Tokyo Psychic

Page 233

After leaving her hometown and coming to Tokyo, the girl, who had a strict upbringing, lived under the protection of Akira Kurusu and Sojiro Sakura from beginning to end. The band's schedule was also controlled by the store manager of STARRY, so she was almost completely unaware of the chaotic and dirty things that rock bands might have to offer.

Yamada Ryo, who was giving Akira Kurusu the middle finger, immediately put his hands behind his back and whistled as if nothing had happened.

Motis, who was rolling around on the bed, also sat up while hugging her pillow, looking at Yamada Ryo with a face full of curiosity.

Yamada Ryo looked around, then gave a mischievous smile. "Of course, it's to express my gratitude. I'm actually thanking Ren for taking such good care of you all~"

She emphasized the word "take care of" and patted her chest forcefully to enhance her persuasiveness.

Judging from Akira Kurusu's expression, Motis was skeptical.

Izuru Rinna clearly lacked this kind of insight, and upon hearing Yamada Ryo's words, she believed them without question.

So she smiled shyly, then raised both middle fingers at Akira Kurusu and said, "It's embarrassing to say this, but I must thank Ren for taking care of me during this time!"

Akira Kurusu's eyelids twitched as she looked at Serina Izayoi's two middle fingers, which seemed to be poking her in the face. She glanced at Ryo Yamada, who was pretending to be nonchalant again, and hesitated several times before speaking...

Ijichi Nijika, who happened to be passing by, witnessed this scene. Then, noticing Yamada Ryo's right hand behind her back, she immediately connected the dots and angrily chopped Yamada Ryo on the head. "Ryo! How could you teach Nina something like this?!"

"Waaah..." Yamada Ryo cried out in pain. Facing the innocent and curious gazes of the two girls in the room, and the murderous stare of Iji Chi Nijika behind her, she swallowed hard, stiffened her neck, and said in a Kansai accent, "This is a custom in my hometown."

"Nonsense! You were clearly born in Tokyo, and even in the Kansai region, they wouldn't use such an internationally recognized gesture to express gratitude!!"

Seeing that he had been exposed, Yamada Ryoya could only shrink back and try to escape, but he was quickly pushed back to Kurusu Akira's bedroom by Ijichi Nijika, who made him apologize to Izare Nina and Motis.

Bass players simply can't compete with drummers in terms of strength.

After a very perfunctory apology, Yamada Ryo hurriedly ran away... No other meaning, she really didn't dare to stay in Kurusu Akira's bedroom for long.

She had borrowed money from everyone in the "End Band" except for Akira Kurusu, but she didn't dare to lend to Akira Kurusu, fearing that she would be forced to repay the money in kind if she couldn't pay it back.

When the band "End" performed at STARRY, they received a large donation from a wealthy junior high school student. That money is currently being managed by Ijichi Seika and will be used to fund the band's future record production.

Seeing that Yamada Ryo had run far away, Kurusu Akira grabbed Inori Nina's hands, who didn't know whether to be angry or frustrated, and slowly bent her middle finger back. "Raising your middle finger means to express contempt and disdain. It is a very uncivilized behavior. You will get beaten up if you do it in public."

"Oh......"

Jingqin Rencai was particularly downcast.

Having finally mustered the courage to say something rather embarrassing thanks to Yamada Ryo's groundwork, she was suddenly informed that it was nothing more than a malicious joke...

For a moment, Izare Rinna didn't know whether she should apologize to Kurusu Akira or pretend nothing had happened like Yamada Ryo did.

Thinking about her words and actions just now, tears of shame and embarrassment welled up in her eyes.

Akira Kurusu placed her hand on the top of her head and patted it gently. "But things like giving the middle finger can be easily forgiven and tolerated among friends—although it's a malicious joke, there are countless things that are even worse than that these days."

"You shouldn't do that between friends..."

"It's okay to play pranks that damage her image, let alone just giving the middle finger?" Akira Kurusu said nonchalantly. "Even if I secretly used water to wash paintbrush and wrote on Nina's face, Nina might be angry for a while, but she would forgive me right away, right?"

Jingqin Rencai still had that tearful expression, "That's what they say, but how could it really be..."

"Oh, I will not only do that, I will go even further."

"Hey!!" Jingqin Rencai immediately forgot about crying. The frustration and sadness she had felt earlier vanished. All she wanted to do was grab Kurusu Akira's arm and bite it hard.

"But I'm still quite curious, what exactly would I have to do to make Nina feel that it's unforgivable?"

