Outlaw in Conan's World, Tokisaki Kurumi

Yes! That was exactly the reason!

Sensing that Aso Narumi did not seem inclined to let Curacao off, Kurumi waved her hand and explained, "It's fine. She's already fallen into my hands anyway. As compensation for trying to make a move against us, I've decided to train Curacao to be our household's personal maid!"

She made that unreliable declaration with overwhelming bravado. At that moment, both Miyano Akemi and Aso Narumi had the exact same thought.

She's serious!

"But... Kurumi, can you really trust her? Or rather, will she really cooperate?"

Miyano Akemi voiced her concern.

"Don't worry. I'm a professional at train—cough! Training newcomers!" Sitting on the sofa, Kurumi said with great interest, "Besides, our café will be opening soon. When the time comes, I'll have Curacao put on a maid outfit and serve as a maid in the shop!"

Imagining Miyano Akemi and Aso Narumi, two beautiful women, both dressed in maid outfits while cuddling up against her from either side during the café's opening—and preferably feeding her fruit intimately—Kurumi could not help revealing a smile that did not look particularly intelligent.

"Kurumi, you're drooling!" Seeing Kurumi's foolish grin, how could Narumi, who had been with her for so long, not know what she was thinking?

I'm Back!

Curacao, Rum's confidante and the organization's second-in-command.

Possessing the ability to store memories, she could use a unique method to awaken those stored memories through five cards of different colors.

Her abilities and strength had earned her a place even among the organization's upper ranks.

But now, this high-ranking organization member lay asleep on the sofa like Sleeping Beauty. Five pairs of eyes in the living room quietly stared at the tightly bound Curacao.

Honestly, as long as you wanted to, I could accept any kind of play~ Aso Narumi looked at Kurumi with puffed cheeks and asked unhappily, "So, Kurumi, what are you planning to do?"

From a rational perspective, Narumi knew perfectly well that, as Rum's confidante, Curacao would not be easy to bring aboard their side.

And if they handled it badly, this woman might even stab them in the back.

But Narumi believed that clever Kurumi could not possibly have failed to consider that point. So, she intended to hear Kurumi's thoughts.

Off to the side, Miyano Akemi shrank into the sofa somewhat fearfully, scared of the assassins the organization might send.

"As for that~" Kurumi looked at Curacao and reached out to remove the ropes, gag, and blindfold binding her.

"Let's wait for her to wake up first!"

After dragging over a stool and sitting in front of Curacao, Kurumi patted Curacao's smooth cheek. When she found that Curacao still had not awakened, Kurumi took a can of icy cola from the refrigerator and, under the puzzled gazes of Aso Narumi and Miyano Akemi, slowly slipped it into Curacao's collar with a wicked grin.

"Uh..."

"Uh..."

Seeing Kurumi use such a rotten method, the other two women's eyelids twitched.

Ignoring their speechless reactions, Kurumi smiled at the unresponsive Curacao and said, "You've got good endurance~ Too bad the details of your expression already gave you away, Curacao." As she spoke, Kurumi shoved her index and middle fingers into Curacao's nostrils, blocking her ability to breathe through her nose.

Hearing Kurumi say that Curacao had actually already woken up, Narumi and Akemi, who had been sitting on another sofa, immediately sprang to their feet and stared at Curacao warily.

On the sofa, just as Kurumi had said, Curacao had actually awakened when Kurumi and the others began discussing her after removing her restraints.

However, in order to find out what exactly they intended to do after tying her up and bringing her here, Curacao pretended to remain unconscious and listened to the sounds around her.

But now that Kurumi had exposed her act, and was even maliciously blocking her nose, Curacao had no choice but to open her eyes and look at Kurumi in front of her vigilantly.

"What do you want?" Since Kurumi had not yet withdrawn her hand, Curacao's voice came out muffled and sounded rather comical.

Noticing the amusement in Kurumi's right eye growing stronger, Curacao realized what was happening. She hurriedly slapped Kurumi's hand away and glared at her furiously.

"Honestly." Rubbing her hand, Kurumi complained before saying, "Your boss's plan failed. As punishment for him making a move against me, Curacao, you belong to me now. Understand?"

"Belong to you?" Although Curacao knew she had lost thoroughly, as someone loyal to Rum, she would not accept Kurumi's words.

She glanced around. When Curacao noticed that there were two women standing in the room, her eyes widened in shock. She murmured in disbelief, "Miyano Akemi? Could Akai Shuichi be here too?"

Before losing consciousness, Curacao clearly remembered that Kurumi had encountered Akai Shuichi, who had suddenly appeared while she was dealing with Miyano Akemi, and that the two sides had engaged in a fierce battle.

Therefore, when Curacao saw Miyano Akemi, her first thought was that Akai Shuichi, who had protected Miyano Akemi, was here as well.

