Twilight seems to be forever synonymous with "tranquility" in perception, and the days of mid-April gradually connect with the meaning of heat, accompanied by falling cherry blossoms, transforming into another melancholy emotion.
Kurusu Akira walked out of the restroom, looked up at the crimson sky, his expression as awkward as if he were constipated—
To be clear, he wasn't constipated.
But the specific situation was probably more uncomfortable than constipation.
The Phantom Thief infiltrated the Mementos, cutting through from the Shujin Academy platform downwards.
Hundreds and thousands of "Shadows" fell at his hands, and the rough drafts or love letters that burst from them could pile up into small mountains.
He was really fed up with these students who didn't study properly and spent all day thinking about dating and skipping school.
However, when Kurusu Akira spent forty minutes and re-reached the bottom of the Mementos, he found that the huge void that had appeared in the principal's office location had disappeared.
The flat concrete floor was covered with crisscrossing, blood-red patterns like veins, and the Shadow symbolizing the principal himself wandered back and forth there.
The Phantom Thief's intuition told him that Shinba Takakiyo was definitely problematic; the Mementos having mutated twice was enough to prove it.
But Kurusu Akira still felt a sense of helplessness when he stood in front of that unconscious "Shadow."
Thousands of words converged into a silent curse, and then he left the Mementos.
Evidently, an invisible enemy had been spying on him.
Every time Kurusu Akira entered or exited the Mementos, it would attract the other party's attention.
This time was probably specifically to cover for Shinba Takakiyo, or at the very least, to buy time.
If it were his green self from seven years ago, he might have fallen for it and let him get away with it.
'What a pity. Such an elaborate scheme will only make me more vigilant.'
Kurusu Akira looked at the setting sun falling into the distant tall buildings, and in the red light reflected by countless glass, his eyes became sharp.
'To be worth manipulating the Mementos to conceal the truth, it must have extraordinary value... Just you wait, Shinba Takakiyo, from now on, I have all the time in the world to wear you down!'
'You'd better hide behind that person's cover for a lifetime and never show a flaw.'
Kurusu Akira walked across the sports field and out of the school gate.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long and thin, like a long sword piercing into Shujin's darkness.
----------------
Successfully caught the evening rush hour.
The advertising screen at the train station was playing a concert preview for Imagine Dragons' latest work, "Black Moon Rising," from the top-ranked rock band.
The lead singer was a red-haired Japanese girl, singing sweetly and elegantly into the microphone.
Behind her stood a shirtless Italian man with strong pectoral muscles, shaking his flowing blonde hair while wildly strumming an electric guitar with his right hand.
To the right of the Italian guitarist stood a cold-faced German man, as if someone had killed his father, wielding a bow and slicing back and forth on a cello.
Behind everyone, a Chinese teenager in a black tuxedo was operating an electronic keyboard, his hands flying, unleashing output speed and precision even greater than a top StarCraft player, with layers of notes forming a tidal melody.
...
Kurusu Akira stopped under the sign and watched for a while, then lost interest.
The performance level was too high, and compared to his own band, he felt a strong disparity.
He skillfully opened Line in the crowded waiting area and changed his username from "Tearlaments Power Cannot Be Defied" to "The great cosmic being is so scary."
Then he found Mishima Yuki in his contact list.
According to Mishima Yuki himself, he was very knowledgeable about various computer and mobile phone configurations and prices, and not long ago, he even dragged Sakamoto Ryuji to discuss the "3060 graphics card" that was currently burning up the market.
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Mishima, are you free?]
[Apex Get Out of My Computer: Why did you change your ID again… I remember it used to be "The Sky Is the Hero's Stage," right?]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Don't worry about it so much, I want to buy a laptop, not for gaming. My budget is under 100,000 yen, do you have any recommendations?]
[Apex Get Out of My Computer: Where are you now?]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: At the train station in Aoyama-Itchome.]
[Apex Get Out of My Computer: Perfect, I'm playing games at the internet cafe, the one we used to go to often. Come find me, and I'll take you to a digital store to look around.]
Kurusu Akira put down his phone and sighed continuously, looking at the high walls formed by the surrounding crowd.
----------------
By the time Kurusu Akira said goodbye to Mishima Yuki and got back on the train with his newly bought laptop, it was already 8 PM.
