I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 104

To cut to the chase.

I couldn’t even meet a single instructor.

And on top of that, I got caught.

“So… you’re a first-year?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“Really? I’ve never seen someone like you before.”

“Did you forget what happened last time? That scoundrel Samuel disguised himself as a first-year and acted as a spy!”

“True, but what if you’re serious? You’ve been caught up in upperclassmen’s tests quite often in your first year too.”

“…Ugh, so what do we do? There’s not even an instructor around here….”

It didn’t take long for me to get caught.

I had barely left the spot where the instructors and third-years were fighting when these two third-years caught me.

Resist? Reacting to a surprise attack? <My Little Fortune Teller Shop>?

I was subdued and tied up in the blink of an eye.

‘The artifact I received from Liu when I dueled Hector was really something extraordinary…’

To think that this garbage body of mine could be enhanced to match Hector Arthur in a direct fight, it truly is a top-tier artifact.

Of course, I did receive those from Liu, but it’s still under repair.

And to top it off, these third-years… they have non-combat jobs.

One of them, holding a palette, is a <Painter>, and the other, with a compass at his waist, must be an <Explorer>.

They aren’t directly related to combat, but they play a significant role in battle.

It’s ironic that I, a non-combatant, get so easily subdued, making my current reality hit home.

Regardless, setting aside that, I should try to persuade them first.

“I am truly a first-year from the Jung Jin Jeong School!”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right; would Samuel send a spy to the outskirts instead of the base?”

“Still, we have to check. Hey, self-proclaimed first-year junior, what’s your name?”

“It’s Namgoong Min, senior!”

“Namgoong… Min?”

“Huh? What’s up? Do you know someone from the junior class?”

“Don’t you remember? The fortune-teller rookie.”

“…Ah, oh! His name was Namgoong Min? I didn’t know that.”

You know me? After all, I’m the first-ever fortune-teller student at the academy, so I guess I’m something of a celebrity.

So, will you let me go now?

“Hmm… Looks like you’re lucky.”

“Yes?”

“Myself and this guy don’t care about that sort of thing, but… There are quite a few among us who dislike you.”

Huh? Dislike me?

If people who’ve never even seen me dislike me… the reason is obvious.

“Is it because I’m a <Fortuneteller>?”

“Well, that’s part of it. Honestly, I know it’s foolish to have that kind of… superiority complex? But what can we do? The one leading that opinion is a person.”

“Stop rambling. Anyway, there’s that second-year royalty who looks down on you too. So be careful.”

“Thank you for the advice, seniors.”

“Hey, wait a minute. Are we really going to let him go like this?”

“What else can we do? If he’s a third-year pretending to be a first-year, he could at least disguise himself as a common <Swordsman> or <Fighter> instead of introducing himself as a <Fortuneteller>, right?”

“No, no, I get that. But this is a great opportunity, right? We’re free and all.”

“…You can’t be serious.”

Unlike the apprehensive expression of the Explorer, the Painter squatted in front of me with an excited look.

His eyes were filled with anticipation and interest, and what he wanted was blatantly obvious.

“Can I read your fortune?”

“Yikes! Seriously, how did you guess exactly what I was thinking? It’s not a great spot for a full reading, but could you just do a quick one?”

“Are you for real?”

“If a fortuneteller joins this Romance Academy, wouldn’t it mean they’re the most skilled fortune-teller in the world?”

“…That’s quite a persuasive line.”

“Don’t shy away and read my fortune too. Hey, junior fortuneteller. If you read my fortune, we’ll let you go right after. Sound good?”

“Haha, of course.”

So, how about putting that scissor you’re holding down, and loosening the ropes a bit?

I feel like the blood isn’t flowing properly anymore.

Fortunately, whether my desperate plea reached him or not, the Painter who cut the ropes around me grinned.

“Well, it’s not like I’m asking anything too elaborate… think of it as a skill test.”

“I’m open to anything.”

“You’re a courteous junior. My question is simple: which team will win in this base capture competition?”

Hmm, judging by his expression, he doesn’t seem to believe in fortune-telling at all. Is he just treating this as a casual guess?

Still, since I’m not a real fortuneteller, I have nothing to lose, so I responded with a smile just like he did.

“Unfortunately, Lily White Rose’s team will win.”

“………….”

What’s going on? Why did he wipe that smile off his face?

Wasn’t this just a joke? I was just being honest instead of flattering him.

Suddenly, stepping in was the Explorer, who had been standing behind the now-frowning Painter.

