Tokyo Heart Thief's Daily Life

This time, the scene is still the same studio.

Banmu looked older and had more wrinkles on his face.

But now it’s not him sitting in front of the canvas...but a young woman.

She has delicate and beautiful facial features. She looks a little haggard, but her eyes are bright.

A bunch of black hair was tied into a braid and gently hung down from the shoulders, adding a touch of gentleness.

"Sayuri...!"

Kitagawa Yusuke almost couldn't control his emotions, and his hands were shaking noticeably.

Indeed, the image of this woman is very similar to the controversial painting "Sayuri", even the clothes she wears are the same.

......Madarame's famous work "Sayuri" is a self-portrait of Kitagawa Yusuke's mother.

So needless to say, this woman is...

"[Your health is already in such a bad state, why don't you just take good care of yourself and stay out of the studio?]"

Madarame frowned worriedly and consoled him beside the easel:

"Yusuke is still too young and needs his mother. Even for his sake, you should spend more time with him..."

"But teacher, you know I don't have time anymore."

The woman's voice was gentle yet firm.

Her hand holding the paintbrush was steady, but her arms were too slender.

Her eyes were always focused on the painting, as if she couldn't bear to waste even a moment:

"This painting is all I can leave for that child. When Yusuke grows up, even if I am gone, this painting will still be by his side."

“[…Yes, this painting is beautiful.]”

Madarame, who was also a painter, knew that there was nothing more to persuade.

He sighed sincerely:

"[In my futile life, I have only admired countless paintings. Therefore, I know that this is an excellent work.]"

"You truly put all your love into this. Putting aside the rather straightforward theme of a mother holding a child, the expression you portrayed is already deeply moving, and everyone watching can sense your love for your child."

...a mother holding her child???

Except for Kitagawa, the other audience members present discovered that this painting of "Sayuri" was different from the one circulated among the public.

Madarame's famous work became popular with the gimmick of "Japan's Mona Lisa".

The painting only contained the woman's infinitely gentle eyes and smile, but the lower half of the painting was covered with clouds and mist in the style of the Spring and Autumn Period, without any detailed description.

But the painting in front of me is clearly a clear painting of [a mother holding a baby in her arms]!

What is going on here is not understood by those who don't understand painting.

In the memory, the woman who heard Madarame's praise laughed:

"Everyone says that Madarame-sensei has a sharp eye and will point out any flaws. But you only praise me. Aren't you really concerned about my health?"

Haha, Madarame also laughed:

"[Even though I'm your teacher, criticism is my job. And I never lie about painting. You can trust me.]"

"I'm not criticizing you, simply because I can't find anything to criticize. If there's a way to elevate the painting's value, it's to make the subject more mysterious, like removing the baby in the arms. But this isn't a commercial work, it's for your child... so of course, that's better."

Haggard woman: "Yes. Thank you, Madarame-sensei. I'm so grateful to have a mentor like you... cough cough cough! cough cough cough!!"

Suddenly, the woman, unable to catch her breath, let out a heart-wrenching cough.

She trembled and fell off her chair, overturning the easel.

Madarame was horrified: "[What's wrong with you?! Are you sick?!...I, I'll call an ambulance right away!]"

"[Medicine...medicine...in my bag, there is...]"

The woman, unable to breathe, was in great pain and covered her throat, desperately seeking air.

Madarame hurriedly rummaged through his bag and pulled out the medicine bottle.

...Then, at the moment he turned around, Madarame saw Sayuri knocked to the ground...the famous painting of the future.

——Incitement!

A dark surge, the strongest emotional impact so far, a terrifying sting.

It was different from the negative emotions I had felt so far.

At this moment, what emerged from Madara's eyes was a madness as loud as thunder.

If I do nothing and let this woman die in front of me...

Then no one would know of the existence of the painting, and no one would be able to prove its owner.

This will become his work, a masterpiece that is a late bloomer of [Madame Ikryusai]!

"...I'm forced to work part-time as a painting teacher to make a living. Yet, I watch as my own students surpass me. A masterpiece, one I'll never be able to catch up to, is about to be created here."

"But what a waste, what a waste... Your paintings could be taken to a higher level. If you didn't just leave them to your children, but packaged them better as a product... then they would not only be accepted into prestigious art galleries, but could even reach the pinnacle of the industry...!"

Madarame smiled.

With fear and timidity.

At the same time, there is an overwhelming sense of meanness and desire, and a creepy smile.

The great sin called Vanity took shape here, creating a monster.

...The memory ends here, and everything dissolves into the dark mud.

Feeling the evil of human nature so vividly for the first time made An and Subaru shudder and tremble with their arms around themselves.

This is so vile it shouldn't even be shown to these naive high school students.

Luo Zhen clenched the Desire Stone in his hand and refined it in an instant.

The crystallization of vanity gleamed in his palm, with an extremely ugly beauty.

Luo Zhen hid the criminal thing and looked at the most dangerous person at the moment:

"Yusuke...I won't say anything more."

"But no matter what you decide to do, be prepared. Don't let yourself regret it."

"......I know."

