Outlaw Maniac in Conan's World, Tokisaki Kurumi

"Kurumi, are you okay?"

Seeing Aso Narumi holding a kitchen knife, Kurumi felt both surprised and touched.

"Don't worry, Sister Seijitsu." Turning to Conan, who still looked shaken, Kurumi reassured him, "This little brat is a bit troublesome, but overall, it's not a big problem."

Hearing Kurumi's words, Conan looked toward Aso Narumi on the stairs. Especially after noticing the sharp kitchen knife in her hand, having just endured Kurumi's murderous intent, he involuntarily swallowed.

He had no desire to be stabbed to death with a kitchen knife.

Forcing himself to calm down, Conan knew he still had room to maneuver.

"Are you two the culprits who kidnapped Kawashima and planned to kill the other two as well?" Conan glared at Kurumi. He could not understand why the kind-looking doctor was actually on Kurumi's side.

Wait! I remember that old police officer saying Aso Keiji had another child named Narumi, who was living in a Tokyo hospital when it happened... Could it be?

Looking at Aso Narumi, Conan understood everything at once.

Kurumi took the kitchen knife from Aso Narumi's hand and placed it on the table as she spoke. "Yes. At least you got that part right."

Kurumi spoke as if she were discussing something entirely unimportant, without the slightest trace of panic.

"Why?" Conan frowned tightly, unable to understand Kurumi's attitude. Hating evil as he did, he could not comprehend it. "Was it just to avenge Sister Asai—no, Sister Aso Narumi's family, who were killed by those people back then?"

Hearing that Conan knew about this hidden history, Kurumi and Aso Narumi displayed two completely different expressions.

Knowing everything, Kurumi leaned her hips against the table, arms folded, and calmly watched Conan.

As for Aso Narumi, her beautiful face was full of surprise. She had no idea how this little brat had learned her true identity.

Kurumi scoffed at Conan's question. "Isn't that enough? The law never gave those scum the punishment they deserved. Rather than watch them continue living without a shred of guilt, why shouldn't I take revenge on them when I have the ability to do so?"

Hearing Kurumi speak up for her, Aso Narumi was deeply moved.

In her eyes, Kurumi had risked everything solely to help her seek revenge.

As a detective overflowing with a sense of justice, Conan naturally could not agree with Kurumi's view.

He argued reasonably, "Even so, you could have called the police. Why did you have to hurt people? Couldn't you have made them face legal punishment?"

In Conan's eyes, even if those bastards carried Aso Narumi's blood-deep hatred, it was not a reason for the two of them to take other people's lives for revenge!

Otherwise, what was the point of having laws?

Hearing Conan's words, Kurumi could no longer hold back.

She hated most of all people who stood on the moral high ground and casually judged others.

"What do you know!"

Startled by Kurumi's furious tone, Narumi looked at her in surprise.

Since meeting her, Narumi had never seen Kurumi lose her temper so badly.

"The law—the law you keep talking about—did it truly uphold justice back then?" Kurumi said fiercely. "You've never had your family destroyed! You've never experienced the hatred and helplessness of watching murderers remain free for more than a decade! All you have is that ridiculous sense of justice, letting you play armchair critic after the fact!"

To be honest, Kurumi did not actually dislike Conan as a character.

But that did not mean Kurumi agreed with his views.

Justice delayed was not justice.

A blood debt had to be repaid in blood.

Conan was completely silenced by Kurumi's words and did not know how to refute her.

Just as Kurumi had said, Kudo Shinichi had a happy life and an unlimited future.

If he had not foolishly insisted on watching Gin and Vodka make a deal with someone, he could have enjoyed that wonderful life without a care.

To put it more harshly, if Gin or Vodka had finished off that hotheaded Kudo back then, with their methods, even if the police found Kudo Shinichi's body, they would never have discovered who did it.

"But..."

Seeing that Conan still wanted to argue, Kurumi interrupted him. "Enough, little detective. I'm not in the mood to discuss what justice is with you right now. After all... forget it." Kurumi had wanted to say more, but the moment she saw Conan's expression, she lost all interest.

"You don't need to worry about what happens here. You only need to know that Kuroiwa and Nishimoto must die. As for everyone else, don't worry."

