Tokyo Psychic

Page 193

She only began to regret it when she followed her instincts and released her impulses—but it was too late. When emotions ran high, she ignored her physical condition. The surge of adrenaline even temporarily relieved the pain. When the original wound was torn open again, the girl couldn't help but cry and scream to run away.

Finally, the noise woke up Motoka, who had already fled back to the world of her mind, leaving Motoka to suffer the painful changes in her body.

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly recalled the absurdity of last night and quickly covered herself with the sheet, not daring to meet Kurusu Akira's gaze. However, she felt extremely sorry for Ruoye Mutsu's condition, so she glared at Kurusu Akira with resentment and annoyance.

Akira Kurusu was genuinely feeling guilty this time, and unusually, she backed down in front of Shoko Toyokawa. She then gently massaged Mutsumi Wakaba, trying to ease her pain. "Do you want me to carry you to the washroom?"

"Clothes..." Ruoye Mu weakly hugged Laixi Xiao's shoulders, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed together, and she almost cried from the pain with the slightest movement.

"I'll help you get dressed."

If Ye Mu stopped talking, he would just hold Lai Qixiao tightly, his whole body tense, for fear that an unintentional movement would aggravate the wounds in his body.

"I don't think we need to go to the hospital, right?" Toyokawa Shoko asked Wakaba Mutsu cautiously.

Ruoye Mu shook his head in silence.

Akira Kurusu searched for Mutsu Wakaba's underwear by the bedside. "Luckily, Mutsu practices dancing often, otherwise she might have really gotten injured. Letting her rest for a while should be fine."

Ruoye Mu may occasionally give the impression of being a very quiet and unfit literature major, but in fact, thanks to the various dance and physical training classes arranged by her mother, she possesses exceptional physical flexibility.

Even after experiencing the level of nonsense from Motis, it didn't actually hurt Wakaba Mutsu.

"As expected, that kind of thing is terrifying... Should we do it often in the future?" Toyokawa Shoko asked Kurusu Akira with lingering fear, looking at Wakaba Mutsu's pale lips pursed in pain.

"It's only scary the first time."

Shoko Toyokawa was shy, but also afraid of ending up like Mutsuki Wakaba, so she cautiously asked Akira Kurusu for her opinion, "Can we not do it every day?"

"Xiangzi, didn't you feel happy? I remember you only felt pain for the first few minutes."

"Not at all." Toyokawa Shoko quickly shook her head in denial, but the blush that spread from her cheeks to her ears betrayed her true feelings.

"Seeing you being so stubborn makes me want to teach you a lesson."

Toyokawa Shoko dared not guess what Akira Kurusu meant by "lesson," and hurriedly found her clothes that had fallen under the bed, then tried to escape from the bed.

But as soon as she lifted the sheet, the cold air from the air conditioner began to erode the remaining warmth on her body, making her shiver involuntarily. She then instinctively shrank back into the covers, and looking at Akira's strange gaze, she stammered and dared not speak.

“You’re making it easy for others to take advantage of you,” Akira Kurusu said earnestly.

Shoko Toyokawa bit her lip, avoiding Akira Kurusu's gaze with confusion and shyness. After a long while, she said very softly, "Only...only you can."

“That’s true. Xiangzi has grown up. She should be able to stick to her own opinions when she meets strangers.” Akira Kurusu reached out to tidy up Xiangzi Toyokawa’s messy long hair. Such gentle treatment was a stark contrast to her almost coercive behavior last night, which made the girl involuntarily show an expression that was almost obsessive and infatuated.

"You should be glad you're the daughter of the Toyokawa family, otherwise, with your personality alone, you might have suffered all sorts of crimes before you even met me."

"No way!" Toyokawa Shoko gradually realized her own weakness and said angrily, "I'm not the kind of girl who particularly lacks recognition and care, how could I possibly...

She fell silent instantly under Akira Kurusu's suddenly strange gaze, and could only honestly admit her mistake, "I will be careful to protect myself."

“That’s unnecessary, because Shoko no longer lacks those things, does she?” Akira Kurusu looked at Wakaba Mutsu, who was quietly nestled in her arms, and then took Shoko Toyokawa’s hand.

Under the gaze of Toyokawa Shoko, whose eyes were filled with intense emotion and gradually filled with tears, Kurusu Akira said, "And from now on, I will take on the responsibility of protecting you."