Hearing this, An and Subaru couldn't sit still any longer. "There's no point in asking that! Girls are very emotional, and rational discussions are useless! Once they're hurt, they'll run away immediately!"

“Oh...I see,” Akira Kurusu echoed his girlfriend, “So that means even if you do something really outrageous, it will be forgiven if it goes against a girl’s subconscious likes and expectations?”

An and Subaru looked helpless, but after noticing the bewildered expression on Izare Nina's face, they nodded. "Yes, if the other person is the 'saying one thing but meaning another' type, as long as you go along with her subconscious feelings, no matter how bad the thing she does, she will definitely be forgiven."

"What are you talking about?" Izanagi looked aggrieved. "Shouldn't I be the one apologizing to Ren now...?"

“No need to apologize,” Akira Kurusu said thoughtfully, scratching her hair. “I have completely forgiven you.”

"You really don't want me to apologize?"

"In exchange, if I bully Nina in the future, Nina can't throw a tantrum."

"Hmph, I'm very loyal to my friends, how could I possibly take my temper out on a close friend?"

"Yeah, Nina probably just hates the feeling of being betrayed, right?"

"That's it!" Jingqin Rencai shouted. "Let's get this straight! If you suddenly say you're breaking up with me one day, or do something to betray me... I really will never talk to you again for the rest of my life!!"

"..."

Thinking about it carefully, Ishigami Renna was often bullied by Kurusu Akira.

She's not just used to being groped by the phantom thief, she's even reached the point where he can freely put his hand in her pockets or inside her school uniform jacket...

We've completely lost any sense of distance.

Akira Kurusu figured that even if he suddenly kissed Jina Izai, as long as the location was kept in a secluded place, and he apologized or made up a lie afterward, Jina Izai would probably just nod and forgive him in a daze.

Unbeknownst to her, Izanagi's affection for Akira Kurusu has almost reached its peak.

Unfortunately, taking it a step further proved difficult.

Don't be fooled by Jing Qinren's words, "If I'm betrayed, I'll never talk to you again."

If things really escalate to the point where they completely ignore each other, I reckon Izana really might break down to the point of doing all sorts of self-harming things that would be unacceptable to others...

Unlike the bullying experience that Ishihara Rina had during her school days.

At that time, she could still try to rely on her parents, and even if she failed, she could try to run away from her hometown, which was full of fear and sadness.

But the celery vine had already escaped once.

She has voluntarily left the family that raised her and fled to Tokyo.

Lai Xixiao's side is her only refuge at present.

If even Akira Kurusu is going to "betray" her, then Nina Igeri will have no room to escape—she won't even have anyone to vent her emotions to, and she can do nothing but hurt herself.

Jingqin Rencai is a very well-behaved girl. She would rather hurt herself and endure it than actively hurt others.

She feels so ashamed when she recalls things like "causing trouble for others," so how could she possibly become a bad person because of a broken friendship?

After all, the Hanged Man tarot card itself symbolizes self-sacrifice.

unless......

Unless she is the "traitor".

......

In the fiery twilight, the clouds seemed to evaporate completely.

The pale white, slender object, like a white dove, swept across the steel forest and finally landed on the treetops—treetops, of course, were also made of steel, with bowl-shaped broadcast antennas that could easily connect to the city's network.

In Christian mythology, the thirteenth disciple, Judas, who betrayed and sold out Jesus the Savior, and was so remorseful that he committed suicide, is gradually taking form here.

A shadow like a white dove kept filling the space beneath His cloak, accompanied by the clinking sound of silver coins.

He bent down, his fingertips touching the antenna, and the complex information in the network was instantly read.

Judah let out a low murmur that was hard to decipher, whether it was a sigh or a lament, or something else entirely, filled with bitterness and regret... The sound was almost like weeping, or like a bitter, unwilling laugh.

Any human being who hears it will immediately empathize and feel the utter despair and regret.

After a while, Judas raised his finger.

He knew that Miku Miku had begun to do all sorts of irrational and foolish things, just as he had predicted, driven by that twisted jealousy.

"We've come to this point again."

"If the Phantom Thieves' identities aren't revealed, he'll immediately team up with the Shadow Watchers to defeat that fake savior. After that, they'll reunite with another [world], and then naturally and safely walk towards their destiny step by step, back to the beginning of March... another dead end."