Although Kurumi's assurance was sincere, Conan would not trust a member of the Black Organization.

Just as he planned to report this to Inspector Megure once he was safe, Kurumi, who had long seen through what Conan was thinking, reminded him, "Oh, and if I find out you're interfering in what happens next, I can't guarantee that things will remain so... peaceful."

With that, Kurumi gave Conan a sinister, vicious smile.

It was a threat. Everything Kurumi said was a threat against Conan.

"You!" Conan gritted his teeth in fury.

Seeing Conan's anger meter maxed out, Kurumi continued, "Of course, if you don't interfere with us, I can tell you about 'that night.'"

Emphasizing the words "that night," Kurumi was curious to see how Conan would weigh his own interests against the lives of two murderers.

Kurumi: Did I Cuck Your Mom or Ran? Why Are You So Mad?

On one side was the "truth" Conan had always pursued. On the other were the lives of several criminals.

Kurumi had placed this difficult choice before Conan, and his sense of justice left him caught in a dilemma.

To be honest, Kurumi did not dislike Conan.

On the contrary, she sincerely admired his performance in the middle and later parts of the story.

Especially Conan's intellect, which made Kurumi feel inferior.

But admiration was just admiration. Since she and Conan had never been on the same path from the beginning, she could never become friends with someone as thoroughly "red" as Conan.

The barrier between them could not be broken with just a few words. Whether in their methods of action or their ways of thinking, while they could not simply be divided into absolute black and red, their many contradictions meant they could at most become collaborators to a certain extent.

But none of that mattered to Kurumi. What mattered was that cooperating with Conan could bring her considerable benefits and amusement. That alone was enough for Kurumi to suppress her temporary dissatisfaction with him.

Seeing Conan remain silent for so long, Kurumi knew exactly how difficult the choice she had given him was.

"Forget it." Growing impatient, Kurumi said, "Since you're having such a hard time with it, I'll take a small loss."

Hearing Kurumi say that, Aso Narumi and Conan immediately turned their gazes toward the regretful-looking Kurumi.

"Kurumi, are you going to spare those two?" Aso Narumi looked worried, afraid Kurumi would nod.

But unlike the innocent Aso Narumi, Conan did not think this bad girl before him would be so kindhearted.

"Of course not." Kurumi's words put Aso Narumi at ease. "What I mean is, I won't personally kill them from now on. In that case, little Detective Conan, can you agree now?"

As if she thought Conan did not trust her, Kurumi added, "Not only will I not make a move, but Sister Seijitsu, whom everyone else considers completely innocent, won't lay a hand on those two either."

Only after Kurumi said that did Conan finally react.

Even so, his heart remained full of suspicion toward Kurumi. "Can your words really be trusted?"

Seeing Conan's suspicious expression, Kurumi pursed her lips and shook her head speechlessly.

With a sigh, Kurumi truly did not know what to say to this hotheaded brat.

"Do you think you still have the leverage to negotiate terms with me?" Kurumi stared at Conan. "If I wanted to kill you to silence you, I could have snapped your spine the moment I found you, then buried you somewhere. I wouldn't have kept you around so you could stand here bargaining with me!"

As she spoke, Kurumi wore an exasperated expression and said irritably to Conan, "And if the two of us were Gin and Vodka, forget talking to you. From what I know of them, the moment they discovered you, you would have had absolutely no chance of surviving."

Hearing Kurumi mention two kinds of alcohol, Aso Narumi became even more confused about what she was talking about.

Could Kurumi's organization be terrifying? Feeling that Kurumi was describing a pair of psychopathic killers, Aso Narumi grew a little nervous.

"So you did show me mercy after all?" Conan still looked at Kurumi suspiciously, but his tone no longer carried the same deep hatred as before.

Rather than answer Conan directly, Kurumi clicked her tongue. "You really are an ungrateful little brat! Let me repeat myself: there is no conflict of interest between you and me. Believe it or not, all I want to know now is what you choose."

After talking so much that her throat had gone dry, Kurumi's tone became somewhat impatient.

"I..."

Conan's expression was incomparably conflicted as he struggled frantically inside.

Though he had no fondness for those two criminals, as a detective of justice, Conan did not want to simply let Kurumi kill them.

