Tokyo Psychic

(The side story hasn't been revised yet because it involves the main plot of Volume 2. I'll post a "two-in-one" version for now... This side story is the proper kind, the kind that's posted in the "prequel".)

(Anyway, there will be another update in four hours, please vote with monthly tickets!)

169. That's a pit of fire, sister!

I hate cognitive science.

That's not quite accurate... Strictly speaking, I dislike chaebols who study a range of supernatural forces, including cognitive psychic science.

Akira Kurusu looked at Kokoro Tsurumaki, who was so close to her. This girl, who exuded elegance and nobility in every move, and even in every look and expression, was far more fitting for the identity of "heir to a conglomerate" than Shoko Toyokawa.

It's as if she's never experienced any hardship or setbacks since birth. When she encounters troubles, the whole world seems to tremble; when she hesitates on her path of growth, even a sea of ​​people will make way for her...

Although this description might seem a bit exaggerated, and could be considered a product of artistic embellishment, Akira Kurusu genuinely felt that Kokoro Tsurumaki was a "young lady" who perfectly fit his stereotypes.

String Heart possesses a kind of unbridled pride that seeps into his very bones, which could even be described as arrogance.

At such close range, one could clearly see the girl's exquisite face, as well as her long, straight, golden hair and pupils that shimmered in the sunlight. She noticed the sudden change in Akira Kurusu's expression, and her smile became even brighter.

"You're a really interesting guy... it's just that you're missing that smile."

Akira Lai suddenly took a step back. "I have other things to do, so I won't disturb the chairman's work."

"Phantom Thief Radar" twitched without warning, just like "Peter Pan" in the movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming," indicating that it sensed danger approaching.

Lai Qixiao's eyes looked past Genmaki Kokoro and down behind her. In the shadows of the familiar buildings on campus—corridors, flower beds, fire doors, skywalks—there were figures dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses standing straight.

Noticing their attention drawn to him because of his proximity to Kokoro, the phantom thief hurriedly bid farewell to Kokoro and turned to leave.

He wasn't about to put on a show of "high school students versus a mysterious team of bodyguards" in front of a large crowd.

Genmaki Kokoro watched Akira Kurusu's departing figure thoughtfully until an instructor approached her anxiously to inquire about the situation. Feeling utterly bored, she waved her hand and said, "Adults are so boring after all... I'm going back to school now. You can do whatever you want here."

She had just bought the school, yet left without a care in the world—it is this extremely willful girl who is undoubtedly a "chaebol".

"Chairman! Regarding the revisions to the school regulations you mentioned not long ago..."

"Oh, the latest school rule... From now on, everyone has to smile when they see me," said Kokoro Tsurumaki in an almost joking manner.

"Just this one...?"

"Yeah, yeah, stop bothering me." Genjuro Shin quickly followed Kurusu Akira towards the school gate, leaving a group of administrators standing there looking at each other in bewilderment.

However, in that brief moment of entanglement, the phantom thief had vanished without a trace.

Tsurumaki Kokoro rubbed her temples in frustration. "I should have stopped him... I didn't even get to see his smile. What a failure!"

At that moment, a man in black carrying documents quietly approached. "Young Miss, have you forgotten what the Master specifically instructed you to do..."

"Oh right!" Tsurumaki Kokoro belatedly realized, "Remember to invite him to the lab."

Then she said quite casually, "But they've already gone so far, it wouldn't be right to bother them. Let's talk about it another time!"

Lady Tsurumaki always shows exceptional patience and tolerance towards those she is interested in, even if this special treatment sometimes causes considerable distress to others.

......

[AM. 10:12]

Next to the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station, two girls with identical appearances, wearing bright red school uniforms and with their long hair tied in a single ponytail, stand side by side. From a distance, they look like a cluster of delicate, twin roses.

This is a color that symbolizes passion.

Once Akira Kurusu got closer, she easily distinguished the differences between the twin sisters.

“It’s been a long time, Kasumi and Sumire,” Akira Kurusu waved to the two girls and called out their names in turn.

Yoshizawa Kasumi bowed very earnestly to Kurusu Akira, "Thank you so much for coming to welcome us, senior!"

"Didn't we say we'd meet at Cangshan Station? Isn't this a bit too early?" Fangze Jin complained, but her eyes couldn't help but steal glances at her sister's expression.

She was so domineering on stage not long ago, but now she's back to being a well-behaved and earnest ordinary girl... It's as if the spotlight has faded away in an instant.

Yoshizawa Sumire couldn't help but sigh in her heart, "Sister, the boy you like already has a girlfriend. Is it really appropriate for you to be so close to him?"

But there was no way to answer her questions.

Yoshizawa Kasumi, carrying a souvenir she had bought at the airport, quickly approached the boy in front of her.

In order not to fall too far behind Akira Kurusu and Kasumi Yoshizawa, Sumire Yoshizawa reluctantly followed them back into the tram station.

