Lawless Outlaw in the World of Conan, Tokisaki Kurumi

She not only perfectly matched her tastes in personality and demeanor, but with her stunning looks and a fatal allure like a devil's, Vermouth had once thought that if she were a man, she would have done anything to possess this beautiful girl.

Especially the pitiable look she displayed when Vermouth bullied her made Vermouth feel that even "eating her up completely" wouldn't be enough.

Thinking this, Vermouth licked her lips.

She missed that taste again.

Just as Vermouth was reminiscing about their happy times and the madness back then, Kurumi's words over the phone interrupted her thoughts.

"Big Sister Bei, how much do you think it would cost to buy an art museum that's about to be abandoned?" Although Kurumi was a transmigrator, her memories of the plot of Conan were a bit hazy due to the passage of time.

Aside from a few exceptionally classic cases, the most vivid memories Kurumi had were of episodes that could be considered childhood traumas.

For example, in one episode, when Conan looked through the keyhole of a door, an eye suddenly appeared from the other side.

That scene had genuinely terrified the past Kurumi.

Now, while wandering aimlessly through the streets these past few days, Kurumi had passed by an art museum.

It was only then that Kurumi suddenly remembered that this was the place where the scene involving Divine Punishment had occurred in the original work.

The director was very kind, and his love for the artworks in the museum was genuine.

Kurumi greatly admired this.

Therefore, to prevent that old man from being arrested for murder as in the original story, and to prevent him from losing the museum he cherished most, Kurumi felt she had to do something.

Moreover, Kurumi genuinely found the painting called Divine Punishment to be cool and wanted to buy it for her collection.

So, this time, Kurumi called Vermouth for two reasons: first, to report that she had completed her mission. Second, she wanted to use the Organization to buy this art museum and turn it into another safe house for them in Tokyo.

Upon hearing Kurumi's question, Vermouth was taken aback.

She couldn't quite figure out what was going on in Kurumi's cute little head.

"So, this is what happened..."

After Kurumi explained her idea, Vermouth let out an "Oh~."

She didn't mind helping Kurumi with this small favor.

After all, buying an abandoned art museum wouldn't cost the Organization much. Plus, with her and Kurumi's influence within the Organization, no one below them could object.

Furthermore, a struggling art museum secretly serving as a safe house for Organization members would provide another layer of security for them in Tokyo.

Roughly calculating the acquisition price in her mind, Vermouth said with a smile, "That's not a problem at all~ Kurumi-chan."

Hearing Vermouth's tone, Kurumi knew that woman was going to make her do something embarrassing again.

There was no helping it; Vermouth was her big sister, after all.

Already guessing what Vermouth's request would be, Kurumi resigned herself and said, "Alright, Big Sister Bei. What kind of outfit are you going to make me wear this time?"

"Last time it was a qipao made from two curtains, worn vacuously. The time before that was a maid outfit that barely covered anything. The time before that..." After spending a few minutes denouncing Vermouth's atrocities, Kurumi, having completely lost all sense of shame, didn't care anymore.

"It's nothing, really. I just saw some new toys these past couple of days, and I want to see your cute side, Kurumi-chan~" Vermouth, completely unashamed of Kurumi's words, was practically bursting with laughter.

She couldn't wait to see it.

"..." Fine. Now Kurumi put on a "don't care, just throw whatever you have at me" expression, gritted her teeth, said, "Thank you very much!" and hung up the phone.

Tossing her phone aside, Kurumi sighed helplessly.

Vermouth was great in every way, except she always wanted to play with her.

Indeed, playing with that witch Vermouth was exciting, but Kurumi wanted to turn the tables and become the one in control, the one doing the playing.

"Really, one day I'll make you beg beneath me!"

Fiercely fantasizing about the day she would finally get her revenge, and unable to resist, a slightly wet Kurumi began to amuse herself.

09 The Observer in the Darkness

The Medieval Art Museum was the name of the art museum that Kurumi had taken a liking to and wanted the Organization to acquire.

In Kurumi's opinion, using the Organization's vast financial resources and power to acquire this nearly bankrupt art museum was not difficult at all.

According to the gathered intelligence, the museum had recently been acquired by an entrepreneur named Manaka. It seemed the previous owner had been deceived by Manaka. He had expected Manaka to continue operating the art museum, but unexpectedly, after acquiring the land, Manaka reneged on his promise and planned to convert the museum into a hotel.

Manaka's actions enraged some of the museum's employees and the kind Director Ochiai.

