Tokyo Psychic

Given her background and identity, the girls she comes into contact with are likely all witches that Homura Akemi encountered in countless reincarnations.

By using romance as insurance, and then intervening before they encounter various desperate events, the possibility of them becoming witches or even magical girls can be avoided...

The active-duty Savior readily accepted the task assigned to him by Homura Akemi.

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A month has passed since Homura Akemi left Tokyo.

In late autumn, as winter approaches, the sky seems to be frozen.

It just so happens that it's the start of high school, and Chihaya Aine, who has been settling into her new home for two days, received her textbooks and uniform mailed to her home.

However, she showed none of the joy that a "transfer student" should have—after all, she had "escaped" from London back to Tokyo.

Looking down at the package in her hands, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but feel uneasy and embarrassed.

I staggered back into the house, and the sound of a cleaver clattering against a cutting board came from the kitchen.

The aroma of miso soup filling the air brightened Chihaya Aine's mood slightly.

After all, she was going to a new school where no one knew her.

Fortunately, she now has an incredibly handsome and "all-around" godfather, which is enough for her to continue attracting envious glances from others after integrating into her new, positive social circle.

Chihaya Aine, who was the student council president during middle school, was forced to flee London and return to Tokyo due to the gap in her academic abilities and environment. At this point, she had to admit that she was just an ordinary girl...

They like fashionable and trendy things, enjoy being in the spotlight, and like being looked at with admiration and respect by others.

But aside from her undeniably cute and pretty face, she doesn't seem to have anything particularly outstanding about her...

However, the sworn brother in front of her now, busy in the kitchen, is a true "all-rounder" who excels in every aspect.

Chihaya Aine naturally developed a very high level of affection for Kurusu Akira.

This positive feeling, coupled with her trust in her parents, almost made her forget that she was living with a guy she had only known for two days...

After all, Akira Kurusu was his cousin, whom his parents acknowledged as living far away in Kyoto.

Chihaya Aine readily accepted Akira Kurusu into her life and was always swooning over this older brother who took care of her every day... Although she knew it was embarrassing and not quite right, the truth was, she often lost herself in thought when she saw Akira Kurusu's face...

For example, right now.

Chihaya Aine watched her brother busy in the kitchen, her gaze lingering especially on his face, which seemed more handsome than any teenage idol, and felt her heart pounding.

"Chihaya Aine, what are you thinking? This is your brother!" She couldn't help but curse herself inwardly for being so useless.

Akira Kurusu had already demonstrated his culinary skills as a single adult male, and soon brought out two exquisite Japanese breakfasts from the kitchen.

Chihaya Aine quickly lowered her face, but her bright red ears in her hair betrayed her thoughts.

Akira glanced at the shy girl. She was a high school freshman who would not be 16 years old for a while, and she was too immature in every way.

However, he had already gotten used to the troubles that Homura Akemi's residual magic caused in his daily life.

He hadn't forgotten that he moved into this upscale duplex apartment with the mission of "making Chihaya Aine fall in love with him."

Of course, the apartment was rented by Homura Akemi.

However, the monthly rent isn't deducted from Homura Akemi's bank account, but rather...

Just as she sat down at the dining table in the living room, Lai Qixiao glanced at her lit-up phone screen.

[Tsurumaki Kokoro: Mr. Phantom Thief~!]

[String Heart: Remember to "go to work" today too~]

[Xuan Juanxin: The work is, of course, the same as before...]

To clarify beforehand, the Kirijo Group, which originally organized the "Shadow Patrol" in this world, has collapsed for various unknown reasons.

The Tsurumaki Foundation inherited the Kirijo family's research on cognitive science and shadows, as well as the Kirijo family's mission, and thus began an active self-examination.

According to Homura Akemi, in all the cycles, this colossal figure standing atop Tokyo will eventually become a supporter of the Phantom Thieves and the returning Shadow Patrol, someone who can be trusted no matter what.

Considering that this cycle is to put into practice the plan of "binding all witches with love in advance".

Therefore, Homura Akemi directly helped the young lady of the Genmaki Foundation awaken all the memories related to Akira Kurusu.

Similarly, to avoid Akira Kurusu feeling awkward or uncomfortable, she also helped him recover many memories about Kokoro Tsurumaki.

This girl, who had fallen in love with Akira Kurusu countless times and was as noble and dazzling as gold, accepted Homura Akemi's plan without hesitation.

However, Genjuro Kokoro ultimately had his own selfish motives.

So she found Akira Kurusu a job with such great pay that it would make anyone in Tokyo envious...

【String Heart: Play with me!】

All you need to do is serve Miss Tsurumaki well, and you can mobilize the conglomerate's resources at will.

But Kokoro knew long ago that Akira Kurusu wasn't the type to serve others.

Therefore, she would never give Akira Kurusu any orders that servants would do.

A girl in the throes of puberty, harboring intense romantic feelings for Akira Kurusu, naturally requests her company in various private settings...

Anyway, my first day working at Qixiao was spent in the ridiculously large bedroom and bed of the Genmaki Heart.

The day's work was only completed when the young lady, who had undergone the "persona to unlock potential" surgery, exhausted her excessive energy.

Of course, Chihaya Aine hadn't returned to Japan yet at that time, so Kurusu Akira naturally spent the night with Tsurumaki Kokoro in her arms.

Tsurumaki Kokoro could clearly sense the subtle changes in her beloved boy's appearance, an almost succubus-like, hateful attraction.

This made the free-spirited girl even more infatuated, wishing she could stay in bed with Lai Qixiao every day, and fascinated by the smiles they showed each other in the morning after their lovemaking.

However, she never forgot her identity as a student.

