I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 14

“Alright, everyone, quiet down.”

Amidst the ongoing cheers for Namgoong Min, the Vice Principal, wearing an enigmatic smile, opened his mouth.

However, in the midst of the chaotic auditorium, there was no way his voice could be heard. The students continued to be excited about the fascinating “Fortune” before them.

But instead of getting annoyed, the Vice Principal smiled gently.

“Hehe, you all have such youthful spirits!”

Hmm, is it time now?

As the Vice Principal took a deep breath while chuckling, I covered my ears and hunched down.

Just for a moment, a few students raised their eyebrows at my sudden action—

Job Skill <Roar>.

“Everyone, quiet down───!!!!!!”

“My ears!!!”

“What the heck is this!!”

Wow geez, my ears really feel tingly.

Even though I had covered my ears and crouched down as much as I could just before, it still feels like this? Being so close to the Vice Principal could’ve seriously ruptured my eardrums.

<Roar>. It seemed that in the game, this skill knocks out enemies with a loud sound, and here it was no different.

With that skill, the Vice Principal organized the auditorium in an instant, chuckling once again.

“You are now students of the Romance Academy. Please listen well to your instructors and follow their guidance.”

Um, his biceps and shoulder muscles are flexing through his shirt, aren’t they? What happens if we rebel?

I must comply without question.

As I greeted the Vice Principal very politely and took my seat after stepping down from the podium, he glanced around and nodded at the muscular Vice Principal.

“You must have felt the tremor earlier. Wouldn’t it be a pity if such a splendid entrance ceremony ended just like this?”

Snap.

That sound—

“Huh?”

“The, the doors?”

At the Vice Principal’s snap, all the doors in the auditorium began to slowly open.

However, what lay beyond the doors was not the path I had seen upon entering.

“What’s that building…? Was that there all along?”

“Isn’t it too close?”

“That’s not the only one! All sorts of buildings are packed around here!”

Clearly, the area around the auditorium was a vast open plaza, yet now all kinds of Academy buildings surrounded it tightly.

There was barely a path wide enough for five people to squeeze through between the buildings, and even overhead, pathways connecting the structures were visible.

A chaotic layout appeared, with paths splitting in countless ways.

Like…

“A maze?”

“The conclusion of the entrance ceremony is simple. The current time is 8:42, and all classes on the first day start at noon.”

The Vice Principal pointed at the clock above the auditorium with a sly grin.

“If you manage to escape this building maze and arrive at your classes by then, you pass. If you cannot make it, you fail.”

“…Is there a penalty for failing?!”

“Oh, that’s a good question. If you pass, you just attend class, but if you fail—”

“Wait, don’t tell me….”

“Expulsion?”

…Now that I think about it, the web novels I’ve read come to mind.

Getting accepted itself seems incredibly tough, with random tests leading to students being eliminated based on low performance in these Spartan schools.

Honestly, it was thrilling while reading, but in reality, it wouldn’t be fun at all and would only add an immense burden.

So, the method my younger sister thought of…

“──Cleaning duty.”

“………Cleaning?”

“That’s… not much, is it?”

No, it is. Here, they really only won’t expel us…!

Just hearing the word “cleaning” makes me realize I’d better not let my guard down.

“Failed students are required to clean for eight hours a day for a month. Hehe, simple, right?”

………Simple?

In an instant, panic struck in the heads of students who initially planned to breathe a sigh of relief at the mention of cleaning.

What about sleep? Studying? Classes?

We have to do that for an entire month?

‘Of course, we can’t fail.’

In the game, cleaning was the epitome of time-wasting. It wasted one-third of the day, making growth and relationship-building so much harder.

Moreover, considering it in reality, it would only be worse, not better.

“……….”

“…………….”

A tense silence spread among the students, who began to gauge the Vice Principal’s mood.

Some might think, “Surely he wouldn’t really make us do that?” while others are resolved to succeed at all costs, and there are probably those who have heard about the dreaded penalties of the Romance Academy through their own channels.

But what we’re all thinking right now is the same.

“Everyone’s eyes are asking when we should set off, huh?”

Seeing the students’ fiery gazes, the Vice Principal nodded in satisfaction.

“Hehe, that lively spark in your eyes is what it means to be a student of the Romance Academy.”

“………….”

“……….”

“Alright. As a Vice Principal, I shouldn’t disappoint my students.”

With his muscular right hand raised high into the air, the Vice Principal grinned fiercely.

