Tokyo Psychic

"STARRY is open now, right?" After a while, seeing that the two had separated, Toyokawa Shoko said softly, "The band's practice is probably canceled. How about we all go to our usual restaurant for dinner tonight?"

Anwa Subaru looked at Toyokawa Shoko with some surprise.

Shoko Toyokawa avoided An and Subaru's gaze, flicking her bangs. "Subaru's band should be practicing tonight, right? After dinner, Ren can go over there to familiarize herself with the performance style... Mutsu and I can stay home and learn how to play computer games."

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190. Shiomi Kotone (Two-in-One)

Warm, inviting light bathed the tabletop.

The waiter placed a plate of tempura drizzled with salad dressing in front of the Phantom Thieves.

An and Subaru sat next to Akira Kurusu, holding up their phones and excitedly sharing the news of Overwatch's resurrection.

Shoko Toyokawa and Mutsu Wakaba didn't understand what "Overwatch" meant. They looked at each other for a while, then began to savor the tempura that was still warm from the oil.

While chatting with Toyokawa Shoko, Kurusu Akira recalled every detail of his battle with "Yuki Risa".

The only damage he sustained in the fight was that the cuffs of his school uniform were scorched by the flames...

The enemy is in a very bad state.

It was as if he had been attacked unexpectedly; his throat and cervical spine were severely injured, making it difficult for him to move naturally during the fight.

Even... the Persona called "Messiah" is surprisingly weak.

As the inheritor of the name "Savior," and possessing the powerful Persona in his memory capable of erasing a large number of shadows in an instant and even sending its operator to the moon, a part of it was indeed taken away, just as "Yuki Risa" said... No, if this "Yuki Risa" is just a shadow born from a flawed future, then the real Yuki Risa must exist in the world now.

In other words, this "Messiah" only possesses one-third of the original power...

However, Akira Kurusu was always wary of his opponent's true hidden tricks, so even though he had the upper hand in the battle of Personas, he still made more probes... After all, if he really was Shiomi Kotone's "alien form" in this world, as he said, then this "Yuki Risa" must have mastered a technique called "Great Seal".

That was a skill that could be completely sealed off even by sacrificing oneself, a skill that could be unleashed by the god "Nyx," who symbolizes death itself.

It is the manifestation of the power of the universe reaching its peak at the moment when destiny reaches its end.

Or perhaps... Akira Kurusu thought that this "Yuki Ryou" had not achieved the miracle of the [universe] at all.

Those who accepted the persona of the Velvet Room are mostly categorized within the Tarot system based on their state of mind, spirit, or even destiny.

According to Akira Kurusu, every generation of contractors he knows is represented by the first card of the Twenty-Two Major Arcana in the Tarot deck, "The Fool," and after experiencing a series of challenges, they will eventually ascend to the final card, "The World."

Although the Universe does not belong to the Tarot system, it possesses power on par with the World. It is the ultimate form after a contractor fulfills their destiny—its nature is similar to that of Father Pucci in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean," who, after countless trials and tribulations, finally evolved his "White Serpent" into "Made in Heaven."

Or, in *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind*, Giorno Giovanna evolved his "Gold Experience" into "Gold Experience Requiem"...

But what if that "Yuki Risa" really didn't obtain the power of the [Universe], yet still actively sought her out?

This means he must have a trump card to turn the tide.

I couldn't find out... Akira Kurusu was a little disappointed.

An and Subaru picked up a piece of tempura with their chopsticks and held it to his mouth.

Akira took a bite without thinking. It was the fresh aroma of the seasoning, the sweet and sour taste of the salad dressing, and the complex texture of the shrimp meat and the crispy pastry.

Surprisingly delicious.

"Want more?" An and Subaru asked gently from the side.

"Subaru, you should eat something too."

"Today's calorie intake has met the target! ... Managing a beautiful girl's figure is very important!" Anwa Subaru said righteously, "Gaining weight is a super terrible thing!"

"Just exercise more."

"No, it's too tiring, and sweating in the summer is so uncomfortable." An and Subaru said with anticipation, biting their forks. "If only there were a Persona that would allow me to eat and drink whatever I wanted without gaining weight."

"I've told you so many times, the Persona is not a Stand. It's a tool created entirely to fight the Shadows, and it doesn't have any of those weird and wonderful abilities."

With a sigh, Anhe Subaru stabbed the fork, which was covered in her saliva, into the cream soup that the waiter had just served. Since noon, she had only eaten a bowl of fruit salad that she had mixed herself and three seaweed rice balls.

The effort required to maintain a good physique is often unimaginable to most people.

Across from him, Mutsumi Wakaba also faces the same troubles as An and Subaru due to family reasons, but this child has always had an amazing capacity for endurance.

