Tokyo Trickster

Subconsciously, he thought of the locked studio in the hut.

Only Vjie lives there, and Vjie shouldn't be the kind of child who would be curious about that room.

But there was a voice in Madarame's ear that kept repeating, "What if there was a thief in the house, just like he did back then, and stole Sayuri?"

Madarame Ichiryusai clenched his fists.

What if a second painting of Sayuri appeared in the public eye?

People may question its authenticity because of his reputation, but the rich and powerful who spent a lot of money to buy the "authentic" one will definitely be furious.

He claimed at a private auction that he was "forced to sell authentic items and exhibit fakes due to financial difficulties."

"I'm sorry," the great painter Madarame said to his colleagues around him, "I have an emergency at home. I have to excuse myself."

The rain was falling rapidly, and the advertising banners hanging outside the office building floated in the dark gray sky in response to the drum-like vibrations.

"Kitagawa," Amamiya Ren, who was squeezing paint into the paint tray, suddenly looked up, "Where is the painting you made with me as the model? I suddenly want to see what I look like in your painting."

He had actually seen it in Madarame's art exhibition, but he still pointed it out on purpose.

Kitagawa Vsuke couldn't figure this out, and immediately fell into panic, telling a clumsy lie, "That painting, um... I put it in school. I'll bring it to you next time."

"Where are the photos? There should be photos."

"I don't have the habit of taking pictures." Kitagawa's answer became more and more dull.

"Really? But the painting 'Bleeding Reeds' that I saw at Mr. Madarame's exhibition seemed very similar to yours."

"That is..." Kitagawa Vsuke's brain froze for a moment, the pain and embarrassment of losing his beloved painting welled up from the bottom of his heart, along with the memory of countless times in the past when he presented his hard-crafted works to Madarame. He tried hard to think about how to answer Amamiya Ren.

The Phantom Thief repeated the point he made at the exhibition, "In fact, 'Bleeding Reeds' is your work, right? It was Madarame who took away your creation."

"Absolutely not!" Kitagawa Vsuke's emotions immediately became excited. He glared at Amamiya Ren, "I won't allow you to slander the reputation of Madarame teacher!"

"Actually, I've met your senior brother," Amamiya Ren said calmly, "Nakanohara Natsuhiko."

"..." Kitagawa Vsuke hesitated to speak.

"He told me that Madarame Ichiryusai has been oppressing his adopted disciples, forcing these talented young people to provide him with works. Is that true?"

"......no."

"Could it be that Mr. Nakanohara's words were all slanderous words used to defame Madarame?" Amamiya Ren made an expression of sudden enlightenment.

Kitagawa Vsuke did not respond to this.

The studio fell into silence.

after a long time.

"I volunteered to provide inspiration to Mr. Madarame, he just...just hit a creative bottleneck. I...as a student I have the need to repay him for adopting me." Kitagawa Vsuke's expression was full of struggle.

"Speaking of which," Amamiya Ren put down the palette, stood up and patted Kitagawa Vsuke's arm, "As a friend, I must warn you of something."

"......" He was answered by a pair of eyes filled with pain and hesitation.

"Come with me. After seeing this, you will change your opinion of Madarame Ichiryusai," Amamiya Ren took Kitagawa Vsuke to the Peacock Feather Studio. "You actually knew that the old man has been exploiting your talent and value, but he always deceived himself."

He turned on the light, and specks of dust floated in the snow-white halo. Countless copies of "Sayuri" were placed everywhere.

"Look, Kitagawa Vsuke," Amamiya Ren picked up a painting of Sayuri on the bookshelf and pointed to the paintings of Sayuri that filled the room. "The paintings that enlightened you and guided you forward are all here now."

Kitagawa Vsuke was trembling and couldn't say a word.

Amamiya Ren smiled, "Now, you still want to deceive yourself. Is Madarame really doing this for your own good?"

"I..." The memories of my life with the old man came to my mind. Perhaps it was a simple sukiyaki, or a bowl of omelette rice with soy sauce; going in and out of high-end hotels; sketching in the pine forest next to Ginzan Onsen...

"He's just an old jerk who's seeking fame and taking advantage of young people."

"No, that's not right! There must be something hidden! I'm going to report you, you criminal who violated other people's privacy... I'm going to find Madarame-sensei, the Metropolitan Police Department..." Kitagawa Vsuke pushed Amamiya Ren away painfully. He wanted to rush out of the studio and took out his cell phone to make a call.

crunch...

Outside the hut, an old man hurriedly put away his umbrella. He rushed into the entrance.

What I saw was the Peacock Feather Studio with its door open.

