Tokyo Psychic

Page 134

With some fear, Wakaba Mutsu broke free from Toyokawa Shoko's hand and slowly backed away, wanting to return to her parents' side.

Unexpectedly, Toyokawa Shoko immediately grabbed Wakaba Mutsu's wrist and firmly pulled her back to her side. Then she looked at the Wakaba couple seriously and said, "I haven't seen Mutsu for a long time. I have a lot to say to her."

"Hmm... Shouldn't Xiangzi spend more time with her boyfriend?"

“On such a rare occasion, compared to a high school girl like me who doesn’t have many merits, Uncle Wakaba, as a senior in the agency, should have more to talk about with him, right?” Toyokawa Shoko said in a humble tone that made Wakaba Takafumi frown.

"Please continue to take good care of Ren in your work, Uncle and Aunt." She bowed slightly to Takafumi Wakaba and Minami Mori.

“...Of course.” Ruoye Longwen said softly, “When you have time, you can come to our house to play more often. Xiaomu misses you a lot.”

As Akira watched Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu walk further and further away, he immediately seemed to seamlessly switch to a mask, politely and respectfully asking Mori Minami about various techniques for the exercise. During this time, he did not forget to take care of Wakaba Takafumi's feelings, and single-handedly kept the couple in place for nearly twenty minutes.

This child is practically like someone with multiple personalities... Mori Minami's eyes twitched involuntarily a few times. She was almost numb with shock from Kurusu Akira's "acting" that could portray a thousand different faces.

How did he manage to "perform" each character he introduced in such a distinctive and contradictory way, yet somehow make them appear deliberate and clumsy while still coordinating and blending together?

Senmina, who prides herself on her acting skills, seems to have forgotten her original purpose for coming here.

Or perhaps... she has already achieved her goal.

By the time the long dinner ended and Akira Kurusu and Shoko Toyokawa left the office, it was already quite dark.

At the vending machine next to Seijo Station, Akira Kurusu inserted coins and ordered two cans of MAX coffee flavored with condensed milk. She handed one can to Shoko Toyokawa and unscrewed the tab herself. The cold liquid rolled down her throat; it was sickeningly sweet.

"How's the investigation going?"

The phantom thief asked the girl beside him.

Toyokawa Shoko shook her head. "Mutsuya can't quite explain what changes have occurred in them..."

“I remember there was a sentence in the Old Book of Tang that said, ‘The authorities pretended to be confused, while bystanders watched the trial,’” Lai Xixiao finished his coffee in one gulp and continued, “The student council members in Xiujinli were also completely unaware of his true nature before Xinma Xiaolian turned himself in.”

Toyokawa Shoko sipped her drink slowly, her eyes filled with worry. "Ren, have you found out anything?"

Akira Kurusu threw the empty can into the trash can. "All I can know is that Ms. Mori showed a very obvious curiosity about the topic of 'Toyokawa Shoko is dating a boy'... She is very good at concealing her various emotions. As expected of a famous actress, every word she chooses is carefully considered... Even I couldn't clearly discern the flaws in her words and actions in that chaotic environment."

"As for Mr. Wakaba... he's been very ambitious lately, which might be a key area for investigation."

"Overall, this investigation was completely unprepared and rushed. It was too difficult to extract useful information from two actors known for their acting skills..." Akira Kurusu said. "But it wasn't a complete failure."

"So, there was actually a gain?"

"They warmly invited me to their home to practice guitar with Ms. Wakaba."

"I'll go with you then."

“That won’t do; we have to split up. After all, if it were you who came, they would definitely be very welcoming and keep you at home.”

“Okay…” Although she agreed, Toyokawa Shoko’s eyes suddenly turned dangerous. “You absolutely cannot do anything to Mutsu.”

Am I that kind of person?

Shoko Toyokawa thought of Subaru An, as well as Kasumi Yoshizawa and Sumire Yoshizawa, and said with a sneer, "You'd better know what's going on."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Akira Kurusu shut his mouth and dutifully fulfilled his duties as her boyfriend, escorting Shoko Toyokawa home.

......

It was still the familiar old-fashioned apartment building. Lai Qixiao looked up at the rusty railing of the air conditioner unit. "Do you want me to come up with you?"

Shoko Toyokawa hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and refused, "No."

"I've already taken you to the attic, so it's only natural for me to show you around your room... Your place is definitely brighter than LeBron's attic, isn't it?"

“That’s different,” Toyokawa Shoko said somewhat nervously. “Father is still at home.”

"Does that mean I can come into your room once he's not here?"

"Hmm..." Toyokawa Shoko responded hesitantly.

Akira Kurusu pressed on, "Then can I stay overnight?"

"No, don't do this..." Toyokawa Shoko panicked and ran upstairs as if fleeing.

Lai Qixiao looked at her bright red earlobes and shook her head with regret.

After all, she was a rich young lady who grew up in a very well protected environment. For her to have such a relatively bold idea was already a very "bad girl" change. To stay overnight in the same apartment and room as her father would be unacceptable to most girls with strict upbringing, let alone this young lady who had only recently shed her naivety and ignorance.

The moon rose above the treetops, and the phantom thief, phone in hand, walked alone toward the tram station.

The shadows were exceptionally long in the streetlights, like a sharp saw blade embedded in the city's night filled with neon lights, pulling and tearing at the wounds from which cold darkness spewed forth.

Upon boarding the tram, Akira Kurusu was the only passenger in the spacious carriage.

Alone in an empty carriage, with the stark white lights and the cold wind whipping against my face, my sleeves trembling, I could easily conjure up images of scenes from horror games or movies.

Akira Kurusu sat on the cold metal chair, her phone screen displaying the chat room of "End Band".

The girls chattered excitedly about the band's new song... or more precisely, fragments of a song that Momoka Kawahara had created during her free time at her part-time job.

