"Is that Toru's residence?"
Tokyo's Kita Ward was a relatively poor area within the greater Tokyo region.
Compared to the prosperity of the city center, the streets throughout Kita Ward appeared much more ordinary.
To put it nicely, it had a lived-in atmosphere. To put it bluntly, it was simply too poor.
However, a Western-style mansion near Asukayama displayed nobility and luxury amid this ordinariness.
Tomie hid at the corner of the street.
It was late winter, and the temperature in Tokyo was still a little cold.
She was wrapped in thick clothing that covered her upper body. She even wore a hat, hiding her alluring face that could make any man infatuated with her.
However, Tomie was a girl who loved beauty.
Even though she wore bulky, thick clothes, she still had black stockings on her lower body, fully displaying her slender, beautiful legs. The faint paleness beneath the black stockings made them even more tempting.
"These rich people!"
Tomie's pearly teeth bit her moist, cherry-red lips. She looked at the classical and luxurious mansion, which resembled a palace from a TV drama, with envy in her eyes.
She also wanted to live in such a high-class residence, with blooming roses in the garden and obedient maids serving inside the house.
Instead, she currently lived in a dilapidated apartment that was narrow and cramped, with almost no room to walk.
"Hmph, as long as I can make Toru fall in love with me and willingly give up everything for me, I'll become the mistress of this place."
Thinking of this, Tomie's mood improved considerably, and she even happily hummed a popular song.
But soon, Tomie became annoyed again.
She took out her phone and saw that it was already almost ten o'clock at night.
The cool night wind blew, making her shiver from the cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and stomped her feet hard.
"I'm so stupid. Why am I standing outside a man's house late at night, watching it?"
"If Toru doesn't go out at all tonight, won't I have to stand here like a fool all night?"
Finally realizing that something was wrong, Tomie hesitated.
Maybe I should go back first and get a good night's sleep in my bed.
At worst, I just won't go to school tomorrow. I'll come back early in the morning to stake out the mansion, observe Toru's daily routine, and look for a chance to run into him.
No, that's not right. Toru probably drives whenever he goes out. How can I keep up with a car using only my two legs?
Tomie grew frustrated. Why did a beautiful girl like her, someone capable of making every man fall in love with her, have to worry about stalking a man?
"So annoying, so annoying. Forget it, I'll just go home first."
Tomie, who had little patience, could no longer endure the cold wind.
Especially since there were very few pedestrians on the streets of Kita Ward at night. As the cold wind whistled past her ears, the howling sounded like an evil spirit circling around her, making Tomie feel another chill.
She could no longer stand hiding there and acting like a fool. She took out her phone and prepared to call a taxi.
Just then, there was suddenly movement at the Western-style mansion where Toru lived.
Tomie, who was hiding around the corner, instinctively glanced toward the mansion's gate and saw Toru, dressed in running clothes, walking out.
"Is he going for a night run?"
Noticing what Toru was wearing, Tomie's expression filled with surprise and delight, and she quickly canceled the taxi she had just called.
Seeing Toru jog away from the mansion, she hurriedly followed him.
Tomie trailed far behind Toru, maintaining a certain distance as she followed.
However, after following Toru for one kilometer, Tomie bent over and clutched her stomach, hot white breath escaping from her alluring red lips.
I can't do this anymore. I've already run one kilometer. I can't run any farther.
Tomie, whose academic performance was poor and whose athletic ability was average, felt as though her lungs were burning after running only one kilometer. She was suffering terribly.
Tomie was not a woman who persevered. Giving up was commonplace for her.
After realizing that she could not keep running and no longer wanted to, Tomie immediately gave up on following Toru and decided to obediently go home.
"Hehe, at least I discovered one of his habits. Coming out to run in such cold weather means Toru must go for a night run every day."
"And ordinary people usually run the same route. Tomorrow, I can wait for him here in advance, pretend to meet him by chance, and find a way to get close to him."
"As long as I can become familiar with Toru, I can try to capture him with my ability. I don't believe he can resist my ability forever. Maybe my ability didn't work because I haven't spent enough time in contact with him."
Tomie suddenly felt that she was incredibly smart, capable of analyzing Toru's habits and behavior so logically.
Someone as smart as her would definitely become a famous detective.
Kudo Shinichi of Kanto and Hattori Heiji of Kansai would both bow before me, the great detective Tomie!
However, Tomie soon decided that being a detective was boring.
With her beauty and charm, she did not need to solve cases at all.
As long as she smiled slightly at the crime scene, the culprit would definitely confess voluntarily.
Being a detective was no challenge. Making Toru fall in love with her was far more challenging!
Completely out of breath, Tomie was about to give up and leave.
She suddenly noticed that Toru, who was not far ahead, had stopped and was standing before the steps of a large building.
A slender, frail figure sat on the steps. Although there was some distance between them, Tomie could not clearly see the person's face.
However, judging from the person's clothes and build, it should be a girl.
Hmm? Could she be Toru's night-running partner?
Tomie's interest was immediately piqued, and the thought of leaving quickly faded.
She found a street corner to hide behind, exposing only half of her body. Beneath her hat, her beautiful face stared intently toward Toru as she secretly watched him.
Even Tomie herself did not realize that she had become extremely interested in everything about Toru.
She wanted to explore and understand anything related to him.
Strong curiosity was actually very dangerous between men and women, but Tomie, who had never been in love, did not understand that.
Toru, who had stopped, subtly tilted his head and glanced from the corner of his eye toward the place where Tomie was hiding.
When Toru first left the mansion for his run, he had noticed someone following him.
Tomie's stalking skills were far from professional.
At first, Toru thought it was a crazed fan or someone with malicious intentions toward Haibara.
He deliberately slowed down, allowing the person following him to catch up, then used a few simple tricks to identify them easily.
What surprised Toru was that the person following him was Tomie!
Being followed by a monstrous woman like her made even Toru feel a chill run down his spine.
However, Toru soon made a decision.
He led Tomie to the place where he had always arranged to meet Kayako.
Toru's gaze softened as he looked at the frail girl who rose from the steps upon seeing him. Noticing the surprise on her face, he greeted her.
"Kayako!"
(To be continued.)