Tokyo Heart Thief's Daily Life

"Well... actually it's okay. I'm working overtime on my own initiative to investigate the case of that phantom thief."

Niijima Sae sighed in self-mockery.

Logically speaking, it should be a good thing that over the past three years, many important figures have voluntarily surrendered themselves to the authorities and exposed crimes that were difficult to detect.

But from the prosecutor's point of view, it is indeed their duty to consider "why they surrendered themselves".

Sae Niijima doesn't believe that there is any superpower in this world that can make criminal scum repent from a distance.

If such a superhero really existed, then my father wouldn't have to die...

Niijima Sae shook his head. "As you know, the current head of the Special Investigation Department was appointed two years ago. The previous head resigned due to this inexplicable "repentance" incident, and he is still in custody and has not yet been sentenced."

"This parachuted-in minister is, to put it mildly, easygoing and easygoing, but to put it bluntly, he's just here to get a job. He's completely uninterested in investigating the so-called Phantom Thieves, even going so far as to say something as idiotic as, 'Since the Phantom Thieves can get the bad guys to surrender, that makes our job easier, so why not just let them keep doing it?' He's completely lost in thought."

Niijima Sae grew angrier as he spoke.

I couldn't help but confide all those complaints and negative emotions to my sister.

To be honest, on a personal level, Niijima Sae doesn't care about this so-called phantom thief.

No matter what means were used to do it, Niijima Sae just wanted to regard it as a great achievement and bring him to justice personally.

The current Special Investigation Director is not very interested in the case, which has almost cut off Niijima Sae's path to advancement, forcing her to slowly build up her experience by burying herself in tedious public prosecution cases.

...But fortunately, Chief Justice Yoshizawa wants to catch the thief.

Then it is valuable to take the initiative to work overtime.

If you can get the support of the Chief Justice, you can pave the way for your future career.

Sae Niijima just wants to keep winning in this professional casino by any means necessary.

Seeing his sister's eyes suddenly become sharp, Niijima was a little scared.

But she still mustered up the courage and tried to strike up a conversation:

"Sister, you've worked so hard. By the way, was the information that Luo Zhenjun handed over yesterday useful to you, sister?"

Niijima Sae: "Ah. That's the list of students Kamoshida punished, along with the transcripts and signatures of the students involved. It might not be helpful in catching the Phantom Thief, but it's certainly useful in prosecuting and convicting Kamoshida. He's quite organized for a high school student. He's certainly a promising young man."

Thinking of that handsome boy with glasses, Niijima Sae had a very good impression of him.

Not to mention that he was a young man promoted by Chief Justice Yoshizawa, he would have established a good relationship with him no matter what.

And Luo Zhen did help her.

The information he collected at Shujin Academy was all meaningful and concise, just like a professional prosecutor.

Of course, Sae Niijima didn't know that all this information was collected by Luo Zhen, who asked his good brother Ryuji to interview the victims of the volleyball club one by one, collect the recordings and signatures, and then archive them.

In order to ensure the authenticity, Luo Zhen also went to another world to find the shadows of those involved and confirmed the facts.

He now has a lot of evidence on hand against parents and teachers who want to protect Kamoshida.

It would be too deliberate to give it all out at once, so Luo Zhen waited to give it to her in batches.

Although the Phantom Thief is still a headless case.

But at least being the one who prosecuted and convicted Kamoshida, the former Olympic champion, could be considered a remarkable achievement. Niijima Sae never took credit for anything.

Seeing her sister collapsed on the sofa, she felt so exhausted that her sister Shinjima felt distressed and concerned:

"The hot water in the bathroom is ready, and the food will be hot soon. Do you want to eat first, or take a shower?"

"Well...let's take a shower first."

Niijima Sae took a deep breath and tried to cheer himself up.

No matter how hard or tiring it is, as a prosecutor, I must not be as lazy as those rock-and-roll scoundrels. I must keep my appearance polished.

Appearance is also one's [weapon].

It is the chip that keeps you winning in this dangerous and unfair [casino].

It was just that during this long and tense struggle, Niijima Sae would occasionally become distracted and daydream about something:

"If Xiao Zhen could get closer to that Luo Zhen, I wouldn't have to worry about her future... But that doesn't mean there's no point in relying on men."

I have come to where I am today by fighting my way through the male-dominated workplace.

How could it be possible that at this point, I still expect my sister to rely on a man and have a stable life?

...In the end, the only one you can rely on is yourself!

Niijima Sae rinsed his body with slightly cool water, and while washing, he also strengthened his will again.

......But...

“Ugh…?!”

As she stepped out of the shower, she felt a sudden and intense wave of dizziness.

She leaned against the glass door, her heart beating faster and her adrenaline rushing!

She suddenly felt an intense uneasiness that she couldn't suppress.

The thief was so powerful that he had never been caught in the three years since he was discovered. It was even unknown whether it was a gang or an individual who committed the crime.

...I can't defeat the Phantom Thief.

Niijima Sae suddenly felt inexplicably timid, and her body couldn't stop feeling cold after just taking a shower!

"Sister? Are you okay?"

Shin Shinjima noticed the noise in the bathroom and knocked on the door to ask with concern.

......Yes, I also have a younger sister.

Feeling the care of his only relative, Niijima Saena's sudden fear eased a little:

"It's nothing, just a little low blood sugar. ...I guess I really need to cut back on my overtime work. I'll die early if I keep this up."

"—Sister! You're such a jinx! Don't say such things!"

