Tokyo Psychic

"Yes."

"Then I'm in my fertile period... Damn it, you have to be careful! Nina will break!" An and Subaru were very worried about whether Iori Niina's big, doll-like body could withstand Akira Kurusu's torment.

But as the words were about to leave her lips, a mischievous idea popped into her head: "What do you think, could we...?"

"This is so exciting right from the start? Nina will go crazy, won't she?" Akira Kurusu complained. "Although Shoko and Mutsu probably won't object, and Kotone can accept it, Nina will absolutely never agree to it."

After he finished speaking, he added, "It's impossible for them to agree to that, at least in the short term."

An and Subaru weren't annoyed; they just stared in awe at Akira's profile. "So you actually thought about it... We all agreed to use this method to completely deprive Akira of the energy to flirt with other women outside."

Upon hearing this, Akira Kurusu couldn't help but shudder. "You two actually made plans? When?!"

"Right in the Phantom Thieves' secret chat room, everyone agreed except Nina," An and Subaru said with a smile. "It's definitely more reassuring to keep Akatsuki under our control than to have unfamiliar girls suddenly appear around us!"

She actually understood boys' feelings quite well, so she leaned closer and breathed hot air into Akatsuki's ear, "Don't worry, Yoshizawa-neechan probably hasn't gone that far with you yet, right? We'll support you... Oh, and there's Satoshi and Nijika, they're both girls who really lack a sense of security, they're all good friends of ours, Akatsuki can't let them get away with it. The magical girls of Mitakihara can be an exception too..."

“However…” An and Subaru’s eyes gradually turned dangerous, “As for other girls, my dear Phantom Thief, you should know what to do, right?”

Lai Qixiao nodded vigorously.

According to the group of girls' plan, he might really be spending every morning in a state of emptiness and solitude, a kind of spiritual retreat.

Even with the medication provided by Dr. Takemi Myo, it would probably be difficult for him to reach the level of "invincible in every battle".

......

By this time, Toyokawa Shoko had already prepared the meal.

The kitchen in the luxury RV may be small, but it is practical and fully equipped.

Six servings of miso soup, teriyaki eel rice, and seaweed rice balls coated with sakura sauce.

A simple yet delicious lunch.

As Akira Kurusu separated the chopsticks for the pre-meal ritual, she set up her tablet and connected to a video call from Futaba Sakura.

"JOKER, what should we do with this guy?"

Futaba Sakura got straight to the point.

Then a popular video section featuring "Meow Dream" cosplaying as Mind Thief popped up on the screen.

At this point, the video titled "Miaomengqin is a messenger of justice" had already surpassed five million views.

Akira Kurusu poked the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks. "Where is she?"

Unexpectedly, Sakura Futaba gave an unconventional answer: "Yutenji Wakanagi, born in Kumamoto Prefecture. Don't let her fashionable urban attire fool you; she only turned sixteen last month and is a first-year student at the Metropolitan Art Academy High School..."

"By the way, she used to be a tenant in the Fujiki-ju room where you all lived." Futaba Sakura answered while flipping through the documents. "Because her videos lacked innovation and content, her traffic kept declining, and she gradually couldn't afford the rent and the cost of living in Shibuya, so she moved back to the student dormitory looking rather disheveled."

Akira Kurusu remembered the pink underwear that Shoko Toyokawa had found under the bed when they moved, and her eyelids twitched. "Are there any more?"

"She's currently on summer vacation back in her hometown in Kumamoto Prefecture... which is only a 30-minute drive from Nina's home?"

At the dining table, the members of the Mind Thieves exchanged glances, then revealed sinister expressions.

“Navi,” Akira Kurusu looked at Futaba Sakura on the screen, “help her prepare an electronic announcement letter in advance, and find a way to increase the traffic to her live stream—when we arrive in Kumamoto, at the moment when she receives the most attention, send it to her live stream along with our paper announcement letter.”

"Wow!" Jingqin Rencai, who was standing next to her, imagined the expression that the beauty blogger might have and felt shocked as if she were in the same boat.

Akira Kurusu didn't give the girl a friendly look. "Instead of worrying about your fellow Kumamoto natives, you should think about how to introduce us, your friends from Tokyo, to your parents first."

Based on his understanding of the celery, the child probably hadn't made any preparations.

When it comes to performing on the spot, nervousness and various emotional factors will inevitably lead to some funny mistakes.

Jing Qinrencai's face immediately turned red.

He lowered his head hesitantly.

As Akira Kurusu reminded her, she really hadn't figured out how to introduce her friends to her old-fashioned father.

and......

