Tokyo Psychic

But Lena is human after all, so she not only has a constitution that makes it very difficult for her to sweat, but she also never sweats so much that her gloves or socks get wet. She is just very afraid of the heat, to the point that she exaggerates and feels like she is "drenched in sweat" as soon as she sweats even a little bit.

A pink-haired girl walked in carrying a guitar.

She didn't hunch her shoulders or stoop her back to hide her facial expressions in the shadows, nor did she wear unfashionable sportswear. On the contrary, she wore a fashionable dress that perfectly showcased the youthful beauty and vivacity of a young girl.

Beside her, the girls of "MYGO" had already gathered.

"We're performing at STARRY again today..." Chihaya Aine said to her friends, "The manager really gave us a lot of money last time!"

"Ms. Ijichi is indeed very generous." Even Shiina Riki felt ashamed.

She felt that she hadn't brought any particularly impressive customer traffic to the store, but the store manager generously offered a profit-sharing ratio that even the now-defunct legendary "SPACE" had never set, which was practically equivalent to the entire livehouse losing money.

However, besides wanting Lena, the girls in "MYGO" all need to do some part-time jobs after school or during holidays. They haven't yet reached the point where they have enough pocket money to buy a hundred deluxe matcha parfaits without batting an eye.

"Stray cat, it's time to get up. We have a live show tonight." Shiina Ritsuki saw Kaname Rakuna squatting next to the fire hydrant and reached out to pull her up.

Even when she heard the live music, Kaname still looked listless until Shiina Riki coaxed her by saying that she could turn on the air conditioning soon and even treated her to a matcha parfait, which made her cheer up a little.

As we descended the dimly lit stairwell, we finally arrived at the livehouse named after the stars.

......

The moment the door was pushed open.

The bubbling sound of carbonated drinks exploding, the girls' screams, and the piercing roar of Morgana all rushed out of the door.

You can see that "Yamada Ryo," who left a deep impression on Kaname, is chasing after the girls from the End Band who are running around, holding two bottles of cola that are frantically spewing bubbles from the gaps in the caps.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of matcha, followed by a faint bitterness, then the sweetness of cola and the lingering smell of air freshener.

A boy wearing glasses leaned against the wall, tuning his guitar. The sound of the strings mixed with the cold air from the air conditioner hit Yao Lenai's eardrums.

Kaoruna, who had been drowsy and sleepy, immediately opened her eyes wide...

Shiina Riki couldn't even feel when Kaoru had let go of his hand. Despite carrying such a heavy guitar, she seemed to have appeared in front of Kurusu Akira in an instant.

She really did circle around Akira Kurusu like a cat; if she had a tail, it would probably be standing tall.

"I'm sorry! This child has caused you trouble!" Shiina Ritsuki quickly caught up with Kaname Rakuna, held down the girl who was full of curiosity, and then sincerely apologized to Kurusu Akira.

Kaoru tugged at Shiina Tatsuki's arm, trying to get closer to Kurusu Akira again.

Seeing that Kaname was so persistent, Shiina Ritsuki had no choice but to let go of Kaname and then hurriedly explained to Kurusu Akira.

“The smell is different.” Kaoru squatted down and stared intently at the guitar in Akira Kurusu’s hand.

Akira Kurusu gripped the plectrum and plucked several notes in quick succession. "And now?"

"It's different again."

Kaoru seemed stunned, staring blankly at the phantom thief in front of her with her heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one yellow.

Akira Kurusu reached out and touched Kaname's head. The girl let his hand rub against her head a couple of times without any suspicion.

Shiina Tatsuki, who was standing to the side, did not make any comment... Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that cats are very sensitive to danger and malice.

If Rakuna felt that Akira Kurusu's actions were inappropriate, she would immediately move away.

But since Rakuna didn't do that, it means that Akira Kurusu isn't the kind of person who caused messy relationships in the band, as the rumors on the internet suggest.

Shiina Riki looked at the noisy girls around her again and thought more than once how despicable those guys on the internet who just sit there with their keyboards and spout nonsense.

One of the reasons CRYCHIC disbanded was this.

"It must have been very tiring, right?" she suddenly asked Lai Xixiao.

