Tokyo Psychic

Page 148

Akira Kurusu played the keyboard version of "Spring Shadow" smoothly, the song that had just been abruptly stopped.

A faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the empty and dim eyes of Wakaba Mutsu sitting next to him.

Did Xiangzi teach him? ...

A mixture of envy and longing flowed through Ruoye Mu's chaotic thoughts, along with a sense of bewilderment.

Akira Kurusu continued playing, but it gradually took on a completely different feel from when Mutsuka Wakaba had played earlier—

It's something that even a layman like Senmina Nami can clearly feel is "pleasant to listen to".

When was this guitar tab arranged? You can feel the presence of all the instruments in the band through the drums, bass, chord, lead...

Wakaba Mutsu raised his head, his empty eyes seemingly drawing in light, reflecting Akira Kurusu's figure.

Akira Kurusu's performance far surpassed the beauty of Mutsu Wakaba's performance; each melody seemed to resonate with the soul, evoking a variety of deep and passionate emotions.

Such fast finger plucking... Wakaba Mutsu's attention was completely drawn to his performance.

Despite the fingering being so complex as to be dazzling, he could naturally begin singing the lyrics of "Spring Shadow" in a very soft voice while playing.

This indescribable sense of naturalness... it's as if the guitar has come alive, singing out loud in his caresses, pushing its performance to the limit.

Where Wakaba Mutsu and Mori Minami couldn't see, the Persona "Dioscuri" floated in mid-air, holding up a draft paper filled with lyrics in front of Kurusu Akira.

Suddenly, an immense loneliness and sorrow, like an invisible tide, swept over every listener in the basement, irresistibly infecting them with this emotion, and then, in this unspeakable grief, they began to hope for a happy salvation.

Wait until the end of the song.

Mori Minami's eyes twitched twice, and she suddenly felt a little soreness in her eyes.

She took a deep breath and gave Lai Qixiao a long look. "Excuse me."

As she spoke, she even forgot to say anything complimentary, and quickly walked up the stairs, leaving the basement.

Just as Akira Kurusu was about to put the guitar back in Mutsu Wakaba's arms and follow, she realized that just as she was about to leave, the girl behind her was tightly tugging at the hem of her clothes.

He turned around and found that Ruoye Mu was staring at him without blinking, and it seemed that some barrier in those empty and numb eyes had quietly melted away.

Her lips trembled as she gazed at the boy before her with an almost pleading look.

“I…I want to…” Wakaba Mutsu shook Kurusu Akira’s sleeve, seemingly feeling ashamed, and then let go of her hand under Kurusu Akira’s gaze, at a loss.

"You want to learn?"

A glint clearly appeared in Ruoye Mutsu's eyes, and she nodded vigorously, making no attempt to hide her admiration for Kurusu Akira.

"I want it to sing too."

Akira Kurusu looked towards the stairwell; Minami Mori was already quite far away.

“I can’t teach you.” He looked at Wakaba Mutsu calmly.

A clear look of frustration and regret immediately appeared on the girl's otherwise expressionless face. "I'm sorry," she said in a trembling voice.

"Did you think I was unwilling to teach you because of what you said at the banquet that day?" Akira Kurishi looked into Mutsu Wakaba's eyes.

Ruo Yemu immediately lowered her face as if she had done something wrong, and dared not look him in the eye again.

"I'm sorry..." she said in a voice trembling with a faint sob.

“I’m not angry about that,” Akira Kurusu said. “I can’t teach you because I can’t play the guitar myself.”

He explained candidly, "You might not believe it... I just put my hands on the pianos, and they started moving on their own."

Dioscuri was tidying up the draft paper behind him, which was filled with the lyrics of "Spring Shadows".

Wakaba Mutsu raised her head in confusion, looking cautiously at Kurusu Akira.

Akira Kurusu seemed to have completely seen through what Mutsuka Wakaba was thinking, and calmly asked her, "You're thinking, 'This is an incomprehensible talent, almost like a superpower,' right?"

It was as if someone had completely read his mind. Instead of feeling scared, Ruoye Muku opened his eyes wide and excitedly reached over Laixi Xiao's sleeve to grasp his hand tightly.

"Superpowers, they're real," the girl murmured, almost in a dream.

"it is true."

"Ah..." Wakaba Muku's mouth opened slightly, and then she gripped Kurusu Akira's hand even tighter, looking up at him as if she were grasping at a lifeline.

Akira Kurusu reached out to stroke Wakaba Mutsu's head. Wakaba Mutsu shrank back in fright, but did not resist.

