Persona: Devil Summoner

What Fang Ze Jin couldn't accept the most was... at that time, she felt a mixture of emotions, including fear, sadness, terror, and... a sense of indescribable joy and relief...

(This way, I won’t be compared to my sister anymore…)

This strange thought flashed through the dark corner of her heart, and became the fatal blow that shattered her spirit. This despicable thought made her hate herself...

This is why, after her sister's death, Sumire Yoshizawa suffered such a mental breakdown... Besides those basic negative emotions, what overwhelmed her was a deep sense of guilt.

Sumire feels deeply guilty for having felt happy about her sister's death for a moment.

She spoke out everything that was in her heart in a halting manner.

(That's good.).

Yoshizawa Sumire thought so.

(If Xia knew what a bad woman I am, she would definitely be disappointed. She would definitely be very angry. Maybe, she would even beat me up. But, this is what I deserve. Anyway, I am a bad woman who killed my sister and still gloats over her misfortune.).

Yoshizawa Sumire's mind was filled with such masochistic thoughts.

However, Fang Zexia just listened silently, shrugged, and said with a smile: "Are you done?"

"That's all...you, sister, aren't you going to scold me?"

"Why?".

"I, I am obviously the murderer who killed you!"

"No, no one is the murderer in this case. Even if we have to blame someone, it's the truck driver's fault. Oh, if I hadn't traveled to another world, I would really want him to apologize! He has to abdicate in front of me."

Yoshizawa Kasumi's tone was as light-hearted and humorous as ever, but it was this complete indifference that made Yoshizawa Sumire feel like a knife was cutting her heart.

"But, I have ruined your dream, sister! You will never be able to stand on the world's number one stage again..."

"But you can. Have you forgotten? That's not just my dream, it's our dream."

“That’s the same... Without Kasumi, that dream... is impossible to achieve... I can’t do it at all... I don’t have Kasumi’s strength, there’s no way I can get number one in the world... It would be great if I was the one who died! Sister, you are the one who should...”

"That's not right."

Fang Zexia spoke word by word, the gentleness in her tone faded, and a rational calmness revealed itself.

"Jin, you have more potential than you think. Why do you think I'm so good at rhythmic gymnastics?"

"Of course it's because you are talented, Xia!"

"You're wrong. That's because I don't want to lose to you. Losing to a sister's sister sounds too lame, so I've been trying my best to avoid losing to you with fear and trepidation."

"In order... not to lose to me? How is that possible... Xia, how could it be..."

After hearing this, Yoshizawa Sumire found it increasingly difficult to believe. Although she herself did not see it, at this moment, the blue flames on her face burned into the shape of a mask...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 150 Then, kick them all away!

There is a saying that the person who knows yourself best is yourself.

But there is also a saying that the person who knows himself least is himself.

Both of these sayings have their own validity. All we can say is that it is better to have no books than to believe in them blindly.

The cause of the personality mask is essentially a problem of the user's mentality. Yoshizawa Kasumi is not an expert in personality masks, and she herself does not even have a personality mask, but for the sake of her sister, even if she does not understand, she must try hard to find a way to figure it out.

Therefore, when Fang Ze Xia was alone, she always studied what these people who had awakened their personas had in common.

According to Yoshizawa Kasumi's summary, the cause of the personality mask can basically be determined as [facing difficulties and obstacles].

Whether it's Jiang Tianwei who was facing the [threat of death], or Sakamoto Ryuji and Takamaki Anne who were [forced into a desperate situation and had to resist], all of these can be attributed to this.

However, her sister does not quite fit these two situations. Therefore, Fang Zexia believes that her sister may have other awakening conditions... such as [unwilling to face the real self].

People who have awakened their persona may not be aware of it. They always say, "You are me and I am you." It can be considered that, as a prerequisite, if one wants to awaken persona, one needs to recognize oneself.

This is Sumire Yoshizawa's biggest problem at the moment.

She couldn't accept herself.

And now, the burning blue-green flame mask on Yoshizawa Sumire's face is enough to illustrate this point.

"How could Xia lose to me... Xia is perfect and will never lose. Why do you say that..."

Yoshizawa Sumire refused to believe that her sister also had shortcomings.

This is probably what Yoshizawa Sumire is worried about.

Since she was a child, Sumire Yoshizawa has been consciously or unconsciously compared with her older sister by her parents, classmates, coaches, teachers... and has been accustomed to hearing her older sister's praise since she was a child.

There is a similar example in psychology, which describes this situation: when everyone around is saying that Sumire Yoshizawa is not as good as Kasumi Yoshizawa, and that Kasumi Yoshizawa is a genius and a great artist, after a long time, Sumire Yoshizawa also feels that this conclusion is very reasonable and regards it as "common sense."

This is just like the leader worship in the past, where the national leader, who was originally a human being, was forcibly promoted to an omnipotent god. The current situation is just like in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, when you spoke ill of Stalin to the United Nations... The consequences can be imagined...

