Persona: Devil Summoner

Few people could see through what the young Cao Cao was thinking. On the other hand, his enemies were always predicted accurately by his advisers.

To put it bluntly, his enemies' [core goals] were too obvious. As long as you know what the other party wants, then you have the initiative.

In real life, for example, if someone wants to buy your vase, they have to buy it no matter what. If you know this, you can raise the price. After all, he wants to buy it, whether you sell it or not is up to you. You have no loss, as long as the other party has to buy the vase and accept your offer.

Now, why did Bai Zhongzhidou want to negotiate with Jiang Tianwei from the beginning? It was also to confirm what his core goal was. Bai Zhongzhidou knew himself very well. He was not the kind of bastard who raised the price, but he still didn't like to be a passive person.

If he just came to ask for Kamo Shida's information, then the initiative would be handed over to Jiang Tianwei. But now, the two of them exchanged their targets, which was equivalent to a transaction.

It may seem like you are losing out by letting the other party name their own price, but in fact it makes it easier for him to extract information from the other party.

This is what detective work is like. From the moment you meet him and your eyes lock, the information war begins.

Jiang Tianwei came here well prepared at home, but despite all his preparations, he was only at the level of a high school student. He didn't understand this kind of indirect and subtle rhetoric. After the two of them ordered the dishes and asked the waiter to leave, Jiang Tianwei took the initiative to say, "Then, please help me investigate someone."

"Who?"

"Um, she is our classmate, her name is Fang Zexia..."

"Yes, Fang Ze Xia."

Bai Zhong Zhidou casually took out a small black leather notebook from his jacket pocket, opened a page backwards, took out a carbon pen, and wrote down the name.

(This name sounds familiar... I've heard it somewhere...).

He thought so.

"Then what do you need me to investigate?"

"Well, it's like this... I'm actually a fan of rhythmic gymnastics... Yoshizawa Kasumi, wasn't she very famous back then? Didn't she die later?"

Jiang Tianwei stammered and said the prepared words. Bai Zhongzhidou finally understood why it sounded familiar. Although he was not interested in rhythmic gymnastics, due to his detective instinct, he still had a general impression of the names of people who died in the newspapers every year. After all, being in the newspaper meant that the person's death had a great social impact.

"Well, why would you want me to investigate a dead person?"

"No, in fact, she is in our class right now..."

"I see. You want to know why a dead person would come to class?"

Bai Zhongzhidou asked tentatively, and Jiang Tianwei nodded: "That's it."

"Well, I see."

He answered casually, and secretly remembered in his heart: (This kid didn't tell the truth. I don't know if he is wary of me, or knows some secret that must be kept secret.)

Although Baek Jong Naoto doesn't understand idols, he understands people's hearts. How could a fan who saw his idol come back to life just check why he came to class? This result is meaningless to the fans.

If he wanted to investigate who killed Fang Zexia, or whether Fang Zexia was a real person or an imposter, or whether there was technology to revive the dead, he would still hesitate. But Jiang Tianwei's hasty confirmation just now exposed that he was not a fan of Fang Zexia at all, and he didn't care much about Fang Zexia's death. The reason why he made such a deal was simply because he couldn't ask other questions.

(But I am really curious about what happened to her. How can someone come back to life from the dead? Let me investigate.)

Now that we know the other party's goal, the deal is done.

Shiraishi Naoto started asking all kinds of questions that were related to Kamoshida and had nothing to do with him, just asking about Shujin Academy.

Asking irrelevant questions is to make the other person relax. When the other person is distracted and starts to pay attention to all kinds of details of this restaurant, take advantage of the other person's inattention and throw out questions related to Kamoshida to test the other person's reaction and roughly judge which information can be used and which cannot be used.

The meal lasted for an hour in total. Jiang Tianwei was completely unaware of the situation, but was analyzed thoroughly by Bai Zhongzhidou.

