Tokyo Psychic

Page 182

Now, in the face of the impending disaster of both of them losing their professional ethics, the minor mistake of Izayoi sneezing and interrupting the recording of the entire song seems insignificant.

Looking at the boy and girl, each lost in their own thoughts, Kawara Momoka couldn't help but sigh. "Why don't you just stop explaining and continue practicing? Renting these instruments is so expensive."

Yamada Ryo readily nodded, "No problem."

Akira picked up the pick, choosing to let her actions speak for themselves.

......

at the same time.

In the Impression Space of Atami, Wakaba Muku dragged the panting An and Subaru through a waiting hall.

A large group of startled shadows were chasing after the two.

"Miss Wakaba... no, Mutsu! Think of something quick! Didn't you say your Persona was amazing?"

"I've handed over control to Metath." Ruoye Mu was so anxious that her face turned pale.

"And what about Miss Mortis?!"

"She... I'll get her out right away."

Just as a host of shadows were about to engulf Wakaba Mutsumi and An and Subaru.

Ruoye Mu's closed eyes suddenly opened.

Then, in the next moment, endless frost instantly froze all the shadows in all directions, and the pale color even covered the surface of the buildings in the space.

“We can go now,” Metis nudged An and Subaru’s arm.

An and Subaru looked up at the frozen emergency light above them; its original deep red color was now the color of tuna sashimi.

151. She is in the CPU (two-in-one)

"It's finally over."

The band managed to record "All Nameless" with some stumbles and bumps along the way, managing to get the first take done in just one afternoon.

By this time, the setting sun had already dipped below the horizon of the hot sea, its wine-red light filling the vast sky like melting red agate, the shadows of seagulls and boats appearing as tiny impurities within a gemstone—

Ichi Nijika leaned against the windowsill, her eyes, as beautiful as the sunset, reflecting the same scenery.

The warm evening breeze ruffled the girl's long hair, bringing with it the salty smell of the sea and the coolness of summer twilight.

Jing Qinrencai chewed on a throat lozenge, holding the twig she had picked up at noon, and gestured it up and down in the corridor outside towards Heyuanmu Taoxiang, when the twig was snatched away.

Serina Izakura, yelling and screaming, chased after Momoka Kawahara for quite a distance. Ryo Yamada, holding up his phone and recording, followed them all the way. Shoko Toyokawa, somewhat worried, had no choice but to follow them...

As Ichi Nijika listened to the excessively noisy commotion behind her, she was about to make a move when a sharp, agonizing pain shot through her shoulders and arms.

At some point, only Akira Kurusu remained in the rehearsal room, tidying up the instruments.

Since it's a rental, you have to return it as soon as you're done using it.

Akira Kurusu put the guitar into the box and pressed the latch.

"Can Hongxia help?"

Akira Kurusu picked up two guitars, with a bass hanging from her arm, and then asked Niji Natsumi, who was standing by the window enjoying the breeze.

When Ichi Nijika turned around, she saw the trolley crammed full of electronic devices such as a drum set, keyboard, and speakers. Then, seeing Akira Kurusu doing a superb biceps workout, she couldn't help but laugh.

The girl's smile was almost dazzling in the glow of the setting sun.

"Let me find my hair tie..." Ichiji Nijika tore her hair aside, then rummaged through her pocket to find her hair tie, and then retied her side ponytail.

While doing a biceps superset, Akira Kurusu walked towards the door. "I'll go find another trolley. Can Nijika help push these down to the first floor?"

“Okay.” Ichiji Nijika watched Akira Kurusu’s departing figure, then slowly walked towards the small car filled with musical instruments.

......

The asphalt road was radiating heat; only after stepping out of the air-conditioned comfort did I truly feel the harshness of midsummer.

After finishing his canned black coffee while sitting on a park bench, Akira Kurusu leaned back slightly and then precisely tossed the empty aluminum can into a trash can five meters away.

Clang. The empty bottle collided with the metal trash can, making a very loud sound.

At the same time, the small door to the public restroom opened.

Ichi Nijika looked at Kurusu Akira sitting in the chair with some embarrassment, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Why do you feel embarrassed?" Akira Kurusu was quite curious about the little emotions of Niji Natsumi, an ordinary high school girl.

Among the girls he knew, a high school girl who was "ordinary" enough and conformed to the general public's perception was a rare find.

Putting aside the newly joined "Red Ginger" band, Akira Kurusu finds that, apart from Nijika Iji, only Nijina Ishihara can be considered "ordinary" by her side.

