After two hours of part-time work at the fast-food restaurant, the Shibuya sky was a deep, inky black, and the forest-like steel skyscrapers, with their neon lights, wantonly polluted the pure light of the stars and moon, completely obscuring the mystery of the universe through an atmosphere repeatedly scarred by urban industrialization.
It was like a flowing light, like sea mist, spreading across the dark sea, hazy and winding.
It was almost nine in the evening.
Kurusu Akira walked out of the "Big Bang Burger" restaurant, holding a paper bag full of fries.
Togawa Sakiko followed him, her schoolbag on her back. "My home is very far from here."
"Then all the more reason to walk you home."
Kurusu Akira turned to look at Togawa Sakiko. "It's so late, it's definitely not safe to walk alone at night."
Togawa Sakiko hesitated several times, but still silently followed Kurusu Akira.
She had never been willing to mention that apartment at school before.
She even tried to avoid her friends knowing about its existence as much as possible.
But perhaps it was due to some strange "shared suffering," or perhaps Kurusu Akira had too many similarities with her, so those "secrets" that were originally hidden deep in her heart and unspeakable seemed to be easily revealed to this boy of similar age.
Sad things cannot be hidden for too long. People's tolerance always has a red line, and once the grievances, dissatisfactions, and anger accumulated in life cross a certain critical point, they will completely break through the heart's defenses, overwhelmingly crushing all rationality and sensibility, and then erupt into a hysterical impulse. Under such an impulse, one can always make all sorts of wrong decisions that they will regret for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps it was truly due to the existence of a self-preservation mechanism that Togawa Sakiko almost gave in to the urge to "confess" to Kurusu Akira several times.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine could be heard, along with the sharp whistle of wings tearing through the air.
There really was a passenger plane, like a yacht, pulling a long gray line across the dark sea, its signal lights flickering with a distant, deep red glow.
It sailed lonely into the deepest part of the sea until it completely disappeared from people's sight.
Walking out of the main street, the two passed by the Hachiko statue near the station.
The Akita dog sat upright on its pedestal, in a posture familiar to most Japanese people. No matter how time changed, it always gazed with those eyes forever fixed on the distance, watching a direction too remote to guess, waiting for someone who would never return.
He remembered that there was once a professor named Hidesaburo Ueno from Tokyo University who would get off at Shibuya Station every day after work, and his Akita dog, named Hachiko, would wait for him by the station every day until he returned from work.
In 1925, Professor Ueno suddenly passed away from illness, but Hachiko continued to wait for his owner at Shibuya Station every day at the appointed time, waiting for a full nine years until his own time also came to an end.
To commemorate this loyalty that transcended life, people erected this statue next to Shibuya Station. To this day, it has become one of Shibuya's landmarks, with tourists from all over the world taking photos and eagerly recounting that ancient story.
Kurusu Akira looked at the marks of erosion on the Hachiko statue, and his heart suddenly stirred as if a stone had been thrown into it, creating countless ripples.
He thought carefully; it had been over a month since he transmigrated.
The legend of the "Phantom Thief" from his original world should also gradually fade away with such disappearance.
His father and mother must be very sad, not having heard from him for so long...
Kurusu Akira suddenly felt a sense of alienation, as if he didn't belong to this world, descending like a torrential rain, washing away all his disguises. Aside from being chosen by the Velvet Room as a "savior," he seemed to be just a pitiful, homeless person.
'The seniors of S.E.E.S must be frantically searching for my whereabouts, right?'
'Perhaps they'll even contact Joseph Joestar, begging him to use his Stand, "Hermit Purple," to try and find me directly?'
Kurusu Akira, having read all volumes of "Jojo's bizarre adventure," had a considerable understanding of many things he hadn't had time to hear about in his previous life.
The boy in the station's glass curtain wall passed the Hachiko statue and entered the station.
He suddenly turned to look at the girl with the schoolbag behind him, but he was actually looking at the statue that stood guard even across world lines.
"Togawa, do you think there might be a place you can hardly return to, where some people, like 'Hachiko,' are steadfastly and solitarily waiting for your appearance forever?"
Togawa Sakiko thought very seriously.
"A person has many, many things to do every day, so they probably can't wait as single-mindedly as a dog... Why did Amamiya suddenly ask this?"
"Maybe I suddenly thought of some sad things." The Phantom Thief swiped his card through the turnstile.
Kurusu Akira didn't know what was happening in the other world. Perhaps the police had already publicized his missing person report... Just thinking that his parents might be crying inconsolably over his photo brought a huge sense of guilt and sadness to his heart.
During the seven years he was active as a "Phantom Thief," he saved many lives and even saved the world from destruction multiple times.
But he failed to save himself...
At this moment, Kurusu Akira felt an unprecedented anger, even "hatred," towards the culprit who caused his "transmigration."
Togawa Sakiko noticed the uncomfortably sharp silence in the atmosphere, so she gave up the idea of "asking for the actual situation and then comforting Kurusu Akira."
She simply quickened her steps silently, walking beside him, making the boy no longer look "alone."
At least, a slender, clinging shadow appeared beside him.
The station became somewhat deserted at nine in the evening. The shops big and small on both sides of the underground passage pulled down their roller shutters, becoming a monotonous and cold color. Occasionally, a few pedestrians could be seen treading the cold light in the passage, slowly passing by the boy and girl walking side by side.
Following the route signs, they passed a bakery that was about to close, and the two sat down in the empty waiting hall.
The waiting hall was quiet, and there were no passengers on the bus to the North District.
The train, bringing cold wind, roared out of the tunnel.
Carriages, brightly lit, flashed before them, like still frames from a high-speed camera.
Perhaps the preset number of shots had been exhausted, the train stopped heavily in place, and the sliding doors slowly opened, revealing an empty carriage.