He whispered to Wakaba Mutsu, "Shoko and I will save you together."

Ruoye Mu pursed her lips, suddenly withdrew her hand, and then stood up while holding her guitar.

Immediately afterwards, she held the guitar in both hands and handed it to Akira Kurusu in front of her. After doing this, she immediately took two steps back while holding the guitar, as if she had done something wrong and felt ashamed and remorseful.

Akira Kurusu stepped forward and took the guitar from Mutsu Wakaba's arms.

"What else do you want to hear?" He took the chair that Wakaba Mutsu had just been sitting on, sat down, and opened his palm to her. "Give me the pick."

The girl stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the boy in front of her, her light golden eyes brighter than ever before.

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130. "On Happiness" (Two-in-One)

It was completely dark.

The stars were shrouded in the summer heat, and the city lights drifted like a thick fog under the night sky.

Shoko Toyokawa finished her part-time job at STARRY and took the tram back to her somewhat old apartment in Akabane-cho.

"I'm home." She unlocked the door with her key and took off her shoes in the entryway.

The clattering of pots and pans came from the kitchen. Toyokawa Kiyoshi, taking a break from his busy work, turned around and called out, "Welcome back." After saying that, he somewhat awkwardly picked up a cooked beef rib and put it on his plate, then drizzled it with black pepper sauce.

Shoko Toyokawa put her schoolbag on the sofa. "Isn't Father helping out at the convenience store today?"

Kiyotaka Toyokawa carried the tray into the living room, saying, "Since it's the weekend, I wanted to take care of you a little more."

Shoko Toyokawa was visibly stunned for a few seconds, then a happy smile appeared on her face. "I can take care of myself. Father just needs to rest well on the weekend."

Then she took out her phone and walked briskly back to her room, saying, "Let me know when dinner is ready!"

As the door closed, Toyokawa Kiyotaka looked at the neatly stacked, unopened beer cans on one side of the dining table, shook his head with a complicated expression, and said, "Shoko has grown up..."

He muttered to himself, a clear sense of indebtedness and guilt appearing on his face.

Then, as if making a decision, he reached out and slapped his face hard before returning to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Toyokawa Shoko, head down, tapping on her phone screen, casually moved to sit down at the dining table. The apologetic man cleared his throat and tentatively said, "Shoko, could you listen to me for a moment?"

"Please speak."

Toyokawa Shoko put down her phone. The guy on the screen, who called himself "The Attic Thinker," had disappeared without a trace after explaining that he had arrived at Wakaba's house.

No matter how many messages she sent, they were always in an "unread" state.

Over time, Toyokawa Shoko has gradually gotten used to her boyfriend's busy schedule.

In fact, the messages she sent were all commonplace expressions of concern, conveying the sentiment of "I miss you." Even though the process was somewhat lengthy, knowing that they would be received sooner or later made her secretly happy.

She looked at her father sitting across the table, waiting for him to say something next.

Toyokawa Kiyoshi sat up straight and said, "Don't stay here any longer."

The man, who had genuinely repented, took a deep breath and looked intently at his daughter. "It's time to go home, Xiangzi."

Shoko Toyokawa frowned in surprise. "Isn't this my home?"

Toyokawa Kiyoshi shook his head, "I'm not so pathetic that I need to rely on my daughter to survive... at least not now."

He continued, “This dilapidated house is the punishment for my impetuousness. Perhaps your grandfather also hoped that I could reflect on my actions here… Of course, I have indeed failed his trust, and I have also failed Mizuho and you.”

The man, who had once fallen to the lowest point in his life, said with a somewhat conflicted expression, "If you really still want to love me as your father, the most important thing you should do now is pack your bags and go back to the Toyokawa family."

Shoko Toyokawa clenched her fists and angrily questioned him, "What do you mean by this?!"

After saying a long string of words, Toyokawa Kiyotaka's expression immediately relaxed a bit. "The reason is simple... Shoko, you have a boy you like, right? For someone to be worthy of your affection, he must be an exceptionally outstanding guy."

How did you know...?

He explained with a mix of helplessness and emotion, "When you like someone, your expression can't hide it from anyone."

After speaking, Toyokawa Kiyotaka looked at his daughter with deep heartache, guilt, and regret in his eyes. "You really had a hard time during that time... and now, you should pursue your own happiness."

"You mean... once I leave the Toyokawa family, I can't pursue my own love?" Toyokawa Shoko's expression became even more indignant.

