Tokyo Trickster

The exam will be held from July 7th to July 4th.

Then comes summer vacation.

I have been busy reviewing recently, and it is extremely difficult to defend the "2 chapters a day" target.

I can focus on paying off my debts during the holidays. I'll take a day off today to adjust my work and rest schedule. I can't stand staying up all night for several days in a row.

Thank you very much orz

Dry weather: 090. Warning letter in heavy rain

【October 10. Time: 30:19.】

【On Halloween Eve.】

【Typhoon "Dandelion" landed in Tokyo. The Observatory estimated that it would leave Japan and head for China in 41 hours. 】

Through the windows and doors, one could hear the turbulent wind sweeping the waterfall-like rain scraping against the surface of the building. This old apartment building was on the verge of collapse. A shrill and shrill whimpering sound came out from the cracks, accompanied by the thunder in the sky and the wailing of the nearby trees, and fell into Kitagawa Vsuke's ears, merging into a noisy rhapsody.

The art students who left Madarame Ichiryusai's studio had their main source of income cut off. Fortunately, there was a lot of cash in this "temporary combat base", which was enough to barely make ends meet.

Kitagawa Vsuke sat by the window, painting on a newly bought canvas. On the coffee table beside him was an empty bowl of miso soup and two plates of grilled fish, emitting faint heat.

He bought this at the restaurant next door in the rain. When he got home, he saw a strong wind outside the window, and the swirling rain swept the streets. The plastic shed that had not been taken away in time was torn and blown into the sky. Suddenly, inspiration burst out, and he hurriedly put aside his meal.

Beep. The phone vibrates.

The art student, immersed in his own world, ignored him.

"There are only a few hours left before the planned announcement date," Lavenda said as she rolled rice balls in the kitchen. "Did the new members reply to your message?"

"Not yet," Amamiya Ren was doing push-ups in the living room of his Shibuya apartment, naked. Sweat rolled down his smooth muscle lines, and his skin was flushed with a healthy blush. With the help of [Orion], his one-month hell-level training had been quite effective. Even without the effect of the personality mask, he could restore some of the infiltration skills of "Phantom Thief Arsene".

Morgana struggled to lift two Japanese-English translation dictionaries on his back and piled them on his back. "Joker, is this all right?"

Amamiya Lian supported herself on the ground with one hand and tapped on the tablet screen with the other hand, "Add another one."

He seemed to be in great shape.

Morgana wiped the sweat from the cat scratching mat with his own fur. "I think we should save some energy before we sneak into the palace..."

"Ha, this level is just a warm-up." The team leader was bragging to his smurf friends on Line, and he actually started doing one-handed push-ups.

"Morgana, you should go deliver the notice," Lavenda walked out of the kitchen with a plate of rice balls, and kicked Amamiya Ren's waist as if she was angry. Her feet in white stockings were tucked into the cotton slippers with bear patterns, and the impact of the kick on her body was really not commendable. "And you, after exchanging information with Mr. Kitagawa, quickly make an infiltration plan."

Amamiya Ren, who was immersed in polishing her body, collapsed on the cold floor with a plop, grimacing in fear from the cold.

The secretary put the dinner plate on the sofa, and squatted in front of Amamiya Ren with a rice ball. Her petite body curled up like a doll treasured in a cupboard, so delicate that it made people pity her. She pinched the rice ball and handed a small piece to Amamiya Ren's mouth, her bright amber eyes flickering with brilliance, "I wish you good luck in martial arts?"

Amamiya Ren bit off the rice ball, got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower, prepared to change clothes and started the action.

......

Even the fierce typhoon could not stop the pressure of life. Workers gathered in safe high-rise buildings, turned off the ceiling lights, and continued to work by the light of their laptops.

Madarame Ichiryusai was already overwhelmed with dealing with the "rumors" that popped up like mushrooms after a rain.

He really couldn't have imagined that the lawyer found by Amamiya Ren would be so vicious. Not only did he delay the progress of the case to an indefinite end, he even turned the tables and exposed the matter of "plagiarizing disciple's paintings" to the public.

After Alice's modification, the recording of Amamiya Ren in Madarame's studio has been perfectly forged as "Nakanohara Natsuhiko's 'Revenge'". There are no cameras in the streets around the studio, and this recording, which is extremely difficult to restore to the original version, is the only on-site evidence. No matter how the police traced the source according to Madarame Ikryusai's request, they only got the "first version" that Alice wanted them to get - the senior officials of the Metropolitan Police Department did not care whether Madarame Ikryusai's case could be handled. The dispute between him and Amamiya Ren was made public, which would only put huge public pressure on their desks. According to the fine tradition passed down from generation to generation, everyone chose to bow deeply in front of the camera, indicating that the police would do their best to assist Mr. Madarame Ikryusai in catching the real culprit, but they did not mention a word about the identity of the suspect.

