Tokyo Psychic

......

at the same time.

This is the deeper part of the Impression Space. Blood-red patterns grow like vines along the floor and walls, with light flickering on and off. In the waiting room stands a petite, pale figure. A bouquet of white lilies sits on the seat next to her. Underneath the cloak, she is dressed in a suit and tie, as if attending a funeral.

A man in a white coat walked over with a lollipop in his mouth.

"What a coincidence, we meet again." A genderless, ethereal voice came from under the cloak. "I know what you want to say... Maruki-sensei."

Maruki Takuto, who had been wearing a kind smile, immediately stopped smiling.

He looked at the evil god before him, bearing the name "Judas" and representing remorse, with almost indifference. "You're completely insane, secretly synchronizing those twisted and distorted emotions to yourself in this world. And... I don't have a student like you."

Judas replied with an almost sarcastic tone, "Is it because I excluded those who could have helped the phantom thief from his fate one by one?"

Maruki Takuto's expression shifted dramatically, as if a raging beast was about to tear open his gentle and refined exterior and burst forth. But he quickly regained his composure. "No matter what you say, in a few months you'll be driven out of Tokyo like a stray dog."

The moment he spoke, a mask of a personality appeared in a blurry form behind Maruki Takuto. It was a right hand with sharp claws. Without warning, he used this right hand to strike Judas in front of him, leaving cracks that spread like shattered glass wherever the claws passed.

Clang.

It was as if time had turned back.

The Persona never appeared.

Judas and Maruki Takuto remained in the same standing position as they had a second ago.

"Are you satisfied now?" Judah tilted his head, looking at Maruki Takuto. "Come with me to a funeral."

As if by magic, a tram immediately came to a slow, steady stop in front of the waiting area. The doors of the tram opened.

Judas bent down, picked up the bunch of white lilies from the chair, and walked toward the tram. "Come on, Maruki-sensei."

Maruki Takuto frowned, but still put away his Persona and followed Judas into the carriage.

The train carriage presented a distorted scene. Tokyo's impression space is its intricate subway network, and the tram is the most profound concept that most people living in this city are familiar with.

All the benches were covered with a thick layer of dark moss, the ground was covered with a tangled mess of weeds, and the walls were made of different materials, from red brick and gray tile to glass, bronze, and concrete.

Some shadows of different shapes moved back and forth in the carriage, occasionally dozing off by the door, but most of the time they remained in a "crowded" state, holding onto the handrails with restraint.

No one paid attention to Judas and Maruki Takuto taking their seats.

As we got closer, much of the fog that had been obscuring the true nature of things began to dissipate.

Judas could be clearly seen wearing an elegant women's suit, with a somewhat mixed scent of perfume on him. The petals of the white lilies were covered with glistening dewdrops, as if he had just attended one funeral and was about to rush to the next, listening to different priests sing the same mournful elegy. The light of dusk would pass through the stained glass windows of the church, falling on the shoulder and profile of the same visitor until tears streamed down his face.

The loudspeaker in the carriage seemed to be playing Mozart's "Hallelujah," a joyous piano piece composed in 1773. It's the fourth movement of the motet "Joyful Reveries," soaring and holy. "Hallelujah" is a Hebrew word of praise to God. Maruki Taku didn't see any devout Christians, but he did hear prayers coming from another carriage traveling in the opposite direction on the tracks.

"Ecclesiastes 7:2: 'It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone.'" "Matthew 5:4: 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.'"... These murmured prayers are ended by the clear tolling of bells. They should fall in the afterglow of the setting sun, nuns scattering bouquets of flowers on the silent coffins of the deceased, and white doves from the church roof soaring high, landing between the cross and the bell tower.

A group of men and women were "comforting" a little girl who was crying bitterly at her grave; they were probably her relatives. The woman sleeping soundly under the tombstone was her mother.

A hired Christian funeral director stood solemnly beside a withered tree, reading aloud from a manuscript: "Ms. Isshiki Wakaba, renowned in the field for her research on 'cognitive psychology,' passed away..."

She recited a passage from 1 Thessalonians, praising the contributions of Issacharya to society: "I am now being poured out as a libation, and the hour of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

The tram sped along the railway in the Impression Space and suddenly lost its balance.

