Tokyo Psychic

Page 267

The media coverage of Yusuke Kitagawa far exceeded that of Akira Kurusu—of course, the main reason for this was the sensationalism surrounding Kitagawa's transition from a "renowned classical painter" to the manga industry.

However, with the arrival of Akira Kurusu, his handsome face, which was no less than that of any top idol, quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding reporters.

Under the spotlight, even the real becomes unreal. The flashes from all directions constantly created black noise on Lai Qixiao's retina. He couldn't help but raise his hand to shield his eyes, which caused the reporters to sigh. In contrast, the famous artists who assisted the program team in the interview seemed to have been born with titanium alloy eyes. They didn't even blink when the flashes were dazzling. Lai Qixiao could only feel admiration and quicken his pace to walk past.

Pushing aside the reporters blocking the door, the phantom thief approached the Japanese-style room almost unimpeded.

Akira Kurusu opened the door to the Japanese-style room. Inside, a boy sat quietly, facing the television screen and gazing at the cyber moon in deep thought. His serene appearance with his eyes closed was somewhere between an artistic painting and a fox spirit meditating under the moon. It was indeed strange to describe a man as a fox spirit, but it seemed particularly fitting for this man. His vivid colors seemed to have been stolen from the beautiful women in the paintings, making anyone else pale in comparison.

All artists are noble precisely because they can bring tranquility to the world and enrich people's hearts.

"Yusuke, it's been so long since we last met."

"Hmph! As expected of the captain, even after so long, he's still incredibly tempting." Kitagawa Yusuke turned his head, his eyes fixed intently on the phantom thief who had just closed the door. "Please lend me a hand!"

“We’ll talk about the modeling thing later,” Akira Kurusu said, looking at her former comrade-in-arms. “You even know anything about comics?”

Yusuke Kitagawa brushed his long bangs aside and revealed a smug smile. "The teacher takes good care of me, so I have plenty of free time to research the trendy things that my classmates like."

“It’s wonderful that everyone is living a happy life,” the phantom thief said as he approached. He reached out and patted Yusuke Kitagawa on the shoulder, feeling a surge of emotion as he recalled his friend who had once uttered the famous line in the subway station, “My eyesight is deteriorating more and more, and I can’t even find any money in my wallet.”

Kitagawa Yusuke didn't get up, but just laughed and said, "Without that Shido Seigi interfering, the captain's life has become even more colorful."

Have you been in contact with Ryuji and the others during this time?

"Yes, of course. I went to play baseball with Ryuji yesterday. His leg injury has healed, and he still has the opportunity to pursue his dream... It's really touching."

Yusuke Kitagawa sighed, "But I still can't understand why that evil god who can manipulate time would make such a decision."

"Perhaps it's because we've defeated her too many times that she wants to prevent you from ever awakening again."

“It was indeed a dangerous move,” Yusuke Kitagawa said, arms crossed, “but fortunately, our Phantom Thieves are still one step ahead.”

Then he looked at Akira Kurusu, "But... there's only one semester left until that final battle, right? With the new Phantom Thieves member this time, will we win?"

As he spoke, Yusuke Kitagawa's expression turned strange.

Because he clearly remembered that Akira Kurusu would be going to Mitakihara City to participate in a competition in the second semester...

Then, Akira Kurusu would provoke several junior high school students there, and even commit a series of "evil deeds" that would make Makoto Niijima raise his fist and shout "Iron Fist Punishment," which were tantamount to crimes.

242. Romance Version of Agent Wars (Two-in-One)

With fluid, elegant strokes, expensive paints were applied generously to the pristine white canvas.

A multitude of contrasting colors and sharp, delicate lines.

No drafts, no references, and no pencils needed—

It was just something I did on a whim, something I did on a whim.

Her graceful figure appeared on the canvas very quickly.

Signature black hair, neat girls' school uniform.

......

ended.

Just five minutes later, Yusuke Kitagawa put down his art supplies.

What leaps off the page is none other than "Touma Kazusa," the heroine of the well-known Galgame series "White Album."

Akira Kurusu, holding her phone with the camera function enabled, frantically pressed the shutter button on the canvas.

