Tokyo Psychic

Page 229

"Judas." The answer was so brief it seemed like a perfunctory one.

The mysterious figure who claims to be "Judas" has finally stood in front of Miku Miku.

At such close range, you can tell that the other person is very petite.

The pale white cloak completely concealed his figure, and his face was hidden in the thick fog.

Misaki Misaki knows that "Judas" is a disciple in Christian mythology who betrayed Jesus, but she cannot understand the identity and purpose of this mysterious person.

Do we know each other?

This is a perfectly ordinary question.

Judas actually nodded.

“Of course we know each other. You should know that this means I know everything about you and can easily tell it to the person you most want to get close to.”

A cold wind blew through the theater, and the thick fog on the cloak dissipated slightly, allowing Miku Miku to see the opposing team's lineup.

At that moment, Miku Miku couldn't help but tremble.

Under the gaze of those dark golden eyes that radiated immense despair and numbness, Miku slowly collapsed to the ground.

"It's okay. After you wake up, you'll forget everything about me... Maybe that will give you a little more courage to keep living."

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198. The Visit of Seniors (Part 2)

(Bonus chapters on weekends: April 8th and May 8th)

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In a distant dream, the observatory's theater gradually empties, and the curtains and stage gradually disintegrate.

On the moon model, "Yuki Risa" looks down at Judas.

"Is this... correct?"

Judas nodded silently.

“Telling her the truth about the Phantom Thieves would definitely be a mistake,” the boy on the moon concluded without hesitation.

“Because she’ll do stupid things, and driven by that twisted desire, no one can rationally deal with knowledge that transcends time,” Judas replied in an ethereal voice that was almost indistinguishable from a gender. “I need her to do stupid things.”

"Even if it enhances the phantom thief's power to a degree completely beyond our expectations?"

If a girl driven mad by jealousy were given information about the person she envies most, it would be easy to predict her next move...

Faced with Yuki's questioning, Judas simply explained calmly, "As that contractor gets closer to his destiny, he will become stronger to a level that no one can understand. To seize the best chance of victory, one must use some rule-breaking methods."

Yuki Ryou remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not express any further objection—that twisted indifference had long since made him habitually abstain from making important decisions.

This silence lasted until the entire theater was about to completely disintegrate along with the dream, when he finally spoke again.

"I will try to blend into the palace that is about to be built."

"But before that, I hope you can answer my questions seriously."

"Please speak."

“You know that phantom thief better than any of us…” “Yuki Osamu” looked at this religious legend who symbolized betrayal and regret, “Would this level of distress affect him?”

Judas said with certainty, "No."

"As expected."

“Only during the initial period of adapting to his ‘partner’ did he have a weakness that could be called an opening, and Mr. Toudou missed that opportunity. Now he has returned to his invincible self.”

"So, what's the point of doing this now?"

“Kill the time traveler beside him,” Judas said. “Only you can perform such an incredible miracle.”

"If this can also be called a 'miracle'..." With a sigh, Yuki Osamu slowly closed her eyes.

Then, he and the theater disappeared completely into the depths of Miku's dream.

......

December 24, 2022.

【PM. 11:54.】

[One day until the "Morfonica Seibu Dome Concert".]

Anwa Subaru and Toyokawa Shoko had just left Impression Space when they received a message from Kurusu Akira a few minutes earlier.

[Four ships jump (Kurasu Akira): Come to the secret base immediately, we might be exposed.]

[You must be happy (Toyokawa Shoko): ?]

Pleia (Anhe Mao): ? ? ]

The Personas are still figuring out how to clear out all the requests accumulated by the Phantom Thief Channel before leaving Tokyo. They've worked hard all morning but only managed to complete half of their quota.

They were discussing having lunch and taking a short rest before continuing when they received such terrible news from the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

[You must be happy: Exposing means...]

[Four Jumps: Someone online has reconstructed the truth behind all of the Phantom Thieves' actions so far, and then identified suspects who "may be members of the Mind Thieves."]

[Four Jumps: Although this might sound like an exaggeration, as a newly debuted band, coupled with our eye-catching backgrounds and appearances online... we were indeed included on that so-called list of suspected thieves.]

[Happiness is a Must: Has Ms. Futaba uncovered the mastermind behind all these actions?]

[Four ships jumping: Miku Miku in a triangle.]

[Happiness is a Must: How dare she do this?]

[Four ships jumped: Nobody knows what she's thinking, or how she knows these things... but the fact that she dares to do this means she must have real confidence that she can get us into real trouble.]

[Four Jumps: Getting the Toyokawa family involved would only cause the situation to spiral out of control. Allowing those greedy individuals to personally participate in the Phantom Thieves' affairs would only create more danger... Perhaps that Miss Triangle has her eye on this, which is why she dares to 'make a comeback'.]

[Pleia: The phrase "come back" sounds like "deserter" here.]

【...】

After exchanging venting and complaining, the anxiety and tension of potentially revealing one's identity were somewhat relieved.

An and Subaru put their phones back in their pockets, while Toyokawa Shoko, standing beside them, stared at the screen in silence for a long time.

"You two must be very close, right?" Anhe Mao asked in a low voice.

Toyokawa Shoko shook her head and then nodded.

She did have a very close friend named Mitsumi Hatsuka when she was a child.

Indeed, after Miku Miku arrived in Tokyo, they got to know each other for a while and had a genuine friendship.

Although this friendship was quickly shattered when the truth was revealed, Toyokawa Shoko still remembers their occasional interactions in Tokyo, the girl's encouragement and care after she left home, and the unintentional loneliness and inferiority behind her smile.

