Persona: Devil Summoner

Jiang Tianwei looked innocent.

"What kind of performance? Isn't this an interview?"

"Ah, no, this is my recent research direction. I plan to try the neta of the phantom thieves. Maybe I can go to the M-1 competition~ Ah, I really want to compete on the same stage with the manzai stars~"

Jiang Tianwei said this with a smile, and Niijima Sae finally understood that these two people were playing a trick on him!

"Go back! What manzai did the criminal say? What kind of competition did he participate in? The same thing goes for the reporter over there! Get out! I will send a formal document of my protest to the Mainichi Shimbun!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 643: Do you know that we are actually in the same group?

The rumors about the Phantom Thief are getting more and more intense.

Starting with Jiang Tianwei’s active admission that he was a Phantom Thief, a wave of “I am also a Phantom Thief” swept across the entire network, and Phantom Thief peripherals sold out directly.

Jiang Tianwei even received quite a few interviews, or interview requests, from large companies who wanted to learn about the basic configuration of the Phantom Thief and then asked Jiang Tianwei for authorization.

Yes, although the thief is illegal, the power of the thief himself is legal.

The Phantom Thief products on the market now can basically be seen as modified peripherals of dark heroes such as Batman, but things are different after Jiang Tianwei appeared.

He now realizes that he is no longer a public figure, but has become an idol to be worshipped!

Whatever you say is what it is!

For example, Jiang Tianwei said in the live broadcast that one can use ropes to climb high walls.

So the next day, there was a new toy advertisement that said, "The Phantom Thief's Hook and Lock Gun allows you to climb walls and run across rooftops like a Phantom Thief. Shh, don't tell the police~"

For example, Jiang Tianwei complained that when he played the game of Big Poor, his teammates led a rebellion.

So the next day, there was a new playing card advertisement that said, "Big Pauper! A new version of the ship you've never played before! Even the thieves are playing it! How much wealth can you steal from the thieves?"

For example, Jiang Tianwei performed a fire magic in a video the day before, and magic has been very popular these days... "Illusion! The secrets of the thief's technique! Learn this, and you can also be a thief! - Please pay to join the group to get the video resources."

Jiang Tianwei discovered that whatever he did would be copied by these scumbags and then used to make money. He never expected that he would become a cash cow in the hands of the capitalists.

However, this also raises a very important issue...that is, Jiang Tianwei's personal reputation.

The more he gets involved in the Internet and the more popularity he gains, the more trouble he will have on the police's side.

Now, his problem has become the main problem of the entire police station. If we can't solve him, our reputation outside will be in jeopardy.

And recently, Niijima Sae had a vague feeling.

It was Jiang Tianwei who seemed to be secretly rebelling against him: he always felt that this person particularly liked to provoke him...

She knew that her stance would not be liked by the Phantom Thieves, but the question was, what did it have to do with her? Wasn't it your fault that you Phantom Thieves became criminals first?

Moreover, I don’t know if it’s because Jiang Tianwei has a really good-looking face, but before he showed up, some people were critical of the reputation of the Phantom Thieves, thinking how could a Phantom Thief take someone’s life? Even if Okumura Kunikazu is a big bastard, you can’t just kill people casually!

However, as soon as Jiang Tianwei showed up, the online public opinion changed completely. Now, if you search randomly, you will see comments like "Brother, kill me!" Seeing this, Niijima Sae frowned, thinking, what's wrong with modern people? They still yell for others to kill them every day...

Sae Niijima is now waiting for approval from his superiors.

Approve yourself to conduct a full search of Shujin Academy.

In this way, I am confident that I can find evidence sufficient to convict you.

Even if we can’t find it… we can still [obtain] evidence of the crime.

Today, she received an emergency meeting call from the Special Investigation Department. Niijima Sae was happy and secretly wondered if the higher-ups had finally approved of her idea.

But, what should Jiang Tianwei do?

We definitely can't bring a criminal suspect like him to this kind of meeting!

Then, just leave him alone? Impossible! I am the legal guarantor. If he really escapes, I will be responsible...

If there was someone who could help look after him at this time...

"Ding dong."

Doorbell rang.

When Niijima Sae opened the door, he thought it was another unreasonable guy, but unexpectedly, it was Goro Akechi.

It has been mentioned before that as a famous detective, Goro Akechi has close cooperation with the police. Moreover, when Niijima Sae was tracking down the phantom thief, he provided help and made suggestions several times. What is he doing today?

