Tokyo Psychic

Akira Kurusu had no choice but to pause the "Nyan Dream" video on the screen and then hand the overheated phone to Subaru An. "Then tell me, how can I clear my name of this fabricated 'lolicon' accusation?"

An and Subaru immediately revealed a sly smile. "Of course, it's about taking action. Like atonement~"

"Atonement?"

"Yes, yes, devout believer, the great Saint An and Subaru are listening to your confession."

"At least wear a nun's habit when you're doing role-playing."

“We can buy another set when we have the chance. You guys are going to Saitama Prefecture tomorrow night, so you should get some rest today.” Surprisingly, An and Subaru didn’t act willfully. Just when Akira thought this girl would keep enduring until she became a ninja protecting Konoha Village, she said rather proudly, “Because the agency has some connections with the sponsors of the concert over there, this ‘visit and study’ also includes the backstage work of the ‘Seibu Dome Concert’.”

“Even without this connection, I would definitely have found a way to bring you along.” Akira Kurusu stroked her silky, smooth, jet-black hair. “After all, you are an indispensable member of the Phantom Thieves.”

An and Subaru wrapped their arms around his neck, somewhat annoyed. "It doesn't sound intimate at all. Can you kiss me?"

"That's so cheesy." Even though she said that, Akira Kurusu still lowered her head and kissed Anwa Subaru's lips.

The girl smiled shyly, "I want more."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was pushed open.

Motis, who had been eavesdropping by the door, burst in with a pillow in hand, pounced on the bed, and pulled An and Subaru apart.

And then... she simply lay down between the two of them.

Toyokawa Shoko came in, turned off the lights, closed the door, and then went to sleep in another room with a blank expression.

The bedroom was immediately plunged into darkness.

After a while, Akira Kurusu's voice rang out in the darkness.

"Metis, remember to take your socks off when you go to bed from now on."

"No, no...no! You always like to secretly play with my feet! It tickles!" Mortis cried out in shame and indignation.

"Hmm?!" Anwa Subaru immediately let out a meaningful chuckle. "Still saying you're not a lolicon... I've checked your browser search history!"

"Subaru! He's going to bully me again! Help me!" Metath suddenly yelled. Even though she could just run away from being bullied, she would rather be teased by Akira Kurusu than go back to sleep with Shoko Toyokawa.

"..."

Even after the lights were turned off, the bedroom was still noisy.

Akira Lai had forgotten when she fell asleep. Her eyes opened and closed, and she lost consciousness amidst the girls' various boring conversations.

When I regained consciousness, the sky outside the window was already quite bright.

Wakaba Mutsumi was lying on his chest, saying "Good morning" in a very soft voice.

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(After this chapter, I'll definitely push the total word count to one million today.)

193. Shadow Watchers, Assemble! (Two-in-One)

(Bonus chapters: 1/6, 2/6)

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The morning sunlight always carries a hazy, misty quality.

Wakaba Mutsu rode in Kurusu Akira's lap, resting her head on his shoulder, enjoying the help of her favorite boy combing her hair.

As her fingers and comb ran through her hair, an indescribable sense of pleasure made Wakaba Mutsu hug Kurusu Akira's shoulders tightly, letting out a very pleasant soft hum.

Sunlight streamed down her profile, warming her and making her feel languid. Her pale golden pupils shimmered with a bright halo.

"Should I leave with you tonight?" Wakaba Mutsu leaned over and kissed Kurishi Akira's lips before asking softly.

"Of course, remember to ask the school for leave." Akira Kurusu reached out and poked An and Subaru next to her. The first thing this girl did after waking up was to pick up the Switch that was charging on the bedside table, open "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and start a fire to cook two dishes.

I accidentally allocated the attribute points for "virtuous and capable" to the game.

"There's still a long day ahead, what are our plans?" An and Subaru asked each other in a moment of quiet while controlling Link to relentlessly pursue the Hyrule natives.

However, seeing that Akira Kurusu had finished combing Mutsu Wakaba's hair and was getting ready to get up, An and Subaru quickly saved the game, turned off the Switch, and sat up to change their clothes.

"Would you like me to comb your hair too?"

"Hmph, are you planning to take advantage of the hair-combing opportunity to grope me openly?"

"You guessed it."

