The quiet hum of Beika Library wrapped around the afternoon like a soft blanket. Dust motes danced in the sunlight filtering through the tall windows, casting a warm glow over the front desk where Lisa sat.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite cutie," Lisa purred, her lips curving into a knowing smile as she spotted the familiar blonde hair approaching her station. "What brings you all the way out here today? Don't you usually try to keep your distance from me?"
Natsume stiffened slightly, offering a dry cough to mask her awkwardness. "Not at all. I don't avoid you."
"Oh?" Lisa leaned back in her chair, resting her chin delicately on her palm. Her emerald eyes sparkled with amusement. "So you just came to see me for no particular reason? How sweet. Would you care to join me for a cup of afternoon tea, then? The weather outside is simply perfect for a lazy afternoon."
Natsume's gaze darted to the side before snapping back, her pragmatic nature taking over. "Actually... I did come to see you about something specific." She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Have you discovered any drugs hidden inside this library?"
Natsume remembered the original plot perfectly: the director of Beika Library was using imported books to smuggle narcotics, eventually murdering an employee who caught onto the scheme. Right now, there were no reports of missing staff in the news, meaning the murder hadn't happened yet. But the drugs had to be here.
To make an arrest, the police needed concrete evidence. Without proof, no one would believe a random tip that a respected library curator was running a drug ring. Natsume's plan was simple: find the stash, catch the man red-handed, and test a crucial theory. She wanted to see if the system's world missions would trigger and complete without Conan Edogawa's direct involvement. Relying on the shrunken detective to spawn quests was a hassle; she wanted to farm these missions independently. Asking Lisa for help was just a convenient shortcut.
Lisa sighed, a delicate sound that instantly shattered Natsume's hopes.
"I'm afraid not, cutie," she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "The section I manage is strictly biomedicine and advanced sciences. It's quite a walk from the children's reading area where those imported books are kept, making it rather inconvenient for me to snoop around. I did try to slip over and take a peek a few times, but the director has been taking time off recently. I haven't spotted a single suspicious book. Such terrible timing, isn't it?"
Natsume's shoulders slumped. A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
Lisa covered her mouth, a soft, melodic laugh bubbling up at the sight of Natsume's deflated posture. "Are you really in such a rush to complete these missions? Don't worry so much. I'll keep an eye out for you. All this sighing will give you wrinkles. The mission isn't going anywhere; you'll get it done eventually."
Heat rose to Natsume's cheeks. "I know," she muttered, clearing her throat.
She had just gotten her hopes up, only to hit a brick wall on her very first attempt at independent mission hunting. But Lisa was right. If worse came to worst, she could just stalk Conan and leech off his chaotic protagonist aura. The main quest line hadn't even revealed a shadow of itself yet anyway.
Noting the shift in Natsume's mood, Lisa tilted her head, her dangling earrings chiming faintly. "Now then, was there anything else you needed? I highly doubt you walked all the way down here just to ask about contraband. A simple text message would have sufficed."
"Ah, right." Natsume straightened up. "I actually came to invite you to the art museum with me."
Natsume had caught wind of a local rumor spreading around her neighborhood: a suit of medieval armor that walked the halls of the local art museum at night. It was a dead giveaway. The Medieval Art Museum Murder Case. The culprit was the elderly curator, driven to murder out of a twisted devotion to his exhibits. The victim? The greedy new owner who had purchased the museum under the false promise of maintaining it, only to immediately draw up plans to demolish the building and replace it with a restaurant.
Honestly, Natsume didn't think the new owner deserved to die for being a sleazy businessman. Breaking a verbal promise wasn't illegal, just morally bankrupt. But the man had dug his own grave by being cartoonishly arrogant—openly mocking the staff and deliberately insulting the artwork right to the face of a curator who treated those paintings like his own children. He was practically begging for a sword through the chest.
"Oh? The Medieval Art Museum?" Lisa's eyes gleamed with recognition. As a core member of their Teyvat faction, she was fully briefed on the world's 'plot'. It was one of the more memorable early tragedies in the shrunken detective's career.
"Exactly," Natsume nodded. "I ran into Ran earlier today. She mentioned she was fascinated by the walking armor rumor and dragged her father and Conan along to check it out this afternoon. If the Reaper of Beika is heading there, the murder is guaranteed to happen today. I need to be on-site to leech the mission rewards."
Lisa stretched her arms above her head, stifling a delicate yawn. "Then you can just go by yourself, can't you? Why drag me into it? I was rather looking forward to going home and taking a long, uninterrupted nap after my shift."
"Going to an art gallery entirely alone is a bit weird," Natsume deflected quickly. "What if Conan gets suspicious? If he sees me wandering around by myself, he might think I'm tracking them."
It was a flimsy excuse. She was absolutely tracking them. But the truth was far simpler, and far more embarrassing: Natsume just didn't want to wander through a massive, echoing museum all by herself. It felt too lonely.
She had originally tried to recruit Xiangling, but the energetic chef was buried in lunch rush orders at the restaurant downstairs. Then she had messaged Alhaitham, only to receive a cryptic reply about his 'current identity making public outings inconvenient.' Natsume rolled her eyes at the memory. What was so inconvenient about being a scholar? He was just making excuses to read in peace. That left Lisa as her only available companion.
Lisa studied Natsume's face for a long moment. A knowing glint flashed in her eyes, easily piercing through the blonde's cover story. Instead of teasing her further, Lisa offered a soft, indulgent smile. "Alright, alright. I suppose I can sacrifice my precious beauty sleep to accompany you on this little excursion. But you owe me a proper thank you, cutie."
"I know, I know. Thank you for your noble sacrifice," Natsume deadpanned, though a relieved smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I'll treat you to a nice dinner later, okay?"
Inwardly, she grumbled. Who was she doing this for? She was grinding missions to build their organization! Lisa made it sound like a personal favor. Still, the warmth blooming in Natsume's chest betrayed her true feelings. She was glad she didn't have to go alone.
Catching the subtle relaxation in Natsume's shoulders, Lisa chuckled. "I'll hold you to that dinner."
The clock soon struck the end of Lisa's shift. By a little past four in the afternoon, the two of them were stepping through the grand entrance of the Medieval Art Museum.
The interior was surprisingly impressive. Natsume took in the vaulted ceilings and the carefully curated exhibits. The layout was careful, dividing the historical pieces into distinct, thematic zones that guided the viewer naturally from one era to the next. The artwork itself was stunning. She genuinely couldn't understand why this place had been failing so miserably in the original timeline. If it weren't for the recent morbid rumors of haunted armor, the halls would likely be entirely empty.
"Natsume!"
"Sister Natsume!"
They had barely finished admiring the first exhibition hall when a pair of familiar voices echoed across the polished marble floor. Natsume paused, exchanging a quick glance with Lisa before turning around.
Jogging toward them were Ran Mouri and Conan Edogawa, with a rather bored-looking Kogoro Mouri trailing a few paces behind, his hands stuffed lazily into his pockets.
Natsume blinked in mild surprise. She had assumed she and Lisa would have to wander the galleries for at least an hour before crossing paths with the main cast. To trigger this "coincidence" within five minutes of walking through the front doors? Her fate was practically glued to these protagonists.
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