Just when Niijima Sae was confused, Akechi Goro spoke first: "Senior Prosecutor Niijima, you have a meeting today."

"I know."

"The higher-ups know that it's inconvenient for you to leave the Phantom Thief alone, so I'm here to take over for you."

"Replace me?"

Niijima Sae frowned, this didn't make sense.

Logically speaking, even if he wanted to find someone to replace him, he should have found someone from the police or the procuratorate, right? Why did he choose Goro Akechi?

To put it nicely, detectives are collaborators of the police. To put it bluntly, they are just ordinary civilians. How can civilians be allowed to interfere in this kind of work?

"I know what Prosecutor Niijima is thinking, but this is what the higher-ups mean. Since he is not a criminal in the legal process, it is not convenient to arrange it, so they let me come."

"…Is that so? I see. You have to keep an eye on him. If he gets lost, you will be responsible."

Niijima Sae is now focused on attending the meeting as soon as possible. If he can obtain the right to conduct a compulsory search, everything will be perfect.

As soon as Niijima Sae left the house, Jiang Tianwei suddenly said, "I really want to drink milk tea..."

Akechi Goro also understood immediately: "Does Niijima have milk tea at home?"

"There's milk and tea, but not together."

"Then there's nothing we can do. We can only go out for a drink."

After all, these two people are accomplices. As soon as Jiang Tianwei opened his mouth, Akechi Goro knew what he meant.

The reason why the two said this was because they both knew very well that Niijima Sae must have installed surveillance or eavesdropping at home, and they were afraid that Jiang Tianwei would reveal important information at some point, which they could use as evidence.

Although this kind of secret filming and wiretapping cannot be used as evidence in judicial procedures, it can be dealt with lightly.

For example, instead of saying that this was eavesdropping, you can just say that this was accidentally recorded by your neighbor when he was recording an English listening lesson, isn't that enough?

The place that Goro Akechi took him to was certainly not a milk tea shop, but a cognitive space.

Although he hadn't been to the cognitive space for only two days, Jiang Tianwei still felt a "long time no see" feeling.

In that black and red space, everything becomes cute.

In this wonderful space, most of my friends are here.

Why do you say most?

Because the people who came were from the Phantom Thieves Group. Amamiya Ren, Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann, Morgana, and Okumura Haru.

When Jiang Tianwei saw Okumura Haru, his heart ached. After all, this girl had just lost her father, and now she was crying with her face covered.

Akechi Goro patted Jiang Tianwei on the shoulder and said, "Well, everyone wants to have a good talk with you, so I just tried my best. Miss Sae has been forced into a desperate situation now, and there will be very little time to sneak out. Let's have a good chat with everyone."

Jiang Tianwei nodded silently and looked at Yu Gong Lian.

The two people looked at each other through the masks, and never thought that they would look at each other with such strange eyes.

"I……"

Before Jiang Tianwei could speak, Okumura Haru on the side started to get hysterical:

"You murderer!"

She was very emotional and her shoulders were shaking. Gao Juanxing gently supported her shoulders. Although she seemed to be comforting her, she looked at Jiang Tianwei with a reproachful look.

It was as if Jiang Tianwei had killed someone...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 644: It is difficult for the innocent to prove themselves

Jiang Tianwei could understand that people would blurt out dangerous words when they were in a state of great emotional fluctuation. When he was extremely angry, he would also think about things like "I'll kill you" and "Go to hell!", but these were just words spoken in anger, and it didn't mean that he was really going to take anyone's life.

However, although he could understand the pain of Okumura Haru losing his father, he could not understand why they regarded him as the murderer...

"I said, I didn't kill this man..."

Jiang Tianwei spread his hands and shrugged, trying to defend himself. Yu Gonglian shook his head and said, "To be honest, we have held several meetings in the past few days."

"Oh."

"This conclusion is very sad, but we all feel that, perhaps, only you have this ability..."

Jiang Tianwei frowned at Yu Gonglian's words. He suppressed his unhappiness of being wrongly accused and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Let me tell you! Based on the analysis of the situation at the time, only our Phantom Thieves have the possibility of killing Okumura Shadow."

"Yes."

Jiang Tianwei did analyze this point, and this is the standard plot of "There is a traitor among us".

"We were still working together until the palace collapsed, so the crime could only have been committed after we separated."

Morgana's words were very logical, and it didn't look like something a cat-head would come up with.

