"You've worked hard today as well. The commission and hourly wage... added together, that's exactly 33,000 yen. Please take it."
"Much appreciated."
Kurusu Akira carefully folded the banknotes and tucked them into his wallet.
He opened the freezer, took out a cup of matcha pudding that hadn't sold today, clamped a disposable plastic spoon in his mouth, and prepared to head home.
This stuff was made fresh in the shop every day; if it were left for more than a day and a night, it might affect the texture and taste.
The cost of a few dozen puddings wasn't high, but if they caused bad reviews among customers due to being "not fresh," the impact would be serious.
Most small, bustling shops in the streets and alleys of Tokyo are like this; the revenue brought in by word-of-mouth is far higher than sending people out to advertise everywhere.
It sounds a bit like high school students dating; when giving gifts for holidays, they can be cheap or expensive, but at the very least, they should be thoughtful and never perfunctory.
On the wall clock in the lobby, the hour hand had crossed the [8] mark, casting a thin, long shadow on the ivory-white face. The hour hand was listless and moving very slowly, so the second hand had to take the initiative to catch up, and the two shadows overlapped lightly just like that.
Iseri Nina, with her school bag on her back, stood on her tiptoes to pat Kurusu Akira on the shoulder. "Let's go, we haven't had dinner yet."
"Why are you still here?" Kurusu Akira couldn't help but clutch the wallet in his left pocket tightly.
It was back, all the memories were back—when he was called out by friends and family for drinking parties in his past life, he was also patted on the shoulder from behind like this, and without fail, he was always the one paying the bill before leaving.
"Watching a Live," Iseri Nina answered honestly, her voice soft and quick. It was a bit like a kitten that would echo "meow" every time its owner asked a question.
"You should have finished your homework, right?"
"Not... not yet."
"Is it because I said I wouldn't go to Kawasaki tomorrow, so you planned to leave it until the weekend?"
"Gu."
Kurusu Akira raised his hand like a blade and chopped down on Iseri Nina's head, saying indistinctly while holding the plastic spoon in his mouth, "What do you want for dinner?"
"Hmm... ramen?" Iseri Nina shrank her neck, but didn't protest or dodge; she simply felt the faint body heat being transmitted from Kurusu Akira's palm, and a bright radiance she herself wasn't aware of began to flicker in her azure eyes.
"Let's go. I found a ramen shop in Shibuya with good flavor earlier. After we eat, I'll take you home."
"Oh." Iseri Nina's heartbeat accelerated slightly.
The two shadows, one long and one short, stepped down the stairs and disappeared from Ijichi Seika's gaze.
----------------
Thud.
The heavy bowl of noodles was placed on the table, and the hot soup with floating grease overflowed with an iridescent halo in the warm lighting.
The white, distinct ramen noodles swirled with the bamboo chopsticks, surging and curling like the tide, while the piled-up chashu pork stood as an immovable reef amidst it, letting the waves surge while remaining calm and still. A few thinly sliced fish cakes rose and fell dramatically with the tsunami of ramen, like small boats floating on the deep sea; where they were going, where they belonged, and even the sovereignty of life and death were all entirely under the control of the wind and water.
The boy, having taken off his glasses, picked up a mouthful of noodles and stuffed them into his mouth, then inhaled them like a storm.
Finally, he picked apart the chashu pork; as the bamboo chopsticks tore through it, one could see plenty of glistening oil and water flowing out from the crevices of the tender meat, disappearing into the abyss of chewing along with the few remaining noodles.
The rich, savory flavor bloomed on his taste buds like a torpedo exploding beneath the sea, making it impossible not to pick up the bowl and take a hearty gulp of the soup.
Kurusu Akira tore a napkin from the table, wiped his sweaty forehead haphazardly, and a long-winded reflection gathered at his lips along with his rushing thoughts, ultimately becoming a sincere and enthusiastic "Thanks for the meal."
On the right side of the open kitchen counter, the chef, who was quickly slicing braised beef with a kitchen knife, held up a glistening, oily thumb toward Kurusu Akira; one could almost see his happy and hearty smile through his mask.
At this moment, Kurusu Akira looked beside him... Iseri Nina was struggling to deal with the noodles in her bowl; despite it being an amount that could be finished with a couple of stirs of the chopsticks, she insisted on breaking it down into a dozen or so bites to stuff into her mouth.