"This is too unfair," Toyokawa Shoko murmured in an almost tearful voice, "I can never leave you again..."

"Then forever."

Shoko Toyokawa slowly moved her body and hugged the boy she admired.

Ruo Yemu very considerately gave up a little space so as not to block the two of them.

......

Three hours later.

Xiu Jin's lunch break.

Anhe Subaru watched as Toyokawa Shoko, who had already taken leave, squeezed into the club activity room with Wakaba Mutsuki and Kurusu Akira. Their inseparable and intimate appearance made Anhe Subaru unable to help but complain.

"You two have gotten along really well, but Nina will be coming over soon, so you should probably keep a little distance."

“She doesn’t understand,” Wakaba Mutsu said incisively. “So, it’s okay.”

"Is it really that hard for you to accept being separated from Amamiya-kun for just a short while?" Anwa Subaru's tone was slightly sour, but he could still understand how Wakaba Mutsumi and Toyokawa Shoko would feel in the coming period of time.

After all, when she first broke through her relationship with Akira Kurusu, she wanted to stick to Akira Kurusu's side every minute and every second. However, as time went by, she got used to enduring those intense emotions that made her forget herself.

Hearing An and Subaru's sarcasm, Toyokawa Shoko felt uneasy and embarrassed. She wanted to get up and leave for a while, but she couldn't bear to part with the warmth that had lasted from the night until now. She also saw Wakaba Mutsu next to Kurusu Akira, so she had no choice but to endure the shame and continue to sit next to Kurusu Akira.

"Should we be thankful that the girls from the Yoshizawa family have been busy with the national tournament lately and haven't come to school at all..." Anwa Subaru gave up on complaining. Anyway, after a while, Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsuko wouldn't be sticking to Kurusu Akira all the time like this anymore.

"Something terrible has happened!" The door to the music classroom suddenly opened, and Jing Qinren rushed in, holding a flyer in a panic.

"This is indeed a very bad thing," Anhe Mao said coldly from the side.

Holding up the flyer, Izana Serizawa was visibly taken aback when she saw Akira Kurusu, Mutsumi Wakaba, and Shoko Toyokawa standing right next to each other.

Just as An and Subaru were anticipating what special performance Iori Jinna would give, the girl unexpectedly looked at Kurusu Akira with a complaining expression, "Amamiya is a bit too much of a flirt, isn't she?"

"You actually figured it out?!" When Akira Kurusu saw the reproachful little expression on Serina Izayoi's face, she wondered if the child had finally come to her senses.

Unexpectedly, the next sentence from Izanagi shattered Akira Kurusu's expectations.

"You're already dating Subaru! How can you still get so close to other girls!" Izare Nina seemed to be standing up for An and Subaru.

Anwa Subaru shook his head, unsure whether to be moved or regretful by Iori Rina's words, though he even felt a little amused.

Akira Kurusu stared blankly at Nina Izayoi, "Why don't you tell me what you mean by 'something really bad'?"

Serina Izakura let out a drawn-out "Oh," then handed them the flyers in her hand. "Morfonica's concert at Seibu Dome... seems to be canceled due to a conflict between her agency and the sponsor!!"

The flyer landed in Akira Kurusu's hands. He saw the name "Toyokawa Real Estate" in the sponsor section, and his eyes changed slightly.

"Could you elaborate on what you know about the inside story?"

"Just now, the whole thing has caused a huge uproar on the forum! Mitsumi Hatsuka from the idol group 'sumimi' suddenly intervened on behalf of the sponsors and messed up everything!"

"Tell me slowly how you messed this up," Akira Kurusu soothed Serina Izane's emotions.

"She posted a message claiming that the 'End Band' on the concert lineup has a lot of messy and improper relationships with men and women, and that such a bad and even dirty band should not be allowed to appear on the shining stage..." Jingqin Rencai quickly took out her phone, opened the discussion posts related to the concert, and began to read the whistleblower's summary.

"Then Ms. Kurata from Morfonica angrily protested, saying, 'Don't bring rumors to the live stage. I know that band much better than you do. If you insist on doing this, then we'll cancel the concert.' Then Mikami Hatsuka replied, 'Fine, then the concert will be canceled...'"