The tangled steel carriages melted without warning, and white doves flew out from the gaps, carrying dark green olive branches as they soared into the sky.

This is no longer the Tokyo-esque space. It is an endless grassland, bathed in sunshine, with a clear, cloudless sky.

Judas was shoved and slammed into the grass by this enormous force. With a powerful sonic boom, the grass and soil were torn up. He traversed nearly two hundred meters in this way until he disappeared from sight.

The next moment, a pale, petite figure flashed beside Maruki Takuto. The sound of countless silver coins clashing together rang out, and then a shimmering dagger appeared in her hand, which she mercilessly stabbed into Maruki Takuto's back.

Maruki Takuto seemed to have anticipated this, rolling to the side to dodge the attack. Just as Judah was about to continue the pursuit, a rift was torn open behind Maruki Takuto.

Then, a man with silver-white hair, a tall and upright figure, and a handsome face that could be described by passersby as "super stylish" stood in front of Maruki Takuto.

"Mr. Maruki, isn't your Persona ready yet?"

"It will take at least six months."

“Since the phantom thieves happen to be out of Tokyo... then I’ll take care of this battle.” The silver-haired man pulled out his Persona summoner from the pocket of his tracksuit jacket and pointed it at his forehead.

He said in such a low voice, "Persona."

In an instant, a powerful, overwhelming force pressed down on Judah before him.

The house-sized masked figure, wielding a sword and spear, looked down at the enemy with disdain.

Facing this fourth contractor in the Velvet Room's recorded history, a Persona user who also reached the pinnacle of the Fool and then sublimated into the World, even Judas, with his abilities of time reversal and "resetting events," must take him seriously.

Judah did indeed say seriously, "I didn't expect it to be Narukami-senpai who came."

"You know me?"

“I used to take classes at your tutoring center.”

Knowing that the enemy possessed the ability to "rewind time," Narukami Yu said in an unfriendly tone, "Then I must regret ever teaching you."

Judas clapped his hands. "Indeed, if I were truly hit by that terrifying attack called 'Tens of Thousands of Proverbs,' which delivers three massive, all-encompassing attacks, even I would suffer very serious injuries..."

Before He could finish speaking, He heard an angry shout from the other side, "[Tens of Thousands of Proverbs]!"

The Persona named "Izanagi-Ookami" immediately twirled the sword and spear in its hand, and then rainbow-colored light began to rapidly spread outwards in three consecutive bursts from its center—

Wherever the light shone, all the grass seemed to disappear as if it had been dug out of space.

Judas, enveloped by [Tens of Thousands of Proverbs], truly died... The ability of "Time Reversal" didn't even have a chance to be used under the complete coverage of three consecutive stages of universal damage.

But the "time rewind" was actually just something Judah stole from the magical girl Homura Akemi.

His true authority, the very force that constitutes this extreme remorse, is “resetting the situation.”

That is, the reality of "completion" can never be reached.

Judas, who should have died, appeared unharmed in the same spot.

However, the damage caused by the "Tens of Thousands of Proverbs" released by "Izanagi" just now is clearly visible.

Narukami Yu's expression quickly turned cold.

Judah's applause was enthusiastic. "What a magnificent move, Narukami-senpai!"

Narukami Yu turned to look at Maruki Takuto behind him, "Was He like this last time too?"

Maruki Takuto nodded. "Indeed, conventional methods, even the most powerful ones, cannot kill Him. But rest assured, the only one who can kill Him is about to return to Tokyo."

“It would be more appropriate to use ‘seal’,” Judas corrected Maruki Takuto.

Maruki Takuto shook his head noncommittally, "No matter how you describe it, you should have run away."

“Indeed…” Judah sensed that the monster named “Shiomi Kotone” was approaching.

His body began to decompose, and pieces of white cloth turned into doves that began to fly into the sky.

And the meadow with its blue sky and white clouds vanished in an instant.

Maruki Takuto and Narukami Yuu appeared at the bottom floor of Impression Space in Tokyo.

The figure standing in front of them is Shiomi Kotone, the third-generation Velvet Room contractor from another world.

Shiomi Kotone shook her head for a while... actually observing this strange world made up of human perception, and then she asked the two of them, "Am I too late?"