At first glance, the young man, who appeared unmoved, simply closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Only the frost spreading from his feet was so piercing that it seemed to be able to freeze people's hearts.

176. I'm Not a Rape Criminal (5k)

On that day, the bandit group did not directly attack the deepest part of the temple.

After all, Madarame's palace is far more dangerous than Kamoshida's. Even if there are more people on this side, it is not a good thing to fight too hard.

So they agreed to continue the battle tomorrow and then dispersed.

...and then.

Xing, Shiho, An and Subaru, who had returned to Luo Zhen's house together very naturally, were now sitting around the coffee table, having a girls' tea party.

They ate the midnight snacks and yogurt made by Luo Zhen, and talked to each other with emotion.

Xing: "What a shame! If only Misty and Sumire's families weren't so strict, they could come play with us."

Subaru: "That's right~, that's the advantage of living alone. Oh, but Shiho-chan lives with her parents too, right? Won't it be exposed if she doesn't go home all the time?"

Shiho: "Yeah, Xing will cover for me. I've been staying over at her house since junior high, and my parents are used to it."

It’s so nice to have a lifelong friend who is as close as a sister. An and Subaru sipped soy milk with envy.

Luo Zhen, who provided them with a steady supply of snacks... no, snacks, came over with freshly fried French fries and complained:

"Honestly, do you have to come home with me every time we're dismissed? Besides, this shabby house can't hold so many people, and we have school tomorrow. What are you going to do?"

Nina: "What's the matter? Luo Zhen, you can take us back."

Luo Zhenjia's lead singer Xingxing argued and fully accepted this chaotic relationship.

Because the other world navigation can only be used to enter and exit fixed points, it cannot be used to travel through time.

But combined with Luo Zhen's suicide entry and exit method, now the girls are very good at taking advantage of his ability.

After the Phantom Thieves finished their work, they naturally returned to reality with Luo Zhen.

When they were tired of playing and it was time to sleep, Luo Zhen would send them home through the other world.

Renai has experienced this method several times, and it is convenient for her to go back to her rental house to get a change of clothes.

Although this is definitely an abuse of the ability from another world...but Luo Zhen is so soft-hearted that he can't do anything when they act coquettishly.

They not only exploit your body, but also your spirit... How evil!

Luo Zhen was too lazy to complain anymore and just let them do as they pleased.

......But.

After chatting about the girls' secrets for a while, the group naturally talked about the topic of today's strategy.

Taoxiang sucked on the French fries, not realizing how precious it was for a man to be able to make fried food at home. She just lay on the sofa and said carelessly:

"Kitagawa Yusuke, will he kill Madarame?"

Hmm... The other girls nodded solemnly.

They are not stupid, and they have all witnessed the terrifying malice in the lustful stone that turned into a demon in an instant.

There is no explanation or room for redemption. Madarame is the murderer of Kitagawa Yusuke's mother.

Although it's not direct murder.

But the cold-bloodedness and malice of not helping in such a situation are even more horrifying.

It was also because of witnessing that scene that the girls today didn't even pester Luo Zhen for public grain... they didn't have that mood.

Although Kitagawa seemed to remain calm at first glance.

But they could also see that he was ready for revenge.

"To see someone so maliciously watch someone die in front of them just to own a painting...it's truly terrifying."

Zhifan hugged one leg on the sofa and rested it on his knees for a sense of security:

"I still can't imagine the feelings of the person involved. Although I also saw the memories of that Madarame and know that he spent his whole life pursuing success... but killing someone for this reason is really..."

Taoxiang: "I can kill people. I'm so unwilling to give up that I go crazy."

Still the only adult present, Taoxiang spoke while drinking Luo Zhen's homemade yogurt.

It was rare for her not to drink tonight, and she didn't feel the atmosphere was the kind where she could relax.

To her younger sisters, Taoxiang is now able to be honest:

"I can't say I understand Madarame, but at least I can understand one tenth of his... or one percent of his resentment?"

"Of course I'm not trying to excuse him. I'm just saying that sometimes, the feeling of pouring your soul into something and not getting the expected return can really drive a person crazy. I could write at least three songs right now that express this feeling with despairing lyrics... I might even end up being the one who leads a fan girl to suicide."

This kind of news can be heard from time to time. Negative emotions are also one of the core carriers of music.

But even if you can understand the criminal's motives, it certainly does not mean that you accept or even agree with his actions.

Renna also hugged her legs and leaned on the armrest of the sofa like a little baby:

"I don't agree with letting Kitagawa kill Madarame."

"While I understand the desire for revenge, even if it means dying together with the enemy, I still want to destroy the enemy. ... But it's still not worth it. This approach is definitely wrong."

Yasu and Subaru: "Well, Nina, what you said is indeed reasonable. If possible, we should definitely bring Madarame to justice and convict him of murder... But seriously, is that possible? Even with the irrefutable evidence from that time?"

Uh...the girls were silent.

If Niijima, whose father is a police officer and whose sister is a prosecutor, were really here, perhaps he could provide them with some reference from the perspective of law and actual precedents.