"What do you mean?" Akira Kurusu followed Tatsuki Shiina's gaze to the suddenly opened door to the storage room.

Ijichi Hoshika stood at the door with a dark expression, holding a broom, looking at the mess around her, as if she was radiating murderous intent.

Facing the hall that had suddenly fallen silent, Akira Kurusu nodded thoughtfully, "It really is quite tiring."

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(Actually, I wrote eight chapters today. But I'm going to watch episode 11 of Mother Hen Card tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write anything after being subjected to mental pollution. So I'll save this "three-in-one" as a personal post for Yoro Nai and post it tomorrow night.)

After episode 11 of "Mother Hen Card," the settings regarding Toyokawa Noboru and Nakanono...

I've finished reading it. It's alright, as expected, and not exactly a betrayal.

All the settings in the book so far are logically consistent.

Here, we reiterate the book's established facts: Because of Shido Masayoshi, the Toyokawa family had already suffered a devastating blow. Toyokawa Shoko's biological mother was targeted by Shido Masayoshi in a political struggle, ultimately being crippled and killed by Akechi Goro.

Toyokawa Shoko's biological father was also forced to leave and become despondent due to the threats and attacks from Shido Seigi—the specific reasons are related to the main plot from the second volume onwards, which I will not spoil here.

Regardless of what kind of person Toyokawa Shoko's grandfather was, after two years of relentless attacks from Shido Masayoshi, he completely reformed and decided to become the patriarch who could illuminate the entire Toyokawa family. With the help of the Phantom Thief, he successfully passed on the Toyokawa name to the next generation.

Damn, Shido Masayoshi and Akechi Goro are absolutely wicked.

161. The Story of the Toyokawa Family (Part 2)

(A free bonus chapter.)

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Silver-gray light splashed onto the ink-like background.

The girls who had finished their band work were quietly tidying up the STARRY lobby amidst the chilling silence of Ijiji Star Song.

Shiina Ritsuki watched as Kaname Rakuna quietly moved closer to Akira, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not say anything to stop her.

Although I don't think Akira Kurusu is the kind of person who takes advantage of the band atmosphere to have casual relationships with men and women, it still feels a little inappropriate to let a fourteen-year-old junior high school girl with zero experience in relationships with the opposite sex get too close to a boy who is three years older than her.

Toyokawa Shoko was skillfully wiping the counter with a rag. This was the first time Nagasaki Motoyo had seen this truly sheltered young lady show such a capable side, and her feelings were indescribably complicated.

She inexplicably wanted to stop Toyokawa Shoko, but she had no reason to do so; doing so would only make her seem like a weirdo.

Nagasaki Motoyo and Toyokawa Shoko, who were standing just a few meters apart in the stairwell and next to the counter, had shadows that could almost overlap under the light—yet they seemed very far apart. The silvery-gray light was like an invisible barrier, separating the "Toyokawa Shoko" that Nagasaki Motoyo once knew from another world.

So she forced herself to look away as if trying to escape, and then she saw Akira Kurusu playing with a cat next to the recording studio, holding a matcha-flavored candy.

This guy, without anyone noticing, changed Xiangzi...

Nagasaki Motoyo then saw Wakaba Mutsu, who was next to Kurusu Akira, and Kaname Rakuna.

The “CRYCHIC” she once cherished and considered an irreplaceable treasure and home is gone forever.

So next... will "MYGO" change because of that guy named "Ren Amamiya"?

Nagasaki Motoyo saw Kurusu Akira being pestered by Kaname to start playing the guitar, and heard Kaname say, "I want to hear 'Spring Shadow'."

It was a crisp, clear strumming sound that resonated in my mind, instantly reorganizing my chaotic thoughts.

In the instant those chaotic thoughts evaporated, only the clean sound of the guitar remained in my mind.

Kasuga Shadow......

In the lobby of STARRY, the girls who were busy or preparing to sign contracts with Ijichi Hoshika all stopped what they were doing.

Chihaya Aine looked back at Nagasaki Motoyo several times in a row, probably because she had triggered some kind of PTSD.

Takamatsu Akari also felt a tightness in her chest, so she looked at Nagasaki Motoyo with concern... Then Shiina Tatsuki also looked up at the band bassist who was in the same school and class as Wakaba Mutsumi and expressed her concern.

