Persona: Devil Summoner

But now Jiang Tianwei couldn't care less about his uninvited arrival and could only try his best to save the situation.

"So, Detective, what topic will you use to liven up the atmosphere?"

Jiang Tianwei asked. Akechi Goro smiled slightly, revealing the kind of handsome temperament that he had seen too many times on TV: "For example, how about we talk about cute pet topics?"

He said, pulling out his phone, a video of a cute puppy playing on the screen.

No one speaks.

The three of us looked at each other, and no one broke the awkward silence.

"Huh? What? Normally, no, shouldn't it be easy to stir up a topic... cute furry animals or something like that."

Goro Akechi also noticed that he had become a cold reception, his original aura of intelligence and wisdom gone.

"...Yes, it's very cute..."

Jiang Tianwei tried to say something to complement him, and Okumura Haruya kept nodding.

But after this little interaction, everyone started to keep silent again.

Awkward, so embarrassing! How could it be so embarrassing!

"Oh, it seems that the path of a comedian is really difficult. I was thinking that when I graduate from detective studies, I will find someone to perform manzai for me."

"Then you'd better give up this path as soon as possible!"

Jiang Tianwei couldn't sense even the slightest bit of humor in the words just now. He just felt that there was something wrong with this person's sense of humor.

So, there are many things that require talent.

"Speaking of the future...Have you two thought about what kind of life you will live in the future?"

Goro Akechi is indeed a public figure, often appearing on TV. Many times, public figures may not know more than you, but they are more daring to speak out and make firm conclusions. Now he has fully utilized his passive talent as a public figure: thick skin.

It doesn't matter if one sentence makes the conversation awkward, just like the famous way of thinking in the Super Robot Wars series: Although my single-shot hit rate is low, why don't I just fire a lot of bullets at once? Similarly, as long as you throw out countless topics, there will always be one that will interest the two people and liven up the atmosphere.

Speaking of the future, Jiang Tianwei suddenly realized that he should start planning for the future...

In the past, I always felt that growth was a long way away from me. Now, looking back, I have a partner and money, so I think about my future life.

“Maybe, I’ll open a store.”

Jiang Tianwei answered ambiguously.

There is a saying that a person's desire (ambition) will grow as his status increases. Jiang Tianwei's change in mentality best reflects this.

Back then, he was just a poor boy with nothing. At that time, he didn't have any desires. He just wanted to live. As long as he could eat, sleep and work and have a dream, he could endure any unfair reality and persuade himself in his heart that he had to endure it.

Later, when he liberated his persona and gained power, his mental state began to change, or in other words, he began to become uplifted, as if he wanted to avenge the days when he had no power.

Now, he has nearly 100 million in savings. Although he is still far from being financially free, for ordinary people, he can have enough food and clothing. Then, he can think about some ways to improve his life.

Although he said he wanted to open a store, he actually hadn't decided what kind of store he wanted to open: Wouldn't it be nice to open an internet cafe and be the boss, and play games when he had nothing to do? Or, open a restaurant... and cook authentic Chinese food, and have Chef Liu come over to be his chef, wouldn't that be great? Or, just open an existing store and be a hands-off boss...

"Are you opening a shop?"

Okumura Haru seemed to be interested in this future vision, and she repeated it curiously. Jiang Tianwei nodded: "Yes, I also want to be called Boss Jiang once."

"Haha, is this your reason? I thought you would follow in your father's footsteps, but you want to start from scratch? How interesting."

Goro Akechi smiled and raised his cell phone as he spoke: "Meeting is fate, can we create a group?"

Jiang Tianwei did not refuse. Okumura Haru was not good at rejecting others, so he reluctantly took out his phone and the three of them set up a group chat. Akechi Goro smiled at the two of them and said, "In a place where there are few people of the same age, it is more relaxing to chat with people of the same age... Oh, sorry, my time is almost up and I have an interview later. I will leave first."

Jiang Tianwei naturally wouldn't stop him and waved at Goro Akechi's back... Suddenly, he put his index and middle fingers together, tapped Detective Akechi's back, and said in a very soft voice, "Go."

Fang Zexia understood on the spot, nodded, and followed Mingzhi.

