Tokyo Psychic

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(There is another chapter "Six in One" at 0:00, which will finish the story of Toyokawa Shoko's father's repentance in one go, and also push up the favorability.)

072. Repent (Five chapters in one!!)

（月初加更：5/10、6/10、7/10、8/10、9/10、）

(Together with the previous chapter, this totals 18,000 words.)

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The night was silent, and a cicada on some tree suddenly chirped in a drawn-out tone. It was clearly the beginning of early summer, but it felt like the Waking of Insects in mid-spring.

In the deepest room of "Fujiki House", Goto, wearing a cardboard box on his head, staggered and then fell to the ground.

After a dull thud, Rupa quickly took off the cardboard box on her head and helped the guitarist of her band up.

Ebizka Tomo was about to criticize Goto for being so used to playing guitar solos that she always rushed to the beat, but when he saw her red fingers, he swallowed all his words silently, clicked his lips in dissatisfaction, and then looked at bassist Rupa.

"We're missing a lead singer."

Rupa patted her head in a comforting gesture. Although she was quickly slapped away in anger, she still smiled gently. "It can't be helped. After all, Xiaozhi gets shy when he sings... If we give the cardboard box to Goto-san, there will be no one else who can take on the lead singer position."

Ebizuka Satoshi glared at her in embarrassment, "Who, who would be shy about singing?"

Frightened by the band's keyboardist's terrifying aura, Goto Doku was so frightened that he dared not move. He hid behind An and Subaru, holding a cardboard box with a depressed look on his face.

An He Subaru calmly moved his butt towards her, covering up the socially anxious guitarist completely.

The two girls opposite seemed to have reached a conclusion through discussion, and finally turned their heads to look at An and Subaru.

"Pleiades!"

"Miss An He!"

And they said it in unison.

"Could you please go pick up another lead singer?"

"How is it possible to do such a thing?"

An and Subaru laughed. "You guys discussed this for so long and this is the result?" A makeshift band like this uses "Budokan" as their slogan every day...

She raised the drumstick in her hand and hit the scratch pad hard as if to vent her anger, causing a metallic clanging sound.

Not willing to be outdone, Satoshi Ebizka pressed keys on the electronic keyboard continuously, and the room was immediately filled with the harsh and sharp screams of crows.

Rupa looked at them in such a sullen manner, changed his posture, and then smiled as he fiddled with the bass in his hand. Immediately, a series of low cough-like sounds were heard.

It was clear that just a moment ago, he was about to quarrel at any moment, but now he started playing again, as if all his emotions were fully expressed through the instrument in his hands...

So cool... Is this rock 'n' roll?

Goto sat alone on the ground in a daze, watching the three girls in the room change their expressions without any warning, and felt an urgent urge to fit in.

......

Kurusu Akatsuki swiped his card at the tram station, found the Shibuya Station sign, and strode towards it.

On one side of the gray-white wall were posted flyers for various tutoring institutions. Against the backdrop of this spell-like pattern of colorful blocks of color and countless phone numbers, a well-dressed man in a suit and tie, wearing a baseball cap, dressed like a social animal, was sleeping soundly against the wall.

As I got closer, I could see that he was holding a small plastic lollipop stick in his mouth and had some fine, light blue stubble on his face.

As if by some mysterious connection, the man opened his eyes when Kurusu Akatsuki approached.

"You are the one."

He stood up very quickly and grabbed Kurusu Akatsuki's shoulders.

"Huh?" Kurusu Akatsuki almost threw him over her shoulder reflexively.

As if sensing Kurusu Akatsuki's confusion, the man pulled the plastic stick out of his mouth, glanced around awkwardly, and when he didn't see any trash can, he simply put the plastic stick in his trouser pocket.

Then he fished out a red and blue business card from his coat pocket and handed it to Kurusu Akatsuki. "Excuse me, I'm Munehisa Iwai, a professional agent at Atlus Idol Agency."

Iwai Munehisa adopted an irresistible attitude. "Young man, you have excellent looks. Would you consider working for us? Our agency operates professional record and film companies, and one of its founders is the master music producer, Mr. Masashi Meguro. The agency has been in Tokyo for half a century. While it may not be as well-known as those larger companies, its qualifications and foundation are not much inferior."

Rather than a professional agent in the firm, his behavior seemed more like a bloody and ruthless debt collector in the underworld. The way he reached out to open the briefcase seemed as if he would pull out a pistol at any time.

Kurusu Akatsuki calmly took the business card from him and said, "I'm still a high school student and I have no plans to give up my studies for the time being. Let me think about it and we can talk later."