“Let’s go──!!!”

Creeeak!

“Get out of the way!”

“I’m going first!”

“I’m off! Haha!”

…Well, I get that shouting the start signal is important, but why break the podium?

Pausing for a moment to offer my condolences to the shattered podium, I surveyed the auditorium.

Most of the students were hastily starting to move, and while some were caught in pushing and shoving, a few sat still, still lost in thought.

According to the plan, I was supposed to remain in the auditorium too…

‘Where’s the Saint?’

Plans aside, if that fanatic dashes over wielding her mace, I’ll definitely need to run, so I hurriedly started looking for the Saint.

She’s not where I had been sitting.

Not around me?

Is she charging toward me? No, that can’t be.

Did she leave first? She probably thought that avoiding eight hours of cleaning is better than breaking Namgoong’s head.

Again feeling a bit more at ease, I decided to activate my job skill.

“<Fortune Reading>.”

Tap.

As soon as I activated the skill, a tarot card fell from the air.

Honestly, this skill seems to just summon tarot cards to do its job, right? It’s quite convenient.

I casually shuffled the cards and drew one at random.

“Major Arcana 10, <Wheel of Fortune>.”

“……….”

“Ms. Liu, does this mean we are fated to be together?”

“Shut up.”

“Wow, you really don’t take jokes, huh?”

Out of nowhere, I met the eyes of Liu Yan, who had been standing behind me all along.

She looked pretty much the same as our first encounter, but her hair seems a bit frizzy now, and I could see veins in her eyes.

What’s up with her?

“Ms. Liu, have you not been sleeping well recently?”

“Who do you think caused that?”

“Excuse me?”

“You keep me up all night.”

…Th-This must be because she’s suspicious of me and hasn’t been able to sleep because of it.

Maybe it’s just my mood, but it sounds really weird.

Anyway, it seems that the suspicious thoughts I had last time about her are flaring up quite a bit now.

This isn’t good. Liu will keep her doubts until the point of collapse.

“I’ll find out everything about you…”

“Ms. Liu.”

“………What?”

“Would you like to make a deal with me?”

“Deal?”

Liu’s expression crumpled. Right, she wouldn’t want to make deals with someone she is suspicious of at all.

But this is for her wellbeing.

Besides, there’s no way she would turn this down.

“I’ll tell you one of my secrets if you help me until the time limit.”

“…And why should I believe that?”

See, she immediately asked once I mentioned my secret.

Of course, it’s Liu Yan; even if I tell her my secret, she’ll likely still be suspicious or something, but I think it won’t be bad for her to know it. After all, it’s more information about me.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. You can make a deal with someone else.”

“Ha! You think I’d fall for such nonsense bluff—”

“Oh, you there, young man? I just wanted to speak with you for a moment…”

“—Let’s just let this one slide.”

“…Pfft.”

“Don’t laugh, you jerk.”

Liu looks like a little kid outwardly, but the way she pouts makes her appear quite cute the more I look at her.

Well, she’s willing to hang out with me because this is ultimately the simplest way for Liu to gather information for herself.

Her job as a <Rich Tycoon> is not just for show.

But how deeply does she suspect me? Ordinary folks wouldn’t move on their own if they suspect someone this much, and if they questioned their own trust, it would be impossible to live normally.

Honestly, she could handle almost anything alone, but this time, that one extra person is crucial.

While I kept looking around, I finally took a step forward.

“Ms. Rain Arthur.”

“…Uh, um?”

“…Fortuneteller.”

Still remaining in the auditorium without departing was Rain Arthur, alongside her brother, Lucas Arthur.

The reason they’re lounging around like this is simple.

For these two, the maze holds no meaning whatsoever.

“We met last time, right? I’m Fortuneteller Namgoong Min.”

“…Warlock, Lucas Arthur.”

“Psychic, Rain Arthur………I guess.”

While that’s fine for Rain, it’s surprising that Lucas returned my greeting. He’s a notorious meritocrat and doesn’t speak unless the main character’s abilities are above certain standards.

It seems I made quite an impression with the various performances I showed.

And even though Rain is trembling a bit, she hasn’t spoken politely to me like the last time. I asked her to keep it down at the academy.

Seeing the siblings, I flashed a bright smile.

“I don’t mean to offend, but this maze is essentially meaningless to you, right?”

“……….”

“If it’s Lucas, you could simply use magic to get out, and for Rain, with her teleportation, as a matter of fact, you’re practically exempt.”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Simple.”