(The great detective... actually revealed such a flaw...)

Looking at Mingzhi's defenseless back, Jiang Tianwei couldn't help but be shocked.

Thanks to several conversations with Baek Jong-ji, Jiang Tianwei feels that his mind is getting smarter. The Chinese call this phenomenon "the closer you are to a red person, the more red you will be."

Just now, when Goro Akechi came over to talk to him, he mentioned a key word, "Ippo-gei". In the conversation just now, only Kasumi Yoshizawa mentioned this word. So why did Akechi suddenly mention this?

Fang Zexia's voice can only be heard by those who have heard her voice in the familiar space.

I wonder if anyone still remembers that when Jiang Tianwei and Amamiya Lian just met, the ghost of Kasumi Yoshizawa spoke to Kasumi Yoshizawa and Morgana in the Takemi Internal Medicine Hospital, but the two did not hear Kasumi Yoshizawa's voice.

But afterwards, only after they had really seen the ghost of Yoshizawa Kasumi in the cognitive space, could they hear Yoshizawa Kasumi's voice in reality... Why was Akechi able to hear it?

Of course, you can't rule out the possibility that Akechi didn't hear what Yoshizawa Kasumi said, but he just happened to mention the topic of "Ippogei" casually. You can't deny this possibility either. After all, "Ippogei" is very common in Japan, and you can often see people performing it at banquets with more than a dozen people.

You can't rule out the possibility that Mingzhi just mentioned it casually.

It's like you are talking about KFC with a friend, and suddenly another friend comes over and says to you: "Crazy Thursday, let's go?" You can't be sure at once that he is eavesdropping on your conversation, and it is very likely that he is just saying it casually.

The evidence is that Jiang Tianwei secretly checked with the Different World Navigation APP... Akechi Goro does not have a palace. In other words, he may not have twisted desires.

But there are two derivative arguments: 1. He is a complete bastard. For him, being disabled is like eating and drinking water. When you eat and drink water, do you have murderous or hateful intentions towards food? No way? 2. That is, he should be innocent.

A well-known Chinese scholar once put forward a point of view: make bold assumptions and verify them carefully.

Assuming that there is something wrong with Goro Akechi, now is the time to verify whether he really has a problem. Fortunately, I have the strongest spy, Kasumi Yoshizawa - Ghost is so cool!

The more I thought about Jiang Tianwei, the more I felt that being a ghost would be great.

(If, that Akechi really has a problem... then... that will be fun.)

Jiang Tianwei clenched his fists...

If it is proven that he is the real murderer who has become a cripple, the murderer who caused the destruction of his family... then, even if I have to quit the Phantom Thieves, I will never let him off easily...

But before that, I should ask Naoto what he thinks.

Sometimes, people don't have to be perfect.

Thousands of years ago, the thinker Xunzi mentioned the concept of "a gentleman is good at making use of things" in his "Encouragement to Study". He is not afraid of not understanding, but is afraid of pretending to understand when he does not. Because of the need to save face and maintain one's image, he is determined not to admit his failure.

This is one of the reasons why Cao Cao was able to defeat Yuan Shao, who was much stronger than him, during the Three Kingdoms period. Yuan Shao had many talented people under his command, but he seemed to have a talent, which was to ignore the advice of these loyal ministers and famous generals, and to accept all the suggestions of greedy ministers and treacherous officials. The result is well known to everyone...

Jiang Tianwei knew that he was not a smart boy and was not good at reasoning and analysis, so he might as well borrow the power of that real famous detective!

But... before that...

"Let's not talk about anything else for now. It's almost time for us to return to the table."

Jiang Tianwei shrugged helplessly, looked at his stepfather who was already looking over here at the table, and spoke to Okumura Haru helplessly, who also nodded silently...

There is no way, this is what is called being unable to control oneself...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 213 Meeting Manager Liu Again

The three people who escaped from the lifeless dining table under the pretext of going to the toilet finally had to return to the dining table which was of no fun to the children.

Akechi Goro ran away first, using the excuse that he had work to do, but Jiang Tianwei and Okumura Haru had no choice but to return to the dining table, listening to those incomprehensible terms, and enduring the seemingly gentle and calm verbal battle...

