Tokyo Psychic

Page 323

It is accompanied by game-like particle effects.

"Persona!" The girl's cry instantly echoed across the empty battle area, and dense beams of light instantly covered the surroundings, burning like flames. Then, a phantom figure appeared behind her. It was Orpheus, the Greek hero holding a lyre, the poet who had fallen into the underworld in search of love.

"Orpheus, Great Flame!" With Shiomi Kotone's command, the Persona behind her immediately plucked the strings, and flames beyond the comprehension of physics rained down like a storm, burning all the shadows blocking the way in the distance to ashes.

Behind her, the SEES members caught up, panting. Only when they confirmed that their captain was unharmed and that the enemy had been wiped out did they breathe a sigh of relief.

Shiomi Kotone seemed to have gotten used to this kind of isolated and helpless battle—she had become increasingly strange ever since that Christmas Eve.

As always, aside from classes and combat training, she tries to spend most of her time sticking close to Akira Kurusu.

But once the battle begins in the Shadow Time, she often leaves the group to face the enemies who grow stronger as her "Tarotaros" increases.

It seems that he is deliberately training himself to face challenges alone.

SEES noticed her change but was unable to correct it.

Because she is becoming stronger than ever before.

Persona is the embodiment of mental power, and its strength is determined by a series of factors such as the user's state of mind, emotions, and beliefs.

No one knows what Shiomi Kotone encountered or sensed... Everyone knows she has a secret hidden in her heart, but no matter what, they can't dig it out.

The process of conquering this "Tartarus" has changed from the difficulty of "fighting against the minions of death" to an easy and simple one, as if the huge wheel of fate has fallen from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground. Everyone can hear its rolling roar, but it is unstoppable.

......

On the day of the Spring Festival, Akira Lai and several classmates who stayed at school took a sightseeing bus with their teacher to go to the other side of the Moonlight Pavilion to enjoy the snow at night.

The sightseeing bus kept stopping and starting, with new passengers constantly joining it.

Lai Xixiao was wrapped in a down jacket and huddled in her seat, shivering.

The air was chilly, and my heart soared higher and higher with the blowing of the cold wind, as if it were about to be swallowed up by the silent and distant starry sky.

He thought to himself, "If only I had a heater."

Or... it would be nice to go to Shiomi-senpai's room, enjoy the air conditioning and warmth, and play games.

But he is not good at refusing other people's kindness.

Since his teacher specifically took him on a trip during the New Year, he felt embarrassed to refuse.

Just as he was thinking this, a lively and cheerful voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Ah Xiao!"

In the back seat of the sightseeing bus, a pretty and adorable girl clung to the seat back, her bright eyes blinking in the darkness. Her long hair, originally tied in a high ponytail, had fallen loose, cascading over her shoulders, further emphasizing the smallness and delicacy of her face. She was a very beautiful girl. Her name was Shiomi Kotone.

Akira Laiqi froze, and then a warm feeling came from beside her.

Shiomi Kotone hugged Kurusu Akira with one arm, then cheerfully handed him the cardboard box, her orange-red eyes fixed on him. "I heard your teacher said you went out hungry. It must have been tough, right? If you don't mind, you can try this takoyaki I have here~"

"I actually ate a little pasta."

As soon as she finished speaking, a takoyaki was skewered on a bamboo stick and put into Akira Kurusu's mouth.

Shiomi Kotone looked at him with a smile, then used the same bamboo skewer to pick up a takoyaki and stuffed it into her mouth to chew.

Her thin, translucent, pearly lips parted and closed, conveying a sense of youthful and pure beauty, making one subconsciously overlook the strangeness brought about by the food exchange.

While looking at her with a sullen expression, Akira Kurusu mumbled through a mouthful of takoyaki, "I told my mom about you, and she said you're a bad woman! She told me not to play with you anymore!"

Then another takoyaki was stuffed into his mouth, silencing all protests.

The sightseeing bus was very close to the high school dormitory area, so Shiomi Kotone took Kurusu Akira's hand and got off the bus, waving goodbye to the teacher who was in charge.

When Lai Qixiao turned around, she realized that the boys in the back seat of the car were staring at her with envious and jealous eyes.

What's there to be jealous of?

He thought to himself, don't you guys think that this kind of "older sister" is troublesome?

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With the air conditioning and heating turned up, the not-so-spacious single dormitory room was quickly filled with a warm atmosphere.