Without even bothering to take off his shoes, Madarame Ikryusai lost his usual indifference and gentleness. He threw away the umbrella in his hand, swung open the sleeves of his kimono and ran.

Hey.

The old man ran into his student head-on.

The angry mirror reflects confusion and puzzlement.

"Mr. Madarame! You've come at the right time. Tell him quickly that these are..." Kitagawa Vsuke said excitedly.

Madarame Ichiryusai looked around and fell silent.

"Mr. Madarame! Mr. Madarame? Madarame..." Kitagawa Vsuke suddenly calmed down, his voice getting softer and softer, "Mr. Madarame, why don't you answer me?"

He looked at the old face that had lost its calmness and indifference, and felt strange and scary.

(PS: I'm busy with final exams and work recently, so the updates are two chapters each. Alas, I'm a bit lazy. Things will get better after the exams are over.)

Dry weather: 084. I'll make you die of anxiety

The sound of raindrops fell, and the water threads twisted and tangled on the window, like green vines withering in late autumn.

The sound of water rushing against the windowsill can be clearly heard in the quiet studio.

An old face that gradually regained its composure was reflected in Kitagawa Vsuke's eyes.

"V introduction," the old man finally spoke, his voice sad. "There is a hidden story behind all this."

Amamiya Ren nodded to show that she was listening carefully, and the phone hidden in her pocket had already turned on the recording.

Kitagawa Vsuke was a little bit unbelievable, "These Sayuri..."

"Well, since you have seen it, I can't hide it anymore." Madarame Ichiryusai showed a painful expression, "Actually... I have a lot of debts, and it is not easy to raise so many of you disciples. I copied these little lilies myself, and then sold them through special channels to relieve the financial pressure."

Kitagawa Vsuke looked at the old decoration of the studio and said nothing.

When Amamiya Ren thought of this old man's villa in Meguro District and the lover he kept there, she felt like laughing, but she had to hold it back and carefully appreciate the performance art of the "Great Painter Madarame".

The old man put his hands in his kimono, his eyebrows drooped, and his tone was heavy, "The real "Sayuri"... was stolen by a former disciple. Maybe it was because I was too strict, so he held a grudge... "

"That incident dealt me ​​a heavy blow...After that, I was stuck in a bottleneck..."

Kitagawa Vsuke seemed to really believe it. He glanced at Amamiya Ren beside him and asked, "This guy said that you were stealing the paintings of your senior brothers and sisters. Could it be that they are also..."

"Yes, V," the old man actually followed his words and said, "I am also very distressed about this. It is also a last resort for them to transfer the idea to me."

World-weary penguin, dove

"I also felt that I couldn't go on like this, so I kept trying to recreate Sayuri. But... something that can't be drawn is just a copy after all." Madarame Ichiru's eyes became moist, "Really, I'm sorry for those children, and I'm sorry for you, Vsuke."

Amamiya Ren put her hands behind her back and gave instructions to Morgana, signaling it to hide behind the most special easel in the studio, ready to remove the dust cover at any time.

Madarame Ikryusai seemed to be absorbed in his acting, and was completely immersed in his fictional story. "Just at this time, someone said that it didn't matter if it was a copy, and hoped that I could sell the painting to him. I thought about the students who were studying in the studio, their expenses... No, all this is my own responsibility..."

His voice suddenly became choked and trembling. "I'm sorry, I hurt them. I was burdened by the false reputation. Because...if I don't shoulder everyone's expectations and take on more work, it will cause trouble to many people - even if I want to cultivate your talents...it costs money, please forgive me, an incompetent teacher."

There is something, the corner of Amamiya Ren's mouth trembled, the old bastard spoke lies mixed with the truth, and Kitagawa Vsuke was confused. This silly art student almost believed it all.

However, the loopholes in the words are still obvious to others. It is just that the victims can be deceived by the exaggerated emotions and stereotypes.

It must have been hard for Mr. Madarame to come up with such a lie on the spot.

Amamiya Ren looked at him coldly and said the first thing Madarame said after he entered the room, "If the original painting was stolen, how did Mr. Madarame copy it?"

Madarame Ichiryusai recognized the boy who impressed him so much, and his expression froze for a moment. "I took some high-resolution photos of him for my art collection."

"I've read some news about the Japanese art world. Mr. Madarame might as well think about whether what he says is reasonable." Amamiya Ren added, "No collector would be willing to take over a painting copied from a photograph."

"You are an outsider who doesn't know anything about painting..." Madarame Ichiryusai's expression turned gloomy. He raised his eyebrows, showing his anger at all costs.