His sister's angry movements were so cute, and Niijima Sae felt like a sister-con for the first time in a long time.

Even for the sake of this sister, I have to live longer.

Niijima Sae smiled softly.

I thought I would go out and play with her on the next day off.

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Luo Zhen: "That's right. For your sister's sake, you should stop being so stubborn and reckless."

In another world, in Niijima Sae's palace, Luo Zhen was also admonishing the shadow under his feet.

Through the information about the prosecutor that Futaba had collected early on, Luo Zhen quickly guessed the keyword for her palace.

The place where she is obsessed with desire is the [Court], and the distorted image is the [Casino].

As a prosecutor, treating the court as a casino seems a bit wrong at first glance.

But Japanese prosecutors, especially prosecutors in the Special Investigation Department of the District Public Prosecutors Office.

Once a lawsuit is filed, the chance of winning is 100%. This is often ridiculed in various lawyer-related TV dramas.

No matter how outrageous the number is, this is a real unspoken rule.

The prosecutor will not lose, and cannot lose. Once he loses, everything is over.

The same is true of Sae Niijima's palace, this extravagant casino.

Every gambling link here is operated behind closed doors, with the sole purpose of making the guests who come here lose all their money.

Unlike Kamoshida's shallow palace, which captures people as slaves, Niijima Sae's standards for people are obviously much higher. There are many NPCs in the palace who are addicted to gambling like real people.

These should be the "criminals" that Niijima Sae subconsciously recognizes.

Relying on the chips she won from these prisoners, she can climb up step by step and eventually reach her ideal high position.

So after understanding the essence of this palace, Luo Zhen immediately came up with a strategy.

He didn't follow the rules and work his way up through these cheating gambling games.

To win against those who know that they are cheating, you must also break the rules and take the initiative.

Luo Zhen made a bet directly to the high-ranking dealer: "'If I lose, I will tell you the true identity of the Phantom Thief and I will also go with you to surrender.'"

The stubborn Shadow was easily hooked, especially a more paranoid type like Sae Niijima.

As long as he could get the Palace Master's Shadow to come out and fight in person, Luo Zhen didn't think he would lose no matter how much she cheated.

Even now.

The shadow of Niijima Saena, who was wearing heavy smoky makeup and a very revealing and sexy evening dress, was now crawling at his feet in embarrassment.

The vicious dog woman with a yellow rose on her head glared at him murderously:

"[Winner takes all, that's the rule of society! So what's wrong with wanting to win... Is it right to be a self-satisfied good person, like that man who had a sense of justice but left his two daughters to suffer?!]"

"[I'm not wrong, I'm not wrong...! Kill me if you dare!]"

Unlike Kamoshida's ugly Shadow, Niijima Sae's Shadow, even though he looks punk and rebellious, is still very tenacious at heart.

Even though she lost to Luo Zhen in terms of violence, the shadow did not choose to escape or beg for mercy, but instead fought stubbornly like a female knight who would never surrender.

Luo Zhen thought about it.

He could indeed destroy Niijima Sae's shadow right now, but it would be meaningless.

He had no grudge against this prosecutor, and simply killing Shadow would only render her useless.

The palace's secret treasure is still in the deepest part, and you must obtain it if you want to change your heart.

But Niijima Sae's shadow was so stubborn that he would not give it up voluntarily just to beg for mercy.

So.

Luo Zhen suddenly changed his offensive, and arrogantly said under the cover of the Phantom Thief's mask:

"Don't be so unfriendly, Madam Prosecutor. I'm giving you a chance to challenge me. Not only will I not kill you now, I'll even come to your casino often in the future."

"I will make you admit defeat with conviction, and one day you will voluntarily surrender to me. Until then, you can continue to work hard and try to catch me."

"You... you cheating Phantom Thief! Criminal!!"

She is the dealer who blatantly cheats in the casino, but she still doesn't allow others to cheat. There is really nothing that can be done about it.

Luo Zhen did not refute her, but acted even more defiantly:

"I did cheat, so what? Either you surrender, or you try to struggle again and show me how to do it."

"Ah, but don't you know a high school student named Luo Zhen? He's my old rival, and he's the only one who's almost made me, a Phantom Thief, retire in recent years. If you work with him more closely, maybe things will be more difficult... But relying on a high school student is embarrassing, right? Don't force yourself, I'll come to play with you next time."

"[...What? That high school student...Wait! You think you can just leave after winning?! I won't tolerate that...Come again! Challenge me again, Heart Thief!]"

"Remember my name, I'm 'The Fool'."

Luo Zhen waved his hand in a dashing manner and rode away on the light of Eros, the god of desire.

By manipulating the shadow's cognition, Luo Zhen can influence the person's subconscious mind and plant many [suggestions].

This certainly won't make you obey instructions like real hypnosis, but it's more than enough to influence your mentality.

The eagerness for success that Sae Niijima showed through Shadow, the impatience for achieving results, is very easy to exploit.

Luo Zhen deliberately emphasized his identity in front of her shadow, which helped to cultivate her understanding of the real "Luo Zhen".

After coming to this palace a few more times in the future, Niijima Sae will definitely develop the "Luo Zhen" that she knows.

The more she values ​​herself subconsciously, the easier it is to talk to her in real life...and it will be more convenient to ask her for help with many things.

This is the cheating that Luo Zhen needs most.

Luo Zhen was filled with emotion as he realized that he had finally used the abilities of another world for his own benefit.

But he didn't regret it at all and was very happy with himself.

This is called pretending to be cool and then running away, so exciting.