“If you had come any later, we would all have died here.”

"Have I used that move against him many times?"

Maruki Takuto thought for a moment, then answered, "Almost every time."

"That's a really... troublesome and annoying enemy."

......

at this time.

【PM. 9:02】

Wearing only underwear, Inoue Renna was happily fiddling with a game controller next to Anwa Subaru.

The air conditioner's cold air blew on her body. Although she didn't feel particularly cold, she still felt an itch on the tip of her nose, as if a voice from her subconscious was saying, "You are being thought about by someone."

Finally, he couldn't help but sneeze, which made An and Subaru laugh out loud.

"By the way, Subaru, do you know where Amamiya went?" Izare Nina had been playing Dying Light with An and Subaru for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask.

An and Mao thought for a moment, "She must have gone to her friend's birthday party with Xiangzi."

"Hey, I'd like to be invited too."

"Their seats were too crowded; apparently, a lot of people went!"

......

In fact, it does.

After cutting the cake, he accepted Nagasaki Motoyo's private apology, offered her birthday wishes, and received a gift that Toyokawa Shoko had helped prepare.

Akira Kurusu, carrying a paper plate containing an expensive cake, went to the suite's balcony to enjoy the breeze.

He was poking at the matcha cake on top with a plastic fork.

Beside him was Kaoru, who was hopping and skipping along the railing, her heterochromatic eyes fixed on the matcha cake in Akira Kurusu's hand.

Kaoru's portion had long been finished by her, and she threw the paper plate and plastic fork into the trash can. Feeling bored and finding the birthday celebration in the suite too noisy and crowded, she followed Akira to the balcony.

"Just so you know, I've already used this fork, and I've also eaten the cake," Akira Kurusu reminded Rakuna.

Lena didn't care about indirect kissing at all; she didn't have those complicated concepts in her mind.

All she knew was that Akira Kurusu was a funny and kind boy, and that he had a matcha cake, so she should ask him to share the food.

Under the girl's increasingly pleading gaze, Akira Kurusu had no choice but to hand her the paper plate.

"Please use it."

The cat-like girl quickly began to devour her food. She even found the plastic fork troublesome, so she threw it away and started gnawing on the plate with both hands.

Before long, her face was covered in matcha cream, and she even stuck out her pink little tongue to try to lick it.

Since it was impossible to lick it all clean, Rakuna moved closer to Akira and called out to him softly.

"lotus."

"What's wrong?" Akira Kurusu, who was playing on her phone, looked at Kaname Rakuna, whose face was covered in cream, next to her.

Do you like matcha?

“I like it fairly much. If it's a combination of matcha and dessert, then I would say I ‘especially like it’,” Akira Kurusu replied earnestly.

You need to point your finger at the corner of your mouth and cheek, "Here."

"You actually want me to clean it for you, right?"

Unexpectedly, Lena shook her head, saying, "Sharing delicious food."

Akira Kurusu scrutinized the girl's face, which was still incredibly cute and childlike even though it was covered in cream. "You mean... I should lick it clean for you?"

You need to nod seriously.

Do you feel shy?

"Shy?" Kaoru tilted her head.

Akira was helpless. In the end, she couldn't take the initiative to make a move on this naive junior high school student. "Then someone must have taught you that you shouldn't have contact with unfamiliar members of the opposite sex."

"Rakuna only gets close to people she likes." Kaname Rakuna looked at Akira Kurusu with a blank expression.

Akira Kurusu realized that the girl was determined to make him do it. "Won't you find it dirty?"

"It's a lotus, so it's okay."

Ya Rakuna was afraid that Akira would be unwilling, so she took the initiative to move closer, hugged the railing, and stood on tiptoe to bring her slightly chubby face close to his mouth.

She then squinted her eyes happily and, mimicking what Lai Xixiao had just said, "Please use it."

Akira Kurusu lowered her head and kissed Rakuna Kaname's lips.

I am not a saint after all; I cannot be without desires.

The girl said somewhat discontentedly, "It's been licked there, there's no matcha cream."

Akira Kurusu had no choice but to turn around and kiss Rakuna's cheek.

"It's so itchy..."