Despite the unanimous gazes of the crowd, Nagasaki Motoyo remained completely silent.

He simply cast a strange, even bewildered gaze at the guitar in Akira Kurusu's hands.

Gradually, as the playing of "Kasuga Kage" continued, the girls who were once "CRYCHIC" had no time to care about Nagasaki Motoyo's emotions... Music can indeed express many things that transcend words and even actions.

Those memories that were almost sealed away in the past kept emerging with the melody of loneliness as dark as an abyss without light and hope as moonlight through a crack in the sea of ​​clouds.

Although it was just a guitar solo, the feeling of being misunderstood, the sincere longing and expectation flowed into the heart like a stream... All the Personas present saw that a Persona holding a guitar was floating next to Akira Kurusu.

The perfectly performed rendition of "Spring Shadows" quickly came to an end.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Nagasaki Motoyo, Takamatsu Akari, and even Shiina Tatsuki, who were standing there dumbfounded... Then she looked at Chihaya Aine, who was secretly wiping away tears, and Kaname Rakuna, who was pestering Kurusu Akira to sing another song. She wished she could immediately throw the rag in her hand at the face of that phantom thief.

It wasn't until Wakaba Mutsu started clapping expressionlessly, and the girls who were used to Kurusu Akira's phenomenal playing skills joined in, that the "MYGO" girls seemed to wake up from a dream and began to respond to Kurusu Akira's performance with enthusiastic applause.

To impress a musician, a live performance or an impromptu performance is far more effective than waiting around at the school gate or chasing them on campus for a marathon... unless the performance level is really too low, and they can't even do simple guitar playing and singing, or they simply can't find a partner willing to accompany them to a live performance.

Even Ichika Hoshika was stunned for a long time before recovering from the resonance at the soul level expressed through the persona, let alone these young girls who were already emotional and extremely sensitive to emotional issues due to family factors and life circumstances.

Shoko Toyokawa observed the reactions of the girls around her, and finally looked at Akira Kurusu, wishing she could strangle him on the spot.

However, noticing the seemingly telepathic gaze that Wakaba Mutsu was casting on her, the silent dissuasion made Toyokawa Shoko silently abandon her idea of ​​throwing a tantrum.

This afternoon, I went back to the Toyokawa family home and was exposed to all sorts of earth-shattering news. This made Toyokawa Shoko, who had originally fantasized about having a somewhat bumpy but pure and sincere love affair, quickly enter the mental state that she, as a zaibatsu heir, should have.

She could never forget the shock she felt when the old man, who seemed as steady as a mountain and could resolve any difficulty with a wave of his hand, sat behind his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose and showing a bitter expression.

That is the only remaining "darkness" in the Toyokawa family, and it is also the problem that Toyokawa Sadaharu is trying to eliminate.

It was from that moment that Toyokawa Shoko truly realized why her friends always used the term "zaibatsu" (conglomerate) to tease or criticize her.

If Toyokawa Shoko were still the sheltered young lady she once was, she would surely begin to hate her grandfather, the Toyokawa surname, and everything happening around her at this moment.

But now, as a Persona user who has personally confronted the true form of the evil god, and a mental thief with many experiences of making evil people repent, Toyokawa Shoko calmly accepted the filth that the word "zaibatsu" inevitably carries when she saw the regretful and unbearable expression on Toyokawa Sadaharu's face.

"Whether you believe it or not, I have to say... I'm trying." Toyokawa Sadaharu looked at the "Mental Strength Measuring Device" on the table, which was rapidly rising due to Toyokawa Shoko's approach, and gradually let go of the sternness and coldness of the head of the family.

He thought of "Ren Amamiya" who had almost blown up the measuring device, so he tried even harder to appear calm. "I've been planning to have Hatsune try to become your future support, since you two have always had a good relationship... However, she made a mistake today, which upset everyone. I've already made her clarify her mistake immediately, and I've also arranged for people to manage the online comments. Although some of our family's rivals are trying to take this opportunity to smear the Toyokawa Group, the situation remains under control."

Toyokawa Sadaharu's words left many things unsaid. For example, he didn't explain why he gave "Miss Miku" a chance to try, nor did he explain the punishment she would receive after making a mistake.

