Tokyo Psychic

Page 108

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097. Time management is very important (three-in-one)

（月末冲刺：3/13、4/13、5/13）

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When the exam rooms were inspected, the students in Class 2-D were all kicked out of the classroom.

Yuki Mishima stood leaning against the wall in a dimly lit corner of the corridor, holding a copy of "The Complete Vocabulary of High School English" open in one hand, pretending to be a gloomy, world-weary handsome guy.

Unfortunately, no girl in the entire corridor was destined to appreciate his good looks...

Ryuji Sakamoto stealthily moved closer to Yuki Mishima.

"Mishima".

"explain."

Will I pass the exam later?

"You'll pass."

Mishima Yoshiteru pretended to close the textbook in his hand, deliberately raising his voice a little.

However, none of the people present could comprehend how difficult it was for a sports prodigy who dedicated eight hours a day to training to even achieve a passing grade.

Mishima Yuki discreetly observed Sakamoto Ryuji's expression, trying to discern any hint of admiration or respect.

To everyone's surprise, Ryuji Sakamoto turned and left without a second thought, then approached Akira Kurusu with a fawning expression, "Amamiya, your seat is...?"

So that's it. What he wanted to ask about wasn't "Mishima Yuki, who could pass," but "Mishima Yukio, who could get a perfect score."

Yuki Mishima glanced at the cover of the study guide in his hand; the subject he was about to take the exam for was actually Japanese literature.

Akira Kurusu leaned against a fire hydrant, playing on her phone. When Ryuji Sakamoto asked her anxiously, she told him frankly, "We're not in the same exam room."

To ensure the relative fairness of the joint entrance examination, the examination venue was set up by the nearby Kiriyo High School, and the invigilators were also selected from high schools in Shibuya Ward.

At the same time, the students from each class were shuffled and arranged in different classrooms.

Seeing the heartbroken Ryuji Sakamoto, Akira Kurusu couldn't help but offer some words of comfort, "This exam is definitely easier than the entrance exam. Your total score was quite low last time, wasn't it? This time, just answering a few more questions correctly will make your total score look higher. However, the same principle applies to other candidates, so..."

"So I'm fine now?" Ryuji Sakamoto selectively ignored the last paragraph.

"So you might be in big trouble." Akira patted him on the shoulder. "This exam is ranked according to the deviation value. You should start thinking about how to explain this to your guardian when you get home."

Before Sakamoto Ryuji could say anything more to Kurusu Akira, she was grabbed by a girl who suddenly appeared behind him.

"The exam is about to start!" An and Subaru looked very anxious.

Looking at the girl in front of him who happened to be in the same exam room and whose seat was next to his, and whose exam paper he could see with just a glance, Lai Qixiao couldn't help but fall into a subtle state of mind.

If you say there's nothing shady going on here, he definitely won't believe you.

But An and Subaru don't seem to come from particularly prominent families... After all, after transferring schools, she had various academic needs in order to get all the preferential treatment in all aspects.

Forget it, let her copy... She transferred from an arts school anyway, and after graduation she'll probably become an excellent actor like that "Anwa Tendo". If she can get a few more awards during her two years of high school, she might be able to brag about them when she appears on variety shows.

Akira Kurusu has extremely high, even completely tolerant, patience with An and Subaru's various learning progress.

Anwa Subaru and Izare Nina are fundamentally different. Anwa Subaru was forced onto the path of "advancing to higher education," so she had more room for maneuver. Izare Nina, on the other hand, was studying solely for the purpose of advancing to higher education. If she lost her proper attitude towards learning, it would be almost equivalent to abandoning all the efforts she had made in the past.

If classmates question An and Subaru's grades, it's easy to handle. Just arrange a little twist, and you can easily turn their doubts into admiration and trust.

The sordid thoughts unique to adults were on full display at this moment.

So Akira let An and Subaru drag him toward the classroom of Class 2-B.

As he passed by the stairwell, Shinma Hsiao-lien happened to be talking with several teachers from another school's teaching affairs office. When he saw Akira Kurusu and Subaru An huddled together, he smiled and nodded at them kindly.

An and Subaru forgot that they were still holding Akira Kurusu's wrist. They stared blankly at the principal in front of them, who had almost ruined their lives in the last time travel. It was as if they saw a huge and illusory palace about to collapse at any moment, releasing the demons sealed within... Tension and fear filled their hearts in an instant. Their whole bodies felt frozen. Their thoughts became very slow, and their movements and expressions were stiff. They could only hold onto Akira Kurusu beside them as if they were grasping at a lifeline.

It wasn't until the phantom thief grasped her hand and she felt the warmth emanating from his fingertips that An and Subaru came back to their senses.

