Tokyo Psychic

"Yeah." The thief made an expression as if he was listening attentively.

"The Toyokawa family is actually a relatively powerful and prestigious family," Toyokawa Shoko described her past background in the most humble tone possible.

"My father married into the Toyokawa family and then married my mother."

"Marry into the wife's family..." Kurusu Xiao nodded. He had considered marrying into the wife's family before. He thought that he could achieve financial freedom with just a signature, but after thinking about it carefully, he still felt that it was unreliable. He always felt inferior.

"When I was in the third grade of junior high school, my mother passed away."

Kurusu Akatsuki's movements stiffened for a moment.

He remembered that the "Amamiya Ren" in this world seemed to have lost her parents at about the same time.

Toyokawa Shoko's voice softened. "And my father began to pour all his energy into his work, as if he wanted to vent his inner pain in this way."

"Later, due to a poor investment decision, he caused the Toyokawa family to lose 16 billion yen... and was kicked out of the family. From then on, he truly regarded this money as his 'debt' and lived with regret every day."

"I took the initiative to leave the Toyokawa family to take care of him, because... I'm sorry, I don't know what to say here now..." Toyokawa Shoko's voice kept trembling, but even so she did not shed tears.

Kurusu Akatsuki quietly took the egg tart in front of her and expressed her opinion, "Toyokawa-san is a girl with a strong sense of self-esteem. It's normal for her to take the initiative to take care of her father who was driven away... After all, being with him is your 'home'."

"Even if he became penniless overnight, he was not like this at the beginning..."

"Well, I know what happened next. Just calm down." Kurusu Akatsuki lifted the egg tart and took a bite. "Because of regret, I want to make amends. Because I want to make amends, I start fantasizing about turning back time and becoming rich overnight... The emotion of 'regret' is a constant throughout human history... Ha, it seems that when I think about it this way, I find the enemy terrifyingly formidable..."

Although he said "trembling", Kurusu Akatsuki's tone was relaxed and casual.

The one who has the chance to defeat the Mind Thief is never the so-called "evil enemy", but life.

If he suddenly encountered an unbearable change in life, perhaps even Kurusu Akatsuki would abandon some of the "rules" he had set and give up some of the "justice" he must abide by... When that time comes, perhaps he will no longer be qualified to be called a "Phantom Thief of the Mind"... But carrying this fear and worry, he can still firmly stick to his original self. This is the precious courage.

In his previous life, Kurusu Akatsuki had never experienced the terrible debt, but he had already won every imaginable challenge in life, so even if he was notified that he was heavily in debt overnight, he was sure that he would never make any wrongdoing choices.

The Phantom Thief patted Toyokawa Shoko's shoulder. "Worry, suspicion, and fear are all human instincts... Even when facing death itself, even if you're so scared you can't lift your legs, you must strive to stand upright and face an enemy beyond your knowledge and imagination. This is true courage."

He looked at the ceiling of the fast food restaurant and said, "This is the realization I gained after being 'saved' by someone."

"Amemiya was also saved by someone..."

"Ah."

"That person must be very remarkable, right?"

"Yes, it's very amazing... It's a pity that I didn't even have the chance to thank her." Kurusu Akatsuki turned around and looked at Toyokawa Shoko's face so close to her.

"We are lucky enough not to have to face death itself, but there are so many things in life, both tangible and intangible, that are just as terrifying as death. Even I worry and fear."

"So, Fengchuan-san has been very brave to persist on the path you've chosen and come this far. No one has the right to laugh at your choice."

Kurusu Akatsuki gestured at her face with her hands, "The fact that you've awakened such a powerful personality mask speaks volumes about Toyokawa-san..."

He couldn't finish the second half of his sentence because Toyokawa Shoko had already thrown herself into his arms, trying hard to suppress the urge to cry.

"Sorry, at least for now...please let me lean on you."

Kurusu Akatsuki sighed, raised his hand, and caressed the girl who was constantly losing. He could feel her body trembling, but no tears came out. "You're only sixteen, but you've already decided to give up your right to cry. That's really amazing, Toyokawa-san."

The manager behind the counter took two cups of Coke, then quietly walked out with a box of napkins and placed them on the table in front of Kurusu Akatsuki... Although he didn't know what the young couple who used to work together in his store had experienced, as an adult, this was all the help he could give.

When Toyokawa Shoko, with a flushed face, left Kurusu Akatsuki's arms, she kept her head down and dared not look him in the eye.