She secretly raised her eyes to steal a glance at Lai Qixiao.

We're just good friends... Why do I always feel like something terrible will happen if I introduce Akira Kurusu to my father?

267. The meal at Jingqin's house

It had probably rained just now, and the old-fashioned streets were filled with a stuffy, humid atmosphere.

The streetlights are plastered with advertisements for tutoring centers, and the fire hydrants are twenty-year-old models. The low walls made of gray bricks have been freshly painted white, and the dark asphalt road, like veins clogged with metabolic waste, stretches to the horizon. As for those bright red nutrients, they seem to have been transported to more distant cities, becoming an indispensable color in the dazzling neon lights that fill the night.

Akira Kurusu tore down a "Hello, Happy World!" Live poster from the wall, revealing a "Kumamoto Prefecture Tourism Promotion Introduction Endorsed by 'Diamond Star'" that was covered underneath.

"Wow, do you have some kind of 'beauty radar'? You even found this one..." Shiomi Kotone walked around to Kurusu Akira with her hands behind her back, tilting her head to look at the four glamorous female idols in the tourism promotion.

The main spokesperson for the advertisement is, of course, the new lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist "Hina" from Kumamoto.

With her long, pink hair styled in twin ponytails, a cute face, and a petite, slender figure, she's probably a stand-in of the same type as Izare Jinna.

But unlike Izare Rina, who exudes confidence or arrogance on stage as if she's about to unleash all her suppressed emotions, this lead singer of Diamond Star is just like her teammates: glamorous, elegant, reserved, distant, unapproachable... a typical teenage idol.

Just as he was thinking of Iori Rin, he turned around and saw the girl peeking out from behind him with a curious expression, wanting to see what Akira was looking at. However, she only saw Shiomi Kotone's beautiful face and immediately turned her head away with little interest. But after taking a few steps back, she found that Shiomi Kotone had left, so she happily went back to her.

"Captain, what are you looking at?" Recently, Izayoi has also unlocked a new way of addressing Akira Kurusu—after all, she is still not quite used to calling him "Akira Kurusu".

Akira Kurusu stepped aside slightly so that Nina Igarashi could see the group photo of "Diamond Stars" on the wall.

The girl's smile, which had just appeared, crumbled once again.

"What the heck... it's that guy again," she kicked Akira's heel, "Don't get too close to them!"

As she spoke, Izayoi took Kurusu Akira's sleeve and led her home.

But her unintentional glance back still revealed her hidden thoughts.

After all, this new lead singer of "Diamond Star" was once her irreplaceable best friend.

Regardless of whether the "betrayal" was due to a misunderstanding or some other reason, even with the explanation given when they reunited six months later, the rift and estrangement had ultimately formed.

Friendship is a strange thing. It can withstand the setbacks of great storms, as well as the tests of poverty, illness, and time, but it cannot tolerate even the slightest suspicion or betrayal.

It is resilient and strong, capable of transcending time, circumstances, and background, connecting the thoughts and even the spirits of two people. Yet it is also incredibly fragile; a single unconscious word or action is enough to overturn those previously cherished emotions.

......

After being away from home for half a year, I embarked on the road back home. The scenes were still as familiar as I remembered, without any fading.

Half a year is perhaps enough time for a rapidly changing Tokyo to feel like a lifetime ago.

Compared to that weary, bloated metropolis that never dares to stop for a moment, Kumamoto is like a retired old man content with the status quo.

It sits in the center of Kyushu, maintaining its appearance from many years ago, slowing down the pace of life to a pace that makes it difficult for adults to adapt to big city life, and so slow that it bores young people, who can't wait to leave it behind and rush to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Jing Qinren walked briskly at the front of the group.

Although returning to Kumamoto after getting used to life in Tokyo inevitably makes her feel that the city is a bit cramped... this city, this street, has everything she loves.

Showa-era style streets, a coffee shop next to a school, a shrine with a Buddha statue, and...

Under the dark blue sky, at the corner of the street, a stylishly dressed woman smiled and waved to Jing Qinrencai.

"sister!"

Jing Qinren went to meet her, but was immediately hugged by the other party.

"Hey, Nina seems to have gained a little weight again."

Ryone Izayoi was surprised to find that the petite girl she remembered had become rather plump when she was held in her arms.

This was fed to him by Lai Xixiao every morning and during his lunch break.

Of course, having endured so much hardship, he was among the first to experience the changes in the girl in various ways, even before Jingqin Rencai's family.

......

