Persona: Devil Summoner

The content is simple, but very weighty. As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. This sentence is at least as heavy as fourteen pagodas - because the principal weighs twice as much as an ordinary person.

"There is no need to specifically target the Phantom Thief. On the contrary, we should be tolerant and give preferential treatment to the Phantom Thief Jiang Tianwei. The group's current attitude is to recruit this Phantom Thief to join."

Hearing this, Principal Egghead finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he would be held accountable for not catching the thief, but hey! Now the higher-ups have changed their minds! Otherwise, why do they always say that things change over time?

As for preferential treatment, he has already given that kid enough preferential treatment!

However, at least this way I won't be held accountable by the group, so that's good...

What made him even happier was that the next day, when Jiang Tianwei came to school, he gave him a plan.

What business plan?

It was a performance item of the Chinese Culture Research Club, to which Jiang Tianwei belonged, at the school festival.

It has been confirmed: a grand display of Chinese culture.

This crappy content, which was at the level of a child's naming, made the principal feel even more relieved.

In this way, his strategy of transforming the school from a volleyball school to a club school can continue. Don't forget that he is responsible for providing money in this political group. Without students, where will the money come from? At least, now he doesn't have to worry about the problem of future students, probably.

The content of this business plan is very extensive and complicated, but Jiang Tianwei is not worried at all.

This project is roughly divided into several parts.

First, the Chinese food tasting session.

This is to attract laymen.

Even if people don’t care about Chinese culture, good food plus free tastings are great attractions, right? Especially when they’re free.

I would like to mention here that many clubs in Japan are actually managed in a similar way to "small societies". Everyone has club funds, and they have to consider both consumption and income. So you can often see in Japanese animation that clubs find ways to organize cultural festivals, such as collecting entrance fees for filming and collecting meal fees for catering.

But Jiang Tianwei had plenty of money, and since he had the principal to back him up, he simply gave it away for free. This highlighted a wealthy and willful person.

The second is the Chinese Martial Arts Awards.

This is a bit difficult because Jiang Tianwei himself doesn't know much about Chinese martial arts.

But, this kind of thing, all about is whether it looks like the real thing or not, if the other party is from a martial arts association, or a professional martial artist, they can naturally see how bad I am, but if the other party is this group of Japanese people, I am still confident that I can hide it.

Just practice a few times following the video.

When it comes to martial arts, the key is to learn by analogy. As long as you train your physical fitness to the highest level and coordinate your skills perfectly, it will be much easier to learn fighting techniques that use the body.

Fortunately, Jiang Tianwei’s physical fitness is top-notch now, and there are few people in the world who can compare to him.

The first two are ordinary... Jiang Tianwei's trump card is here.

That is what people often call the finale.

3. Lion dance performance.

Although Jiang Tianwei himself is not sure whether lion dance is a performance that only exists in China, it is true that China has special lion dance troupes. On such a festive day, the lively lion dance should be very appropriate.

From a scientific point of view, if you want to dance the lion, you must at least have a "lion" of your own.

Unfortunately, I don’t know if it’s because it’s unpopular or just a coincidence, but when Jiang Tianwei searched on shopping websites, he couldn’t find any place selling this kind of large prop.

Although there is also a way to borrow the lion from Master Liu's home, but the old man finally has an object that can relieve his thoughts and sorrows, how can Jiang Tianwei borrow it from others? If you say, borrow it on the day of the Optical Garden Festival, there is no problem, but you have to practice the movements and coordination of the lion dance!

Moreover, considering the future of the Chinese Culture Research Club, it should have its own lion. Otherwise, when the school festival comes, many students will see the lion dance performance and come to join the club, only to find out that it is a lion dance fraud.

However, making a lion head does not seem to be a difficult task. Because, in Jiang Tianwei's impression, it seems that in the TV series of the time, such as Young Huang Feihong, there was a plot in which a group of teenagers made their own lion heads, so it should not be difficult to make.

Among the people Jiang Tianwei knew, the two closest to this kind of handicraft master were Kitagawa Yusuke and Nuwa. Nuwa said it was very simple, but she was not interested in such childish things.

Yusuke's words...

"Sure. But you have to wait until tomorrow. I need to finish the painting I'm working on right now."

Yusuke is poor, and anyone who knows him a little bit will know that.

A person with his personality cannot go out to work... Think about it, with this person's so-called common sense, if he goes out to work, he will probably either piss off his clients or his boss, or he will be beaten to death by the angry clients and the angry boss. The conclusion is, cherish your life and stay away from working.

As for art, there are not many ways to make money. The more you know about this industry, the more you will understand why Madarame has become a profit-seeking old man. In a word, he is "tired of being poor."

That's why Yusuke was so interested when he saw the prize money for the painting competition. Being able to paint and make money at the same time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

By the way, this competition claims to be for the sake of fairness, so not only the opinions of the judges are required, but also the feedback from the audience. Therefore, the contestants' paintings need to be submitted one week in advance, and then the contestants' works will be exhibited in an art gallery that has a cooperative relationship with the competition organizing committee.