An and Subaru's otaku tendencies are off the charts, Toyokawa Shoko is a chaebol heiress, and Yamada Ryo looks like a Venusian who just stepped off the set of "Arakawa Under the Bridge"...

As for Wakaba Mutsumi... never mind.

Even if you include Akira Kurusu from her previous life, Mutsuka Wakaba is the most special girl he has ever known.

Akira Kurusu has seen many Personas with the potential to awaken "Unruly Power," but this is the first time he has seen someone like Mutsuki Wakaba who is born with an exceptionally high level of "Unruly Power."

The so-called "unbridled power" refers to the special talent of simultaneously driving multiple personas.

A person's persona is a reflection of their inner power. People who can awaken multiple personas often have drastically different and extremely contradictory situations in reality. They play different identities in different environments and have extremely conflicting inner states.

Personas with the potential to awaken "unbridled power" can even exceed such stringent conditions, creating different states of mind through role-playing, imitation, and disguise to reflect different personas through the sea of ​​the heart.

People with similar talents are either mentally ill or exceptionally gifted.

It's often said that the difference between mental illness and genius is just a matter of a single thought, and there seems to be some truth to that.

Returning to the topic of Ijichi Nijika, the girl was at a loss for words when faced with Akira Kurusu's question, "Why do you feel embarrassed?"

After a while, she stammered, "Because...because I'm not used to it?" There was a hint of confusion in her voice.

Would a normal male high school student really ask a girl his age, "Why do you feel embarrassed when I wait for you outside to use the restroom?"

Ichi Nijika sometimes feels that she is the only normal person in the whole band.

In fact, this is not an illusion.

Akira Kurusu, with her inquisitive spirit, continued to press Nijika Ichi, "From what I've observed, high school girls often like to go to the restroom with their friends during breaks. Is this because of concerns about 'safety'?"

"Boys probably go to the bathroom with their close friends during breaks too, since they always have a lot to talk about and want to make the most of their break time!" Ichiji Nijika asked Kurusu Akira with considerable dissatisfaction.

"I see, so it was just a connection based on mutual affection?" Akira Kurusu said thoughtfully.

"Don't you... have any close friends in high school?" Ichiji Nijika's expression was strange.

“That’s true,” Akira Kurusu said. “It’s just that, under normal circumstances, every minute I spend at school is during breaks, so it’s hard for me to understand how everyone makes the most of their time to relax and have fun.”

"How did she manage to do that?" Ichiji Nijika thought about it carefully and realized that Kurusu Akira was indeed a very idle person who was completely unlike a high school student.

They're so free they can work several jobs every day or wander around Tokyo.

"Get first place in the grade, then go and negotiate with the head of the teaching department."

“Tsk…” Ijichi Nijika’s face was full of disappointment.

"Why did you start disliking school in your second year of high school?"

"Alright! Let's stop talking about such weird topics..." Ichiji Nijika stomped her foot, her small pink sneakers clicking on the floor, her long, slender legs under her shorts gleaming in the setting sun. "We're here on vacation! Don't bring academic issues here!"

"..."

Having returned the rented musical instruments, the two were on their way back to the hotel when Ijichi Nijika, who had been holding back all afternoon, finally couldn't bear it any longer and revealed her need to "pick flowers" (a euphemism for sexual intercourse).

So Akira Kurusu rested for a while in the park with her empty shopping cart, and bought a can of coffee. While drinking her coffee, she watched Nijika Ichichi queue up in front of the women's restroom.

Atami has always been a popular tourist destination, but today all the shops on the beach happened to be closed, all the routes near Atami were under maintenance, and there were no tourist activities running all day, so no tourists visited... Akira Kurusu sometimes thought about clinging to Toyokawa Shoko's leg and saying, "Miss, let's stop pretending and go back to inherit the billion-dollar fortune," but in the end, it was just a thought. Even if Toyokawa Shoko didn't go back, she would still be the heir of the Toyokawa family.

He wasn't ready to truly cooperate with a huge conglomerate either.

We need to at least investigate the Toyokawa family's background first...

Urged on by Ichiji Nijika, Kurusu Akira had no choice but to get up, put aside her curiosity about ordinary high school life, and push the trolley back to the hotel.

The two left one after the other.

At the far end of the park's women's restroom, two stalls with signs that read "Under Construction, Do Not Use" suddenly opened their doors simultaneously.

