I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 51

“Namgoong Min, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Eileen.”

Not at all fine.

I forced a smile while gently rubbing my throbbing thigh.

“Thank goodness for the superhuman setting.”

Even a Non-Combat Job Holder like me could easily fend off things like sticks.

Despite the serious ritualistic badge belonging to Nobles, the pain was just to a reasonable extent.

Well, it hurt like hell since even the torturers were superhumans.

“Thank goodness it’s just a wooden stick…”

The wooden stick that couldn’t withstand the strength of the Crown Princess and Liu broke, and they both looked rather refreshed.

I couldn’t help but think that it was a fair competition; what on earth went wrong?

However, whenever I sought advice from Eileen, she insisted it was all their fault, leaving me no room to argue.

I was breaking a sweat just to stop Eileen from rushing off to take revenge on the Crown Princess and Liu.

“Oh, time… then, Namgoong Min. I’ll be heading in first.”

“Okay. Let’s meet again tomorrow.”

“…Yes!”

No matter how many times I saw it, that beautiful smile was hard to get used to.

Having such a warm conversation with a beauty who perfectly matched my taste…

Shouldn’t I actually be thanking Jisoo for sending me here?

Snapping out of my futile thoughts, I realized Eileen had already left the Fortune Teller’s Shop.

“Is it a bit slow today…?”

Classes ended early, and I still had a long time before bedtime.

It was now 5 PM, and the Fortuneteller was exceptionally slow. I had nothing to do.

“Business is sparse.”

About 6 to 7 customers usually show up periodically, but most of them are Fighters students.

Let alone those who come for readings—only one or two at most. The rest were here to exchange information about the ‘Secret Room.’

“It’s time for the treasures to dwindle.”

I had shared the location of the artifacts with students who showed potential a few weeks back.

The treasures, which had not been many to begin with, were dwindling one by one.

Originally, I had aimed for word-of-mouth effects during this process, but it seemed those Fighter students were monopolizing the information.

That was an unforeseen variable.

“Did the opening ceremony forge such tight bonds?”

Students usually gather by their respective jobs and form groups. Even the classes are divided, so it was easy to see such tendencies in the game.

However, I never expected them to form bonds so tightly that not a whisper of information would leak out.

It was quite a troublesome situation.

“If this continues, the customers will just decrease, and eventually, I’ll have to close the shop.”

The shop’s approval had been granted solely because of the deal with the Vice Principal.

If the shop were to close, I had no idea how the Academy would penalize my fortune-telling in the future, so I wanted to keep it afloat as much as I could…

“Isn’t there anything that could change this?”

Something that wouldn’t just become common knowledge but could also lead to substantial word-of-mouth?

Yet, such opportunities don’t just fall from the sky…

Bang!

“What the heck!? What’s with this creepy place?”

“Yeah, right? I guess it’s because the Fortuneteller looks like his shop.”

“True.”

“……Huh?”

Three students kicked the door open without knocking.

One of them was a red-haired guy wearing sunglasses, clearly trying to present himself as a thug.

Next was a blonde girl with excessive makeup, giggling.

And, following behind them was a big guy with a menacing face, arms crossed.

Clearly a trio of delinquents, they swaggered in front of me.

“Hey, are you that Fortuneteller?”

“That’s me.”

“Look at you using polite language! What a total poser!”

“Well, it’s because it’s in front of customers.”

“Shut it. I heard that you claim to be really accurate, huh?”

What the…? How did they know?

Did they realize everything I was doing was just a scam? What insightful folks…

“Hey! Kite! Aren’t you gonna thrash this guy for talking back?”

“Ugh, um.”

“This scrawny loser is probably no match for Kite. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Um, did you come for a reading?”

“Why else would we be here? Wanna get beaten until you cry?”

The red-haired guy was chuckling as he clenched his fist, the blonde was mocking me, and the big guy maintained his intimidating posture.

