Tokyo Heart Thief's Daily Life

Ryuji Sakamoto: "'He just talked to me about what Kamoshida had done, and what he said was quite pertinent. And he didn't pretend to be sympathetic, he just recommended a knee rehabilitation center for me... seems like a good person?'"

Takamaki An: "'Yeah, Shiho and I are pretty much the same. He talked about Shiho's volleyball club and how Kamoshida has been harassing me. It's all known to the whole school, so it's pretty normal.'"

Yoshizawa Kasumi: "'He didn't even talk about Kamoshida at all. He knew we were gymnasts and asked about the pressures of school and training, but it was just a normal chat.'"

It seems that the psychological counselor is just a chat room as he said at the morning meeting.

Although Luo Zhen still felt it was a bit strange, he didn't need to think too much about it.

The second to last person to talk to in the morning was himself.

When the time was up, Luo Zhen experienced the joy of asking for leave from class.

It feels really strange that I am walking in the corridor while the whole school is in class.

"——Luo Zhen, please take a seat."

Maruki Takuto invited Luo Zhen to sit on the sofa with a friendly smile on his face.

On the table was a bowl of various candies and several boxes of drinks bought from a convenience store. It seemed that they were supplies he used to bribe the students.

He smiled easily:

"Thank you for showing me the way this morning. To be honest, I have a terrible sense of direction and often get lost. It's great to meet someone as kind as Luo Zhen."

Luo Zhen: "You're welcome. And it's not us who are so enthusiastic, but Maruki-sensei, right?"

Luo Zhen had a businesslike smile on his face and pushed up his glasses, which matched Maruki Takuto's.

"The subway station is packed with students in flashy uniforms this morning. You don't need to ask anyone, just follow the crowd. Even if your sense of direction is poor, you shouldn't get lost."

"But you still came to talk to us. You could have just stood there observing us without saying a word, but you took the initiative to give your name and followed us openly. It's a gesture of goodwill, I guess. Thank you for your concern."

"...Luo Zhen, you see it clearly."

Maruki Takuto narrowed his eyes slightly.

What he showed was not the panic of being exposed, but a certain joy.

He did talk to Luo Zhen on purpose, it wasn't accidental.

But he did not rush to explain, instead he talked about irrelevant topics:

"With other students, I always chat with them about daily life and about that criminal Mr. Kamoshida. But Luo Zhen, you are a little different."

"I'd like you to be a listener and hear my story. Is that okay?"

"As long as this counts as time, I'm fine with it."

Luo Zhen looked at the clock and saw that he had eight minutes left to talk.

Maruki nodded happily and began to explain:

"My major in college was psychology and psychiatry. But it wasn't traditional psychology, it was a brand-new discipline called 'cognitive psychology'. ——Note that it's 'psychology' and not 'science'; this is very important."

Uh... Luo Zhen blinked silently.

He didn't complain, just let Maruki continue.

"The theory of cognitive psychology is that the human mind isn't completely invisible and intangible, but rather exists in a tangible and observable spiritual world. If we can find a way to interfere with that world, we can precisely influence the human mind."

"I was attracted by this theory and felt it could save many psychological patients trapped in negative emotions, so I studied hard. During that time, I also made a girlfriend, her name was Liumei... Then one day, her house was robbed."

......Um?

Luo Zhen couldn't understand this sudden turn of events for a while.

This is a tragedy and it makes people feel very sympathetic.

But Luo Zhen didn't understand what this had to do with the cognitive science he was studying.

Maruki Takuto knew Luo Zhen would be confused, so he continued:

"He's a repeat offender who has caused several deaths and injuries. After being caught in a home invasion, he would ruthlessly kill his victims. He's a vicious sociopath."

"Unfortunately, his parents, who were studying in the United States, happened to discover his crime. He pulled out a knife and attacked them... but fortunately, they only suffered minor injuries."

Maruki Takuto narrowed his eyes in satisfaction:

"Just as he was about to attack the two, he suddenly froze in place and burst into tears of remorse. He begged Liu Mei and her parents to call the police and have him arrested, and then he confessed all his crimes."

"This narrow escape was truly legendary. If the criminal hadn't suddenly repented, her parents, who were still in the US, and she herself would have been in grave danger. I almost lost my love, and that scares me deeply."

"That's when I started noticing these sudden repentance incidents. Many criminals suddenly turned themselves in, claiming they couldn't bear the guilt and confessed all their crimes. ...Just like that Kamoshida-sensei."

......Luo Zhen pondered for a moment and showed no response.

Of course he knew that this was what he had done.

That violent home invader was one of the first few people he changed his mind for as a Phantom Thief.

It was precisely because of seeing such violent antisocial elements that Luo Zhen was determined to embark on this path.

He nodded calmly:

"This is a good thing. Teacher, your girlfriend's family is very lucky to have encountered this rare event."

"Yeah! Because of this incident, my parents who were studying in the United States almost converted to religion. Luckily, we stopped them."

Maruki Takuto smiled foolishly, looking even more like a loser.

He touched the wedding ring on his left ring finger, and his expression softened.

"Ryumei and I got married right after that incident. We both realized how many unexpected things there are in life, and we didn't want to waste any more time. We wanted to cherish every moment of happiness and not let ourselves regret it."

"At the same time, I also want to find our benefactor. There are more and more cases of repentance in society. Even though the media deliberately erases the connection between them, many people still realize that there is a common reason behind all these surrenders. There is a person who calls himself the Heart Thief who is making criminals confess and saving many potential victims."

But I never called myself a heart-stealing thief, Luo Zhen complained in his heart.