Baekjong Naoto didn't really care about Kamoshida's affairs. He was investigating the matter of the cripple. Although he had never told outsiders about it, in fact, the Baekjong family had cooperated with the police for generations, and could be said to be a detective family. In theory, the mysterious crime of cripple, which shocked the world, could not exclude the Baekjong family.

However, by coincidence, the case of the disabled person bypassed the Bai Zhong family and was strictly controlled within the Special Investigation Department.

This design made Bai Zhongzhidou keenly smell something wrong. So, he started to investigate the invalidation privately alone.

However, just as Jiang Tianwei speculated, it is impossible for ordinary people to find out about the spiritual world crime of crippling people by any means. Therefore, Bai Zhongzhidou has been looking for a breakthrough during this period, until the incident of Kamoshida...

Shirakari Naoto's first reaction was that Kamoshida's sudden change of heart was similar to his previous transformation into a useless person. After all, both were sudden and huge changes in human nature. The Phantom Thieves were probably not the culprits behind his transformation into a useless person.

After all, their styles of doing things are so different. Logically, that meaningless notice letter can only be explained as a show, a performance, and a desire to be seen.

This style is totally inconsistent with the sudden outburst of disability in the past.

However, now that we can't find any clues about the disability line, we should try other aspects - for example, how did the Phantom Thief cause Kamoshida to change his character drastically.

As for the identity of the thief? Needless to say, it must be a student, teacher, or relative of Shujin Academy. This is easy to analyze. After all, no matter how excessive Kamoshida's actions are, the school will not publicize them. In fact, even if a student attempted to jump off a building, there was no news related to Kamoshida's atrocities. This shows how good the information blockade is. In this case, the only people who can know that Kamoshida has problems are people from Shujin Academy, or their relatives and friends who heard people from Shujin Academy complaining to them.

In this case, the investigation circle is narrowed to a very small range. Generally speaking, the exhaustive method can be used in this case.

Should we say that he is worthy of being a famous detective? Just by watching the report about Kamoshida on TV, he was able to analyze so many things and even identify the identity of the thief.

After repeatedly confirming some of Kamo Shida's information with Jiang Tianwei, I became more determined about this idea...

(We need to find the Phantom Thieves... they might be the breakthrough point in the cripple incident.).

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 58: Meeting Sakurano Ei again

After having dinner with Bai Zhongzhidou, Jiang Tianwei just felt exhausted.

This detective is really a "detective". He keeps asking himself questions about all kinds of details... Actually, it's not a problem to ask. But the problem is that Jiang Tianwei has been absent from school for a year, so he doesn't know!

What is the academic atmosphere at Shujin Academy like? What does Mr. Kamoshida think of you? What do you think of people outside the volleyball club?

Who knows these questions?

If you ask me, who should I ask?

So Jiang Tianwei could only make up some random nonsense based on his own impressions and the rumors he heard.

Therefore, every time Jiang Tianwei heard Bai Zhongzhidou asking questions, his heart skipped a beat. But now it's over. Bai Zhong said that if he finds out about Fang Zexia, he will contact him.

"Be happy, at least you can find out why you were possessed by someone else."

Jiang Tianwei was talking to the ghost Fang Zexia, but she just smiled for business purposes and didn't look particularly happy. It seems that the question of how to revive is more important than why she died, right?

Well, Fangze himself doesn’t care, so why should I bother for him?

For a mediocre person like him, problems that bother him too much are often thrown behind his mind, and he just has the mentality of "Well, forget it!" Didn't the public wife Yui Aragaki once starred in a very philosophical TV series "Escape is Shameful but Useful"?

So, how can we put our worries behind us? Jiang Tianwei’s habit is to exercise, so that his mind has nothing to think about through physical fatigue. In this way, Jiang Tianwei went to the gym.

It was a rare occasion that I met my senior today. After saying hello to him, Jiang Tianwei came to his classroom, changed his class status with the APP, and started doing warm-up exercises alone before the students came.

After a while, no one came. Jiang Tianwei then remembered that because he had been busy for a long time, he almost forgot that his boxing class had been reserved by that woman...