Amamiya Ren snapped her fingers, and Morgana jumped up from behind the easel covered with a purple dust sheet, tore off the dust sheet covering the painting, and then rushed nimbly into the darkness of the studio.

"Eh? This is also 'Sayuri,'" Amamiya Ren said in a very artificial voice, "It's really strange, how come this 'Sayuri' is much more exquisite compared to those fakes~"

Kitagawa Vsuke clenched his fists. Countless days and nights of observation and understanding told him that this was definitely the real Sayuri. He turned back in disbelief and looked at his mentor, "Didn't you just say that it was stolen...?!"

"This... this is a copy!" Madarame Ikryusai felt his back was a little wet, not sure if it was because of sweat or rain.

But this time, Kitagawa Vsuke firmly refuted the old man's words, "This is definitely not copying! Teacher..."

Kitagawa Vsuke's eyes were filled with the rain outside the window, "It was this painting that inspired me to keep painting until now."

He looked at Madarame Ichiryusai, "Teacher..."

"This is fake! That's right, it's a forgery." The great painter's patience had been completely exhausted. He didn't even have time to think about the rationality of the lie. "I heard about this fake painting before, so I bought it!"

"That's a bit far-fetched. A painter actually bought a fake of his own work," Amamiya Ren sneered, "Could it be that Sayuri is also a painting you plagiarized from somewhere?"

Madarame Ichiryusai's reaction was more intense than he had expected. The old man's expression changed from mood to mood, and he finally flew into a rage. "You two are really shocking! As for the damage to my reputation and infringement, let's discuss the solution in court!"

He took out his cell phone and dialed the number. His expression gradually became relaxed, but also a little heartbroken. "I have already notified the security company. Tsk, I originally wanted to deal with troublesome third-rate reporters, but I didn't expect to use it on you two brats."

"Wait!" Kitagawa Vsuke called him, "I haven't..."

"If you want to talk, go talk to the police, V-suke," Madarame Ichiryusai showed his viciousness hidden under his daily life and acted like a gecko cutting off its tail, "This studio no longer needs you."

Hey, I can't afford to play anymore. Amamiya Ren thought about her criminal record and felt a little distressed. This old guy, I don't know how good he is at painting, but he has a lot of tricks to pursue fame and fortune.

"Someone will be here in less than two minutes, so be prepared." Madarame Ichiryusai sneered at Amamiya Ren, "As for you, a young man who broke into a private house, you should stay in the juvenile detention center and repent!"

The thief grabbed Kitagawa Vsuke's collar and dragged him out of the studio. A black cat carrying a backpack burst out with strength that didn't belong to its size, and took advantage of the distraction of the old man to jump onto the beam.

Amamiya Ren stood under the eaves, watching the heavy rain on the street. He listened to the increasingly harsh and clear sirens outside the window. It seemed that there was only one option left.

So I took out my phone and opened that strange APP.

[Different world navigation at your service].

"Take me to Madarame's palace."

"Current distance: 0M."

This time, time was not paused.

A strange whirlpool swallowed up Amamiya Ren, and even took away Kitagawa Vsuke who was beside him.

The security company's salesperson quickly arrived with the police, but the suspect was no longer at the scene.

Their footprints were interrupted on the wet steps. There were no public cameras installed in the remote neighborhoods.

"Mr. Madarame, do you want to register it?" The police asked Madarame Ikryusai politely.

"Of course," the old man pinched his chin, "Go inform the media and say that Madarame's students were bewitched by thieves and attempted to steal the teacher's masterpiece."

"Yes."

"Oh, by the way," Madarame Ichiryusai said maliciously, "We have to let his school know. And then make a big fuss about it."

"Understood." The police promised repeatedly.

It rained harder and harder.

Outside the huge art gallery.

Amamiya Ren, who had already changed into a Phantom Thief costume, fell from a whirlpool in mid-air and landed after a gorgeous somersault. Unfortunately, no judges gave him any points.

Kitagawa Vsuke fell from the sky, and then the thief held up his trouser leg with one hand. Blood rushed to his brain instantly.

His eyes widened, his stomach churned, and then he lost consciousness.

Click. The unconscious Kitagawa Vsuke was sleeping peacefully on the road.

Dry weather: 085. The Phantom Thieves' infiltration operation

"Are you awake?"

There was a vague sound in my ears.

Immediately afterwards, a bucket of cold water was poured on Kitagawa Vsuke's face.

Then you can hear the sound of water splashing.

"Are you awake?" The same voice came again.

The other party raised the bucket...

"Wake up!" Kitagawa Vsuke opened his eyes.

Amamiya Ren applauded, "Congratulations, the operation was successful, you are now a girl."