But, Yoshizawa Kasumi is not what Yoshizawa Sumire thought.

Fang Zexia is also a human being, with flesh and blood. She also has things she is not good at, as well as her own little flaws and thoughts. She can scheme against others, but she can also make selfless contributions.

She is a human being, not a god.

The beliefs that she had always held on to were now in conflict with reality, and the impact on Sumire Yoshizawa was enormous.

"Jin, I'm not omnipotent. I'm not good at cooking, and I always stay in bed in the morning. I have to set three or four alarms to catch up with morning training. The same goes for rhythmic gymnastics. Although it is evaluated as 'bold acting', in my opinion, your delicate movements are more beautiful."

"Don't, don't say anymore, sister..."

"And... as for me, my judgment of men is really terrible. I also hope that one day I can have a good chat with you about things that high school girls would talk about, like talking about love, complaining about school homework, making holiday shopping plans together, and exploring delicious restaurants together... I'm not a god. I'm a living person like you. I also have things I can and can't do, and things I'm not good at."

"elder sister……".

"Jin - you are not the shadow of Yoshizawa Kasumi, you are the one and only you. There is no point in comparing yourself to me. Kick away all those rumors that want to tie us sisters together!"

Fang Zexia said this, cutely clenched her fist and punched into the air.

"Kick them all away?"

"Yes. Kick them all away! Have you had enough? You're always compared to me. You must feel dissatisfied, right? Then, just [resist]!"

"Resistance..."

Yoshizawa Sumire listened to her sister's voice, the confusion in her tone gradually faded. Correspondingly, the flame mask on her face became clearer and clearer. From the blazing flames, the outline of a black mask could be vaguely seen.

"Ala, although it's a little late, and you only noticed it after your sister pointed it out to you, but you seem to have finally realized it."

In the space, a female voice could be faintly heard echoing. Just like every time the persona awakened before, this was the voice from deep within Yoshizawa Sumire's heart.

"Other people's expectations? Not good enough? Not as good as your sister? Those rumors are meaningless. You are Yoshizawa Sumire, and this is your true self that absolutely no one can deny. Rebel against those self-righteous expectations!"

Bewitched by the voice, Fang Ze Jin nodded vigorously and grasped the edge of the mask with both hands. Unexpectedly, the flame seemed to have temperature. The palms of Fang Ze Jin's hands made a sizzling sound, and a faint white mist with the smell of burnt flesh dissipated.

But, Sumire Yoshizawa did not let go.

Thanks to Maruki Takuto, she now knows completely: she is not Kasumi Yoshizawa and will never be Kasumi Yoshizawa.

Maruki Takuto's spiritual suggestion was like a magician in a fairy tale. He gave Cinderella a pair of crystal shoes named [Fang Ze Xia], but now it was midnight, the magic disappeared, she lost the pair of crystal shoes, and turned back into Cinderella...

But, did the prince at the ball fall in love with her shoes? No, he fell in love with Cinderella herself. It had nothing to do with what shoes she wore.

Even if the magic cast by the wizard fails, Sumire Yoshizawa has decided to be the real Cinderella again!

Bang...

Yoshizawa Sumire tore off the mask on her face with force, as if it was connected to her flesh. Yoshizawa Sumire's face was covered in blood under the mask. The mask fell to the ground and turned into a ball of fire.

A ball of fire burned on Yoshizawa Sumire's body. Her original clothes disappeared and she was replaced by a set of black clothes, a tight-fitting leotard, just like what every dancer wears, with a black tuxedo on the outside and high boots on her white legs.

Wearing this outfit makes her look like the black swan in ballet.

The ugly duckling finally transformed into a swan. She no longer needed recognition from others; she just needed to spread her wings and fly freely.

“Ha…Ah ha…”

Yoshizawa Sumire was breathing heavily. She had been suffocating due to the excessive expectations. Now, she had a refreshing feeling as if she had released everything.

"Sister, are you also a member of the Phantom Thieves?"

Yoshizawa Sumire barely managed to stand up by supporting herself on her knees. Having solved her psychological problem, she finally had the energy to think about other things.

"Uh-huh. Wanna report me?"

Fang Zexia joked with a smile.

"No, that's not what I meant. Sister - I, I want to join the Phantom Thieves too!"

Yoshizawa Sumire said seriously.

Regardless of her sense of justice or mission, if she were to start from a rational and logical point of view, Sumire Yoshizawa would not join the Phantom Thieves. After all, her dream is to reach the top of rhythmic gymnastics and win the world championship. Compared with the Phantom Thieves, she is more willing to work on her acting skills and prepare for the upcoming competition.

But, if everything can be done rationally and logically, then humans are no longer humans...

Sumire Yoshizawa decided to join the Phantom Thieves for only one reason...

That is, I can reunite with my sister here.

