Tokyo Psychic

Page 219

[Four boats jumped: Xiangzi was among her targets that day.]

Pleia: Then I don't understand.

[Pleia: Could it be that Triangle is actually gay, and is jealous of you because she also likes Xiangzi?] As expected of an otaku girl who frequents various Galgames, even Akira Kurusu would be amazed by the extent of her unconventional thinking.

[Pleia: Maybe one day she'll kneel on the ground like some heartbroken, unrequited lover, crying and shouting in a voice full of resentment and hatred, "Why isn't I the one by Xiangzi's side?" "Why do you have Xiangzi but don't cherish him at all?" and so on...]

[Four ships jump: ...Play less visual novels.]

[Pleia: This is clearly a scene from an anime. Didn't you watch "Why Am I a Loser Hero?," which just aired last week?]

[Four Jumps: Anyway, although I think this is an impossible development... I'll reserve my opinion. I'll go check it out first.]

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(Because the reviewer treated it like a random roadside stray and kicked it to death, this chapter, which I finished writing eleven hours ago, is unusually late, and I was forced to delete 2 words and postpone the review until tomorrow. However, it was still successfully published... The minimum target of five chapters has been achieved.)

(The reason the previous chapter was banned this morning was because of "hugging and kissing"... but thankfully it was eventually released.)

(At least three updates will be provided around 4 PM.)

188. Akira Kurusu: I know this plot well (two parts)

(Don't ask, it's just a review process.)

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There were no cicadas singing in May.

But the constant honking of cars on the street was already noisy enough.

The road opposite the observatory was completely blocked by vehicles. Akira Kurusu crossed the pedestrian overpass and saw Miku Miku wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses at the ticket check-in counter in front of the observatory.

Akira Kurusu took the time to comb her hair a little in the train station restroom, put her non-prescription glasses into her schoolbag, carefully buttoned up her school uniform, and straightened her collar and cuffs.

In just a few minutes, he transformed from an unkempt, bookish nerd into a super-socially active person taking a "City Walk".

Faced with Akira Kurusu at 80% of her former beauty, even Miku Miku was momentarily stunned...

Then an unnamed rage rose in her heart.

Is that the face you used to fool Xiangzi so completely?!

Misaki wanted to find a sharp knife, approach it recklessly, and then slash Akira Kurusu's face beyond recognition—but she didn't have a knife at hand, and this was just a fleeting thought that arose after her twisted desires swelled to their extreme.

Before the thought could be fully conveyed to the body and put into action, I regained some clarity halfway through.

Akira Kurusu, who was originally close to Miku Miku, quietly stopped in her tracks.

He was standing at precisely the minimum safe distance that Miku Miku could never reach, no matter what she did, if she had a knife in her hand.

Sure enough, this guy needs to repent.

A shadow fell over Akira Kurusu's eyes, but she quickly put on a business-like smile. "Nice to meet you, Mikoto-kun."

When faced with a girl with whom he had a past conflict, a symbolic smile was already considered impeccable in terms of social etiquette.

Mitsukasa Miku nodded as if waking from a dream, "Hello... Amamiya-kun."

Lai Qixiao took out her phone and handed the pre-purchased admission ticket to the staff behind the counter for inspection. "Didn't you have something to say to me? Let's go in and chat for a bit."

After their tickets were checked, the two deliberately kept a considerable distance from each other as they entered the observatory.

......

Standing next to the meteorite on display in the hall, Miku ...

There were very few tourists in the hall, and almost all of them were foreigners, taking photos of the exhibits with cameras or mobile phones.

This boy and girl duo went unnoticed by anyone.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened that day." After a long pause, Miku Miku finally spoke.

She was referring to the online smear campaign that led to the band's downfall.

The phantom thief made no comment on this.

Akira Kurusu wasn't as generous as Misaki Misaki had imagined—just kidding, if she could laugh off something like this, she'd truly be a sage who could shake the world.

Misaki Miku knew that a simple apology wouldn't be enough to win Akira Kurusu's forgiveness, so she quickly added, "I'm not like those girls who don't understand anything."

"Huh?" Akira Kurusu thought Misaki Misaki was preparing to emulate Bushido and commit a vengeful ritual suicide, but what the girl said next surprised him so much that he couldn't help but think of a deeply memorable old friend.

Misaki Miku seemed to have made a huge decision, looking intently at Akira Kurusu, "Please do to me everything you did to Shoko."