By then, the setting sun had burned out, sinking like ashes into the bleak night.
Then mottled lights, like artillery fire, roared upwards, dispelling the darkness of the city night. The crowds were still bustling; even though daylight had completely faded, for this city, it was just the beginning of another kind of life.
He got off at Shibuya Station and strolled towards Shibuya Central Avenue.
Along the way were bustling shops.
The Phantom Thief walked through this prosperous forest, and on his phone screen, the band girls, who had already finished their training, were praising "Imagine Dragons"' new song.
Suddenly, Togawa Sakiko's chat bubble lit up in his private message interface.
[Amamiya-san, you didn't come to STARRY for your part-time job today, nor did you attend band practice... The manager specifically asked me to inquire about your situation.]
Kurusu Akira typed on the digital keyboard. [Something urgent at school today, I'll definitely come to STARRY tomorrow.]
He clearly saw "Togawa Sakiko is typing" appear below her ID, but it quickly disappeared.
This process repeated several times, and finally, she asked, [Are you near Shibuya right now?]
[I happen to be in Shibuya.]
A moment later, two photos of "challenge tickets" were sent over.
Togawa Sakiko: [This afternoon, while working part-time in the kitchen of a fast-food restaurant in Shibuya called "Big Bang Burger," I got this from the manager... It's a challenge for the "Cosmic Tower Burger" without having to pay.]
Kurusu Akira paused, then continued typing: [So that's just eating for free?]
Togawa Sakiko: [...Exactly.]
Togawa Sakiko: [Have you had dinner yet?]
Kurusu Akira: [Not yet.]
Togawa Sakiko extended an invitation: [Then let's go to the burger joint together.]
Approximately fifteen minutes passed.
Kurusu Akira waited for some time under the "Big Bang Burger" sign, which could only be described as visual pollution.
Soon, he spotted Togawa Sakiko with her school bag in the bustling streets of Shibuya.
The girl with light blue long hair had deliberately changed into casual clothes after school, and seemed to be wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap as if worried about being recognized.
At this moment, the large screen behind him was playing an unrecognizable female idol excitedly reciting an advertisement:
"The strongest, most invincible Big Bang Burger in the universe! Big Bang Burger is holding a limited-time cosmic burger challenge event. Those who successfully complete the challenge will enjoy a free meal, and there are various merchandise and high cash prizes depending on the level..."
As she got closer, Togawa Sakiko saw the colossal "Cosmic Tower Burger" on the billboard again, and a sense of unease grew in her heart.
"Amamiya-san, this challenge... Let's not pay too much attention to it. As for dinner, it's enough to just be full."
'Why do you think I would eat something like that for money?'
Kurusu Akira looked at the animation on the billboard with a strange expression.
Hot meat juice mixed with melted cheese flowed out of the bread, making exaggerated crunching sounds, as if the burger was breathing heavily. The visual impact stimulated humanity's primal craving for calories.
'This thing is bigger than my stomach, isn't it? Cheese stacked with beef, over and over, it looks like it's the length of a forearm.'
'Hmm? Wait, what was the prize for successfully completing the challenge?'
Kurusu Akira's eyes flickered as he watched the subtitles flash across the billboard.
----------------
"The 'Cosmic Tower Burger' challenge must be completed within 30 minutes. The prizes are 30,000 yen cash from the store, a 'Cosmic Hero' commemorative badge, and a box of Bandai-collaboration Hi-Nu Gundam: Burger Big Bang."
The waitress stood by the table, using her phone's stopwatch as a timer, reciting the lines written on a sticky note.
At this moment, the burger that had just been served seemed to come alive.
Golden, hot juices flowed from the gaps in the beef patties, melting the yellow cheese slices, and the aroma of spices permeated the air. Patties and cheese slices were stacked layer upon layer, finally soaking the bread. The caloric beast cast a towering shadow in the blue-white glow of the indoor lights, like the Wailing Wall standing in Jerusalem a thousand years ago. It stood on the plate bathed in light, making it seem unshakeable.
In fact, walls don't sigh; only people do.
Kurusu Akira sighed for a while, and then he looked at the high tower of cheese and beef in front of him, his eyes gradually filled with a determination to die.