She ate very slowly, but it didn't create the feeling that one would consider elegant; rather, it seemed like she was deliberately lowering the sound and softening her movements because she was overly concerned about the eyes of others.
"Iseri."
"Hmm?"
"Are you some young lady from somewhere?" Kurusu Akira finally couldn't help but tease. "There's no white-haired old butler here to constantly remind you, 'Young Lady, please maintain your etiquette.'"
Iseri Nina's swallowing motion stiffened for a moment, and then she almost choked.
After a while, she thumped her chest and looked at Kurusu Akira. "I'm just eating slowly!"
"I have a friend who, when sitting near girls during lunch break, also pays constant attention to their gazes and expressions, and then tries to make his own movements look as 'elegant' or 'dignified' as possible."
Iseri Nina immediately stamped her feet hard, the plastic soles clicking against the wooden floor to make a thumping sound. "Who would stare at your eyes and face the whole time while eating!"
The light of the noodle shop spilled onto her, dyeing her beige hoodie in a warm hue; a faint blush climbed onto the girl's cheeks and spread to her petite ears, but they were tightly covered by her hair, so it didn't seem quite so guilty or ashamed.
Kurusu Akira, having put his glasses back on, stood up, looked around the suddenly quiet shop, bowed halfway toward the customers who were all watching them, and then sat back down, giving a thumbs up to Iseri Nina, whose face was completely red.
The quiet ramen shop, the blushing and flustered girl, the chef's kitchen knife falling on the cutting board in intermittent afterimages, and the faint, heavy sound of a distant train rolling over the tracks.
Iseri Nina hummed unhappily, suddenly turned her face away, and refused to look at Kurusu Akira again.
But this action actually exposed her bright red, burning ears from their cover of hair, making them look somewhat cute and making one want to reach out and pinch them.
Kurusu Akira couldn't do such a frivolous thing; he just asked the boss for a cup of hot tea and then took out his phone to open "FGO".
The noise of the Heroic Spirits releasing their Noble Phantasms made Iseri Nina unable to help but turn back, curiously looking at the screen of Kurusu Akira's phone.
Unknowingly, the soup in the big bowl in front of her began to go down until it was completely empty.
A pair of chopsticks parted and joined, finally being placed side-by-side on the edge of the bowl.
...
Nighttime Tokyo is completely different from daytime Tokyo. Tokyo in the night is colorful, revealing a bewitching beauty, like an older sister figure wearing a kimono with an alluring figure, while Tokyo during the day is an athletic girl, with simple colors, and looking out into the distance, the buildings melt into the background of the sky without being abrupt at all.
This is a well-ordered city; office workers in a rush jog in and out of the subway, pedestrians walk quickly, but their actions are all regular and predictable. Everyone seems to be running on invisible rails, and rarely does anyone deviate from their own track. People wait silently by the traffic lights at the crossing, the crowd growing larger and larger without anyone being anxious or talking loudly, and then as the red light turns green, the cars on the street stop completely within a second, the crowd surges across the street, dispersing along their respective tracks; the red light lights up, the traffic flow recovers, and a new crowd waits silently under the red light again.
Iseri Nina, who had walked out of the ramen shop, stretched and let out a satisfied sigh.
She was always like this; her temper came quickly and went quickly.
Sometimes she didn't even need others to specifically explain or apologize; after a short while, she would start to find her own faults and then return to the original situation, feeling embarrassed.
...
Not everyone could unconditionally accommodate her excessive, self-centered willfulness.
Of course, the scope of this "everyone" did not include Kurusu Akira.
Mr. Phantom Thief is a hero who prides himself on having a heart as broad as the Seto Inland Sea, and he would never care about the awkward thoughts of a little girl—after all, he was the one who teased the child, so of course he had to find a way to handle it when she threw a tantrum.
At this time, the train still had scheduled runs.
Kurusu Akira walked in front of Iseri Nina, weaving through the bustling streetscape of Shibuya.
Light-pollution-level advertising screens spread out among the buildings on one side.
[The Big Bang Burger Shop's Universe Tower Challenge is in full swing, cordially inviting...]
[Phoenix Squad: The First Generation Returns, grand release!!!]