Serina Izayoi muttered angrily, "Damn it! I used to quite like 'sumimi,' but I never expected that Mitsumi Hatsuka to be such a despicable person... And why did she suddenly become the person in charge of Toyokawa Real Estate?!"

Upon hearing the name "Hatsuka Misaki," Toyokawa Shoko's shoulders suddenly trembled. She wore an expression of disbelief before speaking with difficulty.

"I...I might know a little bit about it."

160. Rakuna is very curious (5-in-1)

（加更：1/8、2/8、3/8、4/8、5/8）

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The midday sun filled the spacious music classroom, creating a heat that even air conditioning couldn't quell.

Wakaba Muku silently stared at Toyokawa Shoko, without uttering a word.

Shoko Toyokawa felt a little guilty and avoided Wakaba Mutsu's eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of her childhood friend.

"I see. Besides Mu, Xiangzi also made a promise with another friend to form a band together..."

"But there's no explanation for how she suddenly became the head of 'Toyokawa Real Estate'!" said Serina Izayoi, slumped over the table, somewhat frustrated.

"...I'll go home and investigate now." Toyokawa Shoko was also completely unaware that her childhood friend had suddenly become the head of the family business, and she was both confused and somewhat shocked.

She didn't know if it was because she had been away from the Toyokawa family for too long, or if there was some hidden reason behind it, but she felt a strange sense of shock.

"Please ask Shoko to help with the concert arrangements. We can't let down the support of Morfonica's seniors," Akira Kurusu said, looking at Shoko Toyokawa.

The young lady of the Toyokawa family got up somewhat reluctantly, and then left the music classroom without any hesitation.

Jingqin Rencai handed the flyer in her hand to Laixi Xiao.

Akira Kurusu saw the photo of the five Morfonica members in their performance costumes printed on it, hesitated for a few seconds, and then stood up as well.

"We don't have classes this afternoon, let's go to STARRY to do our homework. After we finish our homework, the band rehearsal will continue as usual."

As he spoke, Akira Kurusu returned the flyer to Serina Izayoi. The girl took the flyer and looked at him strangely as he pulled a folder from his drawer. Inside was a meticulously written research report. "I think I already handed your essay to the teacher this morning. This is..."

"Liang's homework." Akira Kurusu closed the folder. "Want to go visit her and Hongxia's school while we're at it?"

“Great!” Igarashi Renna happily grabbed Kurusu Akira’s hand, all traces of her previous anxiety and worries gone.

She unconditionally trusted Akira Kurusu's words.

Since Akira Kurusu said that it could be left to Shoko Toyokawa to solve, then there must be no problem.

"Band rehearsal?" Anwa Subaru's expression turned strange upon hearing this. She sat down in the spot where Toyokawa Shoko had been sitting and leaned close to Kurusu Akira's ear, "You haven't sent me the audio yet..."

The "Red Ginger" band had already witnessed Akira Kurusu's monstrous guitar playing talent, so when he suggested that he might not participate in band rehearsals often, the girls accepted his possible absence without hesitation.

However, as the temporary lead guitarist, Akira Kurusu needs to record his own guitar music according to the sheet music before Ichiri Goto, who has temporarily switched to rhythm guitar, fully adapts to the live performance, so that the band can coordinate during rehearsals.

"I'll record it at STARRY in a bit... around 3 p.m.?" Although we borrowed instruments for rehearsals during the training camp, we didn't have professional recording equipment, so it was difficult to record a guitar sound that could still be accurate even after going through a tube amplifier.

An and Subaru didn't point out why Qixiao hadn't used the night before to record guitar music, but instead spent the night with the other two girls from the Phantom Thieves... Her gaze lingered on Wakaba Mutsumi's beautiful face, which showed no emotion whatsoever, for a moment, before she sighed somewhat helplessly, "I heard that the Ending Band has a performance at STARRY tonight."

“We should be playing at STARRY every day from now on until May 27th.”

"Seibu Dome, what a distant concept. It's amazing that a band that isn't aiming for professional success can perform on such a dazzling stage."

"We only benefited from Morfonica's influence; it doesn't reflect our true strength," Akira Kurusu said with surprising humility.

