"What are you doing in a place like this?"
Seeing an acquaintance, Shinichi Kudo, appear at the crime scene, Inspector Megure immediately stepped forward and asked.
"We were all invited by Sonoko to play at a villa in this village."
Shinichi Kudo said.
"So that's how it is."
Inspector Megure said, "But what exactly happened here? How did the body end up there?"
"The Great Bird God has manifested!"
At this moment, an elderly woman, draped in a cloak woven from black feathers, walked over and spoke in an eerie tone.
"The legend of the Great Bird attacking humans and taking them as sacrifices has come true! The 300-year cycle of offerings is almost here, and the Wakura family has been acting on its own, investigating and excavating ruins! The Great Bird God is angry!"
"She's right."
Evidently, this old woman held high prestige in the village. Villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the news also echoed her words after she spoke.
"Yes! It has manifested! It has manifested!"
Faced with this situation, Inspector Megure pulled Kudo aside and began to inquire about the sequence of events, which all started this morning:
Early this morning, Shinichi Kudo, Ran, and Kisaki Eri, led by Suzuki Sonoko, arrived at the stop at the entrance of Fifteen Nights Village.
This place was nestled among mountains, sparsely populated. After reaching this stop, Suzuki Sonoko did not continue leading the way and waited there. Because they were there for leisure, Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, and Kisaki Eri were all dressed very fashionably and beautifully. Only Shinichi Kudo, unable to return home, was still wearing his school uniform.
Soon, someone from the village came to greet them.
Suzuki Sonoko saw the middle-aged man leading the group and went forward to greet him, "Uncle Wakura, long time no see!"
This was a man in his fifties, still looking energetic, with a kind smile. Upon seeing Suzuki Sonoko approach to greet him, he immediately responded with a smile, "Yes, welcome."
He was Wakura Isami, the chairman of the Wakura Group. Behind him followed a young man and a young woman.
"Hello."
Seeing Wakura Isami come out, Kisaki Eri also stepped forward to greet him.
Wakura Isami also smiled and responded, "Long time no see."
Then, Kisaki Eri and Suzuki Sonoko introduced Ran and Shinichi Kudo to Wakura Isami respectively. Wakura Isami appeared very pleased about this, welcoming the four with the tone of a host.
"Welcome to the village with the legend of the Great Bird."
Suzuki Sonoko was curious about this statement and began to inquire about the story of the Great Bird legend. So Wakura Isami introduced the village's legend to them.
He said that a long time ago, giant shrikes appeared in the village and would take villagers as sacrifices. Those attacked by it would be impaled on trees, just like the habit of ordinary shrikes, which impale captured insects or frogs on branches.
While introducing the legend to them, Kudo and the others also learned who the man and woman accompanying Wakura Isami were: the Female student was Wakura Misa, Wakura Isami's daughter, and the man was Kosaka Sho, a university student assisting Wakura Isami in investigating the Great Bird legend in the village.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wakura Isami led everyone to Fifteen Nights Village.
Soon, everyone arrived at a long, narrow suspension bridge woven from plant vines, with wooden planks connecting the middle. In front of the bridge stood a weathered wooden sign, faintly showing the words 'Fifteen Nights Village'.
Only after crossing the suspension bridge did they truly enter Fifteen Nights Village.
Led by Wakura Isami, after walking a section of mountain path, everyone arrived at the landmark building of Fifteen Nights Village—the Shrike Shrine.
Looking at the structure of the shrine, Shinichi Kudo was somewhat curious and couldn't help but ask, "What are the characteristics of the Great Bird legend in Fifteen Nights Village?"
"It's quite similar to the legend from the Phobina ruins of Mayan civilization."
Wakura Isami showed great interest in Shinichi Kudo's topic and began to explain continuously.
"When I was in school, I tracked various Great Bird legends and strange bird legends around the world, but situations like this are very rare. The village also has such ruins; perhaps ancient Mayan civilization once spread to Japan, which could be a major discovery!"
As he spoke, everyone quickly arrived at the very center of the shrine, an open-air clearing surrounded by mountains. In the center of the clearing stood a tall, ancient tree.