So after greedily enjoying Akira Kurusu's time all to herself for a whole week, Kokoro Tsurumaki finally ended her long vacation, which she had applied for and approved herself through the school administration system, and returned to her daily life on campus with the band.

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"Brother, are you going to work again?"

Chihaya Aine noticed the lit-up phone screen of Kurusu Akira and the hint of fatigue in his eyes.

The girl's voice was high-pitched and thin, as if she was deliberately speaking in a high-pitched voice... but Akira knew that this was just her natural voice.

Chihaya Aine is indeed a very cute child. Her only flaw is that she likes to show off, but even this so-called flaw seems insignificant to Kurusu Akira from an adult's perspective.

He scooped up some miso soup with a spoon and answered his "adopted sister's" question, "Of course I have to work. My job is a bit special; whether I get a day off or not depends entirely on the boss's mood. But today is also the first day of school for Ai Yin, right?"

Chihaya Aine took a sip of miso soup, feeling the warmth roll from her throat to her stomach, and couldn't help but squint her eyes contentedly, "It's delicious!"

Akira Kurusu nodded, acknowledging Chihaya Aine's praise.

Do you need me to take you to school?

He had a complete grasp of his adopted sister's very straightforward and easy-to-understand personality.

When Chihaya Aine heard that Kurusu Akira was going to take her to school, her eyes seemed to light up.

Haneoka is an all-girls academy, and it's always been a hotbed of the latest fashion news. With a stunningly handsome guy like Akira Kurusu escorting her, Chihaya Aine could already imagine how popular she'd be after the semester started...

Chihaya Aine bit her tongue, forcing herself to calm down.

Akira Kurusu is her older brother... she thought to herself. Since they're family, she couldn't treat them like she was using them...

I have to make things clear with him... Chihaya Aine knows how annoying the girls' school is. If those girls find out about her relationship with Kurusu Akira, they will definitely pester her relentlessly until they get Kurusu Akira's contact information.

She knew she wasn't someone who could make very firm decisions in various matters, so she would eventually give Akira Kurusu's Line or MSN number to her classmate...

Indeed, it's better not to let my brother take me to school.

Having made her decision, Chihaya Aine put down her chopsticks. Though reluctant, she still needed to explain to Kurusu Akira...

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"In that case, why don't you just say we're dating?"

Unexpectedly, Akira Kurusu's words were surprising, causing Aine Chihaya's fair face to turn bright red.

She shook her head hurriedly, her hands clenched into small fists and placed on her knees, unsure of what to do.

"H-How could you...?" Chihaya Aine stammered, "We're siblings!"

Akira Kurusu, however, disagreed, saying, "It's precisely because we're siblings that we can lie so openly."

He looked at Chihaya Aine, "Anyway, there's still some time before work starts. Rather than letting my sister wander around the train station alone with her phone's navigation, it's better to bring you to school... After all, my workplace isn't far from Haneoka."

That's certainly not far—

Akira Kurusu's "work" location is Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy, which is only two tram stops away.

Recently, the young lady has been keeping a "cat" at the junior high school, but she also has to deal with a project related to Persona research, so she often leaves the "cat" to Akira Kurusu to take care of.

The so-called "cat" is actually a fourteen-year-old girl.

Because her behavior and way of thinking are exactly like a stray cat, coupled with her adorable appearance that perfectly fits the "cat-like beauty" stereotype, and her very rare white hair and heterochromatic eyes...

In short, Akira Kurusu himself seemed to be enjoying it.

Although he was hailed as a legendary composer by Homura Akemi and Kokoro Tsurumaki, he knew that those viral songs were nothing more than parroting others' ideas using the power of Persona.

However, he was still given a private office in the school's administration building by Genjuro Kokoro, where he was to do many shady things.

For example, owning a cat.

Another example is accompanying a young lady to "work out".

But recently, the young lady seems to feel that her daily life is not exciting enough, and plans to have him bring the "cat" whose affection level has been rising back to the Scroll House to spend the night together.

The topic should end here, since thinking about it any further would involve something akin to committing a crime...

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Upon hearing Akira Kurusu's suggestion, Chihaya Aine agreed with a mixture of surprise and delight. After finishing breakfast, she unpacked her school uniform with a completely different enthusiasm than when she left home and ran into her bedroom to change.

Akira thought to herself, if she went over there now and opened the door to say that she wanted to see Chihaya Aine changing clothes... although it would scare her into tears, given her current level of affection, the girl would probably grit her teeth and agree shyly in the end, right?

However, doing so will definitely affect the progress of the "strategy".

Akira Kurusu plans to take their relationship to the level of romance at the right time.

It wasn't that he actually had any improper thoughts about Chihaya Aine, a girl with a slender figure who looked young; he simply wanted to prevent the possibility of a witch being born.

While Chihaya Aine is indeed very cute and would certainly be a great girlfriend...

The phantom thief shook his head and began clearing away the tableware.

......

Before leaving home, Chihaya Aine bent down to pull at the edge of her dark green stockings and then adjusted the heels of her brown leather shoes. Once she felt they fit, she walked briskly beside Akira Kurusu, carrying her schoolbag.

Suddenly she saw the boy in front of her reach out his hand to her.

Chihaya Aine subconsciously shrank her shoulders, looked around for a while, and then cautiously asked Kurusu Akira.

"Brother, what is this...?"

“Since we’re going to pretend to be a couple, we should at least make it look convincing,” Akira Kurusu’s calm and composed tone made Aine Chihaya feel a little more relaxed.

She probably felt guilty and turned around as if to find a non-existent camera behind her, but there was only a closed door behind her.

With a flushed face, she slowly took the left hand that Lai Xixiao offered, feeling even more shy, and her knees trembled as she walked.

For the first time, Chihaya Aine realized that taking the train could be such a long experience.

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