"Yusuke, this is truly amazing."

“Of course, this is the result of my hard work all this time,” Kitagawa Yusuke said proudly.

His affluent life gave him ample time to study new and trendy things in addition to practicing painting.

For example, comics, figurines, video games...

Besides game consoles, game cartridges, and various light novels and comics, which were given as rewards for exam results.

Madarame strongly supports Yusuke Kitagawa making his own figures.

Sculpture is part of what is taught in the dojo. Although it differs from figurine making in terms of specific techniques, the art theories involved in those clay figurines are still worthwhile.

As a result, in Yusuke Kitagawa's room, the figurines he had made since junior high school filled an entire wall—to be precise, he had been selling homemade figurines related to popular anime series online under the alias "FOX," or helping to draw illustrations for novels to earn pocket money—and Madarame had helped him clear all the levels in those games.

Thanks to this, the pseudonym "FOX" used by Yusuke Kitagawa, who was only seventeen years old, was already a well-known "master" in various online discussion circles.

No wonder he had the confidence to participate in the manga adaptation of a super popular light novel.

"I'm entrusting 'No Game No Life' to you." Akira Kurusu looked earnestly at his fellow member of the Phantom Thieves. "Next, I'll be attending a book signing event hosted by the paperback publisher."

Yusuke Kitagawa stood up and gave Akira Kurusu a less-than-perfect Self-Defense Force salute. "Yes, Commander!"

The cyber moon on the TV screen slowly went out, revealing a trailer for "Cyberpunk 2077: Edgewalker".

......

Akira Kurusu pushed open the door, ignoring the questions from reporters with their cameras and microphones all around her.

He managed to find his agent in the crowd with difficulty. "Is President Tsurumaki here?"

Although it was an inquiry, in principle, Akira Kurusu did not want Kokoro Tsurumaki to be present.

Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu made a promise to "patronize" his business together after school.

It sounds a bit like, "My boyfriend has fallen on hard times and is forced to become a male prostitute to make a living. He's all alone and needs these girlfriends to come and take care of him..."

Or, to put it another way, "My boyfriend has fallen so low that he has to resort to being a gigolo to make a living, and now I have no choice but to pay him to support him."

After thinking about it for a while, Akira Kurishi sadly realized that it seemed to be true.

The Phantom Thieves' current success is entirely due to the financial support of the Toyokawa family.

Thinking back on his own "debauched" daily life... it seems no different from being kept by those two girls.

Shoko Toyokawa and Mutsumi Wakaba weren't the only girls who expressed their willingness to "help out" at the autograph session on Line.

I have a feeling that if Genjuro Shin were to show up, things would spiral out of control.

While I was lost in thought, my agent had already given me a reply—

"President Tsurumaki is already in the lounge at the back of the venue."

Akira's expression darkened.

She did come, just as expected.

Based on the information provided by the Shadow Patrolmen, Akira Kurusu could roughly understand that the Tsurumaki family was the first force in Tokyo to conduct research on the Shadow Incident and actively invest funds in the development of cognitive science.

After the mastermind behind the anomaly in the Impression Space revealed a glimpse of their true nature and dismantled the Kiritō Group out of thin air with an unknown force, all the accumulated technology and research results were inherited by the Tsurumaki family.

This large family business was also happy to sponsor a Persona team.

In this way, it becomes clear why that young lady would go to great lengths to get close to him.

After all, he inherited all of Kirito's research results, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to verify the existence of the Phantom Thief through the Impression Space.

I just hope the older members of the Genmaki Group didn't come here with the intention of a "marriage alliance"...

"Lian! Good morning!" A cheerful voice called out from behind.

Akira Kurisu subconsciously turned around and saw the reporters along the way retreating one after another.

At the end of the crowd stood a girl as noble as gold.

She flashed her usual innocent and adorable smile, then jogged over and naturally took Akira's arm. "The spot's over there!"

Genjuro Shin pointed to the venue that DB Library had already set up.