Moreover, also for the sake of fairness, the results will not be judged once, but twice, with an interval of two months.

If you are satisfied with the result of the first competition, you can participate in the next competition without any changes. If you are not satisfied with the result of the first competition, you can draw a new one in the next two months and continue to participate. After all, the highest score of the two results will be taken.

Now there are only a few days left before Yusuke submits his work, and Jiang Tianwei knows that he should not disturb him. Just when Jiang Tianwei is about to hang up the phone and wait until tomorrow...

"So, would you like to come and see? My paintings."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 678: There is a Bloody Valentine's Day, and there will be a Bloody School Festival

Yusuke's painting is about Master Lao Liu.

Jiang Tianwei already knew this.

He wanted to depict the emotions that "touch people's hearts", so he captured the people who moved him the most in daily life. He originally planned to depict the human heart in an abstract way, showing the dirty nature of greed, anger, ignorance, desire and hatred, but when he lived with Jiang Tianwei, he saw this selfless old man who helped others, and wanted to express the touch in his heart.

Moreover, there are similar paintings like this. For example, the "Sistine Madonna" that has been mentioned many times depicts the Virgin Mary as an ordinary peasant woman, but it is more appealing than an ordinary Madonna and has become a classic.

Yusuke also wanted to create such a work.

Jiang Tianwei went to the student dormitory where Yusuke lived. He didn't know if he was excluded. There was no one in the dormitory except him. Although there were many beds, it gave people an empty feeling.

Easels and drawing boards were placed randomly in the corners, and the unique smell of gouache paint lingered in the air for a long time. Although it was already autumn when school started, the afterglow of summer was still there. The hot air and Yusuke's enthusiastic explanation made Jiang Tianwei feel even hotter.

Jiang Tianwei was about to ask Yusuke if there was no air conditioning in this dormitory? But then he changed his mind and thought, if there was air conditioning here, would this guy go to the electronics street to get it? Of course not!

Thinking of this, Jiang Tianwei seemed to understand why there was no one in this dormitory... I guess everyone felt that if they had to suffer after paying the money, they might as well not live there. At least if you don't live in a dormitory, although it's expensive, it's comfortable!

To be honest, Jiang Tianwei cannot judge whether Yusuke's paintings are good or not, as he is not an artist. But from an outsider's perspective, it is very comfortable.

As the saying goes, "seeing the big from the small" means that in Yujie's painting, Mr. Liu occupies almost the entire painting, with a bright smile on his face and a bowl of hot wontons in his hands. Whether it is the composition, color, or brushstrokes, they are all first-class, making people feel comfortable. The old man's smile seems to be able to be transmitted to Jiang Tianwei through the paper.

"I think this will definitely win an award - so let's submit it for the competition first."

On the one hand, Jiang Tianwei was supporting his friend, and on the other hand, of course, he also wanted to quickly escape from this scorching hell.

However, Jiang Tianwei couldn't go with him because... he was a famous person now, and once he went out, many people would stare at him. So he could only let Yusuke go alone, and he would go to the cognitive space to wait for him to come and gather.

He believed in Yusuke's painting skills. There would be no problem.

Soon, Yusuke arrived at the agreed place.

Generally speaking, the Phantom Thieves act together, and there are not many opportunities for two-person operations. However, Jiang Tianwei is not here to complete a mission, change his heart, or train.

He brought Yusuke here because he had more important work to do.

That is - making a lion head!

Yes, since it is a lion dance, how can there be no lion head?

Since I’m not going to borrow the old man’s lion head, of course I have to make one myself!

As for the production, of course we have to ask professionals, that is, Yusuke Kitagawa, to take a look.

However, as an artist, Yusuke also has his own flaws.

That is, he said: Just by looking at pictures or videos of lion dances, it is difficult to truly understand how the lion head works.

That's why Jiang Tianwei brought him to the cognitive space.

Why? Is it because there is a demon dancing with a lion in the cognitive space? It is not far off, but it is not far off either.

"Come out, Baron."

As Jiang Tianwei spoke, he raised his cell phone and summoned the demon under his command, Baron.

This is a legendary mythical beast that lives on Bali Island. It is generally said to be in the form of a lion. It is a symbol of kindness. It is in direct confrontation with the ghost girl Landa, who Jiang Tianwei has used several times. They are the enemy of fate.

From the appearance, Baron doesn't look like a real lion at all, but more like a traditional dancing lion. Its blue-green face is decorated with silver ornaments and its body is covered with thick white fur.

In ancient times, people copied tigers by copying cats, and now people copy lions by copying Baron. It's really wonderful.

"Oh, it's so beautiful! So full of spirituality!"

Kitagawa Yusuke nodded as he spoke, holding his chin with one hand, looking like he was investigating seriously, as if he wanted to remember every detail of Baron's movements and expressions in his mind.

