I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 6

Actually, it’s not that hard to make a skeptic believe in fortune-telling.

All you need to do is guess all the questions they ask.

Of course, that’s why con artists, known as fortunetellers, resort to all sorts of tricks, but if you can manage that, you might even earn the recognition of the rational instructor right in front of you.

“……<Fortuneteller> Namgoong Min, you’ve passed the exclusive exam. Once you go out that back door… you’ll be done.”

Listening to the hesitant words of the teddy bear, I sneak a glance into the air.

<Objective: Top Admission to Romance Academy! <- Strongly Recommended!>

“……….”

Having cleared this terrible game 25 times, I can confidently say that if I go out like this, I’m guaranteed to secure the top spot.

The conditions for being the top admit to the <Romance Academy> aren’t difficult. Just be the fastest to complete and exit all exams, including the entrance and exclusive tests.

In the game, <Royalty> Kim Sung-il completes the exam exactly 10 minutes after it starts, so as long as I exit before him, I’ll definitely be at the top.

‘Is it about seven minutes now?’

It took a while since I mixed various words instead of just focusing on the fortune telling, but it’s still a decent record.

The fastest I achieved was about 5 minutes when playing as the special class <Royalty>, so 7 minutes is quite respectable.

“………….”

However, instead of getting up from my seat, I continued to stare intently at the hesitant teddy bear, my hand on my forehead.

Top. Yes, it’s a good position.

If I’m not in a special class, it would be a chance to familiarize myself with the special class students, and if I am, it would make building relationships much easier.

Moreover, being at the top means special rewards and several benefits, plus special events that only occur when you take the top position, which is absolutely essential if you prioritize performance.

Given that this ‘Fortuneteller’ profession has a disastrous physical aptitude, the rewards from the top event would certainly be quite generous.

‘As a gaming job, being a fortuneteller is the best choice.’

“Instructor.”

“………Hmm?”

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“…………….”

However, as a ‘real-world’ job, being a fortuneteller is different.

This is clearly a game, but it’s not just a game. In a game, you can’t talk to Liu Yan before going to the exclusive exam area, nor can you just sit still at the end of this exclusive exam.

After all, there’s no way this can resemble a choice-based 2D game and reality, right?

‘I need to change my thinking.’

This is reality. Just reality that is infinitely close to <Romance Academy>.

I remember the conversation I had with Liu Yan and the teddy bear’s astonished reaction. It wasn’t just a block of text or code written by my younger sister.

‘Is this a world based on <Romance Academy>? Or did they create <Romance Academy> based on this world?’

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

……Honestly, it was a meaningless worry.

Even if this is indeed a real game, and Liu Yan and the teddy bear are just reading from a predetermined script, my job remains unchanged.

‘I’ll see the perfect ending.’

I know the backgrounds of these students well. Plus, I’m aware of the pain and suffering they each carry.

If it’s just about seeing the ending? Like I’ve done countless times, I could just leave their pain unattended and do only what’s necessary.

‘Why should I?’

Seeing the ending of <Romance Academy> presents a sort of epilogue, detailing the subsequent paths of the other characters.

If the protagonist helped, it concludes that they lived happily after, but if they didn’t, it’s a different story altogether.

Suicides from stress, disappearances due to assassination, emigration from parents’ divorce, failures to achieve dreams, mental illness from bullying, and so on.

That part is… filled with dark emotions that Jisoo must have felt after our parents’ suicide.

That’s why, after the first playthrough, in the second and third rounds, I repeatedly loaded save files, striving for happy endings for everyone.

‘Well, ultimately that was just due to how boring the game itself was, so I just overlooked it.’

But that’s a game, and this is different, right?

“………Namgoong Min.”

I looked at the teddy bear. A stoic instructor character often found in games, typically accompanied by a tragic past.

But to me, he appeared only as a father genuinely worried for his daughter.

“Yes, instructor.”

Charles Teddy Bear was pondering deeply.

He was torn between the desire to hold me back and glean insights into his daughter’s health, and the notion that delaying me might cause him to lose the chance for the top position.