Even without Alice's help in forging the "alibi", the police would have tried every means to blur Amamiya Ren's identity. Madarame Ikryusai's decades of connections and accumulation in Tokyo had been shaken by the "rumor" that "Sayuri was faked". He was busy appeasing the emotions of those powerful people, and for a while he really had no way to deal with Amamiya Ren.

In order to avoid any further complications, Amamiya Ren gathered enough information after a long talk with Kitagawa Vsuke, and even arranged the release of the warning letter in just two days.

In the turbulent Japanese art world, a group of people closest to fame and fortune gathered in a manor in Shibuya, Tokyo. To be precise, they were trapped here.

The weather station performed stably as usual. Typhoon Dandelion quickly strengthened after landing in Tokyo. The surveillance was damaged, all vehicles were difficult to pass, and the streets were empty.

In the face of this horrific natural disaster, a warning letter was unsealed at the manor. Long before Madarame Ichiryusai and his assistant set out, Morgana, who had been lurking for a long time, had hidden the warning letter in the frame of the "authentic Sayuri" carefully prepared by the old man, and then covered it with plastic foam, packed it into a crate, and delivered it to a luxurious and low-key high-end car.

Madarame Ikryusai had lived in Tokyo for decades, so he had accumulated too many connections and means. Amamiya Ren's move happened to hit the vital point, making him somewhat passive, but this was just a minor inconvenience. A party, a lecture, and a glass of wine could solve the problem while chatting and laughing.

This is the effect of the banquet that is about to take place in the manor.

"I know that everyone has heard about the recent rumors on the Internet..." The old man raised the goblet in his hand and drank the low-alcohol sake in one gulp, with the spirit of a famous daimyo. "But I have long since left the stage where I need to use fakes to embellish myself."

His assistant brought in a tightly sealed cardboard box.

"Look, the real thing is right here. What's the point of talking about a fake? This is really the most hilarious story before Halloween."

Madarame Ikryusai clapped his hands and said, "Yoshikawa, show them Sayuri. It's rare to see a genuine painting outside of an art exhibition."

The assistant set up the easel and then carefully cut open the package with a utility knife. His movements were as smooth as a samurai cutting fish with a wakizashi, which was a solemn and dignified ritual.

Daimyo stroked his graying beard, becoming more and more proud and relaxed.

Wow... The dignitaries around who had already raised their cameras or mobile phones to take pictures exclaimed.

I saw a notice letter with red words on a black background slowly sliding down from the top of the frame of "Sayuri", closely covering the face of the portrait.

The letter reads:

[To. The great sinner who has run out of ideas and is full of bravado. Mr. Madarame Ichiryusai. An artist who relied on his authority to steal the ideas of his disciples and plagiarized without fear. We have made up our minds and will make you confess all your sins. We have accepted that twisted desire.]

【The Phantom Thieves of the Heart. Sincerely. 】

The signed Q-version thief portrait condenses the artistic conception of "elegance and freedom", demonstrating the painter's excellent skills.

Madarame Ikryusai's astonishment seemed to be reflected in those deep red, flame-like eyes.

He was at the center of discussion and controversy, just as he had been when he was a rookie many years ago.

The heavy rain outside the manor washed over the walls and windowsills, making a hissing sound like a swimming python.

(PS: Only one chapter today. Linear algebra and physics exams will begin tomorrow. Sad.)

(It hurts. It hurts so much.)

Dry weather: 091. Self-portrait, Part

In the dead of night, with dark clouds and low pressure, Tokyo rarely showed its decadence and fatigue. The prosperity that seemed to never go out and the colorful lights all fell silent at this time, and only the sound of rain could be heard in the sky and on the ground.

On the street filled with fallen leaves, broken branches and plastic rags, a seemingly small figure walked slowly against the cascading rain. Amamiya Ren did not hold an umbrella, and the water around him was resisted by an invisible force.

[Orion] Legend has it that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. With the development and in-depth understanding of the personality mask, Amamiya Ren has mastered all the abilities of this "Orion".

He waved his hand to push aside the heavy rain and walked into the temporary combat base.

Kitagawa Vsuke and Morgana have been waiting for a long time.

"Let's begin our second infiltration operation. The goal is to make Madarame Ichiryusai repent."

"Oh!" The big cat raised his fist.

"Of course," Kitagawa Vsuke bumped fists with Morgana beside him.

"Then, the Phantom Thieves of the Hearts - let's go!"

Click. Imitating the posture of the Star Expeditionary Force in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", the two people and the cat took steps in unison and rushed into the pouring rain.

......

(Information that can be made public)

Amamiya Ren. Leader of the Phantom Thieves of the Heart.

His job card is "The Fool". He uses the personality mask named "Orion", and possesses great strength and speed, superb hunting skills, and the ability to control water.

*

Kitagawa Vsuke. Head of the Art Team of the Phantom Thieves' Publicity Department.

His position card is [Emperor]. He controls a personality mask called [Ishikawa Goemon], which has great strength and speed, and can blow out a freezing wind from a huge pipe that can freeze everything.

