Tokyo Psychic

"Your live-in partner might have something to say."

"Then the day after tomorrow."

"Aren't we having class?"

"Hmph," An and Subaru reluctantly rolled over and straddled his lap, "Then now."

As soon as she said that, a strong soreness in her lower back and abdomen made her frown, but this time it was not pain, but exhaustion.

Having tasted the sweetness of the suggestion, the girl had no choice but to abandon her previous suggestions, saying sullenly, "Let's try again next week."

"It doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Um......"

"how do you feel?"

“It’s strange, but I’ll really like it,” she hesitated for a moment, then answered somewhat awkwardly.

Then Anwa Subaru thought of the advice that Akira Kurusu and Shoko Toyokawa had given him about "fitness" not long ago in the Palace of the Mind, and said as if inspired, "Can this be considered 'fitness'?"

Akira was so stunned by her that she couldn't speak.

Knock, knock, knock! There was a sudden knock on the bedroom door.

When Ebizuka Satoshi returned from lunch, he said irritably outside, "Are you two done yet?! The band has rehearsal this afternoon! ...Get my drummer back right now!"

......

About half an hour later.

Ebizuka Tomo sat on the sofa, staring intently at Kurusu Akira across from him with a suspicious look.

"You? Joining the band?"

She retorted defiantly, "We're an all-female band!"

Rupa calmly added, "We never said it was an all-female band; it's clearly a professional band. The notices you posted at the beginning also stated that you needed talented members, regardless of gender."

Ebizuka Satoshi's expression froze for a moment, then he angrily poked her side with his elbow. "Rupa!"

An and Subaru stood in front of their boyfriends and said, "Hasn't our band always lacked suitable original songs? And we don't have a clear center position either."

While Goto Doku and Kita Ikuyo were having lunch at their respective homes, she began to list the various shortcomings the band was currently facing: "There are no outstanding original works to speak of, the lead guitar has obvious performance difficulties, the lead singer relies purely on talent, and the performance level fluctuates wildly... And Tomoko, you yourself occasionally make mistakes in your performance because of your emotions, right?"

Ebizuka Tomo immediately fell silent, not even daring to look An and Subaru in the eye.

An and Subaru approached her aggressively, "Satoshi, you're the one who brought everyone together and said your dream is to build a Budokan—but the truth is, almost all the new bands that formed around the same time as us have already debuted and their official accounts have four-figure followings, while we still can't even produce a complete song, and we haven't even decided on a band name yet."

Ebizuka Tomo hesitated several times before speaking.

She wanted to say that she was pursuing better works, to explain that she was doing it so that the band could have the highest possible starting point, and to reassure herself that she would be able to produce a song soon...

But a thousand words stuck in his throat, turning into a sobbing, frustrated sound.

To onlookers, it looked like Ebizuka Tomo suddenly stood up, bit his lip, and bowed deeply to Anwa Subaru, saying, "...I'm sorry! I've held you back!"

Her eyes quickly welled up with tears. "If you're going to leave the band, then do it now..."

“I never said I was leaving the band,” An and Subaru gestured to Akira Kurusu behind them. “I was just saying… our band desperately needs outside help right now.”

The 16-year-old Ebizuka Tomo was struck by her series of attacks and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented, experiencing an unprecedented sense of unease.

She lowered her guard and worries about Akira Kurusu slightly, but still looked at An and Subaru with some resentment, "How can you be so sure that with his addition, the band will get on the right track?"

An and Subaru also looked at Akira Kurusu with a questioning gaze.

"First, let me introduce myself: Ren Amamiya, a signed artist under ATLUS agency, currently working closely with the record company Vanillaware, and also the rhythm guitarist in the newly debuted band 'End'."

As she said this, Akira took out her phone, opened the notes app, and showed her a song from her past life that she had recalled through her Persona:

"Blue, Dark and Orange Day"

A rock song that was once all the rage online.

When she glanced at the sheet music, as a keyboardist who was proud of her music theory and also the composer in the band, a melody immediately flowed into her mind.

Ebizuka Tomo, who had been full of resentment, immediately sat back down on the sofa with his head down.

Rupa, who was standing nearby, got up curiously to look, then looked at Akira Kurusu in shock, "What's this...?"

"An occasional flash of inspiration."

"No, no, no, what I mean is, for this song you're going to..."

"Yes, I'm going to name it after this band."

Akira Kurusu said, "However, as payment, I need you to help me record this song in your spare time."

Rupa immediately shook his head. "It sounds like we're the ones taking advantage!"