“…Junior, what do you mean by ‘unfortunately’?”

“Uh? Well, it’s because you seniors aren’t on Lily White Rose’s team. More precisely, isn’t it Crown Princess Kim Ha-neul’s team?”

“Yeah… that’s right. But what I’m curious about is…”

Clang.

The Painter who had aimed the scissors at me once again and the Explorer who took out the rope in the air.

The two, whose attitudes had changed suddenly, glared at me.

“How does a first-year like you know which team we’re on?”

“That Samuel scoundrel….”

“Huh? Well, that’s simple. Didn’t you just mention it?”

“…What?”

What’s wrong with these guys? Are they really that slow on the uptake?

They’ve told me everything already.

“You’ve been bad-mouthing Samuel Lipson since earlier, right? Then naturally, you’re not on Samuel’s team.”

“What? You know Samuel?”

“Student council vice president. If you mean Lily White Rose’s closest aide, who’s of Arab Indian descent, I know a bit.”

“…Go on.”

“Even if it’s personal animosity toward Samuel-senpai, that means there’s no need to be wary of a spy he dispatched. So, no matter how you look at it, it’s evident you’re on the opposite team from Samuel-senpai. And let’s not forget that the two factions among the third years are quite well-known, right?”

The two factions dividing the third years.

Lily White Rose and Kim Ha-neul.

Surely the academy wouldn’t just leave out factors like these in team tests? No way.

“There are more reasons.”

“More?”

“You mentioned earlier that there’s someone leading the hate against fortunetellers, a kind of superiority complex. Isn’t that Crown Princess Kim Ha-neul?”

“…Did you know?”

“Well…I guess you could say that?”

If we’re being technical, it’s not like she truly holds a superiority complex. If she did, she wouldn’t have acted the way she did on the last plane.

‘The second-year royalty also has a superiority complex, huh.’

Perhaps she’s acting that way on the surface to coordinate with them? During the student council election time, Kim Ha-neul and the second-year royalty were supposed to be on good terms too.

So, when those third-years referred to ‘our side,’ it was the pro-Kim Ha-neul faction.

Then it’s obvious these two are also part of Crown Princess Kim Ha-neul’s faction.

Naturally, wouldn’t they become enemies of Lily’s faction in this base capture competition?

“Still…what do you mean by us losing?”

“…That part, I also just guessed. The reason is unclear….”

Well, your faction leader is probably distracted elsewhere and won’t be focused on this.

If what the Crown Prince said is accurate, Kim Ha-neul is connected to The Emperor, so at most, she would have to prioritize threatening Liu according to the Emperor’s command over a trivial test like this.

In the middle of that, you want her to take on Lily White Rose? You mean that human chariot?

From Kim Ha-neul’s perspective, wouldn’t it be better just to finish the test quickly?

Thus, she must meet Liu quickly, yet here I am delaying matters…

“………What do we do?”

“…There’s no helping it. My bad, junior. Things got complicated recently with the factions.”

“Hey, hey!”

“You’re just a first-year, so what does it matter? Don’t you know how Kim Ha-neul is moving these days? She’s openly announcing a purge. I’m honestly going insane trying to stay aware of that.”

“That’s… true.”

“It feels good to finally say this. I might just switch over to Lily’s side. At least with her, there wouldn’t be any faction tributes, right?”

“I get your frustration, but just hold on a bit longer. One side is the child of White Rose, and the other is a junior in the Daehan Empire. Just think about how solid that connection will be after graduation.”

“…Sigh.”

“Anyway, I apologize for that earlier, fortune-teller! We’re off, so hurry up and either meet the instructor or something and get out of here!”

“………They’ll be over that way. Hurry before the other third-years start hunting down instructors.”

“Understood, thank you!”

The purge of Kim Ha-neul’s faction, faction tributes, connections after graduation, instructor hunting.

Memorizing all this information was quite difficult for a first-year like me, but I dashed in the direction pointed out by the third-years.

Surely, this information will be of use.

Unexpectedly entangled in the third-years’ exam, I saw it as quite a great outcome.

‘Aha, there it is.’

They said it wouldn’t be close, but it’s actually closer than expected!

I ran toward the female instructor donned in instructor attire──

THUD.

Splat.

“──What a lucky surprise.”

Welp, there goes my letter, all for nothing.

*

“So, the history of the Gates isn’t as long as one might think….”

“……….”

On a particularly windy day.

This tedious theoretical class had been going on for almost a week now.

Apart from the gathered students, Liu, who had been learning separately, looked half-dead with glazed-over eyes.