Just like in the <Hero> character event, the character of the teddy bear is one that sides with reason over emotion.

Fortune-telling can happen even after the exam ends. It’s just that I have to wait until the entrance ceremony a week later.

Knowing this, he probably just wanted to let me go. It was just a matter of holding on for another week. Stopping me here was merely a selfish choice of a father.

So, should I go along with his thoughts and grab that top position?

“You mentioned you have worries about your family.”

“………….”

“And if the fortune about those worries is yet to come, doesn’t that mean the exam isn’t over?”

I, Namgoong Min, say, absolutely not.

This isn’t a foolish decision driven by mere sympathy. Absolutely not.

Regardless of empathy, gaining personal benefit from reading for him is substantially more profitable than claiming a top position.

However, in the end, this would undoubtedly bring him the greatest gain.

“……Namgoong Min. You might not realize it, but if you go out now, you’ll secure the top position. So──”

“To me, the guest wanting to read their fortune is more important than the grand and glorious top position at the Romance Academy.”

“───”

“Isn’t that what being a fortuneteller is about?”

Leaving the teddy bear speechless, I shuffled Tarot cards and spread them out in the center of the table.

He still hasn’t answered, but if I don’t do this, I can’t persuade the rational Charles Teddy Bear.

I smile at him, still hesitating.

As innocent and sincere as possible. Making it possible for the teddy bear’s heart to move.

“Please think of a family member who has a concern.”

“………….”

“Then, you will draw three cards.”

My words are done. Now it’s just his choice that remains.

He hesitated, withdrawing his hand from the table several times as he pondered──

“…………Here it is.”

──In the end, he drew three cards.

Thus, here, he became not the rational, reasonable academy instructor, but a father.

“Alright.”

Perfect.

Now, all that’s left is… to deliver a captivating story.

I organized the remaining Tarot cards and arranged the three cards chosen by the teddy bear.

The first to flip over is the card on the far left, relative to the teddy bear.

Major Arcana 16, the <Tower> card.

“The Tower?”

“As you said, it symbolizes the <Tower>. The tower is struck by lightning, crumbling in flames, while people jump and flee from the tower.”

“……….”

“That family member has been enduring difficult days since the past.”

“Past… you say?”

“Yes. These three cards represent the past, present, and future.”

“…Yeah, that child has been sick since they were little….”

Does the teddy bear even realize he’s muttering to himself right now?

He probably doesn’t. But that’s a clear sign that he is beginning to trust my reading, enough for his thoughts to come out in words.

I reached for the second card.

“Then, what’s the present like? Oh… Major Arcana 15, it’s <Devil>.”

“……<Devil>.”

“The Devil seeks to corrupt Adam and Eve and enslave them. It’s not outside; it exists within the human heart.”

As my explanation continued, his face gradually paled. He probably thought it was similar to his daughter’s condition and the meaning of the <Devil>.

His daughter’s illness isn’t visible. She appears fine on the outside, but is suffering deeply inside.

“Then…….”

“Right now, she is in a very dangerous state.”

“…………!!!”

Upon hearing my words, the teddy bear… seemed ready to bolt anywhere, sweating profusely.

No matter how stoic and rational an instructor he is, there’s no way he wouldn’t worry about his daughter after hearing this. Especially now that he believes my fortune to be nearly the truth.

But he just flinched and looked around instead of jumping up from his seat.

After all, one card remains to be revealed.

The most crucial card symbolizing “future.”

“The card……!”

“Let’s turn it over.”

As his breathing quickened, I flipped the last card.

“………This is.”

“…………Major Arcana 13, <Death>.”

“Ah, ah──”

“That’s a relief.”

“───Ah, huh?”

At that moment, upon hearing my response, the teddy bear shifted through despair, sorrow, frustration, and confusion, ultimately turning his expression to anger as he glared at me.

Bang!

He stood up abruptly, clenching his fist tightly, so hard it looked like it would bleed.

“Namgoong Min………!!”

“There are upright and reverse meanings in Tarot cards. You know that, right?”