The Phantom Thief didn't mind and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Let's go, it's time to get your life back on track."

He crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into a trash can a little further away.

The white sphere drew a dazzling arc in the hazy light, then slowly fell—

I fell into the depths of Shibuya's impressive space.

After rolling for a while, it stopped in front of Kurusu Akatsuki.

......

Shoko Toyokawa used her personality mask "Ninluk" to play the song "Chaos", causing the attack from the terrifying shadow called "Hunter" to immediately turn back and hit itself.

The shadow screamed and fell to the ground. A crumpled ball of paper flew out of its body and landed at Laiqi Xiao's feet in the illumination of the crimson warning light in the memory space.

Kurusu Akatsuki bent down to pick it up and unfold it, and it turned out to be a letter of resignation.

It is filled with my past feelings for the company and my expectations for future life.

But the fact that he appeared here as a shadow of twisted desires might be because he was tripped up by the company he once loved, making his future life very unsatisfactory? Being "betrayed" does allow the various desires deep in one's heart to be magnified and distorted by the evil spirit.

Kurusu Akatsuki walked through the dispersing black mist.

Poor office worker.

This time, the surrounding black fog did not disappear directly, but bypassed Kurusu Akatsuki and poured directly into Toyokawa Shoko's shadow.

“?!” Shoko Toyokawa was startled.

The Phantom Thief calmly walked ahead of her, his hands behind his back. "As I said earlier in the upper level of the Impression Space, this is the cognitive power you gained from those defeated shadows. It represents the shadows' recognition of you before their death. At the same time, it will help you gain greater faith in your own heart."

"When we defeated those 'shadows' on the upper level, there was clearly no black fog."

"Who said there weren't any? It's just that they were too faint for you to see. This time the shadows are stronger, so the 'recognition' they give you is more obvious."

Kurusu Akira explained to Toyokawa Shoko, "This is similar to the experience points you gain from defeating monsters in video games. You gain more from powerful monsters, allowing you to level up faster. Similarly, defeating weak monsters won't give you any significant improvement..."

"Sorry... I've never played the game."

Kurusu Akatsuki's words came to an abrupt halt.

After a while, he said quietly, "Ms. Fengchuan, I suddenly feel that your life is a bit of a failure."

Toyokawa Shoko shrank her shoulders and didn't dare to refute Kurusu Akatsuki, who was suddenly in a strange mood.

The two walked one after the other in the blood-red light. The entire impression space seemed to be coughing violently. A train smashed through the wall, broke into the track on one side, and roared away.

Where it appeared, in the gap in the impression space, a room independent of the tunnel could be seen.

"We're here." Kurusu Akatsuki flung open the hem of his windbreaker and tightened his bright red gloves. "This should be the casino in the underground of Shibuya Ward in real life... According to Ms. Nav's information, your father is inside."

"It's his shadow..."

"Yes, this is the manifestation of your father's subconscious. If you have any questions, just ask him directly. As his 'subconscious', he will immediately tell you the truth."

"Remember, don't kill him. Just take away his twisted desires." Although he said so, Kurusu Akatsuki looked eager to try, and even held the dagger in his hand.

Toyokawa Shoko walked past him and said, "Let me do it myself."

The Phantom Thief was stunned for a moment, then smiled happily, "That's amazing, Toyokawa-san... Oh, no, it's Ms. 'Oblivionis'."

Kurusu Akatsuki actually sat down cross-legged on the spot. "Then I can start looking forward to your good news."

He looked up at the lines on the ceiling that pulsated like blood vessels, and suddenly felt that a thief's actions would be far more efficient with the help of several partners who worked in perfect harmony with each other than acting alone.

Why didn't I think of forming a group of phantom thieves in the first place?

Even Senior Shiomi has his own "Special Extracurricular Activities Club" and leads his friends in the club to challenge the towering tower every night.

Kurusu Akatsuki began to reflect on himself.

As expected, it was because he inherited the "legacy" of Senior Shiomi in the Velvet Room, and then his thoughts in this regard were interrupted by his own overly powerful surge in power.

......

When Shoko Toyokawa opened her eyes again, she found herself in a dim space.

Like an underground garage.

The dark and monotonous cement filled the view. A hunchbacked man stood in the middle of the underground garage, looking over as if confused.

"Xiao Xiang...?"

"Father," Toyokawa Shoko whispered, "I'm here to see you."