Though holding a pen, she didn’t move or flip the pages of the book spread before her.

Instead, she merely hung her head low, continuously staring at the book.

Observing her, the Saint and Hero mumbled.

“It’s getting worse….”

“Seems she hasn’t been able to reconcile with the fortuneteller after all.”

“It’s kind of… frightening.”

“What a rare moment of mutual understanding, huh? I feel the same way.”

Their offhanded conversation only underscored the seriousness of Liu’s condition.

Her hair looked unkempt, her lips were dry, and her eyes were bloodshot.

She resembled a raving lunatic for a brief moment before the Hero’s gaze shifted elsewhere.

…To an empty seat.

“…Namgoong… Min… is….”

“It’s unusual for a fortuneteller to be late, isn’t it? Has anyone heard anything?”

Though the class was ongoing, it wasn’t hard for them to chat without being noticed by some ordinary professor who wasn’t even a jobholder.

The Crown Princess was the first to respond to the Saint’s question.

Her gaze was fixed on the blackboard and professor while her lips moved.

“I haven’t heard anything. What about you, older brother?”

“I’ve not seen anyone either… are there any people you’ve seen after class yesterday?”

“…………….”

“I was also waiting at the fortune teller’s shop to meet him, but I never saw him.”

As she stared down at Lucas, who had his face buried in his desk, Rain opened her mouth and simultaneously shot a glance at Liu.

Clearly, she had headed straight to the fortune teller after ridiculing Liu yesterday, yet she hadn’t seen Namgoong Min.

For Rain, it was only natural to suspect Liu.

‘…Sigh.’

When Rain clicked her tongue, feeling Liu’s pitiful state seemed artificial or curtain-like.

At that moment, the professor, who had continued the class, glanced at the clock before finally putting down the chalk.

“That’s all for today’s lesson. Wh… any questions?”

“…………….”

“……………….”

“………….”

“…………….”

“Oh, looks like no one has questions. Then let’s meet next time!”

Sweating profusely ended the class, the professor hurriedly exited the classroom.

As a mere ‘professor,’ he understood all too well not to cross the upper echelons or upset them.

There were about 20 minutes left until the next class.

Knowing that well, Rain stood up.

“Liu.”

“………….”

“Did you see Namgoong Min yesterday?”

“…………….”

“How about saying something for a change….”

“……Rain, please watch your words.”

“I apologize, Your Highness. I’m just a bit frustrated.”

With Namgoong Min missing, Rain didn’t even try to hide her attitude.

Leaning in a slouched position, she vented her complaints toward Liu in a voice filled with dissatisfaction.

Those who knew Rain for her concern for outward appearances were left startled by this transformation.

Both the Hero and Saint, along with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, all stared wide-eyed at Rain.

“……….”

Meanwhile, Lucas remained unmoving, face still pressed against the desk.

Despite being aware of everyone’s gaze on her, Rain continued to glare solely at Liu.

No longer the ‘daughter and tool of Arthur,’ but rather ‘the wielder of Arthur’s power’ now.

And with that, she resolved not to care about others’ gazes or commands.

However, Liu still remained unresponsive, immobile.

Just before Rain took a step closer, her eyes narrowed in irritation.

“……….”

Suddenly, Liu stood up abruptly, throwing her hair back.

The messy black hair was tossed behind her, allowing her face to finally be revealed.

“…So, what about that mark?”

“…What an idiot.”

“Huh?”

“Having yelled Namgoong Min, Namgoong Min, and still not knowing something’s happened is sheer stupidity, bordering on madness.”

Rain Arthur and Liu Yen faced off.

It was a recurring theme, yet this time, those who usually intervened could not do so.

Rain and Liu were completely different from each other now.

Rain had changed her attitude.

And Liu… was showing the tear stains on her cheeks.

“………….”

“……….”

As they continued to glare at each other, Liu suddenly turned her head away.

It was too precious a moment to waste.

As Liu attempted to leave the classroom all of a sudden, Rain’s eyes shook.

“Where do you think… you’re going?”

“Scram. I have nothing more to say.”

As was always her nature, Liu wanted nothing to do with talking to Rain.

Following that, with every question Rain asked her, Liu ignored it completely and focused solely on one thought.

She had been pondering, worrying, thinking, again and again.

However, one conclusion became very clear now.

‘With class coming to an end… the fortuneteller hasn’t shown up.’

Only that fact was undeniably clear.

Finally, Liu could ascertain the reality.

Namgoong Min… has gone missing.