The girl unbuttoned her shirt one button at a time, loosened the bow at the collar, and took off her school uniform jacket. Her orange-red eyes were already brimming with mischievous laughter. With a rustling sound, her top fell to the ground. She used one hand to lift her half-fallen skirt to cover her thin underwear, while the other hand covered the curves outlined by her bra. Large expanses of fair skin were exposed, shimmering with a jade-like luster and a healthy blush. Her proportions were perfect and flawless. Her slender thighs could be encircled with a single hand, and her calves were shaped like beautiful crescent moons. Her delicate feet were adorned with white cotton socks and encased in black round-toed leather shoes, further emphasizing her youthful vitality and pure beauty.

"Is this alright?" She knelt barefoot behind Lai Xixiao, her fair hands resting on his shoulders.

"Don't come any closer! Put your pajamas on properly!" Akira Lai shouted anxiously.

"Hehe, you're shy." Shiomi Kotone laughed happily.

The sound of fabric rubbing against skin is actually quite alluring, especially when you imagine a beautiful young girl with impeccable looks and temperament changing clothes right next to you. This obvious invitation is so tempting that it's almost criminal—any teenage boy would probably lose his rationality in that instant.

Unfortunately, Akira Kurusu is twelve years old this year. Faced with the naked Kotone Shiomi, he only felt ashamed. He then stared at the TV screen in front of him with a red face, trying to focus more attention on the game controller in his hand.

Shiomi Kotone sat with his back pressed against hers like this for a while before getting up and leaving.

"It's so embarrassing!" Akira Kurusu said sullenly.

“I feel shy too, Xiao,” said Shiomi Kotone. “But this is something I’ve never experienced before, and I always think I should try it.”

"Then go find a boyfriend yourself! You lewd senior!"

"Hey, I don't need to find a boyfriend," Shiomi Kotone said as she lay down on the bed.

"You're almost at the save point, it's getting late, come and get some sleep."

"Okay." Lai Xixiao packed up the computer, then turned off the light and, as always, lay down in the small bed that was just right for one person, but a little cramped for two, requiring them to hug each other.

next moment......

"Why aren't you dressed yet?!"

The room was immediately filled with the laughter of Shiomi Kotone after her successful prank.

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January 6, 2023.

Akira looked down at the melting snowflakes on her hands.

He seemed momentarily dazed.

Until a scarred and beautiful figure appeared at the end of the street.

He looked up and saw Homura Akemi.

Homura Akemi was wearing clothes he had never seen before, covered in blood.

she says.

"I'm leaving the rest to you."

Chapter 312. Extra Chapter 3: Homura Akemi Takes Me in as a Sugar Daddy

Also known as: "The Cycle with Homura Akemi, Part 2", and "A Story That Happened in an Unknown Number of Cycles".

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【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

【PM. 11:51.】

Clutching her phone, which had run out of battery, Akira Kurusu wandered aimlessly in the shadows of the bustling city. The chilling night wind tugged at the discarded plastic bags on the ground, making eerie, cawing sounds.

The fluorescent glow of the vending machine dampened the dim street, as if someone had spilled a jar of melted blue glaze.

In the dim light, a slender shadow suddenly approached silently.

Even though the fatigue accumulated in his frail body had reached its peak, the phantom thief still keenly noticed the stranger following behind him.

He subconsciously switched the phone to his left hand, then reached into his pocket with his right hand, wanting to pull out the Persona summoner that had been with him for over ten years.

Something unexpected happened: the spot where his fingers touched was empty, instantly casting a shadow over Akira Kurusu's eyes.

So he feigned weakness and exhaustion, turned around as if about to collapse, and sighed unconsciously, "Ah..." This sigh smoothly transitioned into curiosity and doubt after he finished turning around, "May I ask who you are?"

A hint of surprise flickered in Akira Kurusu's eyes, followed by a deeper sense of confusion.

The extremely beautiful girl stood next to the vending machine, quiet, indifferent, and expressionless. Her clear and transparent appearance was like a dagger resting on a block of crystal ice, cold and sinister, as if she were about to reclaim all the colors of the world.

Her long, jet-black hair shimmered with an obsidian-like sheen, illuminated by the light strip inside the vending machine. A pair of deep purple eyes, clear as jewels, reflected Akira Kurusu, who was shrouded in darkness. In her utter numbness and emptiness, a brilliant and intense light suddenly flashed, though it was only a faint and brief moment, yet Akira Kurusu still caught it.