Toyokawa Shoko simply lowered her head and, after a long silence, looked at her maternal grandfather with some disappointment and even embarrassment.

"Actually... your original intention was probably to have Hatsune... um, and Hatsuka become 'helpers' for 'Ren Amamiya,' right?" She seemed to have a lot of difficulty when she said the name "Hatsuune," especially when she mentioned "helpers," she raised her voice even more.

After all, Toyokawa Shoko never imagined that her childhood friend, Misumi Hatsuka, would turn out to be an imposter after arriving in Tokyo, and that she would be her maternal grandfather's illegitimate daughter.

When Toyokawa Sadaharu saw the value on the "Mental Strength Measuring Device" suddenly jump a whole bar, he completely stopped regarding Toyokawa Shoko as the little girl who had to obey her family's arrangements.

After a brief deep breath, his expression turned helpless. "No wonder Amamiya said you've 'grown up.' Shoko, you understand this, yet you haven't run away in anger or sadness. That's enough to make me proud."

"You're still a long way from becoming a chaebol heir, aren't you?" Toyokawa Shoko's tone was filled with deep disappointment.

"Then let's shape the Toyokawa family into what you want it to be."

"...You shouldn't involve them in this. Lian isn't the kind of person who likes to keep girls like collectibles in some big house."

"It was Hatsune who suggested it... and those voices in the family who were originally highly opposed to her disappeared quickly after they learned of 'Ren Amamiya's' existence... My control over the Toyokawa family is not as absolute as you think." In fact, Toyokawa Sadaharu himself also had the intention to fuel the flames, but he did not say this explicitly. Even if Toyokawa Shoko could guess it, saying it directly would probably cause his relationship with the next generation of the family heir to completely break down.

Toyokawa Shoko's expression changed several times. "So, when Hatsune... no, when Miss Miku said she wanted to 'become Ren's ally,' she meant using the Toyokawa family's influence online to smear him?"

“You should talk to her about these things in person,” Toyokawa Sadaharu explained after some thought. In his memory, Toyokawa Shoko and Misumi Hatsune had a good relationship, and if he, as an elder, were to interfere, it would probably make Toyokawa Shoko quite unhappy.

Toyokawa Shoko paused for a moment, still unsure how to properly "deal with" the friend who was the same age as her and had suddenly gone from being a close friend to an aunt.

He simply left behind the words, "Please don't let Miss Triangle get involved in those meaningless things anymore; she is, after all, your daughter."

It was only when the maids closed the door that Toyokawa Sadaharu truly realized that Toyokawa Shoko had already shown some of the responsibility and decisiveness that a zaibatsu heir should have.

She had never dared to talk to herself like this before...

As Toyokawa Sadaharu watched the numbers on the "Mental Strength Measuring Device" gradually decrease, the slight annoyance he felt from being lectured by a junior dissipated.

It's time to hand over the "Cognitive Science" research department directly to Xiangzi.

Only by truly mastering that department can one gain a firm foothold in the Toyokawa family.

Toyokawa Sadaharu opened the drawer, looked at "Amamiya Ren's" personal file, and then put the drawer back.

“Although it seems like we’ve made a mess of things, if Hatsune really makes real progress with him…” Toyokawa Sadaharu quickly put aside his own selfish thoughts, “Forget it, let’s leave the young people’s affairs to the young people.”

......

As Toyokawa Shoko watched Kurusu Akira being admired and stared at by a group of girls, she realized that her tolerance for this guy was getting higher and higher.

Anyway, it's more pleasing to the eye to have an ambiguous relationship with his bandmates than for him to be dating his aunt.

However, Toyokawa Shoko still doesn't understand why "Misaka Miku," knowing that she possessed a certain amount of power within the Toyokawa family because someone wanted her to befriend "Amamiya Ren," insisted on doing such a terrible thing.

Is it because they are taking revenge on the Toyokawa family?

...I really should find some time to see her.

While Toyokawa Shoko was pondering, Kawahara Momoka had already walked into STARRY with her guitar case on her back.

Ichi Hoshika clapped her hands and began to shoo away the girls blocking the entrance to the hall, saying, "We're about to open for business. You should practice instead of disturbing the customers."