Compared to the morning rush hour crowds, the carriages are now quite quiet.

"Sumire, where's the souvenir you picked out for Amamiya-senpai?" Yoshizawa Kasumi sat next to Kurusu Akira, urging her younger sister without any politeness.

Reluctantly, Yoshizawa Sumire reached over Yoshizawa Kasumi's thigh and handed the paper bag to Kurusu Akira. "These are effects pedals that my teammates helped me pick out. I don't know much about guitars... Of course, don't take it too seriously. I only bought them for you because my sister asked me to."

"Shin!" Yoshizawa Kasumi's tone suddenly turned stern.

Yoshizawa Sumire looked at her with a hint of grievance, "Why do you always put on airs like an older sister at times like this?"

Even though Yoshizawa Kasumi is usually very gentle with her, always coaxing and spoiling her no matter what, ever since she met this guy named "Amamiya Ren," she often acts like a completely different person in front of him.

Yoshizawa Sumire then realized that her favorite and closest older sister was being taken away from her little by little.

Fortunately, he already has a girlfriend, so his sister should give up soon, right? ...Maybe.

Yoshizawa Sumire knew very well that Yoshizawa Kasumi was the kind of person who would stick to something once she set her mind on it. Even knowing that Kurusu Akira had ambiguous relationships with many girls, she would still pursue this relationship to the end before she would give up.

Even if it means she has to go through a lot of trouble and pain along the way.

170. Helplessly using revenge to mask a heart full of jealousy (Part 2)

A bright and sunny midday.

There was no trace of the torrential rain that had fallen during the night.

In a corner of the music classroom, Akira Kurusu is playing Super Smash Bros. with Subaru An and his Switch.

Jing Qinrencai sat beside them, staring longingly, unable to decipher the black and white words on the white paper of her English vocabulary book, which looked as if it were covered with a layer of mosaic.

At this point, it's simply impossible to bring up the idea of ​​wanting to play games for a while.

After all, it hasn't even been 72 hours since she personally promised to study hard in Qixiao.

At this moment, Akira Kurusu's "Pikachu" had been sent off the cliff again by Subaru An's "Steve" using a minecart, so he had no choice but to put down the handheld console in frustration.

Under the indignant gaze of the phantom thief, An and Subaru said with great enthusiasm, "In Master Duel, I only played Zelda: Iron Beast. At first, I thought it was because the deck was incredibly strong in the May meta. Later, I instantly locked Jett in Valorant, grabbed Loba in Apex Legends, specialized in Dhalsim in Street Fighter V, often used Graves in League of Legends, and practiced Steve extensively in Super Smash Bros...."

As he spoke, An and Subaru crossed their hands under their noses, striking Gendo Ikari's signature pose from Evangelion. "Only today have I finally realized that the truly powerful one has always been myself."

Akira Kurusu gave An and Subaru a thumbs up, "Then you're invincible."

"You flatter me." Anhe Subaru tilted his head back and readily accepted Qixiao's words, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jing Qinren heard their laughter and joy, but knew that this happiness did not belong to her.

She felt a pang of sorrow, so she channeled her grief and anger into motivation. While flipping through her English vocabulary book, she ate three rice balls in a row... The rice wrapped in seaweed was dry and hard to swallow if you ate it too quickly. Usually, she would eat it with a glass of milk or mineral water, but this time she finished it all in one go.

Still feeling a bit annoyed, Jing Qinren reached into the lunchbox and found nothing. She belatedly realized that she had already finished eating the rice ball.

Jing Qinrencai felt a little embarrassed and shy, thinking that her eating manners must have been very unsightly.

Looking up, she noticed the kind gazes of Akira Kurusu and Subaru Anwa, and a warmth seemed to surge onto Serina Iza's face.

"Ren Cai is indeed a bit too thin, it would be good for her to eat more."

The words of explanation from Jingqin Rencai were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. She subconsciously stood up, wanting to playfully fight with Kurusu Akira, but she was too embarrassed to do so in front of An and Subaru. She stammered and sat back down, finally turning red in the face and clenching her fists without saying a word.

An and Subaru were amused by her adorable appearance, and quickly covered their mouths, but the smile in their eyes was impossible to hide.

Akira Kurusu was also smiling, and she was even more amused by Nina Izare's overly childish behavior... Lady Tsurumaki tried her best but couldn't get Akira Kurusu to smile even a little bit, while Nina Izare managed to do it in just a few seconds.

Jingqin Rencai finally couldn't take it anymore and jumped up, ready to fight to the death with Laixi Xiao.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the club activity room.

There was no reply from inside. The door was opened the next moment, and the person who came in was none other than Kawakami Sadayo, the teacher in charge of Class 2-D.

Kawakami Sadaya grabbed her messy hair, her worry turning into distress and embarrassment. She looked at the scene in the music room, "Am I disturbing you?"... She couldn't believe that there were still students lingering in the club building when class was about to start.

