I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 5

‘They intentionally arranged things this way.’

I shivered at the unpleasantness of the exclusive exam as I sat on the chair opposite the Teddy Bear.

An unnecessarily spacious area, bright lights, ordinary plastic tables and chairs.

All of these were things rejected in a ‘Fortune Teller’s Shop’.

A fortune teller should be mysterious. It has to be supernatural, fateful, and create a subtle sense of trust.

‘That’s why a fortune teller’s shop is narrow, dark, and with dim lighting.’

A confining, dark space makes it feel as if only the fortuneteller and the visitor are isolated, and the small light shines solely on the fortuneteller, allowing the visitor to focus entirely on them.

As I’ve mentioned several times, fortunetellers are ultimately just folks who deceive with psychology. They create an environment to enhance trust.

“Namgoong Min, age 18. From the Unified Daehan Empire. Correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Let’s start the exam right away. Use your Job Skill.”

“Yes, what should I predict?”

Even though I wouldn’t use that strange Job Skill anyway.

“Me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can predict about me. If the accuracy is above the standard, you pass.”

…I’ve thought this since I entered the exam hall, but it’s truly odd.

I know the character named Charles Teddy Bear well. Since “Romance Academy” is primarily a student-focused game, the details about the teachers aren’t described, but Teddy Bear appeared frequently in various events, so I remember him to some extent.

However, someone I know as Teddy Bear wouldn’t come in as the exam proctor for ‘Namgoong Min’.

He almost always takes charge of the exclusive exam for the ‘Hero’, Abel Legion.

Teddy Bear has a sense of debt regarding the American president he couldn’t protect, and he believes that his grandson, the ‘Hero’, closed his heart due to his grandfather’s death.

So, Teddy Bear is concerned for Abel Legion and tries to accommodate him, while Abel perceives it as provocation, leading to character events of the ‘Hero’, but that’s beside the point.

In simple terms, the admissions officer was trying to provide convenience due to his debt to the examinee.

‘Doesn’t saying it like that just amount to cheating?’

In the game, it was a tragic story of intertwining, but now it’s simply admission fraud. Isn’t it that I’ve inadvertently prevented his dishonesty?

After all, the hero boasts of top-tier specs overall in “Romance Academy”, so I’m sure he’ll pass the exam just fine.

Putting aside my thoughts about him for a moment, let’s return to the fundamental question.

‘Why me?’

Why would they assign me instead of Abel Legion?

In fact, this is… something that becomes clear with just a bit of thought.

“I understand. Can I start with something simple?”

“Do as you please.”

This guy came to ‘read’ me.

Charles Teddy Bear himself isn’t a believer in fortune-telling at all, but he’s probably here clinging to even the slightest hope.

“Prediction.”

Using my Job Skill, the tarot cards appeared in mid-air like before.

This skill might be limited to merely generating tarot cards, doesn’t it?

‘…Let’s think.’

First of all, it’s obvious that I’m not actually interpreting fortunes. That’s just hitting or missing by luck.

When meeting someone for the first time, it’s standard to draw on shared experiences that can gently build trust. Like “You seem to have something on your mind?” or “You’ve seemed tired lately?”

‘But why would a person coming for a reading not have any worries? If they had those worries, they wouldn’t be able to sleep well, so feeling tired is obviously natural.’

Of course, such methods won’t work now. In this bright and spacious area, starting with such tactics towards someone who fundamentally distrusts fortune-telling would destroy any initial expectations before even beginning.

Thus— I need to use the same unfair method I did with Liu.

Shuffling the tarot cards, I place them on the table and open my mouth.

“You have worries about your family.”

“………!!”

Good. The initial expectation hit hard.

…You may be seeing me for the first time, but I’ve seen you all more than twenty times.

‘There’s a cheat in “Information”.’

‘Charles Teddy Bear. A war hero dispatched from New York in America. Originally a lively person, but became expressionless and grumpy due to war-related PTSD. He had a wife, but she passed away due to illness, and now he’s living alone with his young daughter.’

Recalling his dialogue and personality from the story, the character events.

‘Maybe due to experiencing war, he prefers efficiency and practicality, so he wouldn’t normally believe in ‘fortune-telling’. But as his daughter’s condition worsens, he probably feels the need to try anything.’

Remembering his profoundly touching background story.

‘It’s a no-go to casually mention his daughter. But since his social circle is narrow, very few people know about his family, so it’s easy to gain trust. Since I started from “family” instead of mentioning “daughter”, he isn’t going to feel a strong aversion.’

I craft my plan according to his personality.

Unfortunately, Teddy Bear isn’t a main character in “Romance Academy”, so there’s not much I know about him, but… it’s certainly better than nothing.

‘In that aspect, Liu was the easiest.’

I could learn about the Golden Toad during Liu’s character event, and asking about boxes or pockets would yield easy answers. Nearly every gift she gives after resolving her character event is a top-tier item, making it easier to remember the setting or design.

It’s harder to recall a common junk item, but isn’t it easy to remember top performance gear? After all, she didn’t ask me that many questions, and even if I were to show her a box, guessing its size and shape would suffice.

It would have been a bit troublesome if I were wrong, but I still had methods available.

By the way, I really need to work on that tendency to drift off into random thoughts.