Kurusu Akira stood up and walked towards the carriage.
...
As the train pulled out of Shibuya Station, the noise of this "sleepless city" in the night, like a tide, crashed against the sides of the train in layers, then quickly receded, leaving the impression of extreme prosperity in one's heart.
Japanese people who have crossed the sea know that at low tide, one should always bring a bucket and shovel to the beach to pick up crabs or shells that can be sold for money—
Togawa Sakiko looked back at the boy's face reflected in the train window.
The seemingly omnipotent confidence that had flowed beneath his "sloppy" disguise seemed to have disappeared for the first time.
She could clearly see a hint of loneliness and unwillingness on Kurusu Akira's face.
But the words of comfort just wouldn't come out... She could feel that this boy had a strength and sense of responsibility far beyond her imagination.
The help he truly needed was not comfort or guidance from others, but simply a quiet period of time long enough for him to think through all his sorrows and difficulties alone.
Togawa Sakiko remained silent until the train arrived at the station. Only then did she pick up her schoolbag, stand up, and walk in front of Kurusu Akira, who seemed to be in a daze.
Then she extended her hand to Kurusu Akira. "We've arrived."
The Phantom Thief, deep in thought about the past, subconsciously took her hand.
Togawa Sakiko easily pulled Kurusu Akira, leading him out of the carriage. "Now, let me lead the way."
The Phantom Thief nodded somewhat blankly.
"Amamiya, is this your first time in the North District?"
"In reality, it's my first time in the North District of Tokyo."
Kurusu Akira answered Togawa Sakiko's question, his tone gradually returning to its usual relaxed and calm state.
"Then it will probably disappoint you."
The apartment where Togawa Sakiko currently lives is located in Akabane Town, in Tokyo's North District, which is a rusty old industrial area...
Even in a prosperous city like Tokyo, there are always some dilapidated places that are too old to bear looking at.
After all, a city always gets old.
It starts with the most remote villages, where people with wrinkled faces gradually become unable to understand and accept new things. The white walls that seemed to reflect light in their memories turn into old walls, yellow, dark, and peeling with grease. Then come the industrial areas that were once heavily invested in, where large machines, worn out beyond repair, make wheezing, dying sounds like coughs in the factories, and then this trend of aging collapses like a mountain onto every street and every building in the city.
Finally, wrinkle-like marks spread across people's faces, reflecting in their hearts, leaving countless ravines filled with countless sentiments from old stories, no longer able to accommodate anything new or fashionable.
This is how cities get old.
A small amount of fresh blood constantly emerges from the aging body, falling into diseased and necrotic tissues, filling the void left by those who have completely perished in society.
Kurusu Akira found that even after leaving the light pollution that hung over the city's prosperous areas, it was still difficult to see a beautiful starry sky.
The night sky was dim, and even the moon seemed to be weeping, covered in illusory colors.
Streetlights cast a yellowish glow in the darkness, and Togawa Sakiko's shadow stretched long and sharp, like a long sword easily piercing into Kurusu Akira's body, then emerging from his shadow, thus intertwining.
After walking a long distance, they finally stopped in front of a terrifyingly deserted apartment building.
"It looks pretty run down, doesn't it?"
Togawa Sakiko pointed to the building's outline, floating in the darkness a little further away.
Kurusu Akira scrutinized the apartment, honestly evaluating it, "It's better than where I live."
'He could actually crack a joke... he must be feeling better.'
Togawa Sakiko sighed imperceptibly. "It's very late now. I need to go home. Thank you for walking me here."
Kurusu Akira then belatedly let go of her hand, which he had been holding. "Then, I'll head back too."
"Be careful on your way."
The Phantom Thief turned his back and waved at her, indicating that he was listening.
Togawa Sakiko watched his retreating figure for a while before she herself walked towards the apartment.
The two shadows, intertwined for an entire evening, thus separated, as if becoming solitary once more.
She stepped up the stairs, inserting the key into the trembling, creaking keyhole and turning it.
A nauseating stench of alcohol and cigarettes wafted out.
On the living room TV screen, a soccer match from across the Pacific was playing, and dozens of lottery-like tickets were torn and scattered on the floor.
Togawa Sakiko closed the door and took off her shoes.
"I'm home, you old stink-dad."
There was no warm "welcome home."
The living room was silent, only the tired snores from the sofa responding to the girl returning home late at night.
...
By the time Kurusu Akira returned to LeBlanc with the hot dogs he bought from the 24-hour convenience store, the Siamese cat named "Nina" seemed to have been waiting for him by the roadside for a long time.
As always, he broke the hot dog into pieces and fed it to the four-month-old kitten.
Then he returned to the shop to wash up and change clothes.
He went up to the attic and pulled the light cord.
Darkness immediately retreated from all around the attic, leaving nothing behind.
Kurusu Akira sat on the bed in his pajamas, tapping on his phone. On the phone screen was good news from the genius hacker.
[NAVI-S1mple (Sakura Futaba): I've made the "Phantom Thieves" request website you wanted! It feels a bit like "Hell Girl"!]
[NAVI-S1mple: I've hijacked several servers to ensure absolute security and secrecy... The URL is as follows:...]
[NAVI-S1mple: How is it? Not bad, right?]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Surprisingly easy to use.]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: There should be a function to hijack user information, right?]
[NAVI-S1mple: Uh... currently, I've only implemented the function to register the access IP and then locate it via satellite map.]
[NAVI-S1mple: But for the Phantom Thieves' operations, it should be barely enough!]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Well done, Miss Sakura, next I will try to recommend this website to those who may need it. Please ensure the security of the website.]
Soon after, Kurusu Akira switched pages and clicked on Togawa Sakiko's avatar in Line.
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Togawa, have you heard of the urban legend of the Phantom Thief?]
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