Togawa Sakiko sat across the table, her face full of apprehension, "Amamiya-san, it's okay if you can't finish it... We don't have to pay for this."
But Kurusu Akira seemed to be completely deaf to her words now.
He just muttered to himself with a resolute tone.
"I will win."
Are you kidding me, give up?
This is a limited edition Hi-Nu Gundam, even the second-hand ones on the market are undoubtedly high-priced!
No man can refuse a sharp-edged robot toy, especially a limited edition collaboration like this that could be out of print at any time. If there is one, then I declare you stripped of your male identity.
Just for the sake of Hi-Nu Gundam, Kurusu Akira, use your Persona on the burger joint!
The waitress's gaze seemed to never leave Kurusu Akira's profile. "Then... shall we begin?"
The Phantom Thief immediately took a deep breath.
Then he sneered, looking at the waitress who seemed captivated by his charm, "Start quickly!"
At this moment, he felt as if he had transformed into Don Quixote, charging fearlessly with a knife and fork towards a kite tower built of flesh and blood. For a fleeting dream. No, this was by no means fleeting, for it was within his grasp!
It's just a mere burger monster, watch me blast you away!
About twenty minutes later, Togawa Sakiko looked at the two-thirds of the burger tower remaining in front of her, then at the boy still fighting desperately across the table, and her unease grew stronger.
The girl's slender fingers pressed nervously on the tabletop.
The city walls crumbled, and the disheveled hero fought desperately in a hell of cheese and beef fat. His weapon was blunt, his armor covered in enemy blood, but he still couldn't stop, for behind him was Zeon!
The Cheese Demon and the Hamburger Meat Demon let out cackling laughs, surrounding him from all directions. The hero knelt, holding his knife and fork, outside the city gate piled with enemy corpses, his expression weary, his gaze unfocused.
Togawa Sakiko's concern reached him like heavenly music from a distant paradise.
However, it only strengthened Kurusu Akira's faith in Gundam.
He wanted to stand up again, but he couldn't muster an ounce of strength in his body.
Is he going to fall like this?
A voice whispered in his heart.
Is it going to end like this?
Kurusu Akira, think carefully, what stands before you...
I... I don't know. The hero trembled as he propped up his broken longsword, his expression desolate as he looked around at the increasingly close enemies.
Quickly remember, what are you fighting for! What is the meaning of your battle?!
I...
Kurusu Akira clutched his head in pain, I'm fighting for... for the Hi-Nu Gundam!
But I have no strength left. This time, I've used all my might, my weapons and armor are destroyed, I have nothing left.
What foolishness are you speaking, Kurusu Akira, do you not still have life? That voice lingered in his ear.
Life?
Exactly, that is for humans. No, for all living beings, it is a treasure bestowed by God, shining with the most brilliant light. As long as there is still breath, even if everything is lost, even if severely wounded, humans can still unleash infinite power, and still create miracles that surpass God... the voice continued.
Kurusu Akira's unfocused pupils widened, and before his eyes, it was as if countless predecessors who had once sat in this very spot, challenging the Cosmic Tower Fortress, appeared. Their beliefs, their will, their spirit, and their sacrifices were vivid in his mind.
So, you were all watching me. The broken sword in the hero's hand actually began to reassemble, burning with flames and high heat.
Everyone, please lend me your strength!
The flame of conviction is burning fiercely!
Finally, he shouted that phrase—
Persona, come forth!
The unobservable Dioscuri emerged from his body. It raised its hand and strummed an electric guitar, letting out a deafening thunderous roar.
The skill called "Indomitable Will" activated at that moment!
Strength, it surged up all at once!
He suddenly opened his eyes, glaring at the Cheese Demon and the Hamburger Meat Demon.
Come on! He pulled out his flaming longsword and struck his shield, letting out a hoarse battle cry, as if no matter what kind of enemy lay ahead, it would be impossible to stop his assault.
Finally, the hero fought until the very last moment!
His eyes glowed, and a small cosmos seemed to explode within him.
He exerted all his strength to cut off the head of the last Hamburger Meat Demon, then looked around the battlefield, now devoid of enemies, filled with joy and longing.
Amuro, that voice just now, it must have been you!
No, Kurusu Akira, I am... I am Char. The other party replied. In the background, countless people were faintly shouting, "Commander Char, we love you!"