However, with the museum already sold, no matter how much Director Ochiai and the others despised Manaka's behavior, they were powerless to prevent their beloved art museum from becoming history.

But that was all on the surface.

Kurumi, who remembered some of the plot, knew that the seemingly old gentleman would put on medieval armor, directly imitate the painting called Divine Punishment, kill Mr. Manaka, and nail him to the wall.

Unfortunately, her memory of this particular plot was too distant, and she couldn't be certain of some specific details, such as when Director Ochiai would make his move.

Although Kurumi could have used the Organization's intelligence network to find Manaka and quietly eliminate him before the events unfolded, saving herself a lot of trouble, doing so would have consequences.

If the museum's owner died, and then the Organization immediately made a big show of acquiring it, it would inevitably arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives, making them wonder if there was a conspiracy involved.

While the Organization, known for its cunning and shrewd tactics, wouldn't typically worry about such things, Kurumi didn't want to give those within the Organization who were at odds with Vermouth and her an opportunity to suppress them.

One morning, a few days later.

Tokisaki Kurumi took out a beautifully made black dress from the wardrobe and put it on. She looked at her slender, fair legs beneath the short skirt and then took out a pair of black fleece-lined tights.

After getting dressed, she walked to the mirror and skillfully styled her long hair into her signature twin braids with a hair tie.

Looking at her reflection, Kurumi examined herself from head to toe before a look of realization dawned on her face.

She found a small black hat and placed it on the right side of her head. Seeing her complete form in the mirror, Kurumi nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave the bedroom.

She hailed a taxi to the museum. In the back seat, Kurumi paid no mind to the driver occasionally peeking at her through the rearview mirror. After all, as long as he got her to her destination, it was fine. If he had any other ideas...

The driver couldn't see King Crimson, who was sitting in the passenger seat with an arrogant demeanor.

After some time, the taxi carrying Kurumi slowly pulled up to the street in front of the museum.

Complaining once more about the exorbitant prices of Japanese taxis, which felt like daylight robbery, Kurumi, after recalling King Crimson, unhappily entered the desolate museum.

The once opulent lobby had inevitably become old and worn.

Even with the maintenance provided by a few employees who genuinely loved the place, the lack of funding and new exhibits meant they couldn't withstand the decline in visitors brought about by the passage of time.

Since this wasn't Kurumi's first visit, she didn't ask the staff at the reception. Instead, she leisurely browsed the exhibits at her own pace.

Among the small groups of tourists, Kurumi noticed a young girl wearing a red suit and a yellow skirt.

Normally, a woman wearing such an outfit wouldn't have caught Kurumi's attention.

However, seeing the girl's indescribable, unicorn-like hairstyle, Kurumi didn't need to ask to guess who she was.

In the world of Detective Conan, any woman with such a distinctive hairstyle would immediately bring to mind the protagonist who had mastered karate to a level even more formidable than Master Miyamoto—Mouri Ran.

So, it was worth waiting here every day for the past few days! Seeing a familiar face, Kurumi felt like her daily stakeout had finally paid off with the boss's appearance.

Since the protagonist, Mouri Ran, is already here, then the bumbling detective Mouri Kogoro and Kudo Shinichi must also be somewhere nearby. With the plot confirmed to be unfolding today, all Kurumi had to do was wait patiently for events to transpire.

Walking down the corridor leading to the exhibition area called the Hell Chamber, Kurumi stood at the entrance, gazing into the pitch-black exhibition room. She could see her shadow stretching long from the light in the hallway behind her.

"Turning your back on the light, yet walking alone into the darkness..." For some reason, Kurumi suddenly thought of this phrase.

She let out a soft chuckle and unhesitatingly entered the room, whose name and atmosphere alone were enough to scare away visitors.

In the dark space, various art pieces could be vaguely seen lining the walls. Through King Crimson's excellent vision, Kurumi could see that the sculptures were all works with a dark aesthetic.

It certainly lived up to the name "Hell Chamber."

"Well then... the first thing to do now is..." She looked at the surveillance camera mounted on the wall. Having already scouted the camera's blind spot beforehand, Kurumi unhesitatingly moved to the back of the room and waited silently.

Time ticked by. Bored, she played rock-paper-scissors with King Crimson and then took a short nap leaning against the wall. Hearing footsteps, Kurumi's eyes snapped open, and her gaze, sharp as a hawk's, instinctively turned towards the direction of the sound.

