Ayu sat across from them. Tiantian went to get a chair and sat beside Qibai.
Compared with Ayu's indifference and Qibai's forced composure, Tiantian was much more expressive, openly wearing an amused look.
"Let's begin." Ayu held out both hands.
Qibai took one of Ayu's hands and held Tiantian's with her other. Tiantian took Ayu's other hand. The three of them held hands around the crystal ball.
Ayu closed her eyes and parted her lips, uttering unintelligible syllables.
After listening for a while, I realized that the sounds seemed to be nothing more than groans.
The groans grew increasingly pained. Sweat beaded on Ayu's forehead, and her body began to tremble. She gripped the other two's hands so tightly that the veins stood out.
Tiantian and Qibai grew tense, both pairs of eyes fixed on the crystal ball.
Light shifted inside the ball, as if it contained neon lights that changed color on their own.
The glow gradually intensified, outshining the purple light of the crystal chandelier overhead. Its hazy radiance resembled rosy clouds, or perhaps the aurora.
The groaning stopped abruptly.
Ayu opened her eyes. Her irises had turned from black to white, making her look terrifying.
I jumped in fright. I truly hadn't expected to see anything like that.
Ayu hadn't even noticed I was there. I couldn't sense anything strange from her or in the room, either. Even the crystal ball, which seemed like the most extraordinary thing there, gave me no supernatural feeling.
I'd assumed this was just three women playing pretend. After all, most mediums were frauds. Someone like Granny Enna, who actually had the goods, had to be rare.
Was Ayu a psychic? Could she see the future?
The thought popped into my mind.
The shifting lights inside the crystal ball turned into mist