Seeing that she had actually been ignored, Aso Narumi, who was already extremely displeased with Curacao, suddenly had an idea.

She stuck the voice changer Kurumi had given her to her throat and spoke in a voice identical to Akai Shuichi's, saying mockingly, "Yeah, I'm right here!"

Hearing another woman produce Akai Shuichi's voice merely by touching her throat, the intelligent Curacao understood instantly.

"So it was you!"

After saying that, Curacao glared at Kurumi and indignantly demanded, "Bloody Mary, I never expected you to betray the organization!"

"Betrayal?" Kurumi crossed her legs in the chair and answered disdainfully, "You, who intended to kill even me, have the nerve to say that?"

As she spoke, Kurumi opened the icy cola she had taken back and drank a sip, then continued leisurely, "But I know that bald idiot Rum has disliked me for a long time. You were only following orders, so I won't hold it against you too much."

"But!" At this point, an inexplicable smile appeared on Kurumi's face. "Although you were only obeying Rum subjectively, your actions deeply wounded my heart, which has always been loyal to the organization. So, it isn't too much for me to get a little compensation from the two of you, right?"

"Compensation?" Hearing Kurumi's words, Curacao revealed a mocking expression. "Even if you want compensation, you defied the organization by protecting Miyano Akemi. Don't you know that alone is enough to classify your actions as betrayal?"

"So?"

Seeing Kurumi looking at her with an innocent expression, anger surged in Curacao's heart.

Still, she patiently said, "Aren't you afraid I'll report this matter to the organization?"

Off to the side, Aso Narumi could no longer tolerate Curacao still daring to spout nonsense on Kurumi's turf. Considering herself Kurumi's housekeeper, she could not stand it anymore.

"Hmph! You're a prisoner, yet you're still this arrogant. No wonder you couldn't beat Kurumi!"

Narumi's fully loaded mockery successfully drew Curacao's attention, but since Curacao had no idea who this woman was, she merely shot Narumi a vicious glare.

But in that instant, Curacao suddenly remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness.

The bizarre scene of feeling as if a huge man were tightly choking her neck while there was nothing at all in front of her made Curacao feel that her experience definitely concealed some enormous secret about Kurumi and the others.

That was neither an illusion nor the power of technology.

Curacao firmly believed that.

Thinking this, Curacao decided that she should keep a somewhat lower profile.

Seeing Aso Narumi stand up for her, Kurumi gave Narumi a look that said, You know what happens tonight. It was obvious that Kurumi was very pleased.

Noticing the meaning in Kurumi's gaze, a faint blush spread across Aso Narumi's fair face.

Rum Admits Defeat

"Oh, right. If you're thinking of calling for help through the signal transmitter hidden in your clothes, don't bother." Turning her attention back to Curacao, Kurumi crossed her arms, unintentionally emphasizing her ample chest. "While you were unconscious, I thoroughly inspected you inside and out. I already threw away all those little gadgets of yours."

As she said this, Kurumi's teasing gaze shifted toward Curacao's lower abdomen. "But I really didn't expect you to be so clean down there, Curacao. The color and shape were both great!"

Kurumi's sudden crude remark made all three women present cry out in shock.

Curacao in particular, as the person involved, covered the spot Kurumi had been staring at. Her face flushed red as she glared furiously at Kurumi and stammered angrily, "Y-you... what did you do to me?!"

Although Curacao had long abandoned all feelings associated with being a woman and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the organization, she had not given up a woman's modesty. So when Kurumi suddenly mentioned something so private, Curacao could not help showing a woman's bashful side.

The other two had already gone blank.

Faced with Curacao's accusation, Kurumi innocently shrugged. "Why are you angry? It was just an ordinary inspection, and I'm a girl too! It's not like you lost out~"

Seeing that Kurumi still had no self-awareness at all, Curacao took several deep breaths and forcibly suppressed the shame and indignation in her heart.

"Fine!" Curacao squeezed out through gritted teeth before asking Kurumi, "I'll set aside what you did to me for now, but let me ask you this: aren't you really afraid the organization will discover what you've done?"

Curacao decided that as long as she got the chance, she would expose this matter to the organization.

For now, she only needed to quietly wait for an opportunity to escape.

Provided Kurumi did not kill her to silence her.

In response to Curacao's question, Kurumi asked, "Afraid? Why would I be afraid?"

As she spoke, Kurumi counted on her fingers. "Look, from the first time that bald guy made a move against me until now, has he ever gotten any advantage?"

The bald guy Kurumi mentioned was naturally Rum.

Since what Kurumi said was indeed an undeniable fact, Curacao truly had no grounds to refute her.

"Besides, I trust that you aren't stupid enough to use this matter to threaten me, Curacao." At this point, Kurumi leaned forward and stared into Curacao's eyes at close range. "As my trophy."

