Tokyo Psychic

Page 200

The girl carried a schoolbag, her slender shadow cast on the ground, and a wind chime swayed behind her.

The shop was empty, except for Sakura Sojiro, who was preparing to open for business, who had a strange expression on his face.

"Amamiya has been out for half an hour."

"Eh?!" Serina covered her face in utter disappointment.

"Shouldn't you contact him by phone beforehand if you want to go to school together?" Sakura Sojiro felt sorry for Izayoi Nina when he saw her looking so lost. "He recently took a friend to school by bike, so he should be back soon. You can have some breakfast and try to wait for him."

Jing Qinren nodded vigorously, then, carrying her schoolbag, headed to a corner of the coffee shop.

While Sakura Sojiro was out taking out the trash, the neighbor's Siamese cat sneaked into the coffee shop.

Summer rain comes and goes quickly, evaporating everything by midnight and dawning at six in the morning. The kitten walked smugly to the celery and mustard greens.

Looking closely, they really do resemble each other: brown fur, bright blue eyes, and a petite figure with slender arms and legs.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Akira Kurusu followed the Siamese cat Nina into LeBlanc's shop and witnessed this historic meeting between a human and a cat. A fantasy in her heart that Serina Ii was actually a catgirl quietly shattered.

"I guess I can't turn into a cat after all."

"Hmm?" Jingqin Rencai was bending down to pick up Nina when she looked up and saw Kurusu Akira by the door.

"Stop playing with the cat, let's get going or we'll be late."

The phantom thief quickly approached and picked up the schoolbag that Jing Qinren had placed on the sofa.

at the same time......

In the extravagant mansion of the Toyokawa family, "Hatsuka Sanka" stood up from the sofa, but the girl who was supposed to come and confront them was nowhere to be seen.

"It's time to go to school, Hatsune." The patriarch of the Toyokawa family looked at his illegitimate daughter expressionlessly, a hint of guilt and confusion flashing in his eyes.

Just as Toyokawa Sadaharu initially didn't understand why Misaki Miku would take his sister's name and move to Tokyo, living on a remote island, he now similarly doesn't understand why she fought for the opportunity to join Toyokawa Shoko's "family," only to tear it up so easily.

Does a girl without Toyokawa bloodline dare to dream of taking the position of heir? — Toyokawa Sadaharu was also an adopted son-in-law, so Misaki Hatsune, as his illegitimate daughter, has absolutely no connection with the behemoth that is the Toyokawa Group.

In order to see Toyokawa Shoko, Miku, who was willing to abandon all pride and dignity, begged her to allow her to return to the Toyokawa family home. Miku picked up her schoolbag from the coffee table and staggered toward the door.

Before leaving, she looked at her biological father as if hoping for some answer.

"Why were I allowed to come back this time?"

"Because there are some things you need to explain to Xiangzi in person."

Miku's body trembled slightly, then she walked towards the door without hesitation.

Toyokawa Sadaharu noticed his daughter's wavering, but his attitude remained firm.

A girl who doesn't belong to the Toyokawa family, having already achieved enough happiness and a glamorous life in Tokyo, shouldn't crave anything more—

Her family had given her the opportunity to join the Toyokawa family, but she herself turned that opportunity away.

That little island is so safe, why did you have to come to Tokyo...?

It was only then that Toyokawa Sadaharu realized with horror that he couldn't remember the name of the artificial island.

All I remember is that during the days when Lion Child's righteous actions were at their most rampant, Xiangzi's father took her to that island for refuge.

But many more details seem to be obscured by some mysterious force, and no matter how hard you try to discern them, they remain blurry and unclear.

It wasn't until Maruki Takuto came down the stairs from the study carrying a heavy stack of documents that he noticed Toyokawa Sadaharu, who looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking about, Mr. Toyokawa?"

"Tokyo is the most developed place for cognitive science research. I remember it used to be a small island... Suddenly it seems like I've forgotten a lot of things?"

"Ah, you mean Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island, right? More than ten years ago, the famous Kirijo Group sponsored a group of scholars to study the technological applications of cognitive science there, and they made very remarkable achievements."

"Kiritō..." Toyokawa Sadaharu murmured, the surname suddenly bringing his previously hazy memories to a sharp clarity. "What happened to that island afterward?"

"It's been abandoned; the scholars have all been assigned to work in laboratories by the government."