Ebizuka Tomo's expression also became alert again. Help that didn't require payment... she knew very well the principle that "free is the most expensive price to pay".

An and Subaru coughed lightly twice. "Actually, it's not that we're taking advantage of them."

She then appropriately stated her need, "My boyfriend is having trouble finding a suitable place to stay lately..."

"No way!" Ebizuka Satoshi refused urgently. "You can't let a boy share an apartment here! It's already too much to let him stay overnight in your room occasionally!"

Rupa also looked troubled. Last night's unintentional encounter made her somewhat worried that the addition of Lai Xixiao would bring unpredictable changes to their current shared living situation, or even the entire band.

An and Subaru said, "Is it really that hard to accept to take in a musical talent? We only need to pay his rent... First of all, he is a regular artist signed with an agency and record company, and he is my boyfriend. I will take responsibility for all his actions."

Hearing this, Rupa hesitated again.

Ebizuka Tomo gritted his teeth, staring nervously at Kurusu Akira across from him, "I still can't accept it..."

"Are you going to pay the fee to hire a professional artist?" Anhe Subaru asked from the side. "He is ATLUS's hottest signed artist this year, and he even signed the same 'free career development contract' as Haruhi Suzumiya."

Ebizuka Satoshi immediately recalled his past family experiences, then shook his head as if giving up on himself, but his tone gradually softened, "At least for now... I can't accept sharing an apartment with a guy."

An and Subaru knew they couldn't keep pushing him, so they just tugged at Akira Kurusu's sleeve and prepared to leave. "Let's think about it some more, Chi... Let's go have lunch first, and then we'll start rehearsing right away when we get back."

The sound of a door closing came from the entryway.

Ebizuka Tomo seemed to have all his strength drained away, sitting blankly on the sofa, "How come Subaru suddenly seems like a different person?"

Rupa patted her head. "Maybe it's just that we've reached our limit... It would be fine if it were just the two of us, but the band is already formed, everyone is in place, but we still haven't decided on the songs or the name. It's really wearing down our patience and emotions."

"The addition of professional artists..." Ebizuka Tomo muttered, "Will it really make the band better?"

"Based on the pieces he just showed, Zhi, who has been playing the piano since elementary school, should already know how amazing he is, right?" Rupa said. "I saw that there are still several songs in that memo that haven't been shown yet."

Ebizuka Satoshi clenched his fists. "I...I agree to him joining the band, but about the roommate arrangement..."

Rupa pressed his hand firmly on her head. "It's okay. Since we can't make a decision right away, let's observe for a while longer. If we really can't accept sharing an apartment with a guy, we can always work harder to pay his wages."

Ebizuka Tomo gradually relaxed, "I hope it's not too expensive."

Her eyes darkened. "As expected... I'm still not good enough."

"Zhi is already very talented..."

Hearing Rupa's words of comfort, Ebizuka Tomo grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

"Ok?"

“Follow them,” Ebizuka said nervously. “I suspect they have ulterior motives!”

Rupa was amused by her anxious look. "What else could he be after?... Is it money? Or sex? If it's money, we're not as rich as Subaru. If it's sex, he already has a girlfriend as beautiful as Subaru."

Ebizuka Tomo was speechless for a moment, and could only ask her dejectedly, "Is there any other way?"

Rupa simply shrugged. "At least for us, he's not a complete stranger."

"Well... I'll think about it some more."

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(I wrote 12 chapters in 24 hours. Considering that I was updating normally or even releasing a lot of chapters during the Chinese New Year holiday, I guess I can barely count it as 12 chapters.)

(Anyway, please vote with monthly tickets!! There's an event going on now.)

125. "To take advantage of a weakness" is derived from "One should not take advantage of a weakness" (two phrases combined).

"Subaru, aren't we pushing her a bit too hard?"

After leaving "Fujiki-ju," Akira Kurusu walked down the stairs, asking An and Subaru questions. He was somewhat worried that An and Subaru's words might have backfired.

An and Subaru stood by the railing, looking at the scenery outside.

It was midday in early summer, and the streets shimmered with a thick, beeswax-like glow in the sunlight. The asphalt pavement cast shimmering shadows, like a bronze mirror licked by flames, reflecting the faded banners of the shops as ripples.

She put her hands behind her back and turned around with some difficulty. Her long, thin hair brushed against Qi Xiao's nose when they were shoulder to shoulder. Her pretty cheeks still had the lingering blush of the whole night, and her pair of dark purple eyes reflected Qi Xiao's face.