In those brief moments of observation, my conclusion was clear.

“They’re all acting tough.”

First, the red-haired guy seemed like he was about to throw a punch, but if you looked closely, he kept grinding his teeth.

Even though the situation wasn’t unfavorable or anger-inducing, grinding teeth indicates nervousness.

And the blonde, while seeming to laugh at me, was inconsistently glancing around my face.

If she were genuinely laughing, there wouldn’t be a need for her eyes to move. It felt much more like she was observing how I would react.

Lastly, the big guy… just couldn’t act.

Why are you stuttering?

“Hey, I’m being nice, so you better just do your fortune-telling quietly, got it?”

“Of course.”

With his cheap theatrics and overtly obvious threats.

It was clear. 100% acting.

“So, who sent you guys?”

There are plenty of reasons for sending thuggish actors my way.

I had drawn attention, naturally attracting some haters as well.

“There are a lot of suspects.”

Being the first-ever Fortuneteller student at the Academy, getting a special privilege as a Non-Combat Job Holder in the Special Class, and being friendly with Liu and the Crown Princess—something many were envious of.

Moreover, even the students who dislike the vague concept of ‘fortune’ itself.

In a way, it’s a bit late for this trouble to come. If this were an ordinary academy game, some thug would have shown up long ago to try and bully me.

Thank goodness it’s a female-oriented dating sim… not!

Anyway, I cannot even begin to pin down who might be pulling the strings behind sending such actors.

And well…

“What’s with that weird smile?”

“Nothing. Just thought of something amusing.”

“Are you trying to joke with me, punk?”

…No real need to figure out the puppeteers behind this.

On the contrary, it’s an opportunity for me to exploit.

I just figured out an excellent use for these clowns.

“Ha, you think that flattering me will get you somewhere, huh?”

But seriously, is it method acting, or why are they so immersed in their delinquent roles?

I need to take the initiative and activate <Observation> to scan the red-haired guy.

“Jin-woo Hwang, you’ve changed your shoes recently, haven’t you?”

“……!!”

Through <Observation>, I spotted several details in his constricted right pupil.

For instance, the initials embedded in the side of his sunglasses.

Or that despite his other clothes being wrinkled and dirty, his shoes were unusually clean.

The facts revealed things not usually visible.

Figuring out who he is was a piece of cake.

“Uh… how did you know?”

“You do know what my job is, right?”

“……….”

“First, why don’t you sit down? The other two, too.”

There was a set of chairs arranged across the table.

Now surprised by my fortune-telling, the red-haired guy, the blonde, and the big guy quietly sat down.

Wow, I’m starting to like these guys more.

“Jin-woo Hwang, you said you came for a reading, right?”

“Y-yeah… so let’s see what nonsense you can come up with.”

“Sounds good, then can you draw a card for me?”

“What?”

<Fortune Reading>.

The enhanced <Fortune Reading> skill lets me create two different designs of tarot cards…!

… Oh, what a pain.

Anyway, I expertly caught the tarot that appeared in the air and casually laid them on the table.

“… One card?”

“Of course.”

“Fine, I’ll play along.”

For some reason, maybe feeling confident again, the red-haired guy returned to his cocky demeanor.

I could predict their tactic.

“They’re gonna insist that the reading is wrong.”

That’s the simplest yet most tricky tactic.

No matter how truthfully I speak, they can simply deny it.

Knowing that has given them confidence, of course.

Swish.

“The card you drew is… Major Arcana No. 1, <The Magician>.”

“And what does that mean?”

“That means you have a job in magic, Jin-woo Hwang.”

“U-uh.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“I-it’s not… no, it is…”

Now what to do?

The answer is simple. Just shove undeniable truths at them.

“Then why aren’t you a Wizard? I know your name too; are you gonna lie about that?”

“Additionally, there are various things you can see with this card.”

“What what?”

“<The Magician> signifies versatility and eloquence. You’re quite gifted, Jin-woo Hwang.”