*

Morgana. Although it is a cat, it is indeed the most agile member of the Phantom Thieves. With its special identity, it can easily complete various intelligence gathering tasks.

The position card he holds is "Magician". He uses a personality mask called "Zorro". Under the influence of his original body, his strength is relatively weak, but he is very agile and can release a variety of "magic".

......

In the magnificent art museum, the gilded shadow named Madarame Ikryusai opened his eyes. He looked towards the main entrance of the art museum and revealed a malicious smile.

"You are so brave to come back to my art gallery—"

"In that case, all of you go die."

The daimyo's voice was cold and chilling. "My masterpiece of art cannot be stolen by anyone."

Hundreds of shadows emerged from the floor around him, twisting their bodies and holding batons that danced like electric snakes. The alert level of the entire palace soared rapidly.

A painting of Sayuri appeared in the exhibition room in the center of the art museum.

It was a turning point in Madarame Ikryusai's life and it is the real thing that shaped him into the person he is today.

The secret treasure of this palace has been born.

The three thieves pushed open the main door, quickly killed the guards who blocked their way, then entered the ventilation ducts one by one and began the difficult climb.

According to Amamiya Ren, "The strategy of taking a covert route is no longer successful, so why not try a frontal breakthrough?"

Then they stood at the main entrance and looked inside, and saw a sea of ​​​​explosion-proof armed police holding shields.

Morgana sweatdropped, "We really have to go through the ventilation duct."

Before Kitagawa Vsuke got a chance to express his opinion, the guards began to notice the situation here, and then two people and a cat rushed into the ventilation duct and began to crawl amid the noise of "dong dong dong".

The noise became quieter and quieter, and they regained their sense of infiltration. They suppressed the feeling of restraint from walking in a small space for a long time and moved on tiptoe.

"Can we succeed?" Morgana finally couldn't help but speak out to break the silence in the pipe. "We have already alerted Banmu several times. This time may be an unprecedented super-difficult challenge!"

"Once the notice has been sent, there will be no option of failure."

"after all......"

In a high-end apartment somewhere in Shibuya, Lavenda pushed open the door of the Velvet Room and sorted out the textbooks and reference books on the table. She suddenly smiled and said, "After all, this is Amamiya Ren."

That damned traitor must have come into contact with the shadow Madarame Ichiryusai.

After Madarame repented, he should start to pay attention to the problems of the Phantom Thieves... The secretary thought that in another timeline in her memory, the mysterious man who had been in contact with the various spiritual halls actually caused considerable trouble to the Phantom Thieves... I don't know what happened, but the "mysterious man" was completely contaminated after meeting the "Joker" one time, causing extremely serious social unrest in reality. It even began to affect the impression space with this turning point.

Without the "clown" this time, I hope the palaces can be more normal. Lavenda no longer wants to recall the Madarame Palace with clown statues everywhere.

Even the evil god who occupied the Velvet Room found it difficult to look at this scene, and tried many times to eliminate the "clown", but only forced it into the darkest part of the memory space, nurturing a monster that usurped the authority of God at the end of the story.

Speaking of portraits.

Amemiya Ren, who was in the palace of the soul, lifted the windshield, half of his body leaned out, and quietly grabbed a guard passing by. As soon as the other party reacted, he heard a crackling sound of electricity. The same type of personality mask made him dizzy and dazzled.

Then he grabbed the guard's shoulders and rolled out, tearing off his mask while completing an extremely difficult move of landing silently.

[Orion] appeared, a burly man holding up the falling Morgana with his left hand, and holding up Kitagawa Vsuke who was also falling with his right hand.

This is the fire escape.

The last time I came here, there were no shadows at all -

Now, Amamiya Ren stepped on the ground and pushed the shadow that had not yet been born back into the impression space.

Kitagawa Vsuke approached the door cautiously, hesitating whether to open it, "Well, I have to go out anyway."

As he thought about it, he called out his personality mask to blow a breath of cold air on the chain wrapped around the handle, then used his arms to support both sides and slowly pushed.

With a crisp sound, the chain covered with white frost broke and the fire door was pushed open.

Behind the door is a spacious gallery with dozens of portraits standing in all directions, each with a different style.

Kitagawa Vsuke looked at the portrait in front of him.

this is me?

He suddenly felt like laughing.

So this is how I am in Madarame's mind?

Amamiya Ren came out and slapped him on the back of the head, "Leave now. Be careful or you'll be surrounded by shadows."

Kitagawa Vsuke suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart, grabbed Morgana with short legs and kept up with Amamiya Ren.

The camera in the corner stared at them motionlessly.

(Oops, linear algebra is sunk. I have an advanced math test tomorrow. I am still reviewing, so I still only have one chapter. Sad.)

Dry weather: 092. Self-portrait, Part

The blue-purple color scheme for hair and pupils is a Fauvist-style bust with strong contrasting colors set against a warm background. The facial details appear blurred, as if the human face is deliberately diluted. The tools on the assembly line only need to make profits for capital, and their fate and lives are at the mercy of others.