The ancient tree was nearly ten meters tall, thick, sturdy, and lush with foliage, but strangely, several sharpened branches on the tree were particularly prominent.
In front of the ancient tree, there was also a very thick log, laid horizontally, with two bases at its ends, like a long bench. In front of the log was a large round stone, looking very peculiar.
"What is this?"
Shinichi Kudo asked, surprised, upon seeing this.
"The villagers call it the kamisu tree, also known as the Sacrifice Tree. It used to be a place to offer live sacrifices to the Great Bird God."
Kosaka Sho stepped forward to explain, "As for the log over there, it's called the Divine Perch. It is said to be where the Great Bird God rests its feet."
"Live sacrifices?"
Shinichi Kudo had some unpleasant thoughts about this.
"Yes."
Kosaka Sho continued, "Live sacrifices are offered here, in the manner of a shrike impaling its prey."
"It is said that in the past, to appease the Great Bird God's anger, the village would select a sacrifice to tightly embrace this Divine Perch and pray to the Great Bird God, so that everyone might be spared from famine and disaster. If the Great Bird God accepted the prayer, then on the morning of the next day, that sacrifice would be impaled high up on the branches of the Sacrifice Tree."
Wakura Isami also came out to explain, "However, the current saying is that if you embrace the Divine Perch and make a wish, your wish will come true. And there are kamisu trees like this all over the village."
Just as he was speaking, a police officer on a bicycle, carrying a box, happened to arrive.
Wakura Isami saw him and greeted him.
The police officer also parked his bicycle and greeted Wakura Isami. Seeing everyone there, he asked, "Guests have arrived!"
"Yes, today is indeed a nice day."
Wakura Isami said, introducing the village's resident police officer, Tsuchiichi Issei, to everyone.
Then, seeing Tsuchiichi Issei pick up the box from his bicycle, he asked, "Officer, do you have business at the shrine?"
"Yes, I've been assigned to help prepare for the festival."
With that, Tsuchiichi Issei carried the box and moved it towards a cave nearby.
"Uncle, is there a festival?"
Suzuki Sonoko couldn't help but ask curiously.
"In three days."
Wakura Isami said.
"Oh? What kind of event is it?"
Ran was clearly also intrigued.
To this, Kosaka Sho began to explain, "It's a tradition of this Shrike Shrine, to appease the violent spirit of the Great Bird God by dressing up as birds, singing blessings, and dancing. But this year, it's not just that, there's something even more special, right, Officer?"
As he spoke, Kosaka Sho looked at Tsuchiichi Issei, who had just walked out and was about to move more things.
"Yes. In the inner courtyard here, there's a national treasure-level ancient mirror that can only be seen once every 300 years."
Tsuchiichi Issei said happily while carrying things.
"Right! Three days from now is exactly the 300-year mark!"
Kosaka Sho also said excitedly.
"Really? Once every 300 years! We are so lucky!"
Suzuki Sonoko and Ran could not hide their excitement.
"I heard that mirror resonates with the Sacrifice Tree, and then an incredible phenomenon will occur, leading to a total solar eclipse."
Kosaka Sho said excitedly, walking up to the kamisu tree, while Wakura Misa also curiously went closer, looking up at the large tree.
"But the next time Japan can see a total solar eclipse should be in 2035, shouldn't it?"
Shinichi Kudo asked, puzzled.
"It sounds absurd, doesn't it?"
Wakura Isami said, "The villagers are always worried about curses, which makes them a bit neurotic. But..."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp—"
Before he could finish, such a sharp, high-pitched sound suddenly echoed throughout the village and the mountains. Then many birds flapped their wings and began to fly into the sky.
Everyone wondered what had happened, all looking up in confusion at the fluttering birds in the sky. Wakura Misa seemed to have thought of something; she walked towards Shinichi Kudo, looking at him, and said, "Um, it's a rare opportunity, please stay until the festival ends."
Just then, the strange sound disappeared. Suzuki Sonoko, slowly shifting her gaze towards the kamisu tree, suddenly screamed.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a bloody corpse impaled by a sharpened branch on the kamisu tree—it was Kosaka Sho!