Akira Kurusu, relying on her intuition, keenly realized that there were unusual "ears" and "eyes" on Misaki Miku's body. How could she not understand the so-called conspiracy of this girl?

It's hard to say whether it was a recording app on a phone or some other more reliable device, but it was definitely a trap.

If Akira Kurusu were truly the kind of promiscuous and fickle person Misaki Miku imagined, she probably would have agreed without hesitation.

However, it must be emphasized that he has absolutely no interest in the triangle version of Hatsune Miku.

Aside from her pretty face, this girl doesn't seem to have any other commendable qualities.

There are tons of cute girls in Tokyo, so why should I listen to you and fall for your tricks?

Akira Kurusu simply ignored Misaki Miku's seemingly heroic remarks and continued talking to herself.

"Triangle classmate, you really bring back some unpleasant memories."

Akira Kurusu continued, "A long time ago, there was an illegitimate son who was neglected and suddenly gained the power to change the world by chance. After obtaining this power, the first thing he did was to help his father, who had abandoned what he considered his 'family,' and help him become a very powerful figure. For this, he did not hesitate to kill countless innocent people and commit countless crimes. And the purpose of all this was simply to say when his father reached the top... 'I am your son.' He felt that this was the most perfect revenge."

The story he told was entirely based on the experience of someone he had witnessed firsthand—a guy named "Akechi Goro" who did a whole bunch of awful things, all motivated by such a ridiculous and pathetic "revenge."

Although Misaki Misaki didn't immediately understand the story Akira Kurusu was telling, she realized it was a sarcastic remark about her. Her face turned deathly pale, and her emotions began to fluctuate wildly.

It was obvious that his plan had been seen through before it even began.

Miku Miku clutched her spare phone, which she had hidden in her pocket, and a shadow quickly fell over her face.

Before she could say anything, Akira Lai seized the initiative in the conversation, "You probably want to pretend to date me, or even make some sacrifices to get substantial evidence so that Xiangzi will distance herself from me, right? To be honest, this kind of despicable trick has been overused in romance comics from the last generation."

Upon hearing this, Miku immediately took two steps back, gripped by unprecedented panic.

Unfortunately, just as she was about to pursue this matter further, such as begging Akira Kurusu not to tell Shoko Toyokawa about it...

Surprisingly, Akira Kurusu left without hesitation.

He had no intention of provoking someone whose desires were already confirmed to be twisted.

Twisted desires will not spontaneously change just because of a few words. What Akira Kurusu needs to do is to prevent her condition from deteriorating further, thereby promoting the formation of the mental palace.

Worried that Misaki might lose control of her emotions because of his words, he deliberately left a message saying, "Since you're already at the observatory, why don't you wander around a bit?"

Seeing that the situation had taken a turn for the better, Misaki Hatsune quickly caught up with Akatsuki.

In the ensuing conversation, whether it was the choice of topics or the direction of the conversation, all the initiative had completely fallen into Akira Kurusu's control.

Misaki Miku probably genuinely fears the possibility that "she will be hated and loathed by Toyokawa Shoko," so she answers all of Akira Kurusu's questions without reservation.

After half an hour, Akira Kurusu had finally figured out the relationship between Miku Miku and Shoko Toyokawa:

Toyokawa Shoko was once sent to an artificial island by the Toyokawa family along with her father as a refugee.

There, Toyokawa Shoko met the real Mitsuba Hatsuka.

The "Hatsuka Mitsumi" standing before Akira now is actually named Hatsune Mitsumi. She is the illegitimate daughter of Toyokawa Sadaharu, the current head of the Toyokawa family, and the mansion manager.

As an illegitimate daughter who could never be acknowledged by the Toyokawa family, Misaki Hatsune was instilled with a lot of ideas from a young age, such as "you can't contact the Toyokawa family" and "you can't contact Toyokawa Shoko".

Until that day, her younger sister, Mikami Hatsuka, met Toyokawa Shoko by chance and played together for a whole afternoon.

Misaki Hatsune, who always held a mixture of fear and reverence for the "Toyokawa family," listened in that seaside cottage as her younger sister happily and vividly described what a lovely and intelligent girl Toyokawa Shoko was, and their beautiful and infinitely imaginative friendship.

Lacking a sense of identity and feeling inferior and vulnerable in her rapidly changing life circumstances, Mitsuha Mitsuka unconsciously begins to yearn for the phantom named "Toyokawa Shoko" described by Mitsuha Mitsuka.

