Tokyo Psychic

Page 257

In a newly released fighting game, how difficult would it be to defeat a master of the "Wave Rising" style if one doesn't fully understand the character's abilities and isn't particularly skilled in neutral combat?

At least An and Subaru could never do that.

Her character, Zangief, clumsily gets up, staggering as he tries to block or dodge wave punch after wave. But as soon as he gets close to Ken, controlled by Akira Kurusu, whether he tries to use basic punches and kicks or his special moves, he is immediately and mercilessly punched into the sky by the rising dragon punch.

This utterly helpless experience repeated itself more than a dozen times, and Zangief's life was completely exhausted in just two rounds of fighting—

No, this can't even be called a battle.

As agreed beforehand, An and Subaru stood up expressionlessly and gave their seats to Iori Rina next to them.

The loser has to take turns, which was something Anwa Subaru and Izare Jinna agreed on. Izare Jinna should have been happily taking her seat, but after watching the whole thing, she just shook her head in fear.

"Nina, please sit down," Anwa Subaru managed a forced smile.

After several attempts to "decline," Anwa Subaru still couldn't pass on the arduous task of defeating the "Wave Rise" to Iori Niina.

In addition, with a group of reporters and colleagues from their firm surrounding them, they were too embarrassed to be too noisy.

So An and Subaru forced themselves to sit back down, preparing to challenge Akira Kurusu again.

Akira Kurusu seemed to have considered An and Subaru's feelings, so this time he didn't choose "Ken" but chose "Luke".

Although the character has changed, he still controls "Luke" to crouch in a corner of the map as soon as he enters the game.

The Russian wrestler looked at the blond-haired boy in front of him, who was half-squatting on the ground with a harmless smile on his face. Even though the other party hadn't done anything, he seemed as invincible as a mountain.

So, he tentatively lunged at the other person...

Unfamiliar character, familiar rising dragon punch, familiar ranged attack...

Then, the burly Mr. Zangief lay down on the ground, looking completely bewildered.

Once again, they were helpless and at the mercy of others.

What defeated her was not fancy combos or unpredictable neutral moves—it was simply "wave" and "short dragon punch".

An and Subaru blushed.

That vibrant red color, the visual warmth it conveyed even surpassed the moment she confessed her feelings to Akira Kurusu, and it also surpassed the happiness and shyness that had accumulated during their all-night passionate encounter...

She sat there blankly, staring at the controller in her hand, then at Zangief lying motionless on the screen. Her fingers trembled, but she couldn't input a single command.

Fortunately, just before An and Subaru were about to cry and say, "I never want to play Street Fighter 6 again," all the lights at the convention center went out.

The demo session was predictably interrupted by this unexpected incident.

But unfortunately...

The members of the Mind Thieves stood up simultaneously, looking into the dark space where the organization's logo, "Megiddo," was clearly visible on the large screen in the exhibition hall.

Taking advantage of the darkness, An and Subaru viciously grabbed Akira Kurusu's collar, stood on tiptoe and bit his lip, then looked at "Megido" on the screen as if to vent their anger.

English letters kept popping up on the screen, eventually forming a sentence.

[The Psychic Thieves, who have committed numerous evil deeds, are to surrender before June 18th. Otherwise, we, the "Megiddo," will expose your true identities and indiscriminately threaten your supporters...]

[To the Mind Thieves watching this announcement at the venue.]

226. It can also be considered a talent show.

Power has been restored.

The exhibition hall was brightly lit, and agents from various agencies rushed around their artists, offering words of comfort and concern... but in reality, they were conveying the organizers' follow-up arrangements.

Akira Kurusu and Subaru An exchanged a glance, both seeing the frustration in each other's eyes.

Mr. Munehisa Iwai, who was in charge of liaising with Akira Kurusu, also approached with a reference book. "I hope I didn't scare you. Those hacker pranks are really a headache."

"In the end, it's all because of the Mind Thieves," complained an artist from another agency. "Other hackers have already declared war, but they haven't responded at all."

"A bunch of charlatans, con artists, hypnotists, or criminal gangs colluding with the underworld—what good people can be targeted by a hacker organization?" a colleague said with a sneer.

An and Subaru instinctively wanted to rush over to explain, but before their shoes could even get past Qixiao, he was pulled back.

"Don't get too excited," the phantom thief said, glancing towards the staff corridor of the exhibition hall, where a team of heavily armed police officers were frantically searching every corner of the hall.

Clearly, the news that "the Phantom Thieves are at the Street Fighter 6 demo event" has already spread like wildfire.