(Well, it’s better if she doesn’t come. I can’t handle that kind of punk girl. I don’t understand punk rock. The only music I listen to is the soundtracks of animations and games!)

Jiang Tianwei thought about this and started punching the sandbag. He didn't know if it was because he was too annoyed and wanted to vent, or because he released his strength unintentionally, or maybe... just like in RPG games, he had improved his level as a fighter by fighting in the cognitive space frequently? In short, Jiang Tianwei himself didn't notice that the strength of his punches on the sandbag was much stronger than before. Every punch was like a movie stunt, leaving a clear fist mark on the sandbag, and then gradually faded with the waves of the leather.

"Good punch. How long will it take me to reach this level?"

Suddenly, Jiang Tianwei heard someone cheering behind him. Who else could it be? It was indeed that punk girl, Ying Ying.

By the way, although Jiang Tianwei did not search for Sakurano Ying, he did search for Sakurano Group. Strictly speaking, it was not him who searched, but when he searched for his stepfather's Kawahara Group, it was guessed by "Guess You Like"... The Sakurano Group was associated with the search bar.

Just as he thought, the Sakurano Group was also a "gangster"... Jiang Tianwei just wondered how he could have provoked the gang?

"Well, that depends on how hard you work. But it's not good-looking for a girl to have a muscular body."

"I'm here to learn masculinity from you, Mr. Jiang."

Sakurano Ei did not respond to his question, but unilaterally reiterated her position.

Women want to be men...

It's really rare...

Jiang Tianwei sighed, not knowing what to say. Anyway, he arranged for her to exercise and warm up first.

He had already figured out this person's physical strength. For a woman, it was quite good, second only to athletes. It was obvious that she worked hard on a daily basis, but why did she have such an idea?

Although Jiang Tianwei didn't ask - after all, once he asked, it would be awkward whether the other party would tell him or not. If she didn't tell him, wouldn't it be a waste of time for him to ask, how embarrassing. What if she told him and asked him for help?

Moreover, even if she didn't say it, Jiang Tianwei could guess roughly. He wanted masculinity, plus the underworld background, it was easy to guess! It was probably another cliché, the father had no son, wanted a daughter to inherit the family business, and then the daughter was forced to practice masculinity and pretend to be a man...

After warm-up training, you will naturally sweat. Seeing her sweating, Jiang Tianwei complained in his heart: (Who told you to wear a leather jacket to exercise? You deserve it...)

After all, fur first appeared on the human stage for warmth. It is easy to imagine that if you wear a leather jacket to exercise indoors, the heat will not be dissipated and you will sweat!

"Remember to change into sportswear next time. Don't you feel hot in this leather jacket?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Tianwei's words made Ying Ying excited. Her eyes lit up and she said, "It's hot, but don't you think I look very manly dressed like this?"

Jiang Tianwei was speechless for a moment, and after a little reorganization of his language system, he pointed awkwardly at the ample chest exposed from the opening of his leather jacket, and said, "If you don't find a way to hide your secondary sexual characteristics, it will probably be difficult to equate you with a man."

This made Sakurano Ei blush and she said anxiously, "I usually wrap my chest with a bra! But I can't do that when I exercise, or I'll be out of breath!"

“You really…”

Jiang Tianwei sighed and swallowed the words he had just spoken.

What qualifications do you have to judge other people's lifestyles? People are different. Some people like farming and dealing with soil all their lives. Some people like animal husbandry and are happy as long as they can live with animals. Some people like to be cooks, and some people like to write. Everyone's lifestyle is very different. What you think is good may not be good for others. This is why most children today have communication barriers with their parents. The core lies in this. What parents think is good may not be good for children, but parents often like to impose what they think is good on their children, and the result is that children become more and more resistant.

Take Jiang Tianwei's own life, for example. He took a year off from school and worked three jobs a day. Others might find this life hard, but Jiang Tianwei himself didn't care. Similarly, Sakurano Ei chose to live as a man, so who am I to judge?