[The latest work by Yuuki Elizabeth, the rising star of the Japanese literary world, 'The Moon and the Boy,' is on hot sale. Go to the Ginza Bookstore to apply for a membership card and enjoy a discounted price!]
[The personal art exhibition of the genius of traditional painting, Kitagawa Yusuke, has been extended until May 11th. The location has been moved to the 20th floor of the Rinze Building, and tickets for guests are half-price for a limited time.]
[Valorant Copenhagen Masters will be held on July 10th, and ticket purchase channels are now open.]
"..."
A long, thin, and sharp beam of light lit up in the pitch-black tunnel.
Then, the train whistled into the station, carrying a cold wind.
At the edge of the platform, Iseri Nina, wearing a hoodie, covered her mouth, subconsciously about to sneeze.
Kurusu Akira was quick-eyed and fast-handed, grabbing her hood and pulling her back hard. "Be careful, don't fall in."
Then the train slowed down continuously and finally stopped in front of them. The sliding doors opened slowly, and in the empty carriage, the ink-like windows could reflect the faces of the boy and girl.
----------------
The night that fell after the busy day carried a lazy beauty, stripping away the impatience and irritability of work and daily life, making people feel comfortable and relaxed.
Kurusu Akira walked alone on the streets of Yongen-Jaya.
After sending Iseri Nina home, he once again found the aloofness and self-satisfaction of enjoying the night alone.
Following his habit, he bought a sausage at the nearby 24-hour convenience store, broke it up to feed the Siamese cat named "Nina" at the neighbor's house, and only then wandered back to LeBlanc.
Tokyo is about to have a typhoon, and the temperature is dropping fast.
Kurusu Akira, shirtless, began diligently doing aerobic training in the attic, sweating profusely.
Doing laundry, taking a shower, washing the pots and pans soaking in the kitchen sink, and finally lying on the simple small bed holding the quilt, opening his phone, and dealing with the chattering and various overtures of the girls on the chat app.
The numbers on the timestamp kept jumping, finally stopping at "23:00".
Before going to sleep, the Phantom Thief finally cleared the last remaining Golden Apple in "FGO", then said goodnight to the "Saber" who had been accompanying him in battle these past few days on the home screen, immediately set his phone alarm, turned over, and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank rapidly...
The Velvet Room.
Lavenza sat behind the desk.
The little secretary was wearing a princess dress that looked like children's clothing today, and her porcelain-like face seemed filled with thoughts, appearing with a doll-like, calm beauty.
On the desk in front of her, a few tarot cards were laid out, sparkling.
Noticing Kurusu Akira approaching, Lavenza asked him in a strange and resentful tone, "How many girlfriends has Master found outside exactly?"
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
Lavenza pointed to the tarot cards on the table. "This is the symbol of the 'bonds' I collected from you through dreams. Hmph, I just don't know why the characters linked on the cards are all beautiful girls."
"Don't arbitrarily change the art style into a classic shonen manga." Hearing the word "bonds," Kurusu Akira was a bit allergic to it.
Lavenza jumped off the chair, opened her arms toward the Phantom Thief as if acting spoiled, and only after the Phantom Thief picked her up and sat her back on the chair did she reveal that reassuring smile again. "As a contractor of the Velvet Room, you can indeed borrow the power of such 'bonds' to improve your various combat abilities."
"You didn't tell me before." Having been a Phantom Thief for seven years, Kurusu Akira had never heard of such a thing.
"Because there was a very tragic 'generational gap' event in the Velvet Room of the previous world, so the knowledge of being able to use this kind of emotion as power was subsequently lost."
Lavenza sat in his arms, nonchalantly swinging her porcelain-white legs. "But now, Master can accumulate power little by little from 'interpersonal interactions'."
As she spoke, her tone became one of distinct resentment and unwillingness.
"Although I am very unhappy, Lavenza must praise Master for his diligence and dedication in 'interpersonal interactions'... Please continue to work harder in the future to capture the hearts of more beautiful girls."
The Phantom Thief felt that his personality was suffering a great insult.
But Lavenza just sneered and stacked the sparkling tarot cards on the table, placing them on his face. "For a Master who has already achieved 'completeness,' this power of 'bonds,' which has never been opened, might help you reach a higher level of existence."
"So, just consider it for Lavenza's sake, and for your own—feel free to boldly start a harem."
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