Misaki Miku, a girl who was supposed to become a witch out of despair in the distant future and nearly kill a member of the Phantom Thieves in the barrier, has now been added to the Phantom Thieves' "punishment" list ahead of time because of Judas.

The disappearance of a witch, the birth of a palace of the soul...

Even Judas, who possessed the ability to "reset the state of things"—the so-called "undo pill"—could not determine whether doing so was the right thing to do.

He cannot travel to a future he has never experienced.

"The current savior has successfully gained resistance to time reversal..."

He murmured, beginning to hate those two magical girls who, even though they were trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation, still kept causing him trouble.

Madoka Kaname... Homura Akemi...

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(Due to review requirements, deleted and modified chapters must not be less than the previous word count, hence the need for word count patches.)

(Due to review requirements, deleted and modified chapters must not be less than the previous word count, hence the need for word count patches.)

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203. A pre-delivered notice in person (two-in-one)

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"Accompaniment!"

Staff in the distance held up a sign.

The sound engineer at the back of the stage made a "received" gesture, and then found the audio file of "Because I Cannot Be Someone Else," the debut song of the "End Band," on the computer.

Listening to the familiar prelude to the Irish bagpipes, Ichiji Nijika sat on the stage, holding drumsticks. Facing the spacious stage that felt almost empty, she imagined the audience filling the audience below, and the cameras that might be filming her at any moment... She felt nervous, uneasy, and even more agitated.

"Is Nijika nervous?" Toyokawa Shoko noticed Nijika's unusual behavior and asked her quietly.

Ichi Nijika pursed her lips and nodded, her tense face slightly pale, especially after hearing Toyokawa Shoko's question, this feeling of tension was about to reach its peak.

As Toyokawa Shoko was pondering how to comfort her drummer, a very sharp, piercing sound came from the speaker next to her.

The microphone fell to the ground. A panicked Jing Qinren bent down to pick it up, but her legs, weak from nervousness and anxiety, gave way and she stumbled and fell on the stage.

The girl braced herself on the floor with both hands, her face turning bright red in an instant.

She turned her head nervously to look at Akira Kurusu beside her, who was holding a guitar. Tears welled up in her eyes, her lips trembled, and she stammered, unable to utter a single word.

The background music has been playing for ten seconds.

Apart from Momoka Kawahara unconsciously strumming a few strings along with the accompaniment, no one in the "End Band" moved—the keyboardist was comforting the drummer, the bassist was waiting for the drumbeats, and the rhythm guitarist was supporting the lead singer.

It's all over.

The Morfonica girls watching from below the stage looked at each other in bewilderment. Before they could express their opinions, they heard Shiina Tatsuki let out a painful scream from the resting area of ​​MYGO on the other side.

"Stray cat! Come back here right now!"

Kaoru ran onto the stage with a cream-filled donut covered in matcha powder in her mouth, while Chihaya Aine chased after her relentlessly.

"Lanna! They're rehearsing over there! We can't go and cause trouble!"

Finally, the staff intervened and managed to bring Kaoruna, who was running around everywhere, back.

Kurata Mashiro, who plays "Morfonica," looked at the mischievous girl and couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

But soon, the smile disappeared from her face.

The blue butterfly that had been hovering beside her, representing Ferremont, suddenly took flight as if it had encountered a natural enemy.

Then, during its escape, it was caught by a pale white pigeon that fell from the sky.

The pigeon flapped its wings and then slowly hovered on the metal support above the stage. It tilted its head and looked at Kurata Mashiro with its blood-red pupils.

God of the Sea of ​​Hearts... Lord Ferremon... Kurata Mashiro was so frightened that she staggered back, her cute face filled with fear and confusion.

The blue butterfly was struggling inside the white dove's beak, its body being squeezed, constantly emitting pale golden mist-like light.

Just as Kurata Mashiro was panicking and desperately trying to shout for help at the Phantom Thieves on stage—

The pale golden mist suddenly condensed after moving away from the white dove, transforming back into a golden butterfly before landing and returning to Kurata Mashiro's hair.

At the same time, the blue butterfly carried by the white dove quickly lost all its color and became a shriveled corpse.

The golden butterfly folded its wings, and its ethereal voice echoed in Kurata Mashiro's heart, "Please don't worry, I will not be killed by such an attack."

The only way to kill Ferremon is to destroy human civilization—this god, born from the sea of ​​the heart, is the embodiment of the collective unconscious of humanity.

"However... this guy is surprisingly troublesome." It was rare to hear the word "troublesome" used in Ferremon's words.