"What about the Kirijo family?" he asked Maruki Takuto almost impatiently. "I remember now, a representative from the group went to them before to purchase their cognitive science-related technological achievements."

Maruki Takuto paused briefly, then gave a somewhat bitter smile. "Then I'll have to tell you a story that's almost taboo in our academic circles..."

Even though he knew that within minutes of telling this story, Toyokawa Sadaharu would completely forget everything, including the Tatsumi artificial harbor island.

That "Private Gekkokan Academy" was officially renamed "Private Yuuki Academy" last year...

Who exactly has been influencing people's perceptions?

A shadow quietly fell over Maruki Takuto's heart.

This is something he hasn't been able to investigate clearly even now.

......

They left that mountain-like mansion.

Miku Miku hailed a taxi on the roadside.

"Hanasaki River," she whispered, giving the name of her school.

As the car door closed, the shadow quickly obscured the face of that beautiful teenage idol.

It's been a long time since I escaped that horrible island...

Miku's triangular eyes fell on her own hands.

Even though I was sitting in a taxi, it felt like I was back in that raging, scorching sea of ​​fire.

At the request of researchers from a nearby school, Miku Miku and the children in the neighborhood were invited to participate in a localized technology experiment called "Shadow Manifestation".

But that was after hundreds and thousands of successful experiments, so the technology should be quite mature. There was also a special operations force that loved playing with children around to ensure safety during the experiment.

However, an unexpected incident did occur during the seemingly foolproof experiment.

Miku Miku still can't forget how that terrifying thing called "Shadow" relentlessly pursued her after her rampage, nearly driving her to her death.

If Toyokawa Shoko hadn't suddenly rushed over and tackled him, saving him from its terrifying attack...

Every day, Miku Miku dreams of the pure and holy smile on Toyokawa Shoko's face as she lay in her hospital bed, having been injured while saving her.

"It's okay, Xiao Chu... because we're friends."

That was the first time Misaki Misaki, the illegitimate daughter of the Toyokawa family, had received such attention from someone else.

I, who should have been as dark and gloomy as a rat in a sewer, desperately trying to hide my existence before her; I, who should have been as lowly as a grain of sand before her; I, who should have been the sordid member of the Toyokawa family and should never have met her...—yet she used those hands to pull me away from the brink of death, and she healed the dark, bleeding wounds deep within my heart with that beautiful smile...

In that instant, Miku Miku understood that she had been completely redeemed by the girl in front of her.

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(There will be three more bonus chapters in six hours, and the regular update tomorrow will be at 11 PM.)

167. Dude, what's wrong with having a drink of water? (Two-part)

(Bonus chapters: 3/5, 4/5)

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"Mu, the scissors you're holding are so pretty!"

During home economics class, the girls in the class were amazed by the mysterious and exquisite scissors in Wakaba Mutsumi's hand, which had a silver-white blade, a deep blue handle, and a bright gold fastening screw.

As Ruoye Mu was cutting a piece of light blue fabric, she heard the surrounding conversation. She simply nodded calmly, accepting the compliments from the girls around her. "It was a gift from a friend."

After giving a brief answer, Wakaba Mutsu remained silent.

Everyone had gotten used to Wakaba Mutsu's taciturn nature and soon went back to working on the assignments they needed to submit in class.

In the corner of the classroom, Nagasaki Motoyo kept glancing at Wakaba Mutsu sitting in front of her. She recalled meeting Wakaba Mutsu at the school gate, when the latter looked at her phone screen and gave a startling smile... Although it was faint, it clearly indicated that Wakaba Mutsu was no longer the girl who closed herself off and refused to express her emotions...

Or perhaps, it is possible that Wakaba Mutsu has always hidden a side of herself that is unknown to ordinary people, until someone opened the door to her heart, and only then did she begin to gradually reveal her existence to the outside world.

The girls in my class who I used to know well have become strangers at an incredibly fast pace.

At least... Nagasaki Motoyo would almost never have seen this kind of change in Wakaba Mutsumi before, whether at CRYCHIC or at school.

She was like a monotonous cucumber, spending her days in a flowerpot going through the same old cycle.

Or perhaps a puppet wrapped in threads performs a boring and tedious script on stage, following a director's instructions.

Now, Wakaba Mutsu is starting to resemble a quiet and reserved ordinary girl.