Faced with Kurumi's exquisite face so close to her own, Curacao could nevertheless sense a danger in Kurumi's eyes that was enough to threaten her life.

This woman is serious! Curacao's pupils suddenly contracted. In that instant, she seemed to see not a beautiful young girl before her, but a terrifying beast that had devoured countless lives.

For self-preservation, Curacao backed down.

"Even if you say that, as Lord Rum's subordinate, I think I need to know Lord Rum's thoughts on this matter." Curacao decided to endure for now.

Regarding Curacao's request, Kurumi shrugged indifferently. Under the somewhat worried gazes of Miyano Akemi and Aso Narumi, she handed Curacao the phone she had found on her.

"Call him. But I don't care whether that bald Rum agrees or not. You're not leaving." Kurumi radiated an overwhelming aura of dominance, looking utterly confident.

Frowning as she accepted her phone, Curacao dialed Rum's number.

The call connected quickly.

"Remember to put it on speaker!" Kurumi reminded her as she sat down again.

Hearing that, Curacao nodded and pressed the speakerphone button as Kurumi instructed.

"Curacao." Rum's voice came through.

From Rum's voice, it was clear that he was probably not in a good mood.

Thinking about it, that made sense. The plan he thought would kill two birds with one stone had not only been effortlessly dismantled by Kurumi, but she had even counterattacked and wiped out the elite squad he had sent. Even Curacao, his most capable subordinate, had been captured by Kurumi and gone completely silent.

And now, Curacao, whom Kurumi had taken away, had actually called him herself. That alone was enough to make Rum lose his composure.

"Lord Rum, I'm currently..." Curacao glanced at Kurumi. Seeing her still smiling cheerfully, looking completely unconcerned, Curacao said, "I'm currently at Bloody Mary's base. She..." At this point, Curacao did not know how to explain Kurumi's words to Rum.

Seeing Curacao hesitate, Kurumi spoke toward the phone. "I told you, Rum."

Although Kurumi's expression remained sweet and adorable, the tone of the words coming from her pink lips was cold and dangerous.

"As compensation for your failure this time, Curacao will be mine from now on."

As Kurumi's words fell, Rum's heavy breathing came through the phone. It seemed he was close to being unable to suppress his anger.

After a moment of silence, Rum's voice came again. "Bloody Mary, I admit that I lost this time. From today onward, not only will I no longer target you, but just as you said..." As if squeezing the words through clenched teeth, Rum said, "From today onward, Curacao belongs to you!"

Rum's words utterly stunned the three women in the living room.

Curacao in particular, as the person involved, looked at the phone in her hand with utter disbelief. She could not believe Rum had truly sold her to Kurumi.

"No way! Bloody Mary—no! Kurumi really succeeded?" Miyano Akemi carefully tugged at Narumi's sleeve and whispered into her ear.

As Kurumi's number one fan, Aso Narumi instantly felt overjoyed upon hearing Rum admit defeat and Miyano Akemi's words. She answered excitedly, "Of course! Kurumi is the strongest!"

As she spoke, Aso Narumi looked at Kurumi with a gaze of worship so intense it seemed to sparkle with stars.

While the utterly shocked Curacao stood frozen in place, Kurumi continued, "Very good. Then I promise you as well that as long as you don't keep making and selling that stuff, our previous grudge will be written off."

Clearly, Kurumi's smug tone and wording, as though she had gained an advantage and was still playing innocent, made Rum—whose blood pressure was already high—feel like he needed to take several more blood pressure pills immediately.

To keep himself from suddenly suffering a hypertensive episode, Rum stopped speaking and directly hung up.

Turning to look at Curacao, Kurumi could see from her face the pain and confusion of having been directly abandoned by Rum, her boss.

Hotpot After the Fight

Her vacant eyes were filled with confusion and incomprehension. Curacao, who had always been utterly loyal to Rum, could not understand no matter how hard she tried how her superior had abandoned her so easily.

The disconnected phone's screen had gone black from inactivity. The three people in the living room said nothing, merely watching Curacao, who seemed to have lost her ideals and hope in an instant. Then Kurumi took the phone from Curacao's hand and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Alright. It's not like you don't know that everyone in the organization only cares about profit."

The touch on her shoulder did not provoke any reaction from Curacao.

Seeing this, Kurumi shook her head helplessly. "Curacao, I don't know whether Rum is truly worth your loyalty, but he has abandoned you now. So from today onward, you don't need to think about that bald guy who abandoned you anymore."

"Is that so?"

Curacao murmured.

"Of course!" Seeing that Curacao had finally reacted, Kurumi smiled.

Although Kurumi could no longer remember most of the plot from Conan's main story and movies, she still had some impression of Curacao.

Because after losing her memories in an accident, Curacao had shown her true personality under the enthusiasm of the Junior Detective League.

It was the kindness and gentleness that Curacao, after becoming a member of the organization, had long since forgotten.