"What should we do next?" An and Subaru asked in a very soft voice.

“There’s still some time before the date those hackers demanded…” Akira pulled An and Subaru back to their seats. He looked at the message “Megiddo” on the screen and calmly pressed the button on the controller to confirm the character “Luke” on the character selection screen.

Jingqin Rencai was so startled by this sudden turn of events that she was completely disoriented. But when she saw the two people next to her sitting down and starting to play games again, she had no choice but to move the plastic stool next to her and sit down next to them.

At close range, they could vaguely hear Akira Kurusu whispering to Subaru An, "But staying like this is too passive. We really need to respond to those hackers' voices head-on."

"But... even if we respond, we can't make them repent over the internet... Although we have Navi providing network technology support, she can't catch those peers in the online world all by herself, can she?"

"That's what you don't understand. Internet technology is one thing, but the real key to victory in this kind of struggle is 'public opinion'..."

Akira Kurusu, controlling "Luke," approached An and Subaru's "Zangief" with twitching steps like a Parkinson's patient. Then he casually remarked, "I think I can understand why 'Megiddo' would go to the trouble of conducting 'public opinion polls'—it's probably an attempt to force us to show up through public opinion."

"..."

Izayoi was completely bewildered by what she heard. After finally figuring out the dispute between the Phantom Thieves and the hacker organization, she saw Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsumi peeking out from next to the game console in front of her.

"Why are you here?" An and Mao asked, somewhat surprised.

"Because Xiangzi was worried that you might run into trouble."

"Because Mutsuko was worried that you might run into trouble..." Toyokawa Shoko looked at Wakaba Mutsuko, who was speaking in unison beside her, and a helpless yet touched smile appeared on her face.

"It can't be that Metis is worried about Ren and Subaru, can it?"

Ruo Ye Mu looked away somewhat embarrassed, but still went around to the back of Kurusu Akira and watched him quickly execute an "OD Rising Dragon" after "CA" to empty Anwa Subaru's last health bar.

“We are indeed in trouble,” Akira Kurusu explained to Mutsumi Wakaba and Shoko Toyokawa. “You were in the exhibition hall just now, weren’t you?”

Toyokawa Shoko approached. "It seems those hackers really do know our true identities... But it's precisely because they know we possess the superpower to make people repent that they dare not completely expose us. They're just trying to make the public distrust us through these means."

To avoid being overheard, she whispered in his ear, almost touching his face. "It's all Miss Triangle's fault... but we still don't know who specifically told her those secrets."

......

at the same time.

The Miku Miku they were referring to was in what looked like a high-end apartment.

Kotone Shiomi crossed her arms and looked down at the repentant girl. "Although I am somewhat reluctant, you do indeed have considerable potential to awaken a Persona... For the sake of future battles, I have decided to train you into a qualified Persona!"

Misaki swallowed hard and sat timidly on the sofa, somewhat afraid to speculate on what kind of standard Shiomi Kotone meant by "qualified".

Kotone Shiomi gave a very dangerous smile. "Let's start with 100 push-ups, 100 squats, 100 sit-ups, and a 10-kilometer run every day. A healthy and strong body always makes people feel confident, and that confidence is the source of a powerful mind."

227. Yamada Ryo's Round (Hyper-Anime: Yamada Ryo's First Night)

Tokyo time, 21:09.

Room 303 of "Tengmuju".

Hearing the sound of a key turning in the lock, Momoka Kawahara, who was cleaning the living room, looked towards the entryway.

The door was opened, and the person outside was Lai Xixiao.

The phantom thief placed a large bag of ingredients in the entryway, saying, "I didn't expect you guys to choose to cook for yourselves."

Based on his impression of Yamada Ryo and Kawaharaki Momoka, this cohabiting couple, they probably relied on takeout for all three meals a day.

In fact, that was exactly what they planned to do.

As Akira Lai took off her shoes and entered the house, she was greeted by McDonald's takeout packaging on the table.

Yamada Ryo sat cross-legged on the chair.

She was wearing only a close-fitting tank top, the thin fabric outlining her shapely figure, and her fair and radiant skin shimmered with a soft, jade-like glow under the light.

It was clearly the first day of moving, yet this girl had already adapted to her new home on her own, and was already running around the house in just her underwear. Come to think of it, there were only three keys to room 303, one for each of the two girls, and the last one was in the hands of Laixi Xiao.

Summer is quite hot, and people are reluctant to turn on the air conditioning at night, so there's really no need to cover up.