Ever since that guy named "Ren Amamiya" suddenly started dating Shoko Toyokawa, many familiar things in Motoyo Nagasaki's memory began to change quietly.

She didn't like this change; it felt like life was gradually deviating from her expectations, and she didn't know if she could adapt.

Kaname has recently become quite close to "Ren Amamiya," and surprisingly, Shiina Tatsuki, who is mainly responsible for taking care of her, has an extremely high level of trust in "Ren Amamiya," to the point that she allows a junior high school student from an all-girls school to be led home at night by a boy three years her senior...

This is simply...

As Nagasaki Motoyo was pondering, her cell phone rang in the drawer—because she needed to look up information related to clothing design to improve the efficiency of completing her assignment, students were allowed to bring their cell phones to this home economics class.

Nagasaki Motoyo took out her phone and immediately saw that it was a message from Toyokawa Shoko.

[You must be happy (Toyokawa Shoko): Suze, remember to come to STARRY practice together after school today!]

[May you always be happy: I really miss you, your bass playing is still as beautiful as ever.]

[We Must Be Happy: After practice and the live performance, should we continue discussing last night's song?]

【...】

Is Toyokawa Shoko's current change not good?

Nagasaki Motoyo recalled the girl's excessive gentleness and patience, and combined with the heavy filter of her memory, she almost burst into tears.

This change is fantastic.

If Ren Amamiya ever actually showed up at her door trying to kidnap Rakuna, she'd be the first to surrender...

Don't offend him, or you'll indirectly cause Toyokawa Shoko to block me again.

......

Wakaba Mutsu keenly sensed the unusual emotional fluctuations behind her, looked at Nagasaki Motoyo with some curiosity for a moment, and then continued cutting the fabric in her hands.

The clear sunlight shone on the girl's profile, her pale golden eyes reflecting the shadow of the fan blades, as if they had been cut into dozens of fragments, each fragment revealing a different face.

......

[AM. 8:21]

Jing Qinren glared angrily at the vending machine in front of her.

The drink she had just picked out for Akira Kurusu was stuck in the machine and wouldn't come down.

This angry stare lasted for about ten seconds, then Izare Jinna turned around to look at the boy behind her, her expression suddenly becoming frustrated and aggrieved.

The phantom thief couldn't help but find it amusing to look at Serina Izayoi's eager attempt to please him, yet awkwardly thwarted. "It's just going to school together, why are you making it seem like a serious date?"

"Who...who wants to go on a date with you?!" Izana grinned at Akira Kurusu, "Narcissistic!"

"Then I'll try to get Subaru to move in, so the three of us can go to school together?"

"do not want!"

Why not?

"No way! How could you bear to let Subaru live with you in that shabby, tiny attic?"

"She doesn't care anymore, but you still do."

"I just don't want it!"

Looking at Inori Rina, who was already getting impatient with her words, Akira Kurusu said, "Let's think about how to get the drink out first. That's your allowance."

Jing Qinrencai immediately deflated, "We can't really go and kick the machine, can we?"

“Nina is such a good girl,” Akira Kurusu said, stroking Nina Izare’s head. Even though she had just been angry and depressed, her mood immediately brightened.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, Iori Renna tried her best to appear indifferent, grumbling and turning her face away, ignoring Kurusu Akira's gaze.

"So what? So what should we do with the drink? It's stuck there!" She deliberately put on a haughty little expression, imitating Morgana or the Siamese cat Nina, but since it was her first time doing this, she seemed particularly reserved, like she was being coquettish... no, she was being coquettish.

After arriving in Tokyo, the skill that Ishigami Nina mastered most... was probably how to act cute towards Kurusu Akira.

When she encounters difficulties, she first clings to Lai Xixiao; when she feels wronged or happy, she first clings to Lai Xixiao; when she's bored, she still clings to Lai Xixiao... Even though she's seventeen years old, she's overly dependent on a boy her own age, as if she can't take care of herself without him.

It's obvious that he's been completely spoiled and turned into a useless person.

Sakura Sojiro complained more than once that Kurusu Akira was spoiling Iori Nina too much, as if he was afraid that this girl would be tortured by society, so he cared for and protected her in every way, crushing and diluting all the troubles that must be experienced on the road to growth before feeding her, so that she could grow up slowly without any worries.

It was impossible to tell whether Akira Kurusu was doing this intentionally or unconsciously, taking care of this seemingly naive and childish girl.