The banquet lasted until nine or ten o'clock.

However, Japan's drinking culture is slightly different from that of China.

Generally speaking, Chinese people are particular about drinking. If you can drink half a catty, you will be advised to drink one catty. If you can drink one catty, you will be advised to drink two catties. Pregnant women are no exception. Some leaders will even say directly: "Do you still want to get promoted? If you want to get promoted, drink. If you don't, pack up and leave!"

It is precisely because of this unreasonable "enthusiasm" that almost every Chinese person feels crooked after attending a drinking party. Generally speaking, the drinking party starts at 7 o'clock and lasts until at least 10 or 11 o'clock. During this time, one basically just watches the drunk leader talking nonsense, which is extremely boring.

But Japanese drinking parties seem much more civilized - but only in appearance. You will find that in Japanese drinking parties, although the first party will not force you to drink to death, in general, after drinking at one party, everyone will choose to "continue drinking", that is, find another bar to continue drinking. It is said that at most times, there can be seven or eight parties in one night.

Therefore, based on this special drinking culture, everyone in the Kawahara group continued to drink. After all, although these people were dressed in suits, they were all thugs who licked blood with swords. Naturally, the leader of the Kawahara group also followed them to drink. President Okumura claimed to be a civilized person, so he naturally did not want to contact such a violent person. He found an excuse and took Okumura Haru away.

The car started, and President Kunikazu Okumura looked at the Kawahara group slowly walking towards the next bar in the rearview mirror. His face turned grim. The playful look he had shown with the Kawahara family before was all fake.

Just as it was mentioned before that the "aristocrats" look down on the "nouveau riche", it is the same principle. Okumura Kunikazu, a big entrepreneur who almost started from scratch, also looks down on people like the Kawahara family who use the backstage to build their own businesses.

But, he looked down on them, but at his level, he would not show his likes and dislikes on his face. Everything he did was based on a certain purpose. He smiled at the Kawahara family because he still needed them. If one day his own business became prosperous, he would never care about those guys again.

To give an analogy... yes, it's like a multi-stage rocket. In order to allow the most advanced warhead to reach the vast and distant universe, the lower parts can be discarded at any time.

Okumura Kuniwa turned his gaze away from Kawahara's group of vulgar people and looked at Okumura Haru beside him. Generally speaking, there is only one reason why such a big entrepreneur brings his daughter to such a banquet, and that is to let her broaden her horizons and see the world so that she can take charge of the company in the future.

However, Kunikazu Okumura is not prepared to hand over the company to his daughter.

This is not accurate. It should be said that in name, he will hand over the company to his daughter, but in reality, he is still the one who is in charge, and he is also looking for a fiancé for Haru Okumura.

Then why did Kunikazu Okumura take her along?

The reason was simple, just to create a feeling of intimacy. Kawahara, the old fox, would not easily reveal his flaws. He held this banquet to show off his son to everyone, so if President Okumura also brought his daughter, he could easily open the topic with his children, win the other party's favor, and lower their vigilance.

As for the rest? It doesn't matter.

(Whether it’s Kawahara or anyone else, no one can stop me, Kuni Okumura, from exploring this universe.).

He thought so in his heart, closed his eyes, and rested his mind. He continued to think about how to squeeze out the surplus value of the Kawahara family, and didn't pay any attention to Okumura Haru's gloomy expression.

Jiang Tianwei did not continue to join the adults in the drinking party.

It's easy to understand. If a brat who can't drink alcohol and can only drink fruit juice comes into a cocktail party with a group of heroes who can drink a lot, it will definitely spoil the fun.

Moreover... Jiang Tianwei originally thought that today's banquet was an internal banquet of his family, with only his mother, stepfather and himself. In this way, he could firstly see how his mother was doing recently, and secondly, he could also find out who his biological father was...

To be honest, bombarded by all kinds of creative themes in modern society, although Jiang Tianwei told himself rationally "Impossible, absolutely impossible (Cao Cao face)", he did fantasize deep in his heart: If my father was a government executive, or a spy going to Japan on a secret mission, or a legendary god of war, or an immortal Taoist priest who appears once in a thousand years, it would be great if my father had some rare ancient bloodline.

