Tokyo Psychic

Page 188

She closed her eyes almost resignedly, her long eyelashes trembling, then put her arm around Akira's shoulder and, somewhat roughly, pressed her lips to his, following the direction she remembered...

Her cherry-colored lips parted slightly, as if telling a story of a shy, unspoken, innocent love hidden beneath a young girl's reserved demeanor.

Even though it was just a touch of lips, Motis felt her heart pounding so fast, like the roar of heavy metal as she frantically danced on a seven-stringed guitar with a pick. The sounds of the whole world began to distort, and her heartbeat became the thunder in the endless noise of the downpour.

The long kiss ended, and she leaned on Lai Xixiao's shoulders, as if all the strength supporting her body had been quietly stripped away. She almost collapsed into the boy's arms, too weak to open her eyes, silently acquiescing to his every whim. Even though the invisible threads had long been severed, she felt as if she had returned to being a puppet being led by those threads.

The difference is that at this moment, all the threads connecting "Wakaba Mutsu" have pierced into Kurusu Akira's heart, causing the girl's body and mind to tremble with each of his heartbeats.

Lai Xixiao cupped the girl's burning cheeks, watching her slowly open her eyes. Through her misty, light golden pupils, she saw the intense heat of shyness and joy.

"Metis?"

"Ugh..." Metase suddenly arched her body, letting out a sobbing wail, and then buried her face in Akira's chest, not daring to look at him anymore.

But the boy's heartbeat became clearer, and combined with his body temperature, the girl felt her body getting hotter and hotter.

"I hate summer..." Mortis thought to herself, feeling increasingly hot and bothered.

They were actually facing LeBron's air conditioning, so there was no reason for them to feel hot.

"Can Xiaomu feel what just happened?" Lai Qixiao gently patted Motisi's trembling back, comforting the innocent and naive girl.

Metis knelt in Akira's arms, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

Akira raised her hand and played with the girl's long hair. "Let Muko come out, shall we?"

“Xiao Mu won’t let me go back,” Motis whispered.

Lai Xixiao pinched her chin, forcibly lifting the girl's face to meet her tearful gaze, then lowered her face instead...

A long time passed, until Wakaba Mutsu was having difficulty breathing, before Kurusu Akira finally let go of her hand.

He looked at Wakaba Mutsu, who was slumped in his arms, breathing heavily, and gently massaged her slightly swollen lips with his fingers. "Are you getting used to it now?"

Ruo Yemu nodded quietly, cupped Lai Xixiao's right hand in both hands, and placed it on her chest so that the other person could also feel her heartbeat.

"Your heart is beating very fast, Xiao Mu."

“This is yours,” said Wakaba Mutsu in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Looking into the girl's large, watery eyes that were staring at him without blinking, Akira thought, "She probably wants to say something romantic like 'My heart beats for you,' right?"

Ruo Yemu's blush deepened, and she seemed to be blushing so much that it looked like she could see glistening tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She nodded slowly, silently expressing her feelings.

Akira Lai knew that this was the greatest courage that the naive girl had cultivated over sixteen years of experience.

The rapid, crisp heartbeat, carried by the soft touch of her palm, vaguely conveyed the answer to Akira Kurusu—

The puppet that once displayed countless selves as it was manipulated by others and changed with the environment has now truly acquired its own "heart".

As Wakaba Mutsu hugged Kurusu Akira's neck, feeling the immense emptiness in her heart being filled with love and happiness, she instinctively craved more from the boy before her.

An inopportune moment, a short, sharp ringtone sounded in Akira Kurusu's pocket.

......

Next to the STARRY counter, Yamada Ryo stared at the phone that had been hung up on yet again, a subtle hint of frustration flickering in his bright yellow eyes.

"Ryo, your essay was edited by Amamiya..."

“It’s alright,” Yamada Ryo suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. “That kind of thing is no longer needed.”

"Huh?!"

Amidst Ichiji Nijika's astonished exclamation, Yamada Ryo actually zipped up his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and got up to go home. "At this point, I have no choice but to tell my Japanese teacher where my homework went."

"So you're planning to... not hand in your homework? But you wrote the essay yourself with so much effort."

"That would make it easier for that guy to feel guilty."

Ichiji Nijika realized that Yamada Ryo was referring to Ren Amamiya as "that guy," and her expression became somewhat troubled. "What exactly are you trying to do...?"

Yamada Ryo raised his hand and brushed aside the long bangs that were covering his forehead. "Seize the initiative."

"I'll be seen as a weirdo!"

"Isn't that great?" Yamada Ryo actually showed a proud smile.

......

【Chiyoda, Tokyo. 】

【PM4:21】

Stepping out of the air-conditioned tram, as sweat seeped from my face and the back of my neck, wetting my hair and clothes, the hustle and bustle of the metropolis traffic merged with the noise of the crowd, creating a sharp, piercing siren in my ears, almost like the alarm of a heart monitor, so noisy it made me feel panicked.