The hand that was once released will never be released again no matter what.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 151 Insert Chapter Puppies also have a few teeth

Jiang Tianwei would not be so tactless as to stay there while the sisters were having an intimate conversation. After confirming that the sisters had resolved their emotional problems and Fang Ze Jin had awakened her persona and were not in danger, he judged that the sisters must have a lot to say. How embarrassed would they be if he, an outsider, was there?

So he chose to ride his motorcycle in this unknown space.

As mentioned before, boys all have some admiration for machines to a certain extent. Jiang Tianwei is no exception. After watching The Terminator, he was very impressed by Governor Arnold's muscular body and his cool Harley motorcycle.

But in reality, let’s not talk about the realistic issue of whether you can afford a Harley motorcycle. Even if you buy one, there is nowhere you can drive fast on a daily basis. There is a speed limit in the city, and there are cars everywhere. Even if there is no speed limit, you can’t drive it, right?

Now it's good, the car is free, there are no traffic police, no real-time photo-taking, and no unruly large cars in this recognition space, so can we drive fast, right?

While humming "Ebito Tailing", he hated his adoptive father's last name as Kawahara instead of Fujiwara. He also complained why his family business was in finance instead of selling tofu, and why he didn't teach him how to use the sewers in Tokyo to turn. At the same time, he increased the speed of the motorcycle to the maximum...

Ah? You asked what to do if there is a car accident?

I'm not afraid. Not to mention that Jiang Tianwei has the power of the Demon Bullfighter and has extraordinary reaction speed - even if he really hits the Shadow, what can he do?

Traffic laws only stipulate that it is illegal to hit people with a car. If you look through the traffic regulations, do you see that it is also illegal to hit monsters? In a big way, this is to punish evil and uphold justice. In a small way, this is legitimate defense to eliminate evil and uphold justice.

Thinking of this, Jiang Tianwei, wearing a red armor, drove in the familiar space, feeling the excitement that he could not feel in normal times.

bang.

However, according to Murphy's Law, what you fear will come true. So I suggest that you worry about winning the lottery when you have nothing to do. Maybe Murphy will show up one day.

When Jiang Tianwei was dreaming about drifting on two wheels, he suddenly turned a corner and bumped into someone!

Oh no, there is no one in this space? You want to see people, I want to see others too! Even when buying melons, Jiang Tianwei looked carefully and saw that the person he knocked out was a boy with a watermelon head. He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, and should be in high school.

He was wearing a green floral scarf and a white checkered dress. His shoulders were bulging out in an ancient style, and he had a silver breastplate on his chest. At this moment, he looked like a cartoon character embedded in the wall, and the spear in his hand fell to the ground with a clang...

"Don't you have eyes? You don't even look carefully when you turn a corner..."

Although he was hit by Jiang Tianwei at full speed, he jumped down from the wall as if nothing had happened, which showed that he was very strong and obviously not an ordinary person. He hooked his foot and the spear on the ground flew away. He caught it in his hand and used his empty left hand to brush off the dirt on his body: "If I wasn't in a hurry to run... and hurry to get on the road, I would have made you suffer..."

If you think about it carefully, there are only demons wandering around in this cognitive space. There is no doubt that although the man in front of you looks no different from a human, he is undoubtedly also a demon - after all, if he were an ordinary human, he would definitely be dead with just this blow.

However, seeing that he had no intention of causing trouble, Jiang Tianwei breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to leave and hadn't turned the handlebars yet, he suddenly heard a swish sound. The spear in the humanoid demon's hand had turned most of a circle and was firmly pressed against Jiang Tianwei's neck.

"What are you doing? Didn't you say you were in a hurry?"

Jiang Tianwei's mind moved, and the red armor covered his whole body. The opponent's spear was naturally blocked by the cold metal armor. A black spear also fell into Jiang Tianwei's hand. This set was exactly the equipment of the demon Eliger who had merged before.

It's a pity that the horse will never come back. Jiang Tianwei is now as distressed as if he accidentally disassembled the only item in the game that cannot be recovered.

"I say, it's not that easy to just run after hitting someone. Let's do this! Take me and leave quickly, walk up, don't ask too many questions, just run!"

As the devil spoke, he unceremoniously sat on the back seat of the motorcycle and patted him: "What are you standing there for! Run!"

"Uh, is there, is there something chasing you?"

"Hahaha, how is that possible? I am invincible - I told you there's no time left, let's just go!"

From a distance, one can seem to sense some kind of overwhelming momentum coming from the passage, heading this way... and can also hear the sound of chains being dragged on the ground, and the irregular sound of some metal knocking against the wall.

Jiang Tianwei swallowed his saliva. Although he did not specifically calculate how many floors he had gone down, but considering the speed of the car and the fact that he had to go downstairs every time he saw a station, a rough calculation showed that there were at least a dozen floors underground. He didn't know if there were some terrifying demons living deep there.

But he had no idea what the other party looked like, so even if he wanted to challenge him, he couldn't do it in a hurry. So he quickly turned the handlebars and fled to the upper level with this humanoid demon.