107: The Demon Fox and the Detective

Conan did not respond.

He seemed remarkably composed; even when Kurama had already spoken, “inviting” him, he still did not step out from around the corridor’s corner.

This made Natori, who had been stunned stiff upon Kurama’s sudden and unanticipated transformation into a demon fox, somewhat uneasy as he raised a hand to rub his nose—

Why did he feel... that as a dazzling adult, he was somehow no match for a mere child?

The sharp pain suddenly shooting into his knee could have been even more intense!

Unaware that his current state could be summed up as “a superstar struck by an arrow in the knee,” he was a little sulky inwardly, but at the same time, this renewed his resolve.

He felt that no matter what, he could not lose to a little boy!

He straightened his chest; for some reason, Natori suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit swelling within him!

But very soon, his self-perceived invincible bravado was pierced by the demon fox’s smile—a smile so devilishly overwhelming it seemed almost supernatural.

Silver hair, golden eyes, a terrifyingly vast aura of demonic energy that made Natori’s three shikigami nearly want to kneel and submit—the great demon’s mouth curled slightly.

On that originally handsome face, which suited cold, indifferent expressions, there blossomed a smile that felt remarkably familiar—softer, elegant, and refreshing, like the smile often seen on Kurama’s human form, the red-haired youth.

Yet this expression, appearing on the demon fox’s face, surprisingly did not feel out of place; if anything, subtly…

Feeling his heartbeat suddenly accelerate, Natori’s mind went blank. All he could see was that beautiful, almost unbearable smile and those golden eyes, now even more haunting with their laughter-filled gleam.

“This... this is definitely cheating!”

Natori’s consciousness blurred, and he grumbled silently in frustration.

“This guy really is a demon fox…”

As the other suddenly stepped forward, moving toward him step by step, Natori tried to muster all his strength to move, but found that before that smile, his limbs had already gone weak…

“Knowing how to use one’s racial talents is itself a form of ability and wisdom, little one. You still... have much to learn.”

Passing by him, as if hearing Natori’s deep resentment and complaints, the demon fox turned his head, smiling softly as he spoke.

“...”

Natori was stunned again.

Why did it feel like the other’s personality was undergoing some strange, um… mutation?

The human form was gentle and refined, the demon fox form aloof and proud, but in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a sinister, charmingly arrogant trickster who flaunted his dark humor openly?

This... this didn’t fit the narrative of a supernatural rebirth!

The famous actor Natori Shuichi wept silently in his heart.

…but wait.

He suddenly felt he had forgotten something amid all his complaints… Ah!!

Natori whipped his head around toward the direction the demon fox was leisurely striding—

Because of his connection with Natsume, the gentle boy had repeatedly hinted that Kurama’s identity was “not simple,” so when Natori decided to confront Kurama and discuss possible cooperation, he had guessed that even if Kurama revealed his true form, he would not do anything excessive to him.

He could see that Kurama cared deeply about Natsume, treating him like a junior or even a child to protect and look after, so for friends recognized by Natsume, Kurama wouldn’t harm them.

But that didn’t mean such a great demon would be so kind to other humans.

Although Kurama’s human form was gentle and good-natured, always smiling pleasantly, Natori, who harbored subconscious caution and distrust toward demons, could not fully trust these outward displays.

So now, the other was passing him by without a glance, heading directly for the little detective’s hiding spot…

Natori’s expression suddenly stiffened. He wanted to stop him, but found that neither he nor his shikigami could move freely under the overwhelming and imposing demonic aura. Natori twitched the corner of his mouth but didn’t dare to confront him directly, thinking, “Is this demon aura sensor leak deliberate?”

Kurama soon reached the corner where Conan was hiding.

He stopped and stood in front of him.

The young detective remained motionless in the shadow cast by the wall, his standard thinking pose—one arm crossed, the other supporting his chin.

Kurama waved his hand in front of his eyes.

…No reaction.

The demon fox was momentarily taken aback.

He had guessed that after seeing his demon fox form, Conan’s reaction wouldn’t be calm—but like this…

Slightly bowing his head, looking at the black-haired young detective who seemed frozen in place as if under a spell, maintaining his original pose, Kurama blinked and suddenly felt like laughing.

—Boy, your reaction is quite peculiar =w=

“Is the shock really this intense?”

He whispered to himself and waved his hand again in front of the boy’s eyes.

…Still no reaction.

The demon fox truly lost his composure this time.

“…Pfft.”

He buried his head, the silver fox ears atop his head twitching subtly along with his slender but muscular shoulders, revealing his silent chuckle fully. Natori, worried yet powerless, relaxed slightly but then felt an even deeper sense of helplessness and weariness—

“Hey, I’m talking to you…”

“Your sense of mischievousness really can’t get any worse, can it? Rebirth of a Villainous Life! Is bullying kids that much fun...?”

“Hmm, quite fun indeed.”