The phantom thief looked at the girl in front of him, who was about the age of a middle school student and had a very childish face. He thought to himself that if the police were here, they would probably judge him as a "bad guy" without any explanation.

He took a deep breath, and upon noticing the girl's unusual qualities, he immediately dropped his pretense and calmly asked her, "Why have you been following me?"

“Homura Akemi.” She didn’t answer Akira Kurusu’s question, but said in a very soft voice, “...That’s my name.”

"Okay, then why were you following me?"

You mean, a pretty middle school girl who looks about 14 years old, well-mannered, and conservatively dressed was following a boy who's almost an adult late at night? ... If you threw this question into any Metropolitan Police Department, the officer in charge of the case would probably give you a questioning look, as if to say, "Are you out of your mind or just daydreaming?"

"I just happened to be passing by." Homura Akemi didn't refute him with sarcasm or mockery, nor did she try to defend herself with grievance or haste. Her face remained cold and expressionless, and her voice was so calm that no emotional fluctuation could be detected as she stated the facts.

Akira's gaze sharpened instantly. He preferred to trust his inner intuition more than what others said or even what he saw.

His intuition told him that this girl named "Akami Homura" seemed to know him very well.

The next moment, Homura Akemi seemed to see right through him. "I didn't follow you. I just waited for you here for three hours, fourteen minutes, and twenty-five seconds." The time that Homura Akemi said was exactly the amount of time that had elapsed since she sat down on the bench next to the vending machine.

How much do you really know about me?

As he said this, Akira Kurusu was already prepared to forcibly summon Persona at any time. During his long time as a "psychic thief," he had deeply remembered a lesson: never let your guard down because of the enemy's youth and beauty.

Then, to his astonishment, Homura Akemi pulled an automatic pistol from under her school uniform skirt.

The pistol seemed excessively large and thick compared to the girl's petite hands. She seemed to have long been accustomed to the weight and coldness of the gun, casually pressing the muzzle against her temple without pulling the trigger, simply reciting in a monotone tone, "Persona."

Akira Kurusu froze for a moment. As Homura Akemi uttered the first syllable, he instinctively tried to forcefully unearth the power hidden deep within his heart... even though this body was currently incapable of serving as a "container for spiritual power".

But Homura Akemi didn't radiate any hostility at all; she just looked at him calmly, as if this scene had been replayed thousands of times in her mind.

Akira Kurusu felt a chill run down her spine under Homura Akemi's gaze, and then she averted her eyes, saying, "Just as you imagine... I know everything about you."

"Including why I'm here?"

“Yes.” Homura Akemi nodded slowly, then said in a low voice, “Past, present, future... I know everything about you.”

Lai Qixiao understood the implication in her words, and his intuition told him that it was true.

Fortunately, he had seen too many people with extremely strong intelligence-gathering abilities, and he was already used to being inexplicably told all sorts of trump cards that they claimed to be "secret tricks".

It's perfectly normal that they just know "Mind Thief" is "Kurasu Akira".

Basically, every formidable opponent he encountered possessed this level of intelligence gathering ability.

After all... even if they reported every detail, down to the color of his underwear that day, they still couldn't defeat him by any means.

Akira Kurusu said nonchalantly, "You sound like an all-knowing goddess who's about to bestow cheat abilities upon heroes reincarnated into another world... or a Galgame player who endlessly reloads saves to pursue the perfect ending."

Homura Akemi tucked the pistol under her skirt and didn't respond to his complaint.

It's just like a player who has seen every single CG in a visual novel, skillfully pressing "ESC" to skip those CG scenes they've watched countless times and head straight for the dialogue options that must be completed.

"Come on, I'll take you to a place to spend the night."

Homura Akemi quickly approached, her gaze falling on Akatsuki Kurusu's empty right hand. Akatsuki slightly raised her arm, then lowered it back to her waist as if trying to restrain herself.

Akira Kurusu keenly noticed her movement. "When did we meet?"

"I have the ability to 'rewind time'." This is also true.

Are you a goddess?

"No."

"I see... So we used to be close?"

"...Um."

"How good is it?" Akira Kurusu asked Homura Akemi with some surprise.

Homura Akemi's face remained expressionless; she simply uttered a name, "Ravenda."