But when he thought about how he could obtain information about the Black Organization from Kurumi, especially about the two people she called Gin and Vodka, Conan finally spoke, deciding that the latter posed the greater threat.

"Fine! As long as you don't make a move before nightfall tomorrow, I promise I won't tell Uncle Mouri or Inspector Megure about you!"

"But I need to know whether Kawashima, whom you kidnapped, is still alive!"

Conan's gaze at Kurumi was extremely serious.

"Kawashima?" Kurumi tilted her head cutely, lightly touching her lips with a slender index finger as she giggled. "Of course he's dead."

Yes, Kawashima was already dead.

The reason was that Kurumi simply could not stand the entire room reeking after that guy lost control of both his bladder and bowels.

But since Kawashima was Aso Narumi's enemy, Kurumi naturally would not be kind enough to give him a quick death.

Although he had become a high-level paraplegic, Kawashima's senses and mind remained intact, allowing Kurumi to boldly test many of her less-than-mature ideas on him.

Recalling how Kawashima had cried and begged her to give him a quick death, Kurumi, having thoroughly mangled his body and played to her heart's content, generously granted his wish.

She had King Crimson crush his head beneath its foot.

Naturally, Kurumi had not done any of that to Kawashima inside Narumi's house. She had done it in the nearby forest.

As for the pit used to bury Kawashima, King Crimson had rapidly dug it after swinging a shovel like Lu Bu wielding his Sky Piercer Halberd.

"You!" Hearing Kurumi say that Kawashima was dead, Conan felt a surge of anger. Though he had not held much hope that Kawashima was still alive, hearing the fact from Kurumi herself still enraged him.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. But faced with the reality that he held no advantage whatsoever against Kurumi, Conan chose to remain silent.

A wise man knew when to yield. As a smart person, Conan naturally knew when to rein in his temper.

Seeing that Conan could actually hold himself back, Kurumi no longer felt like teasing him. "All right, all right. I can agree to what you said, so can you sit down and talk properly now?"

Kurumi felt waves of helplessness, because Conan looked at her as though she had cuckolded his mother and Ran, his expression filled with bitter hatred.

Seriously, if I wanted to, could your dad and Uncle Mouri stop me?

Kurumi Was Jealous

Just as Kurumi was about to give Conan a proper lecture, a strange sound suddenly came from her pocket.

"Doo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo~ Doo-roo-roo-roo-roo-roo~"

Such an obviously human-made sound naturally drew Conan and Aso Narumi's attention.

What a strange ringtone.

Seeing Kurumi take out her phone, the two of them unexpectedly had the same thought.

"..." Noticing the caller ID on the screen, Kurumi frowned slightly.

She did not answer immediately. Instead, after saying, "I'll be right back," to the two of them, she walked into a room on the first floor and closed the door.

Outside, Conan and Aso Narumi stared at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

In the dark room, Kurumi answered the phone.

"Big Sister Bei, what is it?" The call from Vermouth made Kurumi think she might have another job.

Vermouth, who was somewhere in America and who knew what she did all day, had always been mysterious. Sometimes, even Kurumi could not guess what she was thinking.

As soon as Kurumi finished speaking, Vermouth's mature voice, so familiar to her, came from the phone speaker. "Kurumi, go to Tokyo Airport at nine o'clock the morning after tomorrow. Someone needs you to escort her to the laboratory there."

Getting straight to the point, Vermouth said, "Gin and Vodka will also be participating in this mission."

"They're coming too?" Kurumi was surprised to hear Vermouth say that.

She knew perfectly well that Gin was not someone who could be ordered around easily. That cleaner who spent all day hunting traitors looked down on everyone. Within the organization, aside from the mysterious boss who was never seen, only Rum, the second-in-command, could make him listen somewhat.

Even Vermouth, someone favored by the boss, was someone Gin dared to snap at.

"Looks like her identity is quite special." Kurumi could not understand who had such status that both she and Gin were being assigned to escort them.

In response to Kurumi's remark, Vermouth laughed on the other end of the line. "She is indeed special. Or rather, her existence makes her an indispensable talent for the organization's drug research."

Kurumi fell silent.

She had already guessed who she was being sent to pick up.

If she was not mistaken, the person flying to Tokyo the day after tomorrow should be Haibara Ai, one of the popular characters in Conan's world.