“…So, is that how you found out?”

“Of course. Instructor Teddy Bear.”

Turning my thoughts back for a moment, I concentrate on the instructor before me.

For the sake of clearing the tutorial, and to be acknowledged as a ‘Fortuneteller’.

“Shall we continue?”

The first customer is critically important.

Namgoong Min smiled as he spread the tarot cards out.

Now, it’s time to spill the beans.

*

‘This is absurd…’

“…The farthest right card.”

“Hmm, Major Arcana 4, reversed Emperor. What it symbolizes is doubt and confusion. You seem to be pretty flustered right now.”

“……….”

Charles Teddy Bear is not a person who believes in fate or the supernatural at all. In fact, one could say he despises such things.

He had liked logical and rational things since he was young, and that inclination intensified after experiencing war. It could be said that he’s practically confirmed that viewpoint.

But what about the scene before him?

“…Fifth card from the left.”

“Minor Arcana, Four of Swords. What it symbolizes is rest and withdrawal. Instructor Teddy Bear, it seems you’re planning to retire soon.”

“………No way.”

His common sense is being shattered to its core.

Just by randomly picking any card from the flipped ones, this fortuneteller was able to see straight into his thoughts.

‘I had some expectations. I really did…’

If someone enters ‘Fortuneteller’ as a job in “Romance Academy”, doesn’t that mean their fortune-telling skills are guaranteed?

Teddy Bear felt sorry in his heart as he was overwhelmed enough to give up overseeing the ‘Hero’s’ exam.

Despite trying every means possible to heal his daughter, who had been suffering from an unknown illness for years, he’s resorted to the very things he despised—like fortune-telling or religion.

‘Even the Saint couldn’t heal her.’

…Yeah, just because this fortuneteller claims to have read his mind doesn’t mean they can cure his daughter’s illness.

But looking at the way this fortuneteller saw through his thoughts, it’s not surprising if the tiniest hope arose.

‘No, that’s impossible. They may have already heard about me…?’

It was a somewhat plausible guess, but Teddy Bear quickly dismissed it himself.

He was a war hero, and having many enemies was inevitable. If word got out about his ailing daughter, there’d likely be evil attempts to take her hostage.

That’s why he was careful in asking only those who he knew were discreet about treatment.

Let alone, where would his family’s story be gathered from, particularly from someone hailing from the Unified Daehan Empire, who stands as his greatest opponent?

Most importantly, the decision to retire was made just a week ago, and he hadn’t spoken of it to anyone.

‘Is this real…?’

If so, did this fortuneteller truly figure it all out from their reading here?

All the fortune tellers he had seen before were liars, yet here comes the ‘real’ one now.

“………The middle card.”

“Minor Arcana, reversed Two of Pentacles. It signifies expenses have been on the rise lately.”

…Of course. He’s used up his life savings looking for skilled doctors or healing priests.

“Second to the right. No, third card.”

“Minor Arcana, Nine of Pentacles. And since it’s reversed, it seems you’ve recently fallen victim to a scam.”

That’s right, he deposited the advance payment without a procedure being done, chasing that quack physician who ran away straight into prison.

“Farthest left. No, the farthest right… Ah, wait. Sixth card from the right.”

“Major Arcana, reversed Judgment. The meaning is hesitation and indecision.”

As if in a trance, Teddy Bear, while picking cards from the spread laid by Namgoong Min, suddenly glanced into Namgoong Min’s eyes.

Reflected in those pupils… he was slowly trembling all over while sweating profusely.

A vast empty space. Bright and colorful lights. Plastic tables and chairs. The worst environment to read fortunes and far too inadequate for creating a sense of mystery.

Yet somehow Teddy Bear found himself focusing on every word Namgoong Min uttered.

Look, how did they know I was hesitating even now? Is this really accurate? Among all the fortune tellers I’ve seen, none ever made plausible predictions! Does this young student really have access to all my thoughts?

“Instructor.”

“………Uh, y-yeah.”

“Please take a look at your left hand.”

“……What?”

But even as Teddy Bear started to slip deeper into this fortune-telling, Namgoong Min was simply wearing a gentle smile.

He elegantly shuffled the tarot cards with white gloves and laid them out. The striking red dress shirt and white tie paired with a black suit suited Namgoong Min and suggested he was a formidable skilled individual.

Most importantly, how confident he acted, smiled, and even his pleasant voice.

Teddy Bear gazed at Namgoong Min with mixed feelings of anticipation and skepticism, then turned his gaze toward his left hand, which was somehow being touched.

“…A card.”

I have no idea when it appeared.

I have no idea how it came to be under my hand.

One flipped tarot card.

“Shall I reveal it?”

“………….”

After a moment’s hesitation, he flipped the card over.

The card under his hand— displayed a judge holding a sword in his right hand and scales in his left.

Major Arcana 11, ‘Justice’.

“The meaning is… a fair judgment. What do you think, Instructor?”

“………….”

“I pass, don’t I?”

Teddy Bear was rendered speechless.

For someone rumored to be the strictest regarding failure in “Romance Academy”, his silence spoke volumes. That was more than enough of a response.

A judge who doesn’t believe in fortunes rendered a fair judgment.

Namgoong Min smirked.