If it weren't for the change in her perspective after joining the Phantom Thieves, perhaps Toyokawa Shoko would have looked at Misaki Miku with hatred from then on.

Even though Shoko Toyokawa is able to deal with different things rationally, she still can't understand Miku Miku's original intention in doing all this...

I could vaguely understand that this might be due to jealousy.

But she couldn't imagine what kind of jealousy could drive someone to do such a thing.

She impersonated her sister, whom she spent every day with, hurt her friend, and deliberately seduced her friend's boyfriend just to frame someone and smear her...

I suddenly remembered that moment when I made eye contact with Miku Miku in the audience during the STARRY performance, and that nauseating feeling of being covered in slugs, sticky and damp.

Was it possessiveness? Or perhaps...? Toyokawa Shoko didn't want to think about it any further.

Anwa Subaru nudged Toyokawa Shoko with his elbow, "Let's get going."

Shoko Toyokawa then snapped out of her daze and, noticing the embarrassed expressions on An and Subaru's faces, looked around. She realized that many people in the tram station were now watching them.

An and Subaru's faces are still too well-known.

Especially recently, with An and Tendo reprising their roles in a TV series, photos and videos of her from her younger days have been unearthed from the corners of the internet thanks to the hype from the production team... Coupled with her fame, it almost immediately brought this former national idol back into the spotlight for young people.

As the granddaughter of Anwa Tendo, Anwa Subaru's only connection to the entertainment industry so far is that she has appeared as a cover model for fashion magazines a few times. However, under the influence of the highly controversial topic of "The Phantom Thieves," she has inevitably been pushed into the spotlight as the descendant of a well-known artist.

The hashtag related to the Phantom Thieves has already climbed to the top of the real-time trending search list.

Standing in a bustling tram station at midday, in this age where we can't live without the internet, passersby easily noticed the strikingly beautiful pair of Toyokawa Shoko and Anwa Subaru.

"They seem to be that Mind Thieves group..."

"You're overthinking it. How could a 'Mind Thieves' group really exist in the world?"

"This is Anwa Tendo's granddaughter, you know. There's no way she would join such a delusional secret society that's probably not even even real, right?"

"The other one seems to be the young lady of the Toyokawa Group, so she's even less likely to do something so dangerous."

"..."

Noticing the surrounding discussion, Toyokawa Shoko's expression also turned ugly.

"Let's go, let's go," Anhe Mao urged.

Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath and then quickly followed her out of the tram station.

......

The ruins of the "SPACE" performance hall next to the open-air parking lot.

The Mind Thieves' secret base.

Akira Kurusu closed the roller shutter door, and Mutsuya Ruoye followed closely behind.

At this time of day, Kaname, who always visits the base, is at school.

The parking lot's surveillance cameras were always under Sakura Futaba's control, so she could blatantly enter and open the door without attracting attention... Although it was called a parking lot, the ownership of the vehicles parked inside had actually been bought off by the Toyokawa family, and placing them nearby was just a cover.

Morgana squatted on the counter, licking his paws. He was still resentful about being kidnapped by the middle school girl and her college student brother some time ago, and he wanted to live in the base every day to sleep.

“You’ve really run into some serious trouble,” Morgana said, craning his neck to stare at Akira Kurusu’s hands, probably because he was used to a life where he was waited on hand and foot.

Laiqi Xiao poked its head, "You'll have to get busy from now on."

After this period of cooperation, Morgana has successfully become a member of the Phantom Thieves thanks to his stable and outstanding performance in the Impression Space and his special ability to operate covertly in the real world.

Morgana shoved Akira Kurusu's hand away. "It's because of that guy with the surname Mitsuba, isn't it?"

“We’ve already been thrust into the eye of the storm, but this is just the beginning,” Akira Kurusu said. “Clarification is one thing, explanation is another... The most important thing is to make her repent as soon as possible.”

"Are you going to perform in Saitama Prefecture? Will it have a big impact?"

“She can still perform normally on stage for now, but if we just leave her like this, she might ruin the whole concert soon. For example…” Akira Kurusu tried to explain to the cat the damage that public opinion could cause in a way that the cat could understand, and then combined that with the connection between the Impression Space and reality to make a further description.

"That sounds terrifying..." Morgana exclaimed. "Is this what humanity is like?"

After sharing their thoughts, the base quickly became quiet.

As Ruoye Mu sat on the sofa with her phone, scrolling through the latest trending topics, she couldn't help but feel nervous seeing all sorts of imaginative guesses and deductions.

Akira Kurusu is contacting Kotone Shiomi on her phone.

Kotone Shiomi's attitude suddenly turned cold. Even though they added each other on Line and exchanged phone numbers, her replies were always brief.

However, at least they explained their current situation and the necessary information to each other, and then agreed on the time and place to meet.

About half an hour later.

Suddenly, a faint knocking sound came from outside the base's roller shutter door.

This was a code prepared in advance by the Phantom Thieves.

Toyokawa Shoko and Anwa Subaru have arrived.

Akira Kurusu, who was organizing lock-picking tools next to the workbench, went over to help them open the door.

If Miku Miku's evil deeds continue to escalate, she will soon truly form a palace.

Akira Kurishi must prepare for the covert operation in advance.

After all, if there were a palace—he would surely confront those so-called gods again, and even become an enemy of the contractor who had also created the great feat of saving the world.

No... Akira thought to herself, if she had the experience of the first time, she might have to face multiple enemies at the same time this time.