“U-uh, yeah… that’s true.”

“You’re certainly impressive.”

“Haha.”

They say flattery can make fools dance.

When I say you’re talented and great at fortune-telling, you’ll deny it?

“And… oh. Looking at your palm, your life line and wealth line are long; things look promising for your future.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. In my years of doing this, I’ve seen few who have had such a stroke of luck.”

“Haha! You’re really good at sweet-talking!”

With a generous sprinkling of compliments, it usually leaves them dazed.

But I can’t just keep giving praises; it’s about time to strike.

“However…”

“But, however?”

“There’s just one thing I’m worried about.”

“What is it?”

A disappointed look, a slow shaking of the head, and a carefully released sigh.

I, too, started to perform my role of disappointed fortune-teller.

“Jin-woo Hwang, times must be tough for you.”

“U-uh, no! You’re just a fraud!”

“You don’t need to lie. Just yesterday, you had ramen for a meal, didn’t you?”

“…….”

The convenience of <Observation> revealed a red stain on the red-haired guy’s shirt that matched ramen broth.

Furthermore, despite trying to show off, he looked unkempt, having not washed this outfit he wore.

His brand-new shoes aren’t the high-end brands scattered through Romance Academy but rather cheap, ready-made ones.

Yet for him, those must’ve been precious items.

“Recently you’re even getting your hands dirty with unpleasant work.”

“How… do you know that?”

“You drew a card. A Fortuneteller sees many things.”

“That’s…”

Reminiscent of the rugged multitude of calluses on his hands, it’s clear he’s desperate.

To top it off, he has unhealed wounds from hard labor done just yesterday or even this morning.

It’s obvious he’s a hardworking student trying to balance classes and jobs just to scrape by.

Even with a job where he could have been treated better, he still chose to come to the Academy and work so hard; it’s a testament to his ambition to climb higher with the diploma from Romance Academy.

He didn’t take the easy path, rather, he aimed for the high ground despite the struggles.

And this guy is just playing a thug?

The image quickly unfolded before me.

“Jin-woo Hwang, it’s been tough for you.”

“……”

“Can you give me a chance to read your fortune about wealth?”

“… Fine.”

Now calmed down, the red-haired guy nodded.

Crrr.

Gathering the tarot cards scattered across the table, I shuffling them before randomly drawing one.

It didn’t matter what card it was. The interpretation was already predetermined.

“This is… <The Hermit>?”

“Jin-woo Hwang, you don’t lack wealth. It’s just well-hidden.”

“Well-hidden?”

“The <Hermit> card symbolizes that. Usually, hidden fortunes are incredibly powerful.”

Purely a lie.

Had <Strength> turned up, I would have claimed your wealth future would be strong; had <Wheel of Fortune> appeared, I would have claimed your wealth would soon come rolling in.

In any case, the conclusion is that there’s a fortune awaiting the red-haired guy.

That was the essence of it.

“Well-hidden… wealth…”

“Alright, that’s all for today’s reading. Sorry to the two behind you, but please come back tomorrow.”

“Hey, wait.”

“Don’t worry. I’m always here waiting for you.”

So long.

As I bid goodbye, the now-dazed red-haired guy finally rose.

With my rhythm dominating, they could hardly make a fuss, and I should also sort out my complicated thoughts.

“Jin-woo.”

“Let’s go, Jin-woo.”

“… Let’s.”

Given that they’d ruefully ponder their actions, they’d probably think they could come back safely tomorrow.

“If you keep spouting such nonsense, you might really regret it.”

“I’m duly worried.”

Throwing away an empty threat was also part of the game.

In the end, the red-haired guy, the blonde, and the big guy exited the Fortune Teller’s Shop.

Although the end felt rather bland for a black consumer, it was still something.

“Tomorrow, huh?”

Well…

I wonder if they’ll be thinking the same thing tomorrow?