“And what does that mean!! When my daughter is said to die, how can you say it’s a relief──!!!”

“And usually, the reverse means the opposite of the upright.”

With my words that seemed to relish in his daughter’s death, the angered father’s hand now turned toward me. I had neither the strength nor the intention to dodge his fist.

For a moment, I couldn’t stop speaking to the irrational man.

“What do you think these cards look like to me?”

“───What?”

“The <Tower> of the past, the <Devil> of the present, and the <Death> of the future. To you, they might be upright, but to me, they look reversed.”

“…………What does that mean?”

Watching the gradually calmed teddy bear, my eyes gleamed.

Right now is the pivotal moment to move his heart.

So, did the teddy bear really choose the <Tower>, <Devil>, and <Death> because of fate?

‘Absolutely not.’

I intentionally placed those three cards in front of the teddy bear when I first spread the Tarot cards. Generally, under heavy worries and concerns, one’s vision tends to narrow.

Even if he chose other cards, it wouldn’t matter. In fact, among the cards he drew, one was the card of <World>.

‘Fortunes aren’t purely a matter of luck. It’s manipulated through psychology, skill, and information.’

I swapped them around.

When organizing the Tarot cards, I replaced <World> with <Devil>, and the confused teddy bear failed to notice. Plus, I arranged them in the order of <Tower>, <Devil>, <Death>.

As a result, the current tarot reading came to be.

“The reverse of the <Tower> has a similar meaning, but the reverse of the <Devil> is different.”

“Different…?”

“The reverse <Devil> I saw suggests a freedom of breath and healing.”

“Freedom of breath…? Healing…?”

“Your daughter, despite the torment of the Devil, is desperately trying her best.”

“Ah, Eileen….”

Thud.

The teddy bear slumped into his chair, his strength drained. His eyes trembled, and he was drenched in cold sweat, breathing heavily.

All of this is the result of my clear deception.

“If that’s the case, then what about the reverse of <Death>?”

“………Ah.”

“The reverse of <Death> means escaping from death.”

“Right…so that’s why you said it’s a relief….”

That’s a lie.

The reverse of <Death> symbolizes ‘the fear of change’ and ‘obsession with the past.’

In fact, both the upright and reversed meanings suggest to embrace that death.

But so what?

‘I don’t believe in fortune-telling.’

This is nothing but a comedic trick. So what does it matter what the Tarot cards imply, since they were used as mere tools in my con?

Whether that card means <Death>, <Fool>, or <World>, I decide its meaning.

That’s how Tarot cards work. The meaning of the images can change depending on the one reading them.

Just using the same tactics as those cultist fortune-tellers.

“I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know….”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault for not explaining thoroughly.”

In my masquerade, Charles Teddy Bear laughs and cries.

Honestly, it hurts.

Seeing him tear up with relief feels like I’m being cut deep in my conscience.

This is why I despise fortune-telling. Just one card can manipulate a person’s heart.

‘…Just like my parents did.’

But I’m not that despicable conman.

That bastard, who ruined a family for his wealth and reputation, is nothing like me. I do this for others, even more than for myself.

‘SSo, it’s alright.’

It’ll be fine.

“Instructor, after the entrance ceremony, may I visit your daughter?”

“Uh… um? How did you know my daughter is ill…?”

“You mentioned it earlier.”

“……Yeah, you’re right. I did.”

I looked at my freshly caught prey.

I deceived him under the guise of reading fortunes.

So to distance myself from that fraud, the teddy bear must receive a much greater reward.

I will make that happen.

“There is clearly a difference between providing a reading indirectly and visiting to do so directly. Right now, I’m merely glimpsing a vague future, but… perhaps I could discover something more about your daughter’s illness.”

“………Namgoong Min, I need to say this first.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you… truly, thank you.”

………Ha ha.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Teddy Bear smile… not even once in all those 25 runs.

“…I’m the one who should be thanking you, instructor.”

That smile from the teddy bear feels like evidence that this world is real.

I just followed suit and smiled as well.