The electric fan blew aside Yamada Ryo's short, dark blue hair. She noticed Kurusu Akira's gaze inadvertently falling on her underwear. She wasn't embarrassed, but looked at her boyfriend with some surprise. "So this kind of style that has no sexy features can excite you?"

Although her moral standards are indeed terrifyingly low, it must be admitted that Yamada Ryo has an extremely beautiful face. Her cold temperament is slightly softened by the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and she even has a charming and gentle beauty under the light.

Lai Xixiao recalled the kiss he had given her during the day, the feeling as if ice had slid down his throat and into his heart, instantly melting into a cold stream that seeped into his internal organs.

Looking at the girl so close to him, he suddenly felt a flutter in his heart.

A hint of cunning flashed in Yamada Ryo's eyes, and then she casually put down her crossed legs and opened her arms to Kurusu Akira, "Give me a hug...darling?" It was hard to imagine that such an overly ambiguous term of address could come out of Yamada Ryo's mouth.

But that's exactly what she said.

Akira Kurusu drew closer to him from the bottom of her heart, and then embraced Ryo Yamada intimately.

Yamada Ryo actually quite likes the feeling of being hugged—although he doesn't really want to admit it, it does give him a sense of security that's hard to describe.

Normally, he only has occasional opportunities to act cute with Hongxia like this.

But now... she felt her heart beating faster and faster.

It seems like it would be nice for him to keep me at home like this?

No, I still have to go to school...

Suddenly, Yamada Ryo cupped Kurusu Akira's face in his hands, then tilted his head and kissed her.

This process lasted for almost a minute.

When the two parted, Yamada Ryo's usually cool and aloof face was already flushed.

In the past, Yamada Ryo wasn't actually interested in romance—she preferred to be "special," to be a unique and unconventional person.

There are too many girls dating, whether at school or in bands. Joining them would make her feel like she's becoming vulgar too.

However, dating a "superpowered person" is a very different story.

This is a stroke of luck that most people their age might never experience in several lifetimes—to meet a mind thief who truly has the power to change everything and punish evil at night.

Ryo Yamada has always been fond of the legend of "Psychic Thief," especially after Toyokawa Shoko "revealed her identity," at which point she eagerly began searching online for various stories about Psychic Thief.

She genuinely admired the Phantom Thieves of the Mind, who defied societal norms and upheld justice against the rules of society.

Therefore, Yamada Ryo has always respected Toyokawa Shoko ever since.

Aside from the fact that he genuinely lost control that day and subconsciously asked Toyokawa Shoko for money—other than that, Yamada Ryo felt that he was probably the person in all of Tokyo who respected Toyokawa Shoko the most.

Of course, this respect, longing, and admiration have now all been transferred to Qi Xiao.

Although unwilling to admit it, Yamada Ryo was indeed greatly shocked when Kurusu Akira revealed his true identity.

So at that moment, Yamada Ryo had a strange idea in his mind—

If I ride the legendary phantom thief, wouldn't I instantly surpass 99.999% of all the high school girls in Tokyo in terms of life achievements?

Thinking this, she wrapped her legs around Lai Qixiao's waist, then straightened her body by holding his shoulders, so that she could be intimately close to him.

"Ren," Yamada Ryo called out her boyfriend's name directly, "You and Momoka actually slept together, didn't you?"

Momoka Kawaharaki, who had just been drinking water, choked immediately.

But before she could even defend herself, Yamada Ryo actually put his arm around Akira Kurusu's neck and said, "It's time to take me to the bedroom. We're all living together, so we have to treat each other fairly."

......

Yamada Ryo collapsed onto the bed.

Her delicate body, wrapped in a thin layer of fabric, was covered in a thin layer of sweat from the summer night heat, making her vest appear somewhat translucent and revealing the pattern on her light black bra.

She looked away, unwilling to meet Akira Kurusu's gaze.

Her legs were also pressed together nervously, her thin feet curled up, and her body trembled slightly with tension and anxiety...

Then, perhaps having mustered a little courage, Yamada Ryo looked at the boy in front of him—

Akira Kurusu turned on the air conditioner.

Then, as if to prevent Yamada Ryo from escaping, Kurusu Akira naturally leaned down and pressed down on her shoulder.

He lowered his head and kissed Yamada Ryo's lips, and the resistance that had been flickering in the girl's eyes melted away instantly.

Yamada Ryo hugged the boy in front of her back, opened her lips without any defenses, and even took the initiative to exchange saliva with him.

Their warm, disordered breaths mingled together, causing Yamada Ryo's previously tense legs to relax slightly.