This was a subconscious habit she had been unable to change over the years.

The eerie sound of clanking metal echoed strangely in the dark room.

The peculiar sound, combined with the pitch-black atmosphere and the dark-themed exhibits, was enough to frighten any normal person.

But Kurumi was not a normal person in a certain sense.

Through King Crimson's sight, Kurumi could clearly see a dark figure in the darkness putting on a suit of medieval armor.

'Director Ochiai...'

"Wow, that's intense!"

Could anyone believe that an old man in his seventies, wearing armor and wielding a sword, would injure a stout middle-aged man, then lift him with one hand, and pin him to the wall with his sword?

If it were the old Kurumi, she would have probably just smiled and thought it was completely unrealistic.

But now, seeing Director Ochiai, clad in medieval armor, performing feats of strength and executing a killing with such fluid movements, completely inconsistent with his age, Kurumi, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but exclaim internally, "That's intense!"

As blood flowed from Manaka's wounds, dripping onto the ground, a small red puddle slowly formed beneath his lifeless body.

His face, contorted in fear, was now frozen in that moment forever.

"Finally... it's over..."

Director Ochiai's panting voice came from within the helmet.

Looking at Manaka, whose death bore an exact resemblance to the painting titled "Divine Punishment," no matter how much he had rehearsed and convinced himself, the adrenaline rush and the subsequent tension and panic still caused Ochiai's aged body to tremble slightly after he had truly killed his enemy.

At this moment, if this spot, which he had specifically chosen, were not still being filmed by the surveillance camera, Ochiai himself would likely have collapsed to the ground from sheer exhaustion.

Suppressing the weakness within him, Ochiai, still in his armor, walked slowly out of the camera's range, adopting a pre-rehearsed pose with his back to the blood-stained corpse.

The bastard Manaka was dead by his hand, and the "clues" he had deliberately left behind were also in order.

Beneath the helmet, Ochiai, sweating profusely, gasped for air and pondered how he would face the police inquiry and the other scoundrel he had set up to take the fall.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

But just as Ochiai was about to remove his armor and place it in a prepared bag nearby, the sound of applause suddenly came from the darkness deep within the exhibition hall.

'How is this possible? Why is someone here?'

Ochiai's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the sound from inside the helmet.

He looked incredulously in the direction of the sound, and amidst his shock, a feeling of "I'm finished" washed over him.

Director Ochiai didn't believe that Manaka's corpse wouldn't be discovered.

He hadn't intended to hide it from the start.

Manaka's death needed to be discovered, but only after he was fully prepared, not caught red-handed like this.

Director Ochiai, his crime discovered by another, hadn't expected that an ordinary person, upon witnessing a murder right before their eyes, wouldn't panic or secretly call the police. Instead, they appeared unhurried and calm, clapping their hands as if appreciating a performance that immensely satisfied them.

This completely illogical scene made Director Ochiai even more flustered.

He even felt like running away right now, or...

'Forget it, it is what it is. This is what I deserve.' Director Ochiai, feeling all his efforts had gone to waste, gave up.

He stood in place with a sense of relief, already picturing himself being taken away by the police.

Even knowing his scheme was completely exposed, the aged Director Ochiai still didn't have the slightest intention of silencing the witness.

Yes, he had indeed killed someone.

But it was because Director Ochiai felt he had no choice but to kill the other party, to protect his beloved museum and the artworks he cherished like his own children.

Now, Manaka, who wanted to convert the museum into a hotel, was dead, and he was about to be arrested by the police as a perpetrator. What would be the fate of this museum after this? Director Ochiai was lost.

Kurumi, emerging slowly from the darkness, was unaware of Director Ochiai's thoughts at that moment.

However, based on her genuine affection for the museum, Kurumi could vaguely guess what the director was worried about as he resigned himself to his fate.

"Director Ochiai, why did you have to do this?"

A young girl's voice, filled with regret, accompanied a graceful figure as she appeared before Director Ochiai.

Seeing the figure emerge within his line of sight, Director Ochiai immediately recognized her as the beautiful young lady who frequently visited to admire the artworks and had wanted to purchase the painting "Divine Punishment."

His name spoken so directly, Director Ochiai shook his head. Although he was puzzled why the young lady was here, since she had already recognized him so plainly, there was no longer any need to wear this cumbersome helmet.

Removing the full-face helmet, Director Ochiai's aged face revealed a bitter smile. "I didn't expect it to be you, little girl."