[Niji Natsumi: Speaking of which, should we go on that Morfonica tour? The band's account received another invitation from the organizers.]

【Cleansed Celery and Vegetables: I'm in!!】

[I need to work hard to earn money in May (Toyokawa Shoko): I remember the date is two weeks later... May 27th?]

[The Attic Thinker (Kurasu Akira): Are there any special days?]

[Empty wallet, begging for alms (Yamada Ryo): The 29th is Nijika's birthday, which happens to be a weekend.]

[The Attic Thinker: The celebration party is already being prepared before even confirming participation in the performance?]

[Empty wallet, begging for alms: Hmm!]

[May is the month to work hard and earn money: Morfonica...I want to participate!]

[The Attic Thinker: Let's decide by voting.]

(The "List of Invited Bands" was uploaded by "Attic Thinker")

Toyokawa Shoko immediately spotted "Mygo" in the third line of the list.

[I need to work hard to earn money in May: I'm against going on tour.]

【Celery and Vegetable Salad: I want to participate!】

[Hongxia Ijichi: Participate! ! 】

[Momoka Kawahara: Do you get an appearance fee?]

[The Attic Thinker: 40,000 yen per person, plus reimbursement for round-trip travel expenses.]

【Empty wallet, begging for alms: Participate!! ......!! !!】 Perhaps because one can speak freely online, Yamada Ryo typed hundreds of exclamation marks in one go, filling the entire screen.

(The phrase "empty wallet begging for alms" has been banned for ten minutes.)

[The Attic Thinker: Five votes in favor, he's invited to the tour!]

[Attic Thinker: After we finish the new song, let's all practice hard during this time.]

......

We returned to Shigenchaya.

Laiqi Xiao took out the key and opened the shop door.

Nina, the Siamese cat from next door, perhaps smelled the scent of another cat of her kind, and lingered at the door, refusing to follow them inside.

Akira found some leftover chicken drumsticks in the kitchen, tore them into small strips through kitchen paper, and then placed them on the kitchen paper by the door.

Nina didn't even glance at the chicken breast, but kept circling around him, calling out and rubbing her head against his trouser leg.

Akira Kurusu reached out and stroked its head. The resemblance was too strong; she immediately thought of Iori Rencai. So she sternly asked it, "You monster! I can tell you're not a cat at a glance! Change back now!"

Nina remained silent, simply clinging to people.

Seeing its dazed look, Lai Xixiao found it all rather boring.

If only Iori Rina were a catgirl.

Thinking like this, Akira closed the shop door, leaving Nina outside, waving her claws and scratching at the crack in the door, making a creaking sound.

He took a quick shower in the bathroom, then went up to the attic and lay down on the simple little bed.

The pleasant scent that An and Subaru left on the bed made him start to have all sorts of wild thoughts.

So much has happened these past two days...

The phantom thief took out his phone and searched for "Wakaba Mutsumi" online.

As the daughter of two celebrities, this girl certainly has a high level of attention online.

He recalled Ruo Yemu's exquisite and silent beauty in the banquet hall, and felt an indescribable emptiness.

It really looks like a doll.

He closed his browser and casually browsed the videos on the homepage of YouTube.

As if by telepathy, An and Subaru sent a message the moment they opened the video app.

Pleia: Lotus, did you miss me?

[The Attic Thinker: Unrealistic sentimentality.]

Pleia: I knew you were thinking of me!

[Pleia: Hehe, want to come over to my place to sleep now? My new game console I ordered online arrived, we can sit on the bed and play games together!]

[The Attic Thinker: Don't use that tone that's like luring a little boy home.]

Despite his obvious response, he couldn't help but smile, and then continued typing.

[The Attic Thinker: It's getting late, time to go to sleep.]

Perhaps due to the obstruction of clouds, the moonlight outside the window flickered, casting an unpredictable shadow on Lai Xixiao's face.

---------

119. Kurata Mashiro: This is also God's guidance.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to reveal its pale white hue, and the clouds gathered on the horizon as if in a rush. Suddenly, it seemed as if it had been soaked in blood, showing a gradual, faint blush of red.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Akira Lai got up on time.

He stood by the window of the attic, facing the street view of Shigenchaya, and then summoned the Persona "Dioscuri" to begin practicing the technique of [Memory Reading].

As a seasoned Persona user, the Phantom Thief clearly understands the importance of "always being in combat readiness".

Using my free time, I practiced my ability to portray different personas, quickly recalling those life-or-death experiences...

Three minutes later.

Dioscuri's figure slowly disappeared.

Akira Kurusu closed the window.

The time and effort required for memory retrieval are decreasing.

I have had this Persona for two months now, and the speed and depth of its activation have both improved significantly.

It has even progressed to the point where it can access memories from the last "time rewind".

Akira Kurusu took off the T-shirt that she was wearing as pajamas, revealing a muscular physique with smooth and clear lines.

He found a short-sleeved summer school uniform shirt on the bedside table, buttoned up on one side, as he stepped onto the stairs into LeBron's store.

After washing up, cleaning the shop, and finally opening the door to wait for Sakura Sojiro's arrival.

......

[AM. 7:20]

Sakura Sojiro was wiping a porcelain cup with a rag.

"I heard from Jingqin that your school is going to have a summer field trip by the sea?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be the beach... We haven't decided where to go yet. The school is organizing a vote recently." Akira Kurusu, dressed in her uniform, was busy next to the coffee machine.

“I see,” Sakura Sojiro said. “Is there anywhere Amamiya would like to go?”

"Hot spring bar."

"A very healthy choice. Have you been participating in any sports activities at school lately?"

"After school, I would sometimes accompany my classmates from the club to do parkour outside of school, and also help out the weak and fight against the strong."