An and Subaru, who were buttoning their shirts, casually leaned back and fell into Akira Kurusu's arms, raising an index finger to poke his nose. "Watch your movements, okay? If you flirt with me recklessly and then leave without taking responsibility, I'll really cry."

Akira Kurishi hugged Anwa Subaru's soft waist and played with her long hair. "Don't worry, I know my limits."

"Actually, it's fine to be without a sense of proportion."

"We're going to perform on stage tomorrow, so we need to take advantage of the daytime to go to the secret base to discuss our strategy and collect any recent requests so we can get rid of them all before we leave Tokyo."

......

Wakaba Mutsu picked up the nightgown that had fallen to the ground.

She was only wearing her underwear. Mottis felt a bit hot squeezed between the two of them at night, and as she fell asleep, she took off all her clothes herself.

The girl found her light green hair clip on the bedside table, carefully secured the end of her hair on the right side, and then opened the wardrobe to start thinking about what to wear for the day.

"You can bring an extra set of clothes, as we'll be staying in Saitama Prefecture for two nights."

Akira Kurusu looked at Mutsu Wakaba, who was bathed in sunlight. The girl's fair skin reflected the sunlight and looked particularly dazzling.

After a very long time of changing and washing up.

Toyokawa Shoko had already finished making breakfast and placed the bowls and chopsticks, which she had specially rinsed with hot water, on the empty space of the dining table in the living room.

Akira Kurishi took her seat, and looking at the beautifully arranged beef rice bowl in her bowl, she couldn't help but marvel at Toyokawa Shoko's progress.

“It’s only been a few days, how come Xiangzi’s cooking skills have improved so much since the time he was at your house… No, it’s practically a transformation.”

"Hmm... As long as you study diligently, you will definitely improve," Toyokawa Shoko thought for a moment and then replied.

Akira Kurusu, considering the other party's outstanding piano playing skills, stopped worrying about the issue.

They gathered at the table and offered each other a prayer before the phantom thief repeatedly reminded them, "Remember to ask for leave from school today...and ask for leave tomorrow and the day after too."

Anwa Subaru chewed on the beef drizzled with teriyaki sauce, mumbling his response incoherently.

Ruoye Mu nodded quietly.

After breakfast, Anhe Subaru and Wakaba Mutsu hurried out.

Soon, only Akira Kurusu and Shoko Toyokawa remained in the living room of room 302.

They exchanged a glance, then Toyokawa Shoko sighed, "Today's arrangements must include more than just discussing tactics, right?"

"I'm planning to go to Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island this afternoon." The only bus to Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island today departs at 1 p.m.

"Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island... Where is that?" Toyokawa Shoko felt that the name sounded familiar, but when she tried to recall it, the related memories were like a thick fog, and she couldn't see the true face of it clearly.

"The place where you first met Mitsuba Hatsuka and Mitsuba Mitsuba."

Toyokawa Shoko covered her forehead and suddenly felt a dull, indescribable pain.

It took her a long time to spontaneously recall that memory.

"Have I forgotten about these related things many times?"

"The whole world has forgotten about them."

Is this the power of Persona?

Akira Kurusu looked behind Shoko Toyokawa.

Her persona, "Ninlu," appeared spontaneously, tightly gripping a pair of pale hands that stretched out from the void, thus preventing them from manipulating Toyokawa Shoko's cognition and memories again.

Toyokawa Shoko immediately looked up and saw "Ninglu" behind her, her face turning pale in an instant.

The moment Toyokawa Shoko noticed the hands, they vanished.

The memories that had been stripped away time and time again have now truly returned to Toyokawa Shoko.

“This Persona’s ability… is disgusting.” Toyokawa Shoko clenched her fists. She actually wanted to say “horrible,” but then she felt that she was also a Persona user, and it would be embarrassing to say that, so she changed it to “disgusting.”

“I tried to stop it,” Akira Kurusu said, “but unfortunately… the victim can only see this persona appear when the memories are being manipulated. And whenever someone tries to attack it, it disappears instantly as if it were anticipated.”

Shoko Toyokawa clenched her fist. "We should try to investigate it."

“Before we investigate it, we have more important things to do—” Akira Kurusu said, “We must bury everything related to that artificial island, even if it means manipulating the world, so we must get to that island as soon as possible.”

She took a deep breath before asking Akira again, "Is it just the two of us going?"