Compared to the various pressures from my parents, simply controlling my diet is a piece of cake.

Akira Kurusu already understands this point very well.

As long as he was given instructions such as "Don't make any strange noises" or "Be careful not to wake Xiangzi," Ruoye Mu could usually endure all his aggression without uttering a sound. Even when tears were welling up in his eyes and his knees were trembling, he would not let out a single sound.

Although Toyokawa Shoko did not have this problem, as a girl with outstanding appearance, she still had some anxiety about her appearance and figure. So, she began to consciously manage her diet when she was young and was often praised for her appearance.

Although she wasn't as strict and meticulous as Anwa Subaru and Wakaba Mutsuko, requiring them to control their diet by grams and calories, she was already considered self-disciplined compared to many girls her age.

After six months since leaving the Toyokawa family, she no longer needed to control her diet for a short period of time.

Even though she went from junior high to high school, she lost a lot of weight... Although she hasn't reached the point where she's almost pathological due to various factors like Wakaba Mutsu, she's still so thin that it's heartbreaking to hug her.

However, despite facing a heavy workload and academic pressure while suffering from malnutrition, Toyokawa Shoko not only didn't suffer from low blood pressure or frequent fainting, but also managed to achieve excellent academic results and... a full bust, after perfectly handling these tasks that would be difficult for even adults.

Akira Kurusu thought of celery seeds.

This child is carefree every day, eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping, a mixed meal of milk, bread, eggs, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. She skips PE class and wanders around, and during band practice, she just holds the microphone and sways around... How come I haven't seen her develop seriously in that area?

She was petite and thin, and her underwear was a very childish style with cartoon patterns. Even huddled together on the tram, there wasn't much softness to be found...

"Would you like to try the seafood fried rice?" Toyokawa Shoko pushed the steaming plate that the waiter had just brought over in front of Kurusu Akira.

It was only then that Akira Lai took a serious look at the entire dining table and realized that although a large number of dishes had been ordered tonight, the girls had barely touched them.

Toyokawa Shoko drank a bowl of soup and ate a few tempura pieces before saying she was full.

Wakaba Mutsu's haul consisted of a tempura and a cup of mango juice.

An and Subaru's record is a cold shower.

Does this mean that from now on, we can only have gatherings at upscale restaurants and eat dishes that look exquisite but have very small portions?

Thinking back to the Phantom Thieves' first victory celebration, it seemed to have been in a so-called high-end restaurant, where I and Jingqin Rencai devoured a huge amount of food.

When the child walked out of the restaurant, his belly was visibly swollen.

You can't ask someone about this; Akira Kurusu naturally touched it herself.

Izare Renna is indeed a very strange girl. She has done almost every kind of ambiguous behavior except for kissing, and still thinks that everyone is the best friend.

Is it possible that this child doesn't understand the boundaries between men and women? Or that she can't properly comprehend intimate relationships? She gets easily agitated and irritated when a boy from the same school tries to talk to her.

Girls with a particular sexual orientation would get a little closer to her because she was the lead singer of the band, but if they showed even the slightest hint of wanting to date her, Izare Jinna would be so scared that she would run away immediately.

Akira Kurusu took the bowl of cream soup that An and Subaru couldn't finish from An's hands, and without any hesitation used the fork inside to poke at the mushrooms and bacon floating in the soup, before stuffing them into her mouth.

Forget it, I'll leave tomorrow's problems to myself tomorrow.

He had some free time tonight, so he planned to go to room 301 next door to practice the two songs he had copied from his original world with the girls from the "Red Ginger" band.

......

at the same time.

【PM. 6:43】

[Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island.]

[“Private Yuki Academy,” a special research base for medical and biological courses.]

【SEES】—To be precise, it was the group of “Shadow Watchers” who encountered a person in this familiar yet unfamiliar school who was completely beyond their expectations.

Kotone Shiomi, a 17-year-old girl, "graduated" from the private Gekkokan Academy on March 5, 2010.

Despite being a girl they had never met before, they felt an inexplicable sense of closeness towards her.

It was as if they had once fought side by side.

But the person they remembered should have been a boy named Yuuki Osamu.

Yue Yujia looked at the beautiful girl in front of her with a bright smile, feeling a sense of disorientation and shock that shattered her worldview.

Based on her deep feelings and understanding for Yuki Osamu, Yukari Yue almost subconsciously mistook Shiomi Kotone for that taciturn boy.

But it's as if Yuki Osamu is a completely reversed character from another world. Shiomi Kotone has a mischievousness and liveliness that he could never have, and her face always seems to have a beautiful, energetic smile.

