Outlaw in the World of Conan, Tokisaki Kurumi

"Mr. Kawashima? I recall he left during the memorial service," said someone who had been seated at the back.

"Could Mr. Kawashima be the prankster?" another villager asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

After all, Kawashima was known as the wealthiest man on the island and held a significant advantage in the upcoming village chief election.

A candidate who needed the villagers' favor to win votes wouldn't be foolish enough to commit an act that would nearly incite the wrath of the entire island.

Upon hearing the villagers begin to discuss and condemn Kawashima, his rival, the current village chief Kuroiwa, felt something was amiss. However, being the shrewd man he was, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to kick a man while he was down.

This was especially true considering their shared involvement in a murder-by-arson incident over a decade ago.

Watching Kuroiwa seize the moment to loudly criticize Kawashima's actions, Mouri Kogoro, who had already dismissed the incident as a prank, was oblivious. But Conan, still nursing a headache, had a bad feeling about this.

The clamor of condemnation continued for several minutes until finally, someone with a clearer head posed a crucial question.

"However, if Mr. Kawashima really did this, where is he? And what about the back door lock being broken that the child mentioned?"

Faced with such pointed questions, Kuroiwa, who had been busy denouncing his rival, fell silent.

"Perhaps Kawashima colluded with someone in the village," said the woman standing beside Kuroiwa with disdain.

As Kuroiwa's daughter, she clearly understood the need to support her father at this moment.

However, such a flawed hypothesis couldn't possibly convince the crowd.

But with Kawashima, the prime suspect, nowhere to be found, and lacking decisive evidence, their suspicions remained mere assumptions and conjectures.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the Community Center was concentrated in the piano room, Kurumi, with the unconscious Kawashima in tow, slipped away under the cover of night, unnoticed by anyone, and brought him to the second floor of Aso Narumi's clinic.

In a storage room dimly lit by a single light, King Crimson, controlled by Kurumi, efficiently bound Kawashima securely to a stool with ropes.

Kurumi removed the gag from Kawashima's mouth and tossed it aside. She then brought a stool for herself and sat opposite him, idly playing with a cold, menacing military knife.

Kurumi remained silent, a cruel smile playing on her lips, a stark contrast to her usual gentle demeanor. She was contemplating the methods she would use to 'entertain' the scoundrel before her.

King Crimson, tall and imposing, stood faithfully by Kurumi's side, diligently fulfilling his duty.

A moment later, the unconscious Kawashima gradually began to stir.

He opened his eyes, still disoriented about what had happened. Feeling a sharp pain in the back of his neck, he was astonished to find a stunningly beautiful girl sitting before him for no apparent reason.

"Who are you?" The sudden turn of events left Kawashima flustered.

What terrified Kawashima even more was the inability to feel his body from the neck down.

Panic flashed across Kawashima's lecherous face.

"What... what did you do to me?" he stammered, fear evident in his voice.

"Me?" Kurumi flashed a sweet smile that could melt any man's heart. However, Kawashima couldn't perceive any hint of amusement from the beautiful girl before him.

Especially her scarlet right eye, which seemed to pierce through his very being, radiating a chilling coldness that made Kawashima realize she was no ordinary person.

And to top it off, she held a thick dagger in her hand.

"You don't need to know who I am," Kurumi said with a smile. "You just need to know that someone hired me to do something for them."

'Do something?' Hearing the girl say she was hired, Kawashima, who considered himself wealthy and influential, quickly blurted out, "Who hired you? No! I don't care who it is, or how much they paid you! If you let me go, I'll give you double... no! Five times the money!"

Seeing her deftly twirl the dagger, Kawashima didn't care who she was working for. In his mind, any problem that could be solved with money was no problem at all!

Kurumi's smile widened at Kawashima's attempt to bribe her.

The sheer visual spectacle of her exquisite, smiling face momentarily stunned even Kawashima, who was now like a fish on a chopping block.

As the wealthiest man on the island, Kawashima believed he had used his wealth to charm many beautiful women over the years.

But at this moment, he felt that none of the women he had encountered could compare to this young girl, who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.

Kurumi, aware of Kawashima's thoughts as he stared blankly at her, might have been annoyed and sought to teach him a lesson on another occasion.

But for someone who was about to die...

Kurumi considered her magnanimity to be quite broad.

At least E+ and infinitely close to F.