The hero was dumbfounded.
The small cosmos went into a berserk state, completely out of control, and the universe, the origin of all things, was about to undergo a shocking big bang in his stomach. This was the price of touching the realm of gods!
It's divine punishment! Divine punishment is about to be released from the intestines!
The Phantom Thief smiled miserably, he looked at his creditor opposite him, "Togawa-san, this Hi-Nu Gundam... I'll entrust it to your care."
Kurusu Akira rushed into the restroom at the last moment of the cosmic big bang.
Amidst the deafening explosion, even the omnipotent Phantom Thief's mind was blank at this moment, lost in the magnificent and boundless depths of the universe.
...
'Is the appeal of limited edition Gundam models really that strong for boys?'
'But... this model must be very expensive, right?'
Togawa Sakiko took the large cardboard box from the service staff who came to distribute prizes, and looking at the cover illustration of the Hi-Nu Gundam raising its sword with both hands to heavily cleave a hamburger as huge as a meteorite, she also sighed like Kurusu Akira.
----------------
A gentle evening breeze blew from the end of the street.
Kurusu Akira, looking dejected, walked slowly behind Togawa Sakiko, hugging the cardboard box containing the Gundam model.
"You're being too reckless!"
Togawa Sakiko said in a low voice, trying to vent the worry and tension that had accumulated in her heart.
Then, three Fukuzawa Yukichi bills were handed to her shoulder, "Here's your repayment."
Togawa Sakiko looked at the banknotes handed to her shoulder and recoiled a few steps as if she had received an electric shock.
Kurusu Akira hugged the cardboard box, "Always being in debt makes one feel uneasy."
The girl was speechless for a moment.
The atmosphere seemed to become subtly awkward.
Togawa Sakiko's gaze wandered for a while, "I don't need money that much yet."
"Even with the school's help, your situation won't be much better than mine, will it?"
She looked at the boy in front of her who shared her "misfortune," "But..."
Kurusu Akira interrupted Togawa Sakiko's explanation, then mimicked her expression and tone from yesterday at STARRY, even imitating similar words: "My exam results are excellent... Thanks to those transcripts, this high school has also waived my tuition fees and I receive a scholarship every semester. I can squeeze out a lot of time every day to do several part-time jobs, so I've saved some money."
He forcefully stuffed the three 10,000-yen banknotes into Togawa Sakiko's hand, "So, please take this money."
Then, he used his free hand to point to the laptop bag on his shoulder, "This laptop I bought today for 120,000 yen. I'm really not as struggling as you imagine."
But the more he explained, the more Togawa Sakiko's expression darkened.
Togawa Sakiko held the banknotes, standing silently amidst the colorful lights behind her.
A slight hint of apology welled up in her eyes, but in the end, she didn't say "I'm sorry."
Neither tears, words, nor money could mend the damage to one's pride.
Togawa Sakiko understood this truth better than anyone.
The silence lasted for about half a minute, then she bowed deeply and solemnly to Kurusu Akira, and then thanked him.
As they passed the department store next to Shibuya train station.
The intricate lights dragged their shadows from parallel cones into two intersecting lines, the lines constantly crossing, then converging towards the train station.
They had already left the prosperity of Shibuya Central Avenue; the deep spring night wind was cool, yet it brought a sense of warmth to the girl's heart.
Kurusu Akira, holding the cardboard box, had unknowingly walked ahead of Togawa Sakiko.
His not-so-broad back gave an unexpectedly reliable feeling.
They were very close to the train station.
Togawa Sakiko thanked Kurusu Akira seriously once again under the station sign for the North District.
Until she boarded the late-night train.
She was constantly trying to put herself in Kurusu Akira's shoes, and then was deeply moved by the immense sense of suffocation, and then began to feel gratitude and admiration for the boy who was far stronger and braver than herself.
The rapidly passing urban nightscape in the train window reflected in her eyes, and the lights in the darkness flowed like a turbulent river of stars in those amber eyes.
And this gratitude and admiration would last until a few months later, the moment she visited Kurusu Akira's residence in LeBlanc's attic, at which point it would vanish and immediately transform into another, more intense and painful emotion.
Of course, all of the above are later stories.
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