving with Beichuan Si countless times in her mind last night and had chosen the best solution among them.

Therefore, unable to contain her excitement, she stayed wide-awake all night, only falling into a deep sleep around five in the morning...

She had thought that Beichuan Si would wake her up directly.

After all, at home, he would lift Beichuan Huili straight out of bed by the collar—if she were also dragged out of bed by her collar—

"That wouldn’t be bad at all! Why didn’t you do that?! Grabbing the back of my neck and lifting me up! Mr. Temple! You should have done that," Shen Gu Mirai said with righteous indignation, her arms crossed.

"Don’t talk nonsense," Beichuan Si said calmly.

"I’m not talking nonsense! I’ve been looking forward to it!"

The girl was talking weirdly again. It was hard to understand how Shen Gu Mirai’s mind worked—she wanted to be dragged out of bed by her collar.

Beichuan Si took a sip of tea and ignored her.

Seeing that Beichuan Si remained impassive, Shen Gu Mirai could only pout.

She had slept until past one in the afternoon before waking up to wash and eat.

By the time she finished eating, it was too late to go back to the Hayakawa Family.

Moreover, since Beichuan Si might still be finishing his commission, she might disturb him, so Shen Gu Mirai had no choice but to suppress her restlessness, stretch her small feet, and wait for Beichuan Si while counting the clouds in the sky.

It must be said that the waiting was incredibly difficult—

"Cough, don’t you think you should do something to make it up to me?" Shen Gu Mirai said, not quite convincingly.

But it was clear to everyone that the failure to wake up had nothing to do with Beichuan Si—it was all her own doing.

"Stop being ridiculous," Beichuan Si said in an even tone.

"Yes..." Shen Gu Mirai wilted.

Although she looked confident and indignant, she dared not speak once Beichuan Si made his stance clear.

Because in reality, it was indeed her own fault.

"More than that, I wanted to ask you about your parents, Mirai," Beichuan Si shifted the topic to the main issue.

My parents?

Shen Gu Mirai blinked in confusion and asked strangely, "What about them, Mr. Temple?"

"In fact, I just found something at the Hayakawa Family that may relate to the island of Ihui your parents went to research, so I wanted to ask about the actual situation back then," Beichuan Si didn’t tell her everything.

After all, his suspicions regarding Ihui Island were just conjectures at this stage and couldn’t yet prove that the engravings on the wooden box were about Ihui Island.

Ihui Island?

Could something shocking have happened on Ihui Island... or perhaps there had been some horrifying event? Otherwise, Beichuan Si wouldn’t have suddenly brought up this topic.

Shen Gu Mirai thought quickly, instinctively straightened her body, and told him everything she knew:

"The specifics I only heard from my parents’ colleagues—they went to investigate an overseas island. Apparently, there are some very valuable folk customs hidden there, so my parents were also very interested in Ihui Island."

Shen Gu Mirai took out her phone and continued, "I do have some photos of Ihui Island stored on my phone, but to find detailed information, I have to search in my parents’ study."

Beichuan Si did not reach out to take the phone that Shen Gu Mirai was handing over, but instead asked directly, "Can’t you just call your parents and ask them directly?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Gu Mirai shook her head, "I was still in contact the day before yesterday, but now my parents have already gone to Ihui Island, and since the signal can’t reach such a remote place, even if I call, it won’t go through."

"Moreover, I’ve already tried..."

Indeed, before Beichuan Si returned today, Shen Gu Mirai had tried to call to inquire about the situation, but as she said, she had made seven or eight calls, like casting a pebble into the ocean, with absolutely no response from the other side.

You have to understand, Shen Gu Mirai is the daughter of Shen Gu Jiro and Shen Gu Chiharu, so she must be even more concerned about their condition.

However...

The signal can’t reach...?

Beichuan Si furrowed his brow.

Isn’t that completely isolated from the outside world?

Both the tiny island and Shen Gu Mirai’s parents were the same.

"In fact, Mr. Temple, you don’t have to worry too much, you know there are still villagers living on that island." Shen Gu Mirai couldn’t help but speak up, but seeing the thoughtful expression on Beichuan Si’s furrowed brow, she slowly asked, "Mr. Temple, could something have happened?"

"Why wouldn’t there be means of communication if there are residents living on the island?" Beichuan Si, catching the contradictory point in Shen Gu Mirai’s words, asked back.

Yes, where there are people, there should be signal towers; otherwise, communication would be too inconvenient.

Shen Gu Mirai continued to shake her head, "This is precisely a key point of folk culture studies. The residents of Ihui Island strongly oppose the establishment of signal towers, and I’ve heard from my parents that the island is closed to visitors every year for a certain period. Similarly, if there are tourists stranded on the island, they are kept there until the close of that period when they are then allowed to return."

"It seems that because Ihui Island has been isolated from the outside world for a long time, there are many local customs that outsiders can’t understand. This is why my parents went there to do their research."

Closing the island.

No permission to establish signal towers.

Currently unable to contact Shen Gu Mirai’s parents.

Beichuan Si tapped his fingers on the coffee table.

If Shen Gu Mirai’s parents really encountered the island’s closure period, that means they’re completely cut off, not just communication wise but physically as well.

Why would this tiny island go to such lengths?

Rather than saying it’s the villagers opposing the signal towers, this noticeable action seems more like covering up something that might have happened on the island.

Currently, everything was still shrouded in fog, and even Beichuan Si was temporarily unable to grasp any direction.

Just when he was deep in thought, Shen Gu Mirai cleverly blinked her eyes and asked, "I’ve told Mr. Temple everything I know; now, Mr. Temple, shouldn’t you tell me what exactly happened?"

Seeing that she had grasped a thread from her own words, Beichuan Si felt a twinge of admiration.

Although Shen Gu Mirai seemed unreliable routinely, she was particularly sharp at times like these.

Beichuan Si didn’t hold back anymore, candidly telling Shen Gu Mirai all the details about the doll and his speculations related to Ihui Island that he had seen at Hayakawa Sei’s house.

He didn’t rush to conclusions but simply continued:

"It’s still just a guess for now... but if it really is as I suspect, I suggest you immediately inquire with your parent’s colleague about whether your parents have any means of satellite communication."

"This... I remember my parents always carry a satellite phone when they travel," Shen Gu Mirai frowned, "but I don’t know the satellite phone number, and this time their colleagues went with them as well. Waiting for them to call us is no problem, but it would be difficult for us to call them..."

"Is that so." Even Beichuan Si could only give up.

Taking a plane from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Okinawa takes about three hours. Afterward, they need to prepare a boat, but the crucial issue is Beichuan Si didn’t know the exact location of Ihui Island, so even his urgency was of no use.