"Force her? No way. She had already anticipated that I, or Pochi, or Kita would lose my temper with her at some point, and she was mentally prepared for it. But even with such thorough preparation, when faced with the crisis of the band's impending disbandment, Tomo would still feel at a loss. After all, the band, the music... these are the few things she can use to 'protect' herself."

An and Subaru's eyes gleamed with pity and sympathy as they sighed as if they had a lot to say. Then, they suddenly straightened their expressions and very seriously extended their index fingers to trace the corner of Akira Kurusu's mouth. "Even though Tomo is younger and ran away from home to live in Tokyo alone, please don't really treat her like a little girl who doesn't know anything... even though she only turned 16 last month."

"She sounds like the type who matures very early."

“Yes… she does understand the weight of life better than most of her peers,” Anhe Mao said. “The band is the only place where Zhi can pursue her own wishes and dreams, but she hasn’t grown to the point where she can make very decisive choices yet.”

Despite being only one year older than Ebizuka Tomo, An and Subaru now felt entitled to examine the girl's words and actions from the perspective of a mentor.

In the month or so since she met Akira Kurusu, she has grown into a qualified Persona user at an incredibly fast pace.

As he spoke, An and Subaru's expressions gradually turned somewhat ashamed. "How should I describe it to you..."

She took Akira Kurusu's hand. "Tomo looks like a very cold and mean girl, but the truth is quite the opposite. She just lacks a lot of security. For a long time, she completely depended on Ms. Rupa for her life, and it was under Ms. Rupa's guidance that she gradually began to adapt to life in Tokyo."

"Explain in more detail."

“Hmm… lacking parental attention and witnessing the discord between her parents?” An and Subaru continued, “In short, music is her only way to rebel against the status quo. The disbandment of the band and the separation from her friends are things she absolutely cannot accept. So after today’s rehearsal, she should start to seriously consider the ‘cohabitation agreement’ I proposed.”

Then An and Subaru instructed Lai Qixiao, "You must use your best skills to 'capture' her in one fell swoop. After all, she is really lacking a 'professional' to strengthen her position."

"Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of this and replace Miss Rupa as the person she depends on?" Akira Kurusu retorted. "When we're all living under the same roof, can you tolerate another girl being so close to me?"

An and Subaru seemed startled. "Then you absolutely cannot take advantage of this!"

"Tell me the truth." Lai Xixiao grasped An He Mao's hand and led her downstairs.

An and Subaru suddenly fell silent.

She kept her eyes down until she was almost leaving "Fujiki Residence" before saying sullenly, "I can bear it... after all, it's part of the plan."

"plan?"

"I can't tell you my plan." Anhe Subaru quickened his pace, hugged Kurusu Akira's shoulders, and kissed the corner of his mouth on tiptoe. "Although you probably already know the answer, please pretend you don't know anything... okay? A girl's sense of shame has its limits. If you cross that line, it will leave a very painful wound."

"I told you before, didn't I? The 'future' is not something that humans can plan."

"Of course I have kept those words in mind, and I have no intention of planning for a particularly long-term future or any grand goals."

"Hmm?" Akira Kurusu looked at An and Subaru with some surprise.

The girl simply gave a sly and smug smile. "Well... I just didn't want to lose too badly after Xiao Xiang got completely serious, that's all."

That day at the upscale restaurant, the words spoken by the elder of the Toyokawa family, which carried a sharp undertone, were like the tip of a knife constantly approaching An and Subaru.

How do you assume you're bound to lose?

“It would be too arrogant to assume you’re guaranteed to win.” An and Subaru affectionately took his arm. “But don’t worry, whether we win or lose, we’re just trying to gain control of the ‘schedule.’ Whoever stands by your side then, you have to treat her with the same sincerity you have today.”

The open door let the sunlight fall on her face, revealing a purity and tolerance that was almost too much to bear looking at.

Even Akira Kurusu felt that her smile was too dazzling at that moment.

"When exactly did you develop these unorthodox ideas?" Akira Kurusu finally couldn't help but ask.

"What, you don't like it?"

"I just suddenly feel that... Subaru is so great that she's not like a normal girl."

“I’m no longer a normal girl,” An and Subaru said, somewhat unconvinced by the “great” label, and just smiled forlornly. “Happiness is something that is given to each other. If because of me, ‘love’ becomes a shackle that binds the Phantom Thief of the Heart, then I will regret it to the point of being ashamed.”

Looking at the complex expression on Akira Kurusu's face, she suddenly laughed again, a happy laugh, as alluring and cunning as a fox spirit who had succeeded in her scheme. "Can you feel it? This guilt and remorse... This is the beginning of my despicable plan."