Straightening up, as if hearing Natori’s unspoken doubts, the handsome silver-haired demon fox turned his head and smiled slyly at him.

“Because... you really should see this kid’s expression.”

—Like the world had suddenly collapsed, filled with disbelief and contradictory struggle, as if torn between “the truth of the world” and “the truth he believed in.”

“I have always looked forward to his reaction when he realizes the true nature of the world he inhabits.”

Holding the white fluff that had jumped from his shoulder into his arms, the demon fox gently pinched the little one’s ears, watching as the child looked up and gave him a sweet smile, speaking in a cheerful tone.

“But I didn’t expect his real reaction to be so... adorable.”

“This is much more interesting than I had originally imagined.”

“How strong is the human capacity for endurance? When the true face of the world conflicts greatly with one’s deeply held beliefs, then, between the world’s true self and one’s perceived self, which should one trust?”

“Perhaps the more confident one is in oneself and one’s understanding of the world, the harder it is to make a clear judgment at such a moment.”

“So this kid seems to have yet to reach a conclusion.”

Turning his gaze, as if piercing the dark night, the demon fox looked toward the far end of the corridor where no lights were on:

“Well then, what about you?”

Upon hearing this, Natori immediately shifted his gaze to the corridor the demon fox was looking at, and within the shared focus of the two, a group of familiar youths slowly approached within the area illuminated by the lights…

“We don’t know the conclusion either.”

Leading them was a beautiful young man with dark blue hair, a gentle yet calm smile playing on his lips in the night.

“Could you please come and tell us then?”

“—The... truth of this world.”

***

Of course, Kurama did not reveal his true form recklessly just to see Conan’s reaction after his worldview was shattered.

In fact, his “spur-of-the-moment” decision to go out at night with his three adorable companions to soak in the hot springs was not truly “spur-of-the-moment”—

Before leaving, he had actually received a communication from Yuko.

Previously, when inquiring with the Count about the Creator God Mokona, the Count had told Kurama that even if he didn’t get information from him, Yuko would likely make some progress soon. Kurama had remembered this clearly.

But after some time passed, there had been no news from Yuko, and the demon fox gradually lost his initial urgency, adjusting his mood to patiently await clues from her.

Unexpectedly, while he idled at home with no leads, and after so many incidents here, Yuko’s clues finally came!

But the witch’s expression was very subtle, and the information she gave was much the same as what the Count had provided…

“So you met the Count again. What? Did you go to the Count’s original world this time? … Tsk! Lucky you.”

“As for the Creator God… yes, the information I obtained isn’t much different from what the Count said. In fact, because I’m no longer exactly within the Star World, I can no longer easily perceive the hidden dark tracks of that world as before.”

“This matter is full of doubts, but all the threads of fate point to a journey’s end that you and I both hope for.”

“That’s what I observed from the start.”

“So I have indeed helped you a lot, because from you, I see the hope for an end to endless fate—Don’t look at me like that, idiot!”

“‘End’ does not mean annihilation.”

“An endless end marks the arrival of rebirth...”

“Your purpose and the process you must go through won’t be affected in any way by the worlds He created.”

“I think for now, we only need to be sure of this.”

—This was Yuko’s final conclusion.

Though many things remained unexplained, Kurama had to admit she was right.

They only needed to confirm that the Creator God bore no ill will toward Kurama, that the worlds he traveled to were indeed created by this being, and that this would not affect his goals or harm him personally—that was enough.

“But there’s one more thing.”

At the end of their communication, the witch said this.

“It’s a hint I happened to find in the threads of fate of the Star World.”

—This was why Kurama immediately went to the hot spring after ending the communication and deliberately revealed his true form en route.

“Trouble.”

…What could this mean?

Neither Yuko nor Kurama could reach a final conclusion with so little follow-up information.

But the demon fox believed that, in such a meticulously crafted, mixed world, this single hint Yuko found seemed… easily attainable?

—Thus, the innocent Conan boy got caught up in it.

And now, looking at the group of young tennis players before him, their faces full of determination and stubbornness…

The demon fox sighed quietly.

“This really... shouldn’t have involved you all.”

He spoke softly, turning to exchange a glance with Natori.

Author’s note: So Kurama’s actions had a purpose! He was testing the clues Yuko had found; the innocent Conan was just caught nearby and drafted into an experiment… ahem!

As for Natori, that was incidental. Of course, the demon fox did this also to put him at ease—our power near Natsume is sincere friendship, even if not sincere, you can’t touch me, so don’t worry… →_→

The appearance of the Rikkai tennis youths was unexpected. Kurama originally planned maybe just Yanagi or perhaps Yukimura might come, but unexpectedly they all showed up＝＝

The following illustrations in this chapter are of the peerlessly elegant demon fox lord—

Though the animation’s quality slightly blurs the image, the finger-licking lecherousness… *blushes and runs away!*