Tapping Kawashima's face with the cold dagger, Kurumi asked, "Mr. Kawashima, I don't think some matters... can be solved with money."

"Especially when it concerns my friend."

The cold blade struck his face heavily, jolting Kawashima back to reality from his lecherous daze.

Hearing that the girl was here on behalf of a friend, Kawashima's mind raced, trying to recall if he had offended anyone recently.

"I don't know who hired you, but as long as you don't hurt me, I'll tell you everything," he said, his tone gaining a sliver of confidence, assuming the woman wanted information about the wood shavings and wouldn't harm him yet. He had already convinced himself that he must have been drugged with some kind of anesthetic.

Seeing Kawashima's cooperation, Kurumi leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

As Kurumi's long, shapely legs, encased in black stockings, crossed before him, exuding an irresistible allure, the lecherous Kawashima stared intently at her legs, his breathing quickening.

Damn it, if I can just find an opportunity! I'll make sure you know what happens when you cross me!

Rapidly fantasizing about subduing her once the effects of the drug wore off, Kawashima had already conjured images in his mind of the beautiful girl before him pleading for mercy beneath him.

But... will things really turn around as he thought?

37 Kira Yoshikage's Classic Quotes, Part 1 (Second Update)

At this moment, Kawashima didn't know that the pain in the back of his neck wasn't just from King Crimson's 'loving' hand chop, but also from the wail of his broken spine.

Undoubtedly now a high-level paraplegic, he still didn't realize he had become a cripple not much better than a vegetable.

The beautiful face of the girl before him, her full breasts that couldn't be held in one hand, and her shapely legs exuding endless temptation, constantly offered visual and physiological temptation to Kawashima.

Seeing Kawashima's reaction, Kurumi didn't pay it any mind.

"Mr. Kawashima, regarding my friend's request, I just wanted to ask..." As she spoke, Kurumi leaned down and brought her head close to Kawashima's face.

Breathing in the alluring scent emanating from the girl, Kawashima couldn't help but swallow.

A fairy! This woman is definitely a fairy! Kawashima, who had already fantasized about an R-rated scenario in his mind, felt his inner flames burn even hotter.

However, before he could get too excited, Kurumi's next words doused his burgeoning desire like icy seawater from Siberia.

"To prevent Aso Keiji from revealing that you guys were selling White Powder and then killing his entire family, are you guys truly afraid of Aso Keiji's soul?"

This simple question instantly turned Kawashima's expression into one of sheer terror.

"You... how do you know about this!" With his deepest secret laid bare, the panic made Kawashima's voice tremble uncontrollably.

Looking at Kawashima coldly, Kurumi unhesitatingly shoved the blade of a military knife into his mouth, her chilling tone so terrifying it seemed capable of freezing the soul. "You, don't answer a question with a question!"

Feeling the cold, sharp blade touch the corner of his mouth, Kawashima trembled with fear.

"Did school teach you to answer a question with a question? I'm asking if you are truly afraid of Aso Keiji's soul?"

With a cruel expression, Kurumi only needed to move her hand slightly, and Kawashima's mouth would be sliced open from ear to ear.

"Afraid! Of course, we're afraid!" With a knife in his mouth, Kawashima could only carefully open his lips to answer Kurumi's question.

"No! You are not afraid!" Kurumi, dissatisfied with Kawashima's answer, said, "The curse of the evil spirit you spread on the island is just a way to more conveniently use the piano to sell White Powder!"

Kurumi, who detested such things, had a cruelty in her eyes that seemed to materialize. At that moment, she wished she could cut this guy into pieces with her knife to see if his heart was still red.

Kawashima, completely terrified by the bloodthirsty aura emanating from Kurumi, was on the verge of collapse.

"You guys not only killed an innocent family for your own gain, but you also continue to tarnish their reputation even after their deaths!"

Although Kurumi knew her own hands were stained with blood, that blood had all belonged to evil people who deserved their fate.

As one of the few people in the organization with some conscience, she had been slandered by many for this very reason.

She pulled the knife out of Kawashima's mouth and wiped the saliva off on his suit.

Looking at Kawashima with disgust, Kurumi dropped her aggressive demeanor and said coldly, "I can give you a chance to live. As long as you honestly tell me the cause and effect of how you killed Aso Keiji's family back then, I will let you continue to live."