Otherwise you can't explain why only his father's identity information was strictly encrypted.

Just when Jiang Tianwei was thinking about being his own second generation X in his heart, he had unknowingly returned to the shabby apartment where he lived.

Although I have money now, I have never thought about moving out. How should I put it? Although it is shabby, after getting used to the life here, I am too lazy to move. As the saying goes, a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as your own doghouse!

"【I've told you so many times, Dad! You're too stubborn! This is an unlimited business opportunity! It can both build a brand and create revenue! Why don't you understand?!】".

Suddenly, when he was walking up the stairs, a familiar voice in his native language pierced Jiang Tianwei's eardrums. The person who spoke was obviously very excited, and his tone was serious and his voice was very loud.

"[I don't understand. I don't understand. No matter how many times you tell me, I still don't understand. I'm just telling you that my craftsmanship has been passed down through thousands of years in China! I can't make that thing you mentioned! If you want to make it, go find a foreign chef yourself. I can't make it.]"

Normally, if one of the two people talking starts to get angry, the other will definitely not give up and will yell back loudly.

Now, this is what Master Liu is like.

When he heard the other person's loud voice, he couldn't help but raise his voice as well.

"【Father! Why do you have such a problem with money!】".

“【Money, money, money. All you think about all day is money, money, money! Am I your father, or is money your father?!】”

"【I'm not arguing with you, father. But you should think about it carefully. Material foundation is the basis of everything. I have no objection if you want to be a famous chef who has retired and has few followers. But you have to think about us. We have to survive, too.】".

"【Survival depends on ability! No one survives by being cunning and deceitful! I tell you, if you can't survive without doing bad and immoral things, you might as well die! I will consider the Liu family as extinct in my generation!"

“[…Tsk, you’re saying those angry words again. I won’t argue with you anymore. I’m going back first. I’ll come again next time…]”

"【If you want to tell me this again next time, then don't come here!"

Click.

Master Liu's door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses walked out with a heavy face.

As mentioned before, the soundproofing of this shabby little apartment was very poor, and the quarrel between the two people could be heard without either of them realizing it.

Jiang Tianwei recognized the man immediately; he was the department manager of Junes, whom he had picked a fight with not long ago.

The other party was obviously very angry at this time. He had no time to care about the person in front of him and walked away quickly.

Jiang Tianwei listened to the conversation between the two and had some guesses. It seemed that his son wanted Master Liu to do something immoral, but Master Liu refused, so they quarreled?

Ancient wisdom says that anger can damage the liver, especially for an elderly person like Master Liu, who must be careful not to get too angry and hurt his body. Moreover, Jiang Tianwei always feels that the way this father and son get along is a bit... Although he is not a "saint", he must help when he encounters injustice.

But, this Master Liu is a relative who is almost like my grandfather. When something like this happens in his family, I must come and show my concern.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 214 Every family has its own sutras that are difficult to recite

The door was not closed. Even a security door that incorporated the most advanced technology of the Empire of Japan would be useless if it was not closed. Jiang Tianwei pushed open the door, and the light leaking through the gap suddenly became dazzling.

Across the corridor is the living room. At a square table, Master Liu is sitting on a chair, looking out the window, his big belly rising and falling, his face flushed, and his broad, calloused hands waving a palm-leaf fan. He turns around and sees Jiang Tianwei coming, and the pimples on his face are instantly relieved.

“【Xiaotian is here! Come, come, sit, sit, eat, eat, eat.】”

On the table in front of Master Liu were dishes that could rival those of a star-rated hotel. In the middle was a pot of duck bone soup, with eight dishes lined up beside it. The ingredients ranged from roasted squabs flying in the sky to squirrel fish swimming in the water, and fresh vegetables, fruits, beef, mutton, and pork on the ground. Just looking at the dishes made one's appetite growl, but now the dishes were a little cold, and it was obvious that the fat in the dishes had begun to semi-solidify, and it was obvious that they had been stored for some time.

Every dish was complete, it didn't look like anyone had touched their chopsticks...