By this time, Xinma Xiaolian had already gone far away.

"What is that?" Anwa Subaru asked Akira, who was standing next to him, trembling.

Akira Kurusu leaned close to An and Subaru's ears and whispered, "That twisted desire is being amplified to an extreme by some force... Shinma Hsiao-lien's perception must have been altered; this is an obvious conspiracy."

Akira Kurusu: "This enormous desire will soon drive him to commit another grave crime, and we must act quickly to stop him."

An and Subaru: "What should we do?"

Akira Kurusu: "Iori Rencai is in charge of sending out the notice, and we are in charge of infiltrating the mental palace, stealing the secret treasure, and making him repent."

Anwa Subaru: "But... Toyokawa-kun isn't here."

Akira Kurusu: "So this is the real 'open conspiracy'. The evil gods hiding in the cracks of the Impression Space are trying to take the opportunity to reduce the team's combat power... But now we have no choice but to take the initiative. Since I was able to lead you all the way to the end in the last cycle, I can do it again this time."

Akira: "We'll schedule the operation for today's lunch break. Let's head to the exam hall now."

An and Subaru: "How can I possibly concentrate on the exam when I'm like this!"

Lai Xixiao looked at her strangely: "You can just copy my test paper. How could you possibly answer those questions?"

An and Subaru said timidly, "Well... I've been trying to get you to tutor me, haven't I?"

Akira Kurusu found the classroom of Class 2-B and saw the exam schedule posted on the wall. Suddenly, she said, "What a coincidence! All our exam seats will be next to each other for the next three days."

"Huh?" Anwa Subaru looked at him in surprise.

“This is an arrangement by the Singaporean and Malaysian officials,” Lai Qixiao said. “He has been trying to win me over and make me truly loyal to him... If nothing unexpected happens, he might threaten you to come and contact me during this period.”

"touch?"

"To be precise, it should be described as getting to know each other, or reaching a deeper relationship... Based on the various pieces of information you provided about the Singapore-Malaysia Filipinos, this should be considered one of the few 'resources' he has."

"Hmm..." An and Subaru recalled the bizarre turn of events in their previous life—they almost ended up in each other's "tutoring center." Her thinking was instantly shattered. She blinked, completely unable to discern her current emotions: nervousness? fear? anticipation? —

"Will you listen to him?" Anwa Subaru asked Kurusu Akira cautiously.

The thief looked at her with some surprise and pity in his eyes. "He's almost won over by me, so why should you listen to his arrangements? Besides, we've already acted quite close to him today, so he shouldn't use any particularly despicable means to blackmail you."

“That’s true…” An and Subaru felt inexplicably disappointed, but also felt that this was not right.

Surprisingly, Akira didn't let go of her hand at the classroom door. "After we deal with this guy, let's go to Disneyland together. I used your credit card before, so this time I'll use the money I earned from my part-time job to take you."

"Huh?" An and Subaru were stunned.

If it were the old Akira Kurusu, she would have seriously pushed her into the classroom at this point, letting her prepare for the exam, while she herself would take out her phone and stand at the door playing until the exam started.

She asked cautiously, "Is...is there a new enemy?"

“This is just a simple gathering.” Akira Kurusu nudged Subaru An’s shoulder. “Of course, you can change the word ‘gathering’ if you want.”

An and Subaru's eyes visibly trembled, and they lowered their voices to say, "This is an operation by the Phantom Thieves, isn't it...?"

She was certainly aware of her feelings for Akira Kurusu, but she wasn't ready to deal with them.

Now, Akira Kurusu has brought up this topic in such a time-sensitive and delicate situation... An and Subaru nervously watched the students coming and going in the corridor. At first, they were whispering and plotting about the Phantom Thieves, and they were almost face to face, making it impossible for her to even run away.

She could actually run away, but that would attract too much attention... and might even lead to some rumors that aren't good for Akira Kurusu.

An and Subaru could only stand there motionless, feeling the heat rising on their faces, waiting for Akira's explanation.

She felt that Akira Kurusu seemed to have suddenly become a different person, but it didn't seem like a deliberate disguise or a revelation of his original personality... Perhaps it was all his true self, just choosing different faces for different situations.

Anwa Subaru bit his lip, staring nervously at Akira Kurusu in front of him, waiting for his next explanation.

Akira Kurusu stared into An and Subaru's eyes for a while, then said, "I can 'read minds'."

An and Subaru quickly looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

"...Really?" After a while, An and Subaru finally whispered.

“You already believe me,” Akira Kurusu released An and Subaru’s hands, then poked her forehead with her index finger. “So, will you accept my invitation?”