Those two exceptional transfer students are one thing, but why is Jing Qinrencai included?

Faced with an unexpected visitor, Akira Kurusu, as the president of the Mental Health Education Club, naturally stood up and stepped past Nina Izayoi to speak with her, "Did you come here specifically for something, Ms. Kawakami?"

Kawakami Sadahiro simply raised the printed paper in her other hand. "According to the requirements issued by the council, there will be significant changes to the members of the teaching and research group, so the advisors for each club will need to be reassigned. This is the notification; you, as the club president, can just take a look."

"Do we need to invite our own mentors?"

"The school will arrange it; supposedly, it's to 'make club activities more interesting under professional guidance'."

"I understand." Akira thought to herself, how professional must someone be to guide a group of superpowered individuals with Personas?

Let's set aside the preconditions like confidentiality for now... It's impossible to just transfer a highly skilled cognitive science expert from a research institution to teach at Xiujin, right?

Are there really experts and scholars who would be willing to become high school health room teachers?

...There really is.

Akira Kurusu thought of Takuto Maruki, the part-time psychologist, who was the head of the cognitive psychology research department at the Toyokawa Group.

After delivering the notices, the hassle of posting them was eliminated. Kawakami Sadaya briefly reminded Izare Nina to go back to class as soon as possible before heading to the next club activity room with the notices.

......

at the same time.

Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy.

After finishing her lunch, Miku Miku prepared to go back to class, smiling at the classmates she met along the way.

But on the way, he was suddenly stopped by a girl with golden hair.

Her expression changed abruptly for a moment, then she politely asked, "Senior Tsurumaki, is there anything I can help you with?"

Tsurumaki Kokoro, who had rushed back to school from Shujin, was chewing on a skewer of grilled mochi when she asked her indistinctly, "Sankaku-kun, do you like Amamiya Ren?"

Misaki Hatsune's expression changed several times. Although she had only spent a very short time at the Toyokawa family home and knew very little about that behemoth, she had at least heard of the famous "Tsurumaki Foundation".

This is a "super conglomerate" whose overall strength surpasses that of the Toyokawa family, and can even be called "the best in Tokyo".

During her brief contact with "Toyokawa Real Estate", she had already heard that the Toyokawa family and the Tsurumaki family seemed to be rivals in a field called Cognitive Hexology, which she had never heard of before.

Even though Misaki Misaki had prepared various ways to respond the moment she saw Kokoro Tsurumaki, her brain still went blank the moment she was asked, "Do you like Ren Amamiya?"

This move is truly undefendable.

The social skills I learned while working as an idol seemed pale and powerless.

All the memories of fleeing to Tokyo against her conscience and morals flooded back, and Misaki Misaki felt as if she had reached the end of her life...

If he really gets caught up in the struggle between two big tycoons and becomes a victim, he will never have the chance to see Xiangzi again.

Such a thought flashed through her mind, and her will to survive was more intense than ever before.

Just as Misaki Miku was desperately trying to figure out the meaning behind Tsurumaki Kokoro's words, she saw the other person's smile become even brighter.

"Triangle classmate..."

"Huh?" Misaki Miku looked at Kokoro Tsurumaki with trepidation.

Where did your smile go?

Even though it was a bright smile on Genjuro's face, it seemed to be filled with a terrifying, eerie shadow in her vision.

Tsurumaki Kokoro couldn't understand why Misaki Miku stopped smiling immediately after seeing her... The child was actually quite pretty when she smiled.

Misaki Miku forced a smile that looked like she was crying. The future—as the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy family, to be crushed like a roadside insect by her rivals—felt so close. "Tsurumaki-senpai, I have to go to class..."

"Answer my question, nod or shake your head, it's fine," Kokoro Tsurumaki said, blocking Misaki's path. "Do you like Ren Amamiya?"

The students nearby held their breath. Although they didn't know who Ren Amamiya was, as mentioned by Lady Tsurumaki, it was definitely the right thing to do to pretend they hadn't seen anything.

Mitsukasa bit her lip and shook her head with great difficulty.

Genmaki Shin's expression turned strange. "If you don't like him, why did you get involved in the Toyokawa family's affairs? Do you like Miss Toyokawa?"

She looked at the stunned Misaki Miku with disdain and disgust, "This is troublesome. I'm really bad at dealing with negative and boring people like you..."

"Then hurry up and go!!" Misaki Miku shouted in her heart, but she felt her knees going weak, as if she was about to lose the strength to support her body.

Tsurumaki Shin really let Miku Miku go and prepared to go back to the classroom.

Before leaving, she left a piece of advice: "Amamiya is a very interesting guy, and I'm quite looking forward to seeing him smile... So whatever you want to do, try not to make the same silly mistakes you did yesterday at noon, because it will make everyone very unhappy."