Akira Kurusu picked up his phone and logged onto the shipping company's website to check the ticket capacity limits. "I did plan to have the Phantom Thieves join us, but the enemy I encountered yesterday had too deep a connection to that island... Maybe it's just intuition, but I feel that if people who don't have any memories related to it are allowed to set foot on that island, something terrible will happen." He stopped abruptly, staring at the blank flight schedule information on the screen, his expression one of astonishment.

"What's wrong?" Toyokawa Shoko quickly got up and went over to look at Kurusu Akira's phone screen.

Akira Kurusu handed her the phone. "It's obvious the guy behind the scenes doesn't want us to go to that island. The plan has failed."

Shoko Toyokawa was about to suggest using the Toyokawa family's resources, but then she remembered Akira Kurusu's earlier concerns and abandoned the idea.

At that moment, a call request suddenly popped up on Akira Kurusu's screen.

[Principal Xuanjuan: Requesting a call.]

"Tsurumaki?" Toyokawa Shoko looked at her boyfriend thoughtfully, her eyes showing a hint of danger.

“She’s the principal of Shujin now,” Akira Kurusu replied calmly. “If you don’t like it, I can hang up this phone.”

"Connect me, I want to hear what Miss Tsurumaki has to say." For once, a distinct hostility appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face.

Akira Lai hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

......

at the same time.

On a cruise ship traveling between Tatsumi Artificial Harbor Island and Tokyo, the crew of the "Shadow Watchers" were unusually depressed.

Let's rewind to two hours earlier...

With the help of Kotone Shiomi, they successfully contacted the true owner of this artificial island—Miss Kokoro Tsurumaki of the Tsurumaki Foundation.

To show her respect for these Personas, Shin personally took a cruise ship to the artificial island... Actually, after making the call, she was begged for almost half an hour by a bunch of old guys from the conglomerate with long faces and no dignity before she reluctantly asked the school for leave, explained to her band friends, and prepared to set off.

With Miss String Scroll leading the way, the Shadow Patrolmen were finally able to find the remains of the boy they had been longing for again in their now-unrecognized headquarters.

When Shin Tsurumaki brought everyone to the underground research lab, she originally wanted to make a joke, referencing the seventh season of the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" manga, saying something like, "Why are you all reacting so strongly? It's like we're attending a saint's funeral." But seeing their solemn and respectful expressions, as if they were attending a funeral, she gave up on trying to ease the tension.

Looking at Yuuki Risa, who was frozen in the ice coffin.

Those boys and girls who once respected and liked him have all grown up, but the passage of time has made Yuuki Risa's selfless act of facing death an unforgettable and brilliant moment in his life.

To this day, they are still influenced by Osamu Yuuki.

Looking at the leader who once led them to climb the towering "Tartarus" layer by layer, but who chose to sacrifice himself in the judgment of the Grim Reaper, the little bit of emotion that I had felt for Shiomi Kotone was instantly washed away.

Several grown men hugged each other and cried their hearts out. The scene was so spectacular that Xuan Juanxin fled the research institute in a panic.

Kotone Shiomi looked at Osamu Yuuki's body, her feelings were extremely complicated.

How should I put it? After all, it was "oneself" in this world. The corpse was simply frozen and displayed, while former companions surrounded it, weeping bitterly...

There was a subtle awkwardness and sadness, like my lungs were stuffed with cotton wool, a bright, piercing pain, making even breathing difficult.

After thinking it over, Shiomi Kotone decided to go out for a walk with Genjuro Kokoro to clear her head.

As I walked out of the research institute and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar campus, my feelings became mixed once again.

The "Private Gekkokan Academy" that holds so many of her memories is now called "Private Yuki Academy".

Leaving the room filled with weeping and wailing, Genmaki Shin seemed much happier. She poked Shiomi Kotone's arm with her finger and said, "Kotone, I heard that your illness is completely cured."

"Yes..." As she was organizing her thoughts to answer, Shiomi Kotone hadn't even had time to regain her usual smile when she suddenly stopped and turned sharply to look at the research institute.

"W-What's wrong?!" Genmaki Kokoro was startled by the sudden sharpness in Shiomi Kotone's eyes.

"There's an enemy attack," Shiomi Kotone whispered. "Kokoro, you have to come back with me. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you."

......

December 24, 2022.

[7:12 AM.]