Iwai Munehisa paused after opening the briefcase he was carrying, and stared at Kurusu Akatsuki in surprise for a while...A normal high school student should have been intimidated by him and would just nod his head, but he used this trick to easily find qualified young people from all over Japan to come to his firm for interviews.

I remember it happened just last year, when he was on a business trip near Osaka, and with just a few words he sent the now famous "Suzumiya Haruhi" from Hyogo Prefecture to Tokyo along with her chair.

Of course, after becoming famous, the girl with a casual personality left a very catchy line: "I've had enough of rock music. I'm going to travel to the moon. See you next year." Then she disappeared from Tokyo without a trace.

If Miss Haruhi Suzumiya had not left behind an alternative rock song called "To the Moon" before leaving, indicating that she was going to collect materials... I'm afraid everyone would really think that she was walking at night and was sunk into Tokyo Bay by her black fans.

However, thanks to this, Iwai Sohisa's monthly income, which had been stable for half a year, suddenly plummeted and was about to hit rock bottom. At the tram station, he met this boy who was so handsome that his agent was surprised that "if he doesn't debut as an idol, it will be the biggest loss to the entertainment industry."

Kurusu Akatsuki was very interested in anything that could make money, but he was very busy tonight, so he casually said a few words to Iwai Sohyu, threw the other party's business card into his pocket, and hurried to the waiting hall.

Iwai Munehisa didn't try to persuade him to stay, but just watched with regret as his back gradually disappeared from his sight.

After entering the carriage which seemed empty due to the lack of passengers, Kurusu Akatsuki found a seat opposite and sat down. The latest talk show on the education channel was playing on the in-car TV.

Mr. Shinma Koren, principal of Shin Kawasaki, a renowned performing arts school in Kawasaki City, spoke out for all the victims of the incident.

"My students are all lovely and sensible children. They had bright futures, beautiful prospects, and endless possibilities... However, due to recent negligence in campus security and neglect of students' mental health education, their blossoming lives have been cut short... I am deeply saddened by this."

To ensure similar incidents do not occur again, I have personally funded the establishment of mental health counseling departments in the health clinics of Shin-Kawasaki and other arts and cram schools. Furthermore, I plan to return to Tokyo and attend Shujin High School to continue practicing our educational philosophy of prioritizing student mental health and safety, and maintaining school safety.

【...】

"My 'Mental Health Education Department' is going to increase club funding?"

Kurusu Akatsuki watched the fleeting image of Shinma Xiaolian on the car TV and couldn't help but think wildly: Now the 'Other World Navigation APP' is completely obsolete. If he wants to make him repent, he can only wait until he returns to Xiujin and then see if he can forcibly break into his inner world.

The scenery outside the window seemed to be frosted and blurred, scraping against the night sky. When the train arrived at the station, Kurusu Akatsuki was the only one left in the carriage.

He stood up slowly and walked out of the station.

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at the same time.

Shibuya Central Street, "Big Bang" burger restaurant.

After completing her part-time job, Shoko Toyokawa bowed to the store manager to express her gratitude, took her salary for today, picked up a staff meal from the kitchen, and sat in the corner of the restaurant.

The staff meal was very affordable, a "signature Mars Explosion Burger", a bucket of "Moon Chicken Nuggets", and two boxes of "Flying Saucer Egg Tarts"... the price was 1200 yen, but she actually only paid 600 yen.

Toyokawa Shoko put on disposable gloves and whispered to the empty seat opposite, "I'm starting."

It is a common Japanese custom to say a short prayer before meals, usually to express gratitude for the food and respect for the people who prepared it.

Before a meal, people would say "Itadakimasu (Please let me enjoy)", and after a meal, they would say "Gochisousamardeshita (Thank you for the meal)", letting the gratitude for the food flow from beginning to end... Maybe this is the case for all island countries, with few resources and very little arable land, so food seems even more difficult to come by.

At least life here is more comfortable than in the neighboring peninsula country. Although meat and vegetables are as expensive as precious metals, at least it is not difficult to eat meat.

It's said that the peninsula countries over there are so poor that they only have kimchi left, and even the state banquets for VIPs are kimchi buffets...

Kurusu Akatsuki sat down opposite her.

"Can you give me some?" The thief looked eagerly.

Toyokawa Shoko silently pushed the box of egg tarts in front of her to him and said, "You didn't have dinner."

"It's too late."

"Hmm..." Toyokawa Shoko hesitated for a moment, then pushed the hamburger in front of her to him, "There are still a lot of chicken nuggets, you can eat more."