The confusion on the man's face vanished almost instantly, then morphed into a terrifying, ferocious expression. "You're coming empty-handed? Didn't I tell you in the text... Come to me with money!"

"Why do you have to use this method to 'make money'?" Toyokawa Shoko looked at him with disappointment as always.

This look seemed to deeply hurt the other person, and he almost immediately burst into a hysterical roar, "If I don't do this, how can I pay back the money?!"

Then he rushed towards Toyokawa Shoko with an almost hideous look, "Since you came here without any money, you might as well stay here and work hard to make money for me... I will make good use of the money and return..." His voice kept twisting and deforming, and when he got close to Toyokawa Shoko, he had completely lost his human form and turned into something ugly and dirty like mud.

But before it was about to attack.

Behind Toyokawa Shoko, the half-demon, half-angel personality "Nimrod" has started playing.

Every note is filled with the cry of "freedom", singing the praises of the free will and glorifying the free will, and then the King of kings seems to be standing on the walls of Babel and shouting.

"Even God cannot deprive you and me of our freedom—"

The angel's wings were burning, and Nimrod's body continued to swell and crack, with flaming blood spurting out from it!

The blood rushed out of the flesh and then really burned like flames.

Toyokawa Shoko stared at the ugly monster in front of her with piercing eyes, and reached out to press her hand to the black silk mask on her face. "[Purification Fire]."

"Nimrod" immediately responded to the monster in front of him with an angry roar, then slammed his hands on the ground. The fire from hell rushed up to the sky in an instant, completely submerging it!

All the sludge was burned up in an instant, and the tattered man staggered back a few steps and then collapsed to the ground.

"Daughter... my good daughter..." he said tremblingly, "Please forgive me... I will definitely..."

The demon-like Nimrod suddenly reached forward and snatched the pendant from his chest in an extremely fast moment.

The man screamed heartbreakingly, as if he had lost his most precious treasure. "Please! Only this one thing cannot..."

The pendant fell into the palm of Toyokawa Shoko's hand. She opened the ring on it and found a miniature family photo tightly embedded in it.

His mother, who has not passed away yet, his father, who is still normal, and Shoko Toyokawa, who has just entered junior high school.

The three people stood under the Snow White statue in Disneyland, their faces filled with happiness that could not be described in words.

The man who was trying desperately to rush forward to take back the pendant, his voice and movements stopped abruptly.

He just looked up in a daze, looked at Toyokawa Shoko's face, and then tears rolled down the corners of his eyes.

"....sorry."

I'm such an... unfit father.

His original rationality was awakened in the chaotic and twisted desires that were gradually stripped away. He was confused by his actions so far, tears dripping continuously. With a plop, he fell to his knees as if he was about to vomit blood.

The man who had been depressed and frustrated for a long time burst into tears in front of Toyokawa Shoko for the first time.

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(I've finished writing about Xiang's father's repentance, and the remaining 2,000 words are actually finished as well, but they are all transitional chapters. I just started the date with Toyokawa Xiangzi, and it feels a bit bland here. I'll finish writing the entire date process tomorrow and then post it together so that everyone can see it in its entirety.)

(By the way, I'd like to recommend my friend's book, Hedgehog Cat's 2023 million-word original Western fantasy, the best of . It's almost finished, so the updates are very slow:)

Ansir Hydra, the greatest villain of the empire, saw a hopeless, predetermined future after devouring a strange being called a traverser.

The war god who crushed the army, the saint who bore the great sin, the sorcerer who saw the truth, the brave man who was most benevolent and kind... they would destroy the family, destroy the empire, and destroy everything he had.

When Ansel truly realized the cruelty and weight of fate, he became enlightened.

"If the empire needs to change, then there is no need for the so-called protagonist. I, who have this knowledge, can do better."

"And you, the destined ones favored by the world..."

"If fate has decreed that you cannot be destroyed, then I can only let you stay by my side... and fall to the end of the abyss."

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In short, this is a story about a bad guy who rebels against fate, tries hard to tame the children of fate and the darlings of heaven, and in the process revolutionizes the world.

073. Date Time (Four in One)

（月初加更：1/4、2/4、3/4、4/4）

(This chapter counts as the update for December 5th)

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Tokyo is a city that never sleeps. As night falls, the hustle and bustle of the workplace is replaced by the glitz and glamor of entertainment venues. The vibrant lights cast a dim, reddish hue across the sky, and the various street and landscape lights remain on throughout the night.