Facing the surging crowd, Ruoye Mu subconsciously hugged Laixi Xiao's arm tightly, almost pressed against his side, and carefully watched the scene in the square.

"Xiao Mu, spread your legs a little, it's hot." The phantom thief felt like he was strapped with a giant hand warmer.

Wakaba Mutsu shook her head, then pressed herself even closer to Kurusu Akira.

Even the Phantom Thief couldn't help but reminisce about the cool sea breeze and the tranquility of the hot spring garden during the four-day training camp.

But faced with his girlfriend's coquettishness, all Akira could do was endure the sweltering summer heat and quicken his pace.

The DB Library sign on the top of the office building in front of us looked ostentatious.

The moment the automatic door opened, Akira Lai breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to the cool air conditioning.

"Ah, it's Ms. Kurusu Akira!" The staff member at the front desk who was registering people stood up very enthusiastically and bent down to extend her hands to Kurusu Akira.

Akira Kurusu released Mutsumi Wakaba and shook hands with her enthusiastic colleague, saying, "Hello, hello."

"Mr. Akira Kurusu is at the library today to attend the celebration banquet tonight, right?"

"Yes."

"No Game No Life is a huge bestseller! My younger siblings, who are in middle school, love reading it too. Could you please sign my book later?"

"no problem."

The staff selectively ignored Wakaba Mutsumi standing next to Kurusu Akira. After all, it was understandable for a young and successful light novel author to be a little flirtatious in his love life.

He took out a copy of "Life is a Game" from the drawer, opened the title page, took out a pen, unscrewed the cap, and handed them to Akira Kurusu.

Lai Xixiao smoothly signed his pen name on it, and then returned the book to his colleague who bowed again.

"Ms. Woyan and all the editors of Group A should be in the conference room on the fifth floor now. The Boss is also there, and they should be discussing the manga and anime adaptations of 'No Game No Life'."

"I understand." Akira Kurusu took Wakaba Mutsu's hand and prepared to take the elevator.

As I passed through the deepest part of the first-floor corridor, I unexpectedly heard the editor yelling and berating the authors under his name.

"Kakimoto! Are you fucking insane?! What the hell was with all that plot you wrote yesterday?!"

"what?!"

The editor simply threw the stack of printed papers at "Kakimoto's" face.

"Why did the princess's maid suddenly transform from a 'quiet and reserved noble lady' into someone with multiple personalities?! And why did the princess herself go from a 'proud and highly talented and charismatic heir to the kingdom' into a 'spinosaur-shaped robot that only acts when commands are given and breathes when commands are denied'... You can change the character's personality throughout the book and still claim it's for the sake of creating a sensation... You're changing the character's personality every single page?! I've never seen anything like this in all my years in the industry!! Don't you even have a clue what kind of garbage you've written?!"

"But......"

"Go to hell! You third-rate author!!" The editor was so angry that he burst into a thick Northeastern accent, wishing he could immediately crack open the skull of the middle-aged man in front of him to see what kind of filth was inside. "What kind of hatred do you have for your female protagonist? Did you have to write her best friend as the old king's illegitimate daughter?! Did you have to add these absurd medieval noble melodramatic plots? Did you have to completely destroy her character before you were satisfied?!"

Kakimoto stubbornly tried to argue, but then he saw the editor grab a stack of printed papers on the table, looking like he was about to slap him in the face at the slightest provocation, so he shut up in a huff.

The editor continued his tirade, "After your first book finally gained popularity thanks to its anime adaptation, you think you can just write whatever you want with your second one?... You hopeless idiot! Do you know that the anime adaptation company wanted to strangle you the moment they saw your new book?!"

The editor, tired of cursing, pinched the bridge of his nose and began to recall the works of this guy named "Kakimoto Koudai" who seemed to have written so many years of works, but only one book from last year became a hit. He finally realized that the fact that the book could sell hundreds of thousands more copies thanks to the popularity of the anime was purely coincidental. It had completely drained and even overdrawn all the dog shit luck and talent that this bastard had accumulated since entering the industry. So he slumped back down.

He slammed his hand on the printed copy of the sequel on the table, feeling utterly exhausted. "Take it back and rewrite it."

"..."

Akira Kurusu led Mutsu Wakaba along the corridor, and they heard the editor's tired voice coming from the office.

"Remove the maid's inexplicable multiple personality disorder, and also remove the old king's illegitimate daughter plot. Stop making the princess spout those convoluted riddles... She's the heir to the kingdom! Not some charlatan witch!!"

Thump. The door opened, and Kakimoto Koudai, carrying his crumpled first draft, which had been ravaged by the editor, slunk away with his head between his legs.

As Ruoye Mutsu and Kurusu Akira entered the elevator, they watched the hunched back of the "third-rate author" gradually disappear into the sunlight, as if he were a lump of kitchen waste burned to ashes.

......

"Xiao Mu...where are you planning to stay tonight?"