The surrounding reporters quickly covered their camera lenses, fearing they might accidentally reveal the young lady's whereabouts—although the Genmaki Group had the ability to protect its heir's safety at any time, it didn't mean they didn't care about these avoidable troubles.

Akira Kurusu glanced at Kokoro Genmaki's childlike face and vaguely guessed the reason for her closeness...

It's quite complicated.

The influence of her guitar playing skills and her good looks is partly due to her curiosity about "Mind Thief".

This complex affection was also directed at Shiomi Kotone.

That's why Kokoro Tsurumaki always tries to see the two of them smile.

She has successfully become good friends with Shiomi Kotone, which is enough to fulfill her wish.

Now all that's missing is Qixiao.

Genmaki Kokoro probably understands that simply being an ordinary friend isn't enough to keep seeing Akira Kurusu's smile.

What is a relationship that goes beyond friendship?

Genmaki Kokoro is not a sheltered young girl like Toyokawa Shoko who grew up in seclusion and knew nothing.

She had been involved in the family business, either voluntarily or involuntarily, for a long time.

Marriage is an inescapable part of life for the heir of the Tsurumaki family—but unlike most of her peers, Tsurumaki Kokoro possesses a freedom that they dare not even dream of.

Having mastered a wealth of research findings in cognitive science, the Genmaki Foundation has, to some extent, broken free from the constraints of secular rules.

In other words, Genmaki Kokoro does not need to choose a "suitable" spouse for the sake of the family's development and continuation; she can make her own choice based on her own preferences.

But then again—

You mean, you want a girl who has attended all-girls schools since childhood to find a boyfriend she likes?

Genmaki Kokoro has met too many geniuses, even Shiomi Kotone has become her friend. Could there be any other boy as outstanding as, or even better than, Shiomi Kotone?

It really does.

Akira Kurusu's appearance surprised and delighted Kokoro Tsurumaki.

She asked herself if she would feel repulsed if she married him—the answer was "no".

At the same time, Xianjuanxin reflected on himself, wondering if he desperately wanted to see the other person's smile anytime, anywhere—the answer was "of course."

Five minutes later, while tidying up her pens, Akira Kurusu asked Shin Tsurumaki, "Why does Miss always waste her time on me?"

Genmaki Shin casually uttered words that made Sakura Futaba, who was in a small room at Shigenchaya, spit out a mouthful of cola.

"It's simple, because I want to marry Amamiya-san."

She put her hands on her hips and smiled smugly.

"So, is this reason acceptable?"

......

Something terrible has happened!

The bedroom curtains were drawn back after six months.

Futaba Sakura jumped off her computer chair and paced anxiously around the desk.

She only snapped out of her daze when a little bit of saliva mixed with cola dripped down the edge of the computer screen and she grabbed a napkin to wipe it up.

Futaba Sakura plopped back into her computer chair.

She's a Persona user who has faced evil gods head-on; she's not that fragile!

It's just another rival, a rich young lady type, nothing to be afraid of... Damn it, I still have Senior Haru!

The choice is yours, Okumura Haru! Queen of the Phantom Thieves, please do your best to defeat the Tsurumaki family for everyone's happiness!

At that moment, fifteen-year-old Futaba Sakura made up her mind.

But soon, she saw the dummy host suddenly display the word "OUT" on her computer screen, and her face turned pale with fright.

The brilliant hacker got a little too carried away, hacked into Genjuro's phone, and then stared blankly for more than five minutes.

This is terrible.

Before assisting the Empress in defeating the Tsurumaki family, Sakura Futaba may have to go to detention first.

She could only watch numbly as the network team assembled by the Genmaki Foundation to ensure that the precious experimental data was not stolen swept away, ruthlessly removing all the puppet hosts along the way, following the traces she had left in Genmaki's phone, until they broke into her own monitoring host.

Soon, a communication request popped up on the computer and was automatically approved.

But what appeared on the screen wasn't a scruffy middle-aged man or a cold-eyed special forces soldier—

Akira Kurusu sat expressionlessly in a chair, while Kokoro Tsurumaki moved a chair next to him without any sense of distance, waving with a smile at Futaba Sakura on her phone.

"Hello, hello! You must be Navi!"