Perhaps it was a fateful coincidence, but Mitsumi Hatsuka, her half-sister, had the exact same appearance as her.

Just a few days before Toyokawa Shoko was to return to Tokyo, Misumi Hatsune developed a high fever. When Toyokawa Shoko visited her, she mistook Misumi Hatsune, who was tending the lawn, for her new friend.

He inexplicably grasped the hand that Toyokawa Shoko extended, and then, during an out-of-control experiment, when his life was hanging by a thread, Toyokawa Shoko pushed him away herself.

Miku fell to the ground, and she kept looking up at the sky until the medical staff took her and Shoko Toyokawa to the hospital.

That was the beginning of the collapse and reconstruction of her inner world.

Shoko Toyokawa is the idol of Hatsune Miku, the object of all her aspirations and admiration.

This faith, this "god" that rescued her from the abyss, was destroyed by the boy in front of her...

"Wait, what's the name of that artificial island again?" Akira Kurusu interrupted Misaki Misaki's almost nonsensical statement.

Misaki Miku subconsciously answered, "...Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island."

"At which school were you subjected to the experiment?"

"Private Moonlight Pavilion Academy..."

Akira Kurusu seemed to have suddenly lost all interest in chatting with Misaki Miku.

He stood up and paced back and forth. When he saw the huge moon model hanging in front of him, he suddenly said a few words of farewell and then hurriedly disappeared at the exit of the observatory.

......

【PM. 5:25】

The setting sun hangs low over the sea.

The crimson halo shattered and then spread again as the waves surged.

Three yachts slowly approached the shore.

Returning to the artificial island after two years, the Personas of [SEES] seem to have transformed them back into the team that once faced death together. The traces of mediocrity and busyness etched on their souls are gradually stripped away by the cold sea breeze of the night.

Even if I am no longer a young man, even if I have been immersed in and lost in worldly affairs for too long.

Their hearts shone brightly like torches even in the darkness.

Yue Yuyu jumped off the yacht, the shadows of the palm trees swaying on her face.

Fuka Yamagishi, carrying her high-heeled sandals, jogged after Yukari Yueyu, saying, "Yukari, so much has changed here."

"Compared to the changes on this island, everyone should actually be more concerned about..." The man wearing a baseball cap looked at a woman with long, fiery red hair and bright red eyes who was standing far away from the group.

The other party coldly swept their gaze over, and the men and women who had wanted to show concern fell silent.

After a while, the current head of the "Kiritō Group" said expressionlessly, "Just as you think, the Kiritō family has disappeared."

"disappear......"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, speechless. A super conglomerate with considerable global influence had simply vanished without a trace?!

"That's why I haven't taken the initiative to look for you," the woman named Kirito Mitsuru explained. "If it weren't for the recent activity of that 'Psychic Thieves,' I probably would have hung up immediately when Yuri called last night."

"Mind Thieves? Of course I've heard of them, but I never imagined they were real! Doesn't that mean..."

"Yes, just like us back then, they also embarked on their own paths burdened by 'fate'."

"Like that Narukami-kun and his friends?"

"Ah."

"Another 'protagonist' who is very similar to Li will appear."

"Once you've fulfilled your destiny, you become a supporting character." The girl, whose body was mostly replaced by machinery, wore a straw hat and was the last to leave the yacht. "So, strictly speaking, there can only ever be one 'protagonist'."

"Think about it carefully, didn't we also encounter another guy who was very similar to Rin...?" Yukari Yue suddenly said, which sent chills down the spines of everyone around her.

In an instant, I thought of the mysterious shadow in the secret room of that tower, dressed in a black phantom thief outfit, wearing a white lark mask, and holding a dagger.

The opponent summoned a Persona that blotted out the sky, and that versatile damage attack called "Sin Armor-Piercing Bullet" that could be fired indefinitely...

For a long time, it was a nightmare that lingered in their minds.

"You guys are saying, 'Mind Thief'...could it be that guy?"

"...I can hardly imagine what kind of villain would need a Persona with this configuration to deal with." Yamagishi Fuka shuddered as she recalled the imposing figure shouting "Satanyal" with such swagger.

How should I put it? It's like a stress response. When we first met, he was calling out "Arsène Lupin," but after the slightest bump or collision, he immediately switched personas and pulled out "Armor-Piercing Sin" to overturn the table.

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