This is her own life!

However, there is one thing that Jiang Tianwei still wants to complain about: "Well, can I ask you one more question, where on earth do you think that all men should wear leather jackets?"

"Magazines. Just, the new clothing combinations that came out last season, and the boyish outfit recommendations."

After hearing her words, Jiang Tianwei was completely speechless.

Is there no one to correct the misunderstanding of this rich young lady?

Ah, that’s right, he is the young master, how could these people say that there is something wrong with their young master!

If it were me, and my boss wore an ugly suit and asked me if it looked good on me, I would probably say: It looks good, it really suits my temperament.

"Look, Miss Sakurano, the so-called 'boyish' and 'men's clothing' are two different concepts... You'll understand when I take you to the men's clothing section one day."

There is a Chinese saying: You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want.

Jiang Tianwei was just complaining, but he didn't expect Ying Ying's eyes to light up and he nodded repeatedly:

"Okay, it's settled! Are you taking a day off this Sunday? Take me shopping for men's clothing! No one allows me to go out on weekdays, it's so boring!"

Looking at her excited eyes like a large dog, Jiang Tianwei felt a strong sense of guilt in his heart. He could only grit his teeth and swallow it. At the same time, he secretly swore that he would never speak nonsense again!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 59 Maid Appreciation Meeting? !

Several days have passed since I decided to become a Phantom Thief. Every day is pretty much the same, without any major changes.

After all, as a thief, you can't just pick someone and steal their heart. Even if you really want to do that, you have to consider how many people there are in Japan? How many bad people are there? Even if you steal from one family a day, can you steal all of them?

Therefore, although the Phantom Thieves did not say it explicitly, they all had a basic rule in mind: that is, they would only target important people. In addition to this unwritten rule, the written rule was that all members had to agree before they could change their minds about the target.

However, although there are many evil adults like this, bad people generally won't openly say that they are bad people, so everyone has no goals during this period and is indeed very idle.

How do you tell they are so idle?

(hehe……)

Jiang Tianwei smiled in his heart with embarrassment but still very awkwardly, looking at the gentlemen in front of him: Amamiya Ren, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Mishima Yuki.

The four gentlemen were currently staying in the school's atrium, where there was a beverage machine and a stone table next to it. It was a place that everyone at Xiujin College particularly liked to come to.

Jiang Tianwei received a message from Long Si, asking him to come over for a gathering. He originally thought it was a mission from the Phantom Thieves. He thought to himself that he was almost out of sorts, and was just thinking about showing off his skills...

The result? Mishima Yuki was holding a pink flyer with the word Victoria written in large letters on it, and a cute maid silhouette could be vaguely seen below it - wasn't this a flyer for a maid shop?

"I say, everyone, aren't you curious?"

Mishima Yuki's eyes were bloodshot, and his nostrils were as big as a cow's, almost ready to spit out hot air.

Jiang Tianwei said with a cold face: "I'm not curious at all."

This is natural. If anyone has ever had the experience of having a maid come to their house and ended up being very embarrassed, then they will never have any expectations of maids from now on: today they called for a maid and it was their teacher, tomorrow they might call for a maid to come to their mother. This is nothing. The most terrible thing is that they called for a maid and their father came in a maid outfit and said, "Moe Moe Q~"... Then they really don't want to see maids for the rest of their lives.

"Anyway, I won't participate in this kind of activity."

Jiang Tianwei spread his hands and shook his head, not wanting to have anything to do with them.

After all, the maid shop Victoria was the same shop where Betty was last time, and Jiang Tianwei didn't want to get involved in this mess anyway.

When Long Si heard this, his expression immediately fell: "Don't be so humble! Jiang Jiang! Aren't we good friends? Come on! Aren't you curious about the maid's secret?"

"Let me ask you the other way around. What would you do if a 300-kilogram dinosaur girl came?"

"How is it possible! Maid is a job that brings dreams and fantasies to men. How could there be such a person! She was rejected when she first started working!"