After all, An and Subaru's band "Red Ginger" also has a bassist and guitarist whose skills can be described as expert level, a keyboardist who is hardworking, strict and talented, and a lead singer with a very beautiful voice... It's just a pity that the guitarist is too socially awkward, and her excellent skills, which can attract countless praises from insiders and outsiders on the Internet as a blogger, are almost impossible to perform in a live performance.

An and Subaru hesitated several times before finally sighing and asking Wakaba Mutsu, "Mutsu, where did you spend the night last night?"

"Xiangzi's home," Ruoye Mutsu answered honestly.

"I see..." Anwa Subaru looked at Wakaba Mutsumi, "Have you decided to move out together?"

"Ah."

Ruoye Mu nodded earnestly, "I want to stay away from them." The "they" that this quiet girl was referring to was probably the couple who were always busy with their careers.

"Then we should discuss it as soon as possible," An and Subaru said, getting a satisfactory reply. They stood up and prepared to go back to Fujiki Residence to relax at their computer desk and play games.

Many people say that "love" is difficult and complicated, but An and Subaru think it over and over and realize that love is actually something that can be explained in just a few words.

"I like you", "I understand you", "I'm waiting for you".

Three simple sentences, coupled with a sincere smile and concrete actions, are enough to make a boy love her wholeheartedly for a lifetime.

Although it's abstract, the principles or methods of "letting go" and "respect" are indeed things that An and Subaru learned in a StarCraft II match where they achieved a "one-versus-three" victory as Zerg.

Games and romance sometimes share subtle similarities: enjoy the experience, pursue the outcome, and at the same time, respect your opponents and the game itself...

To achieve final victory, it is sometimes necessary to try to let go; temporary concessions and retreats can lull the opponent into a false sense of security.

An and Subaru brushed a strand of long hair behind their ears, then stopped abruptly at the music classroom door. They turned back and winked at Akira Kurusu with a smile, admiring the phantom thief's slightly changed expression, before leaving in a cheerful mood.

Having been listening to everyone's conversation, Izayoi Serina saw that only she, Akira Kurusu, and Mutsumi Wakaba, who only listened, remained in the music classroom. Finally, she couldn't suppress her feelings any longer and shook Akira Kurusu's hand, tentatively saying...

"Lian...I also want to move out."

Jingqin Rencai usually only calls him by his name when he needs something from Kurusu Akira.

"You're not happy staying at Mr. Sakura's house? Did you have a conflict with Mr. Sakura or Navi?" Akira Kurusu guessed Serina Iza's true thoughts almost immediately, making the girl turn her head awkwardly to look at the open window. The sunlight was gilding the dense foliage with a holy and solemn color, and birds whose names she didn't know were perched on the branches, casting curious glances at her.

Feeling she shouldn't cause Akira Kurusu any trouble, after hesitating for a long time, Nina Igerino suddenly let go of Akira Kurusu's hand, then stood up, saying, "Never mind what I said!"

She looked at Akira Kurusu as if sulking, "I'll try to get along with Futaba first, and if that doesn't work, then..."

Before she could finish speaking, Akira Kurusu placed her hand on Nina Izare's head, saying, "Nina could rely on me more."

Izuru Rina assumed a confrontational stance with Kurusu Akira, saying, "Don't treat me like a child anymore!" Although her tone sounded quite stern, the girl's hands, which were clasped awkwardly to her chest, revealed that she was actually quite anxious.

"Why aren't you a child?"

"I'm seventeen years old!!"

Akira Kurusu looked at Serina Izayoi's childlike face and her petite, adorable figure, her gaze flickering for a moment, "Then you're right."

Jing Qinren was so angry that she raised her fist.

Noticing that Izare Jinna really wanted to argue with her this time, Kurusu Akira took the folder containing Yamada Ryo's homework and tossed the classroom key to Izare Jinna, saying, "Let's go, let's go check out Ryo and Nijika's school. The last person to leave should remember to close the door."

As he spoke, he had already pulled Wakaba Mutsu's wrist past Iori Rencai.

Sullenly, Jing Qinrencai took the key and followed behind them, then locked the music room door.

Then she watched as Ruoye Mu quietly slipped her hand into Laixi Xiao's palm and intertwined their fingers. A strange pang of bitterness welled up in her heart, but when she noticed Laixi Xiao's other free hand, she couldn't help but quicken her pace and then naturally took his hand. The bitter feeling immediately disappeared without a trace.