After all, Kitagawa Yusuke is a painter, not a handicraft master. If he were asked to depict Baron, he could do it right away. But if he were asked to use Baron as a reference and make a movable lion head, that would require careful research.

Jiang Tianwei was in no hurry to urge him, so he just waited on the side and started thinking about another question...

Well, now that I have decided to dance the lion dance, I must do it myself, but what about a partner?

Yes, a lion has four legs, so it definitely takes two people working together.

I don’t know many people, and Yusuke is the most suitable and the least suitable one.

Firstly, he is not a member of our school, and secondly, we are afraid that this great artist will suddenly get addicted to art in the middle of his performance and give you some impromptu performance, which would be counterproductive.

As for the others, Ryuji is definitely not suitable. If he performs, it won't be a lion dance. Niijima Shin is not suitable either. He is the student council president. He can inspect for a while, but he doesn't have time to perform with you.

As for Takamaki An, Yoshizawa Sumire, and Okumura Haru, they are not suitable either. The reason is simple. If you really ask them to cooperate with you, who will watch the lion dance? Wouldn't everyone just watch the legs?!

After all the calculations, the most suitable one, or the only one I can rely on... is actually Amamiya Ren...

Jiang Tianwei didn't have any prejudice against this person, but he always felt that if he performed lion dance with him, this guy would definitely steal his limelight... Does anyone remember the classic works of Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao? "No, I'm the protagonist!" He always felt that his position as the protagonist would be taken away by the other person.

Well, it’s just that Jiang Tianwei hasn’t noticed a detail at this time.

Although everyone is performing at the school festival, what is another reserved activity of the school festival? Of course, it is to go to the school festival with your loved one.

This is just like when Yuan Shao arranged the four famous generals to form the Four Pillars of Hebei (Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, Gao Lan), but ended up with the Four Pillars of Hebei and one Liang (with Han Meng added). When arranging the four counselors, there are also a lot of choices such as Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Guo Tu, Xu You, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xin Ping, Xin Pi...

Mr. Yuan, who ranked 4th, was still so entangled. Now there is only one spot to accompany Comrade Xiao Jiang to the school festival... Hiss, this bloody storm, this storm is coming...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 679 You are still alive?! Of course I am still alive!

This morning, Master Liu got up early with great enthusiasm, cooked his specialties, and was about to knock on the door of the boy next door to send him food. It was not until the food was on the table that he remembered that the boy next door said he had something to do and had to stay in the dormitory during this period.

It's normal for the old man to be in a good mood.

Just a while ago, he finally reconciled with his son, with whom he had been quarreling for a long time. However, before he had the time to enjoy the belated family affection, his son showed up at his doorstep in a dazed state, like a stray dog.

Afterwards, this child who had always been an elite revealed his fragile inner face. Adults always collapse in an instant, because everyone has accumulated pressure, and they just barely rely on a pretended indifferent shell to show others. That's why when the shell breaks, they collapse instantly.

It was all thanks to the kid next door who gave me a suggestion and said he should let his son try this, which was his favorite thing when he was a child.

As mentioned before, Master Liu's family was very poor. In this special era, every family has a few "home-cooked dishes" that are full of the background of the times, a sense of vicissitudes and a strong sense of happiness. This is especially true for a top chef like Master Liu.

Fortunately, although there is no money in the poor mountain valley, the mountains, rivers and forests themselves are a treasure trove of material wealth. Various fruits and wild fruits, various game and birds have become the things that Master Liu uses to enrich his family's menu. This is why they say that craftsmen will never starve to death in years of famine and drought.

Of all the foods, the one my son likes most is candied haws.

This sweet food popular in big cities like BJ gave him almost all the "sweet" impressions when he was a child. Moreover, when he heard that it was a snack popular in old BJ, he had a sense of "I also have the temperament of a big city", and this little sense of superiority was very rare in the poor mountain valley.

Moreover, once you know how to make it, you don’t have to wrap anything inside.

Look at the candied haws shops nowadays. From the earliest red fruits to yam beans, almost anything edible can be wrapped in sugar and sold as candied haws. The strangest thing at present is probably candied potatoes...

However, who would have thought that decades ago, there was a chef in the mountains who caught up with the trend decades later and began to try to "candied" various fresh vegetables, such as candied cucumbers.

What a brilliant vision that transcends the times. People say that history is an upward spiral, and it is indeed true.

"[…The meal today is so rich?]"

After Manager Liu finished washing up, he saw a table full of dishes as he came out of the bathroom. It was more than two men could finish.

"[Oh, I forgot that Tian'er next door went to school. I prepared this for him.]"

The old man rubbed his rough hands together, as if he was expressing his embarrassed feelings, or as if he was subconsciously feeling lonely.

Manager Liu was silent.

My father doesn't understand Japanese, so he naturally doesn't read Japanese news.

So he wouldn't know that just a few days ago, the leader of the Phantom Thieves was arrested and imprisoned.

Not long after, the leader committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.

So, the child next door will never come back.