“People in different environments see the world in completely different ways.” Toyokawa Kiyoshi shook his head and looked at her with a gentle yet regretful gaze. “I believe in your abilities and I am proud to have such an excellent daughter as you… But, Shoko, you should have realized by now that if you hadn’t left the Toyokawa family, your life would be much, much happier than it is now.”

"Happiness is something that cannot be obtained by giving it to others. Only when you live happily can you try to use that happiness to inspire others."

Looking at the speechless Toyokawa Shoko, Toyokawa Kiyoko couldn't help but sigh, "If you hadn't left the Toyokawa family, you would be in a band with many friends now, and things would be..."

“You’re wrong,” Toyokawa Shoko suddenly interrupted him.

Under Toyokawa Kiyoko's astonished gaze, she smiled and said, "I don't make friends or pursue boys because I'm 'the daughter of the Toyokawa family.' Whether it's the band or my romantic partners, they like me because 'Toyokawa Shoko' is worthy of their liking. All my choices, efforts, and experiences so far have collectively made up 'my' existence."

"If you want me to leave this home and pursue 'my own happiness,' then I can tell you frankly..."

"I am very happy now."

Toyokawa Shoko revealed a smile so beautiful that it made Toyokawa Kiyoko's eyes sting.

......

at the same time.

The basement of Wakaba's house.

Another song, "Spring Shadows," has come to an end.

Akira Kurusu put down his guitar amidst applause from Mutsu Wakaba.

Meeting the girl's admiring and respectful gaze, he yawned wearily. "Dioscuri" was behind him, almost crumpling the draft paper full of lyrics into pieces.

Are there any other songs you'd like to hear?

Akira Kurusu played "Spring Shadow" five times over and over again, each time infusing the power of the Persona into every melody, making each piece full of touching emotions... He almost cried listening to himself, but the little girl in front of him was not only unmoved, like an emotionless doll, but kept asking him to play it again.

After thinking for a moment, Wakaba Mutsu looked up at Kurusu Akira with bright eyes and asked, "Can I hear your band's debut song?"

We must believe that music has power.

Looking at the "self" that shone in her eyes, Akira Kurusu saw a gradually emerging image of a doll, so adorable that it evoked pity.

"You don't 'hate' me anymore?" He clearly read through Ruoye Mu's true thoughts, but he still deliberately teased her with this question.

Ruo Yemu immediately pursed her lips, clenched her fists as if she had done something wrong, and placed them on her knees.

Are you worried that Xiangzi will be angry with you?

Ruo Yemu nodded slowly.

"Why is she angry?" Akira Kurusu was amused by Mutsu Wakaba's nervous look. "You haven't done anything to offend her."

Ruo Ye Mu opened her mouth slightly, hesitated for several seconds, then stared into Lai Qi Xiao's eyes and said cautiously, "Because... I also want to form a band with you."

It turns out she wasn't a real doll; the loneliness, sadness, and longing for happiness that Akira Kurusu infused into the melodies were completely conveyed to her heart.

She just didn't know how to express it. The wound hidden deep in her heart was healing, and the tingling sensation spreading throughout her body made her instinctively want to spend more time with the boy in front of her.

It's like a drowning person grasping at a straw in a desperate situation, or like a person suffering from illness finding a painkiller by their bedside.

Even though she vaguely realized that after grasping at the straw, there would be even higher and faster waves crashing down, and that the pain would not stop after the painkiller wore off... she even felt the possibility that the straw would be torn apart, as well as the side effects of the medication.

But she had already grabbed on regardless of the consequences.

She has been tormented on the verge of "destruction" for far too long...

Looking into Wakaba Mutsu's misty, light golden eyes, it was as if she saw a little girl crying helplessly with her knees in her arms. "Then you'll have to have a band that can accept me, since the bands I'm in charge of now don't lack guitarists."

Upon hearing this, Ruo Yemu immediately lowered her head in a panic.

Akira Kurusu noticed her fear and panic, so she explained, "Although I can't form a band with you or teach you guitar techniques... I can take care of your time after school."

"After school..." Wakaba Mutsu looked at him with some confusion.

"How about joining my club? Xiao Xiang is also a member of my club."

Akira Kurusu spoke candidly, saying, "I do have some privileges at my own school. For example, my club can recruit students from other schools as members and then carry out club activities after school."

He looked at Mutsumi Wakaba, "Tsukinomori doesn't have a rule that 'students of this school must participate in club activities on campus,' right?"