The elevator slowly ascended, and in the quiet space, Lai Qixiao asked the girl beside her.

Feeling the warmth of Akira Kurusu's hand, Wakaba Mutsu said in a very soft voice, "Together with you."

“If I go back to LeBron and live in the attic, you might not be able to adapt to that kind of environment.” Akira Kurusu was also reluctant to let this pampered little girl spend the night with him in such a simple place.

If Mokuba realized the rejection in Akira Kurusu's tone, she pressed her face against his arm with some disappointment, and then fell silent.

Akira Kurusu reached out her other hand and stroked her cheek. "Want to go to a hotel together for a bit?"

Ruoye Mu's shoulders trembled slightly. Going to a hotel alone with a boy at night... A bright blush rose on her pale cheeks. "...No."

The girl cleverly understood her situation while also considering the distant future, so she cautiously said, "Xiangzi wants to come along too."

Akira Kurusu was clearly stunned for a moment. "Shoko probably won't accept it."

"Then kidnap her." Wakaba Mutsu once again said something that Kurusu Akira hadn't expected.

The elevator doors opened, and Akira Kurusu hurriedly pulled Muku Wakaba away from the elevator.

The girl was still asking the phantom thief in front of her, "Is it okay?"

“Then we might as well stay overnight at the Toyokawa house.” Akira Kurusu couldn’t help but sigh.

Wakaba Mutsu blinked, knowing that Kurusu Akira had actually tacitly approved of his suggestion.

So she happily hugged Akira's arm tightly.

Suddenly, Akira asked her, "Are you ready in that respect?"

Ruo Yemu stiffened, but still nodded with some difficulty.

You can clearly read a sense of fear and shyness on the girl's delicate face, which is expressionless.

As they got closer to the conference room, Ruoye Mu consciously let go of Laixi Xiao's arms, then stood on tiptoe to straighten his collar and smooth out the wrinkles.

Akira Kurusu looked down into Mutsumi Wakaba's pale gold eyes, just as she was about to reciprocate the girl's affection...

As if by some uncanny coincidence, the conference room door suddenly swung open.

The dazzling, noble young woman smiled beautifully. "Oh, so this is our light novel's rising star!"

Wakaba Mutsu's eyes widened suddenly, and he almost ran away, hiding behind Kurusu Akira.

The phantom thief looked at the girl in front of him, whose every hair seemed to overflow with endless jewels, and nodded solemnly, then bowed deeply, "Hello! I am Akira Kurusu, signed with Bunko A Group!"

Unexpectedly, the girl immediately addressed Akira Kurusu as the new boss, "Hello, hello, I'm the new boss who just acquired the paperback last week~ My name is Kokoro Tsurumaki, and I'm currently the lead vocalist in the band 'Hello, Happy World!'! Just call me whatever you think is convenient!"

“Yes, Miss Tsurumaki.” Akira Kurusu glanced at Tsurumaki Kokoro’s Hanasakigawa Girls’ Academy uniform, her attitude becoming increasingly reserved.

"We're about the same age... is this how you address me?" Kokoro Tsurumaki looked puzzled, but then quickly pulled Akira Kurusu into the conference room with a cheerful smile. "We've been waiting for you for a long time, please take a seat here."

When Ruoye Mu saw the two enter the conference room, she quickly followed and closed the door behind her as she came in.

The former boss of DB Library, who was holding a microphone on the stage, couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He looked at the eldest daughter of the Genmaki family and the son-in-law of the Toyokawa family at the back of the table. His usually infallible workplace rhetoric had a huge flaw for the first time, and he almost stumbled through the conversation that had been interrupted by Genmaki Shin's sudden action.

Tsurumaki Shin didn't seem to care about the development and projects of the paperback at all. She just rested her chin on her hand and looked at the boy next to her with great interest.

Just as Akira Kurusu was pondering whether the heir to the Tsurumaki Group wanted to inquire about Shoko Toyokawa, an unexpected turn of events occurred...

Tsurumaki Shin pushed the phone in front of Kurusu Akira.

The phone screen showed a picture of an intensive care unit.

The guy lying on the hospital bed was none other than Akira Kurusu, the very person he knew all too well, the culprit behind the mass dehumanization tragedy that occurred throughout Tokyo—Goro Akechi.

The puppet, bewitched by the evil god, is now in a hospital bed, covered in incomprehensible instruments, with most of its head covered by machines, and even breathing requires machine assistance.

Do you know him?

Genmaki Shin's voice rang out beside Kurusu Akira.

Why this question?

“I just thought you should know him…after all, you seem like a really special person,” Shin’s eyes held no malice, only pure curiosity. “Although I don’t know why those old men insisted on doing those strange studies on him, it seems to be because of that guy named Shido Masayoshi, but whatever.”

She stretched and said with utter boredom, "I didn't want to come here, but they insisted that this was a place the Toyokawa family had their eye on, so they begged me to come and sit and listen for a while."