Through an unspoken understanding, Izaya Rinna noticed Akira's gaze from behind her, blushed, and quickly tried to break free from Izaya Ryoune's embrace.

But at this moment, Akira Kurusu caught up and tapped Izanagi on the back of the head, making Izanagigi obediently accept this slightly cheesy reunion.

Jingqin Liangyin was taken aback, then gave Kurusu Akira a deep look before greeting him and the Phantom Thieves behind him.

"You must be Nina's friends in Tokyo? Thank you so much for taking care of this child all this time. Last week, when we heard her call to invite her friends over, it really surprised her father and mother!"

Jing Qinrencai dared not utter a sound.

Upon hearing her sister's words, she immediately thought of her father's stern and unsmiling face, and then felt a little timid.

It wasn't out of any so-called "feeling of trepidation when returning home," but rather because she was somewhat afraid that her educator father would make her "embarrass" in front of her friends... The longer she spent with her friends from the Phantom Thieves, the more she resented the rules and regulations at home.

Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu exchanged a glance. After all, they were Personas and were very perceptive in noticing Iori Nina's thoughts through her expression.

We continued walking with the Jingqin sisters for a while longer.

The dark asphalt road turned into a smooth concrete road after passing the train tracks, and after a while, the concrete road gradually disappeared.

Instead, there was a large expanse of light yellow, compacted mud, a few clumps of weeds, an old tree, and then a traditional Japanese house that conforms to most people's stereotypes.

Housing prices in Kumamoto are much cheaper than in Tokyo.

Even a middle school teacher with a modest income can afford a luxurious house with a yard and private parking.

The door was open, and you could hear the crisp, powerful sound of a cleaver hitting the cutting board.

"Mom, Rencai is back!"

After a while, she saw a woman with her hair carefully combed and wearing slippers come out to greet her. She noticed the group of good-looking boys and girls behind Izanagi and almost thought she had accidentally wandered into the filming set of some kind of youth romance campus idol drama.

The heavy rain had just stopped, but the sky remained overcast, still heavy with moisture that even the sweltering heat couldn't evaporate.

......

Akira Kurusu took off her shoes and followed Serina Iori into the living room with a composed expression.

Compared to the phantom thief's generosity, it seems that the stealthy Jingqin Rencai is the guest who has traveled a long way to visit.

The sounds of busy activity came from the kitchen again.

At the dining table in the living room, Akira Kurusu met Serina Ii's father—

He was a middle-aged man named "Isai Serino".

Just as Jing Qinren described, he sat in his seat with a cold face, not playing on his phone, and there was no trace of a phone next to him.

The television screen in the living room was black, and there were no political newspapers on the table that middle-aged people like.

He held an open Chinese language textbook, each page meticulously annotated and noted, while the uncapped pen beside him testified to his dedication and responsibility as a teacher.

Akira Kurusu noticed this very clearly.

The moment Iserino saw Iserino Nina appear, a barely perceptible look of guilt and self-reproach flashed across his face.

This fleeting emotion made Akira Kurusu quite certain that the other person was not as "cold-blooded and ruthless" as Nina Iori had always complained.

Perhaps he's just not very good at expressing his emotions when he's with his children.

Many parents are like this: they get used to being "idols" and "role models," and before they know it, they have become burdened. Their age and experience become obstacles to communicating with their children, and over time, this turns into a "barrier."

Akira Kurusu looked at Nina Izare, who kept her head down and dared not meet the eyes of Muneo Izare.

Perhaps it will take this child some more time to truly understand her father.

Igor Muneo has protected Igor Seinosa too well.

A man who can diligently study teaching and nurturing students and integrate it into his daily life will certainly show a level of care and attention to his children's education that exceeds that of an ordinary family.

No wonder Jingqin Rencai, even though she's already in her second year of high school, can't utter a single swear word, and doesn't even understand the "disdainful" gesture...

Muneo Igeri shifted his gaze from Nina Igeri to her friends from Tokyo.

She lingered for a long time on the face of the only boy, Akira Kurusu, followed by An and Subaru.

Muneo Igi's understanding of the entertainment industry was limited to the movies he saw on television many years ago, featuring Anwa and Tendo.

But after all, there is an eldest daughter in the family who is interested in fashion.

With the help of Ryōne Izaya and the few words Izaya Jinna said over the phone, Izaya Muneo roughly learned about this young man who would be considered a legend in any middle school.

Of course, this is also the type of student he is least adept at dealing with.

After all, someone as outstanding as Qi Xiao is at a level that is severely exceptional, and no teacher or educator has the right to criticize them.

As this strict teacher pondered how he should speak with Akira Kurusu...