The team's former leader, Yuuki Osamu, had sacrificed himself to seal away the Shinigami. Now, Kirijo Mitsuru, who had taken his place as the new leader, stepped forward and looked at Shiomi Kotone with a complicated expression. "Do we know each other?"

She didn't hesitate to start the conversation directly.

Without exception, all the Shadow Patrol members showed expressions of astonishment.

Unexpectedly, Shiomi Kotone nodded, a wistful and somber smile on her face. "Of course I know her... Misuru-senpai."

The previously cold and composed Kirijo Mitsuru was immediately thrown into unprecedented turmoil.

The "Queen," who once controlled a world-class conglomerate, developed countless technological achievements in cognitive science, and led the Shadow Walkers [SEES] to overcome all sorts of challenges, was also moved to tears in front of a seventeen-year-old girl.

She instinctively wanted to hug Shiomi Kotone in front of her.

However, Shiomi Kotone took the initiative to hug her and embraced Kirijo Mitsuki tightly.

"I know, senior must have guessed that I'm not the one you're waiting for." Shiomi Kotone had a bitter smile on her face. "But... at least let me hug you a little longer. After all, it's been so many years since I've seen you all."

She turned her head to look at the bewildered members of SEES and clearly called out each of their names, "Yukari, Fuuka, Ayatoki, Akihiko, Junpei, and... SEES."

Kirijo Mitsuki said softly, "Inui couldn't come today because he had to take care of Ryūkoramaru."

Shiomi Kotone certainly knew Ryūkoramaru. He was a rare ordinary animal in the world capable of manipulating Personas, and he was a white-haired, red-eyed Shiba Inu who was discovered by the "Special Extracurricular Activities Club" at the Chōnō Shrine near the school.

But she was still curious about the "Inui" that Kirijo Mitsuru mentioned. "Who is that?"

Kirijo Mitsuki paused for a moment, then immediately realized that the "reason" in front of her had many differences between her own world and the "reason" of this world—it was only their first meeting, yet Kirijo Mitsuki immediately analyzed the various possibilities of Shiomi Kotone's identity and origin.

Soon, Shiomi Kotone said with little interest, "Let's talk about this later... Ryūkoromaru, how is it?"

“For a canine, that’s a very long life,” Kirijo Mitsuru said softly. “According to the message Inui sent last night… its health has been very poor lately.”

“Hmm,” Shiomi Kotone’s eyes dimmed, but she still said, “You must have come to the island this time to see ‘my’ tombstone, right?”

Kirijo Mitsuru froze, exchanged glances with her companions for a moment, and finally said with difficulty, "Yes, but..."

"That soulless body was perfectly preserved underground by Senior's Persona," Shiomi Kotone said calmly. "It's alright. Senior must have foreseen the sudden events of the past two years, so she made this plan in advance, right? I think if the 'me' of this world were here, she wouldn't blame you."

"Um... Kotone, may I call you that?" Yukari Yue asked tentatively from the side.

“Of course!” Shiomi Kotone said happily, then let go of Kirijo Mitsuru and moved closer to her. “Ah, Yukari has really matured a lot... but she’s still as cute as ever.”

"And Feng Hua! Feng Hua should have graduated from university by now! Has she been bullied?!" It was a question filled with righteous indignation.

"..."

Despite it being their first meeting, the Shadow Watcher accepted the girl he had never met before very naturally.

It felt like everything had gone back to six years ago.

191. The Calm Before the Disaster (Part 2)

December 23, 2022.

【PM. 7:22.】

There are two days left until the "Morfonica Seibu Dome Concert".

Darkness gradually engulfed the narrow corridor. Kita Ikuyo, supporting Goto Ichiri's shoulders, shakily made her way towards room 301 of "Fujiki-ju" in the dark.

But Goto Ichiri, whom she relied on, was also shrinking his head and hunching his back, his face full of fear and timidity.

Walking through the corridor and into the concrete stairwell, the stark white light gave them a slight sense of security.

As I was walking up the steps, a series of sparks suddenly flew from the old-fashioned chandelier overhead, plunging the hallway into complete darkness.

The next moment, the dark stairwell was illuminated again, and a long, thin shadow hung down from the top of the stairs...

Goto Ichiri and Kita Ikuyo immediately screamed and hugged each other tightly like the heroines in a horror movie.

......

Lai Xixiao repeatedly operated the overhead light switch several times to confirm that the light was broken due to years of disrepair. Then, she looked down at the two girls who had come to participate in the band training with a sense of helplessness.

"Didn't you bring your phones? If you're afraid of the dark, why didn't you use the flashlight on the back of your phones? ...Never mind, Ms. Ebizuka has been waiting for a long time, you should go up now."