<Warlock> Lucas Arthur can utilize all forms of magic available in the world. Being a superior version of all magic-related job types, it’s only natural he’d have access to teleportation like any other.

Meanwhile, <Psychics> just have teleportation, which is the endgame.

Of course, the person I need among the two is rather obvious.

“I want to propose a deal to Ms. Rain.”

“Deal?”

“Oh, brother.”

“Stay out of this, Rain. Namgoong, was it? I respect your abilities, but it still seems inappropriate to propose a deal to the young lady of the Arthur Family.”

Lucas’s sharp words were met with a mere smile from me.

A meritocrat.

If defining Rain Arthur involves strength and weakness, Lucas Arthur is ruled by meritocracy.

As a holder of a special job and the scion of Europe’s top noble family, coupled with his outstanding looks and tall stature. He was born possessing it all, yet the Arthur family’s education commanded him to start from the bottom.

Lucas was thrown into the slums at the tender age of five, armed with just his job, and while honing his skills and power, by the age of sixteen, he practically took over the underworld of a small town to prove his prowess back at the Arthur Family.

Thus, he evaluates others purely based on merit. Appearance, personality, and past experiences hold no sway over him.

Because I demonstrated my abilities, the conversation is permitted only up to this point, but I probably lack the capacity to make a deal.

“Don’t worry. Ms. Rain will benefit from it anyway as she’s merely utilizing her free time, and I’ll be able to achieve my goal, so it would be mutually beneficial!”

“What kind of deal are you talking about?”

“Isn’t there a guarantor here?”

“…What?”

As Lucas goes, “What does that mean?” I point behind myself.

There stands Liu Yan, arms crossed, glaring at me and Rain Arthur with apparent annoyance.

“………Me?”

Before Liu could even finish grimacing at what nonsense this is.

“Liu Yan accepted my deal, which means it must be a deal that <Rich Tycoon> would find acceptable, don’t you think? Isn’t my guarantee sufficient?”

“…Liu, is that really true?”

Lucas’s tone turned considerably softer as he asked Liu.

Hmm, thinking back, it seems Lucas has a crush on Liu.

Meritwise, Liu is superior to Lucas, and I recall Lucas falling head over heels for Liu upon his return to the Arthur family at the age of sixteen.

Right, he just fell for her at first sight based on looks.

In the game, he’s the extreme type to fall head over heels for the heroine. Now that I’m the protagonist as a male, Lucas remains infatuated with Liu.

That should probably change in a couple of months when he falls for someone else. Who was that again?

“…Well, it’s true I accepted that fortune teller’s deal.”

“Why, Liu…!”

“Listen up, Lucas. Whether I make a deal with that guy or not, what’s it to you? Isn’t your meddling utterly annoying?”

“………….”

Come on. Why are you looking at me like that? Why do you gaze at me with such burning eyes?

Weren’t you a bit friendly up until now? You hadn’t even minded me remarking on how capable I was.

What caused you to switch to this romantic narrative… oh wait, this is a dating sim, right?

“Namgoong Min, you scum…!”

“………Ms. Rain?”

“Uh, um? …um?”

Ignoring Lucas, who looks like he’s ready to kill me, I approached Rain.

To her, who still seems confused about how to treat me, I quietly reveal a tarot card.

The card of <The Lovers>.

I might as well use what I accidentally showcased earlier.

“…!”

“You know, right?”

“Fortuneteller! What are you saying to Rain? Rain, get away! You shouldn’t be near this guy!”

How is he addressing me like I’m poison?

Lucas tries to reach for his sister, but—

“…R-Rain?”

“…Sorry, brother.”

She dodges his arm and steps behind me… wait, why would she come behind me?

While I keep subtly rubbing the hidden <The Lovers> card, Rain eventually bows her head low.

“Hey, fortune teller. Can we just get on with it now?”

“L-Liu!”

And Liu Yan, too, who has reached her limit, walks up beside me.

Somehow, Lucas is left standing alone, while both Liu and Rain are next to me.

Well, that’s great, isn’t it?

“Lucas, just trust me.”

“Ugh…!”

Don’t worry; your sister is just amazing, so I’ll be able to use her a little and return her to you.

Also, why not see if Liu and I are compatible or something? That might make him ease his attitude too, right? After all, he’s bound to fall for another girl if he waits a bit.

Hmm. No problem whatsoever.

I smiled brightly, conveying that reassurance.