Under the astonished gaze of the woman who had just entered, An and Subaru, along with Wakaba Mutsu, walked out of their respective cubicles with a guilty look on their faces. They exchanged a glance in the corridor before hastily fleeing.

"Why does it have to be in the bathroom..." Wakaba Mutsu asked her senior in the Phantom Thieves in a low voice.

"The leader's original words were, 'When you learn to use the bathroom skillfully to enter and exit the Impression Space, you are already a mature Persona user.'"

"I see." Wakaba Mutsu actually believed it. "I will have Metath work hard to learn how to use the restroom."

"So it was Mortis who asked for help...?" An and Subaru rarely couldn't help but feel the urge to make a sarcastic remark.

"Because I felt ashamed."

"Miss Mortis will cry!"

“She doesn’t care,” said Ruoye Mutsu calmly.

By this time, the two had run into the street, preparing to return to the hotel.

Just as An and Subaru were about to say a few good words for Motis, they saw Wakaba Muku suddenly stop in his tracks.

Then she put her hands on her sides, looked very angry, and said, almost word by word, "I clearly care!"

As she spoke, "Wakaba Mutsu" ran to the wall and started kicking it repeatedly, muttering to herself, "Mutsu really doesn't understand anything! I'm a girl too! I have self-respect too!"

Then, as if she had heard Wakaba Mutsu's reply, her expression became even more agitated. "I don't want to become the 'superpowered person in the toilet,' what an awful title!"

"Is this nickname a reference to 'Hanako-san of the Toilet'?" Anwa Subaru watched Wakaba Mutsuki mutter to herself, thinking that her condition had become so serious that she should probably see a psychiatrist again...

The girl's intense emotional turmoil subsided immediately.

Clearly, Motis has been stripped of control over her body by Wakaba Mutsu.

She bowed somewhat awkwardly to Anhe Subaru and apologized, "I'm sorry to have made Miss Anhe laugh at me."

【If you're so capable, don't call me next time you're in danger!】Metis was still chattering away in Wakaba Mutsu's mind.

Ruoye Mu calmly replied, "Then what would I do with you?"

Motis instantly lost her temper, all her arrogance vanished, and she shrank back meekly, saying, "Xiao Mu, I'm sorry! I'll try my best from now on!"

Wakaba Mutsu patted her head. "Good luck. 'The psychic in the toilet.'"

"I understand!" Metis replied, her voice trembling with tears.

......

Back at the hotel, Yamada Ryo was discussing inspiration for their next new song with Kawara Momoka in the lobby.

Ryo Yamada has very unique insights into composing music. After exchanging ideas with Momoka Kawaharaki, they actually determined the direction for the band's third song.

"Why is Ryo suddenly working so hard?" Akira Kurusu asked Nijika Iji, who was standing next to her, after seeing Ryo Yamada's unusually serious expression from a distance.

Ichi Nijika quietly answered Kurusu Akira.

"She always talks like this when it comes to rock-related topics... I thought you already knew that."

"She used to be quite lazy."

"Ah, it's probably because she suddenly wants to go pro again?... We actually planned to be a professional band at first, but after Momoka reminded us, we now feel that going to school is more important. After all, debuting in high school is too unstable for future development." Ichiji Nijika sighed, "It suddenly feels so realistic and heavy."

"If the band becomes very popular, maybe I can switch to a professional career."

"I hope it becomes a huge hit..." That's all I could hope for.

Being able to form a band together naturally implies a shared vision of making it a life goal.

If it weren't for the involvement of an adult who shared his own experience of dropping out of high school to form a band and facing numerous setbacks, which highlighted the importance of academics to these high school girls, they might have already started trying to pursue a professional career after leaving the band.

Now, both Akira Kurusu and Niji Natsumi Iji are standing by the door talking in perfect harmony, without disturbing the space where the two creators are sharing their inspiration.

As if she had just thought of something, Ijichi Nijika suddenly looked up and asked Kurusu Akira beside her.

"If... I mean if, the band really does go professional, can we keep going?"

“The process of forming a band is like having a daydream that is hard to describe in terms of length. Dreams always end, and every band will have a day of ‘graduation’,” Akira Kurusu said. “However, we should be good friends for life.”

“My friend…” Ichiji Nijika looked at the sofa on one side of the hall, where I Serina was playing a game on Anwa Subaru’s Switch.

She shook her head, forcing herself to give up those naive fantasies. "That's true. After all, no one can say for sure what will happen to everyone's life in the future."