When Kurumi finished speaking, Kawashima, hearing that he still had a chance to live, hastily said, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

"Very good!" Putting the knife aside, Kurumi stood up from her chair and walked to the table with the tape recorder.

"When I press the record button on the tape recorder, you tell me what happened."

Watching Kawashima nod desperately, Kurumi pointed to the military knife beside her. "But if you lie in your words, I will use this knife to cut your flesh off piece by piece."

"I believe you've heard of the ancient Chinese punishment called 'Lingchi,' haven't you..."

Under Kurumi's cruel words, Kawashima, a grown man who was already crying, knew his life was over.

Even if this girl didn't kill him, once the tape recording his confession fell into the hands of the police, he wouldn't have an easy time.

However... compared to losing his life or suffering the horrors of Lingchi, which was terrifying to anyone, being imprisoned was an acceptable outcome.

"Click!"

The sound of the button press was crystal clear in the silent room.

Upon hearing this sound, Kawashima, who had given up all hope, slowly began to speak.

Watching Kawashima honestly recount the truth of what happened that year, Kurumi revealed a meaningful smile.

Would she really let him go just because Kawashima admitted to his accomplices and the murder?

The answer was naturally: "NO!"

While Kurumi was dealing with Mr. Kawashima, Mouri Kogoro, who had begun to suspect that something was amiss, revealed the reason for his visit to Moon Shadow Island in front of everyone. This caused a stir.

Especially the current village chief, Kuroiwa, who was one of the culprits of the incident back then, became extremely fearful.

Mouri Kogoro, who had already suspected a mastermind behind the scenes, and Conan, who saw the damaged lock on the warehouse, organized everyone to search for Kawashima in the community center.

"Mr. Hirata, are there any important items stored in this warehouse?" Mouri Kogoro asked the man who had been shouting in the piano room while observing his surroundings.

"Well... there aren't any valuable items, as it's just a warehouse," Hirata replied truthfully after thinking for a moment.

"Is that so?" Mouri Kogoro frowned. "If there are no valuable items in the warehouse, then why would someone deliberately break the lock?"

"They must have been looking for something!" Conan, for once finding Mouri Kogoro's thinking somewhat reasonable, forgot his pain.

"If they were looking for something, I think it would only be the island's police officer. Because he's the only one who holds the key to the warehouse," Hirata replied honestly.

"Is that so?" Hearing Hirata's answer, Mouri Kogoro's spirits immediately lifted. "Alright, then, Ran, you go to the police station and get the officers. I'll stay here to prevent anyone else from disturbing the scene!"

After hearing Mouri Kogoro's words from inside the room, Mouri Ran, who was standing outside looking uneasy, was somewhat reluctant.

As a girl, Mouri Ran was most afraid of things like curses and evil spirits.

However, she couldn't disobey her father, and Hirata was an outsider. She didn't want to go alone either...

After thinking it over and over, until Mouri Kogoro from inside the room urged her again, Mouri Ran suddenly thought of Conan.

38 Good Person? Bad Person? (Third update)

"Conan~ Will you come with me? How about it?" Mouri Ran, wanting Conan to accompany her to find the police, walked into the room with a sweet smile and a sugary voice, asking Conan, who was looking around.

"Huh? I don't want to!" Conan, solely focused on finding clues, instinctively refused.

"You have to, leave this place to Dad. Come with me~" Even though she was rejected, Mouri Ran didn't give up.

"No way!"

Conan found it troublesome and refused again.

Mouri Kogoro, who had maintained his sweet smile, noticed his daughter's stiff smile and vaguely sensed a faint killing intent emanating from Mouri Ran.

Knowing his daughter could be difficult, Mouri Kogoro averted his gaze and pretended to be nonchalant, supporting his daughter. "Ran's right. You little brat always like to stir up trouble! Hurry up! Go with Ran and get the police!"

Only then did Conan, targeted by both father and daughter, reluctantly turn around.

Completely unaware that he had narrowly escaped, Conan still looked full of reluctance. However, just as he was about to say something more, Conan noticed Mouri Ran's gaze...

Deep in Conan's memory, he suddenly recalled that his seemingly gentle childhood friend could be very dangerous when angry.

Especially her punch, which could crack utility poles, was something Conan would never forget.

The attitude of "cowardice" instantly overcame Conan's reluctance. His expression changed as if he were acting, and he put on a fawning look, speaking in a childish voice and pretending to be very happy. "Okay! I'll go with big sister Ran right now!"