She blinked and said, "I need to keep in shape. Eating so much at night will make me fat."

"Thank you very much." The thief put his hands together and prayed in an awkward manner.

Toyokawa Shoko took off the glove on her left hand and handed it to Kurusu Akatsuki. She then took a small bite of the egg tart and said, "I'll leave it to you tonight."

Then she felt a vibration in her pocket and the phone rang.

Shoko Toyokawa picked up the phone with her free left hand, and when she saw the contact note on it, her expression immediately tensed. She put down the egg tart, made a hushing gesture to Kurusu Akatsuki, and then answered the call.

"Hello, this is Toyokawa Shoko."

"Yeah." The person on the other end of the phone just answered with a very brief interjection.

Then, after a few seconds of silence, that familiar old voice, filled with heartache and sadness, once again appeared in Toyokawa Shoko's ears, "Xiaoxiang, are you working at a fast food restaurant again?"

Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously sat up straighter, her expression more uneasy than ever before. "Yes."

"Dinner yet?"

"I ate it. It was the staff meal in the store."

"Um...where's that man?"

"He...he's not home."

"You shouldn't be gambling anymore, right?" The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to become louder all of a sudden.

Shoko Toyokawa opened her mouth, but couldn't utter any words to defend her terrible father.

"I really didn't expect him to cook for you, but seeing him become so decadent and degraded into this cowardly state is truly... disappointing!"

I could clearly hear the sound of banging the table coming from the phone.

After a while, the old man regained his composure. "Xiaoxiang, go home. Don't take care of him anymore. You should know that all the debts your family has now are incurred by his gambling addiction after he left."

Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip and said, "He is my father."

"You've done enough."

"I..." Toyokawa Shoko looked at Kurusu Akatsuki who was sitting opposite her.

The legendary mind thief is feasting on the "Signature Mars Explosion Burger" in his hand.

He had no intention of interfering in Toyokawa Shoko's family affairs, but just sitting there made people feel an indescribable sense of security.

Deep down, I seem to have the courage to face life again.

Toyokawa Shoko said to the old man on the other end of the phone, "Please give me a little more time, I will try my best to make him correct his behavior."

"Even if he reforms, what good will it do? There's no place for him in the Toyokawa family..."

"But he is my father." Shoko Toyokawa said firmly.

Faced with this answer, the old man on the phone just sighed deeply. "You and your mother have exactly the same temper... Go ahead and try it. Just remember not to get hurt. If something like what happened in Shinjuku happens again, remember to call me on the emergency line. Got it?"

One can only lament that there are always fools in the world, and Shinjuku's "Kamo Group" is a prime example. As a newly emerging underworld organization, they knew little about the various forces operating in Tokyo, both overt and covert. Naturally, they didn't know or understand Toyokawa Shoko's true background, relying solely on her father's daily casino behavior and various mortgage documents.

Therefore, even if they truly repented, they would receive the most severe sentence in court because of the influence of the Toyokawa family, and their future days in prison would even be worse than those of others.

Ever since Toyokawa Shoko was kidnapped by the Kamo Group, she has been scolded by her furious grandfather, who practically ordered her to return to the Toyokawa family.

If she had not witnessed the miracle of the Mind Thief making people repent with her own eyes, Toyokawa Shoko would probably have given up on her own decadent biological father in despair, and the father might have started to do even more bad things and finally destroyed himself... The death of her mother had already made her feel that her life had suffered an unprecedented blow. If she lost her father again... Toyokawa Shoko couldn't imagine what she would become after that.

She must be thankful that the appearance of the "Mind Thief" at that time gave her hope of changing the status quo, giving her the courage to continue staying with her father.

Shoko Toyokawa felt her heartbeat suddenly quicken, and her hands on her knees clenched into fists.

"I really... appreciate your care."

The old man could only sigh. "Then I won't bother you anymore. You are always welcome to come back to the Toyokawa family."

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

Kurusu Akatsuki sat across from her, chewing on a plate of ketchup-covered "moon chicken nuggets," mumbling to himself, "So there aren't 16 billion..."

"I told you they will not be inherited by me."

"I just didn't expect that even your father wouldn't have to inherit this debt." Kurusu Akatsuki swallowed the food in his mouth, stood up with his plate, and walked around to sit next to her. "Can you tell me in detail?"

Toyokawa Shoko was not disgusted by Kurusu Akatsuki's approach, but instead felt more at ease. She explained to him in a low voice with a gloomy look in her eyes.

"Father was not like this at the beginning."