An and Subaru nodded a few times without saying a word, then rushed into the examination room as if they were fleeing.

Lai Xixiao took out her phone and leaned against the door. She opened Line and began to answer the girls' messages of concern and encouragement one by one. Finally, she walked into the examination room and casually put her phone into the new phone pouch hanging next to the blackboard.

On the podium, the math teacher from Wuyang High School immediately recognized this problem-solving monster who had dominated the "Arithmetic League Selection Competition," and his heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, the subject I took the exam was Chinese.

He thought to himself, at least I won't be tortured anymore.

After all, he himself can't even understand the Chinese language questions anymore.

He had forgotten everything about haiku appreciation and reading comprehension by the time he graduated from high school.

......

After the first exam ended, the students who had handed in their papers stormed out of the classroom, grumbling all the while.

Unlike the "opening-of-school test," a group of students were now standing in the hallway, comparing answers and showing off their exceptional performance.

However, Ryuji Sakamoto and Yuki Mishima are not in this category.

Yuki Mishima: "It's finally over. I don't want to write any more essays for the next month."

It's hard to imagine that the essay topic for the Chinese language exam was "discussing the advantages and disadvantages of teenage romance".

Ryuji Sakamoto: "Will I pass?"

Yuki Mishima: "I'll give you a look; figure it out yourself."

Ryuji Sakamoto: "Mishima, next up is English, right? Can you even pass that?"

"hehe."

Holding a copy of "The Complete Vocabulary of Essential English for High School Students," Yuki Mishima walked away with a cold smile, choosing not to answer Ryuji Sakamoto's question.

Ryuji Sakamoto was not about to pass up this opportunity to kick someone when they were down, so he relentlessly pursued the matter.

As the two passed by Class 2-B, they saw a familiar figure standing by the window, clenching his fist.

"Hey, this is... this is Yoshizawa, a first-year student!"

"What a gorgeous gymnast!" The high school students around them were discussing the sudden appearance of Kasumi Yoshizawa in small groups.

......

The first exam is over. There will be a one-hour break in between, allowing candidates to change exam rooms or review material.

Akira Kurusu took his English exam in his original seat in Class 2-B, but An and Subaru moved to the seat in front of him.

The good news is that English is one of the few subjects that An and Subaru are good at.

After all, arts schools do have certain requirements for students' foreign language proficiency to facilitate various business collaborations.

Cell phones are not allowed in the examination room, so to facilitate movement and avoid attracting attention, you should minimize the frequency of going out.

Akira Kurusu had no choice but to call out to An and Subaru, who were sitting in front of her, to turn around and chat with her.

An and Subaru still looked listless. It was unclear whether the essay question had drained their thinking ability or the conversation outside the exam room had stirred up many unusual thoughts in their minds.

In short, her thoughts were scattered like weeds, and the pen in her hand kept poking at the draft paper on Akira Kurusu's desk like a ticker timer.

They were supposed to be chatting about gossip from the "e-sports scene," which they usually care about most, but now they were just staring at Akira Kurusu's face, absentmindedly talking about things they couldn't even remember clearly.

The once blank and clean draft paper was soon scattered with black dots, like little insects crawling everywhere in the girl's heart, treading on her sensitive heart and making a soft rustling sound.

The phantom thief glanced at her and then reached out to grab her hand.

An and Subaru seemed startled, but they still obediently let the other party do as they pleased.

Lai Qixiao pried open her fingers and took the warm pen from inside.

At this moment, he could have boldly intertwined his fingers with An and Subaru. The girl might have been shy or felt uneasy, but she would have had no objections whatsoever.

"Would it be painful to go back in time?" The two faces were very close when they heard Akira Kurusu ask this question as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

“Yes…” Anhe Subaru watched as Kurusu Akira picked up a pen and quickly drew horizontal and vertical lines on the draft paper, the lines intertwining to form a grid.

"You seem a little nervous. Is it because you're afraid of another 'time rewind'?"

“It’s not for that reason,” An and Subaru caught a hint of teasing in Akira’s eyes and were eager to explain, but remembering Akira’s ability to detect emotions that was no different from mind reading, they could only lower their heads sullenly. “Of course I’m scared… but it’s definitely not for that reason. Also, you… you’re not allowed to tease me.”

Akira Kurusu drew a circle on the "chessboard" with the pen in his hand, then handed the pen back to An and Subaru, and pointed to the "chessboard" with his finger, "Let's play a game of Gomoku."

The girl's face was so close that you could feel her warm breath and vaguely smell a sweet fragrance. When her lips parted, you couldn't help but want to open your mouth and bite her.