Amamiya Ren continued, "We are all running for our lives together. None of us have time. Only you have this possibility."

Jiang Tianwei frowned upon hearing this and said, "How is that possible? I have been with my companions the whole time! I didn't have the time to commit the crime! Just ask them and you will know!"

"No, it's also possible that they are protecting you... After all, you have a close relationship with the people on your side, right? Yusuke once lived in your house, and you brought sister Yoshizawa and Miss Togo in by yourself. President... When we split up before, wasn't it because you caught us that we had to go to your side?"

Gao Juan Xing said this while counting the number of people on her fingers. Although she did not say it clearly, her meaning was very clear, that is, the second group of the Phantom Thieves was actually Jiang Tianwei's personal group.

The most infuriating thing is that Jiang Tianwei has no right to refute this matter - because it is really true!

"If that's the case, then you are the same! Maybe this guy dressed like Harry Potter killed someone, and all of you are covering for him and trying to pin the crime on me!"

Jiang Tianwei said this angrily, and Long Si, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "I said, we don't doubt you because of this kind of thing... You are Chinese, right?"

"Your remarks are suspected of racial discrimination. I warn you to be careful with your words!"

"No, I mean, as a Chinese, you must know some Chinese Kung Fu, right? Then, isn't it normal for you to know the art of clones? Don't you Chinese people pull out a strand of hair and blow out a clone of yourself? If you know this, you can definitely kill people and forge an alibi at the same time, right?"

"I?!"

Jiang Tianwei was so angry that he didn't know what to say.

Back then, China had a very low status in the world, but thanks to a martial arts star, the Chinese people were given a good name. However, it was also because of this martial arts star that foreigners had a great misunderstanding of Chinese Kung Fu...

This is also why one of the Knox Ten Commandments (the Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction) states that the murderer cannot be Chinese. This is because they do not want novelists to say: "Because he is Chinese and knows kung fu, he can do things that ordinary people cannot do."

It feels like the defendant being convicted of murder in court because he was not wearing socks today.

And most importantly, which country's Kung Fu can achieve the ability to split into two bodies by blowing hair? You want to be Sun Wukong?! I really want to be the Great Sage! Ask the stones in the Flower-Fruit Mountain if they agree?! Ask the Jade Emperor if he agrees?!

Jiang Tianwei took a deep breath, tried to calm his anger, and said: "If you say so, you Japanese still have ninjas. You can pinch your fingers and chant spells to create a shadow clone, right?"

Ryuji scratched his head: "We are not ninjas..."

"I'm not Sun Wukong either!"

The topic came to a standstill. The current situation is that no one has direct evidence, only indirect evidence. Neither of us can argue with each other, but we both feel - is the other party trying to slander me?

"Everyone, wait a minute. We are all good friends. Don't be so anxious. Don't be so eager to attack each other. Let me be fair. Since there is no evidence, then there is nothing to talk about. The law says that until proven guilty, there is no guilt."

At the critical moment, Akechi Goro jumped out. He stood between the two groups of aggressive people and said righteously: "Besides, if you want to talk about the possibility of committing the crime, I am also a possibility. I was separated from the majority of people because of the explosion. If you want to suspect, suspect me as well!"

Everyone in the Phantom Thieves looked at Goro Akechi, and Ryuji sighed, "Brother, isn't your foot injured? How are you going to escape?"

"Yes, yes, I think what Detective Akechi said makes sense! Maybe none of us is the murderer! You see, Shadow doesn't necessarily have to be [murdered]. The palace collapsed at that time. Maybe a big rock fell from the sky and killed him?"

Gao Juan Xing was a gentle girl who didn't like to see her friends arguing with each other. Suddenly, she thought of this universal explanation and quickly said it out.

Obviously, this very Lin Yueru's death cannot convince everyone, but now there is no better explanation, so everyone chooses to remain silent.

Although the possibility that Takamaki An mentioned is a bit far-fetched, it does make sense from the perspective of trusting your partners, and it makes sense if you insist on explaining it.

After all, there is no shortage of modern detective works where there is no murderer, it is just a pitiful tragedy.

Jiang Tianwei scratched his head in dissatisfaction, looked at these partners he once trusted and turned away.

"Don't leave, you murderer!"

Suddenly, Okumura Haru broke free from Takamaki An's hands. Without knowing when, she had picked up her axe and chopped at Jiang Tianwei!