The name "Heart-stealing Phantom Thief" spread naturally after the rise of the Phantom Thief Commission Channel. It's all the fault of the builder of that website.

Unfortunately, Luo Zhen still doesn’t know who created that website.

So anyway.

After talking about so many personal topics, Maruki Takuto didn't get to the point.

Or rather, that was his entire point.

He had a lazy, ramen-like hairstyle and a silly smile:

"If I could meet that Phantom Thief in person, I would like to thank him for the miracle he brought me. I would tell him that even if many people in society sneer at him, I will support him and believe that what he is doing is right."

"At the same time, if I have the chance, I would also like to help his career. I study cognitive psychology to help victims of psychological trauma. And the Phantom Thief goes a step further than me, and can make those who have caused harm to others repent. I want to do my part for him and repay his kindness to me."

Luo Zhen: "That's a great concept. Although I don't know if this thief exists, I think it's great that you, Mr. Maruki, are willing to use your abilities to help others."

Luo Zhen and Maruki smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

-------------------------------------

After a short ten minutes, Luo Zhen and Maruki finished their conversation.

Thanks to Maruki's earnest recommendation, Luo Zhen's pockets were stuffed with a lot of candies and he also took back several boxes of juice.

It would definitely be conspicuous if he returned to the classroom like this, but Luo Zhen had no choice but to accept it as he couldn't refuse.

As he walked out of the infirmary, he bumped into the next first-year girl who came to chat.

She was a petite, lively and smart girl.

She has long orange hair and big round glasses, which are very impressive and make her face look even smaller.

She put two fingers to her temple and saluted Luo Zhen:

"Hey~! Hello there, scumbag-senpai, are you going to try to get a girl pregnant today too~?"

Luo Zhen: "I haven't done anything like that. ...At least not yet."

Luo Zhen answered this familiar-looking schoolmate very seriously and said goodbye to her with a smirk.

Oh, by the way, she is the daughter of Boss Lu Brown... Luo Zhen suddenly remembered.

After Luo Zhen left, the girl hummed a little tune and sang a song as she walked into the infirmary.

As soon as she saw Maruki, she couldn't wait to ask:

"Big Brother, Big Brother!... What do you think? That scumbag senior is the Phantom Thief Honto, right?"

Maruki Takuto: "Yeah. I think I'm 99% sure. He didn't actually try to hide it."

Maruki Takuto drank apple juice and recalled his conversation with Luo Zhen.

As a psychiatrist, he was confident that Luo Zhen was special and knew that he was the real deal.

In fact, the reason why he came to Xiu Jin to be a psychological counselor was that he took the initiative to use his connections to get the position, just to talk to Luo Zhen.

Seeing that he had confirmed it, the orange-haired girl's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement:

"Ohhhhh...! This is perfect! I'll notify Mom right away and prepare to kidnap Mr. Kaito and bring him back to our house (?＞?＜)☆"

"Ah wait, Futaba, calm down."

Maruki quickly stopped this talented junior sister:

"It's fine if you want to inform the teacher, but don't make any surprise attacks on Luo Zhenjun. It's true that he doesn't want to hide his identity, but that's also because he has absolute confidence in his abilities and isn't afraid of being exposed."

"Because of this, we have to slowly gain his trust. Through conversation, we can convince him of our sincerity. But don't really put him in a sack, okay? You don't want the benefactor you finally found, the Phantom Thief, to suddenly disappear, do you?"

"Tsk~ (○｀ 3′○)"

Futaba really wanted to kidnap the thief back to her home, but after hearing what her mother's eldest disciple said, she had no choice but to give up.

Without Luo Zhen's knowledge, the people who had benefited from his change of heart had spontaneously formed many fan groups to support the Phantom Thief.

This can be considered an inevitable result, and it is all a good thing.

130. The Phantom Thief Who Spreads Love (5k5)

After returning to the classroom from the infirmary, it was almost time for lunch.

As soon as the bell rang, classmate Xing in the front seat immediately winked at Luo Zhen.

She tossed her golden twin ponytails and walked out of the classroom with her long legs.

By the way, why does Xing like wearing red tights so much... Luo Zhen looked at her slim back and pondered for a while.

Although it's hard to see Xing as a love interest.

But Luo Zhen had to admit that, judging only by appearance, she was really sexy.

After resting for a while, Luo Zhen took out his lunch box and followed him out to the school courtyard.

As expected, Xing has already taken up her old spot.

As soon as Luo Zhen sat down, she couldn't wait to come close to him:

"How was it? Did the psychiatrist ask you any strange questions?"

Luo Zhen: "It's not strange, he just tells me stories... By the way, aren't you going to ask Shiho to come have dinner with you today?"

Lately, An always drags Shiho along to lunch.

Luo Zhen and Zhifan both knew that this silly girl was just trying to bring them together.

Considering Xing's good intentions, Luo Zhen and Shifan kept pretending to be stupid.

But today, Xing just shook her head while swaying her twintails:

"I told Shiho that we had something important to discuss today, so I asked her and her classmates to eat first. After all, we had to talk about the Phantom Thieves."

Well... I can understand this reason.

But the fact that she could say this so directly to her friend showed that her relationship with Shiho was truly very good.

Luo Zhen was somewhat envious of their relationship, which was more trusting than that of sisters, and said calmly:

"I think I've been exposed. That psychiatrist can probably guess that I'm a Phantom Thief, or at least someone related to one."

"Really? Then there's nothing I can do... What did you say?! (?°?°?)???"

As expected, Xing was a little slow to react.