The Past That Came Seeking

"Two students, what would you like to have divined?" Miss Takizawa's deliberately raspy voice sounded from beneath her black robe as she pushed a menu across the table toward them.

"Please pay the fee first."

Sagara looked at the set menus on the list; they were almost all related to romance and marriage. Is this a special session for couples? Are they just trying to swindle money out of restless hormones?

However, the price wasn't expensive; even an average student could afford it.

"Wait a second, what if your divination is wrong?" Sagara squinted at the fortune-teller before him. His goal was clear: he was here to cause trouble.

"Divination is never entirely accurate to begin with; whether you believe it or not depends on your own thoughts," Miss Takizawa said, letting out a creepy giggle while rubbing a crystal ball in her hands.

"That's a slippery way to put it." Sagara curled his lip. "Let's start with the basic set."

"And what about you, student?" Miss Takizawa looked at Ibuki, who was sitting to the side.

"I'll choose the basic set as well." Ibuki thought for a moment before giving her answer.

Sagara was the first to be divined.

Skipping the generic pleasantries about longevity—since any fortune-teller would likely say the same—the reading moved on to wealth, claiming that Sagara would have a constant flow of money in the future and would never have to worry about finances for the rest of his life.

But when it came to romance.

"Your romantic prospects are very strong. You are already entangled with many peach blossoms, but it is a pity that while the blossoms have intent, the person... is currently heartless. Your path to love will likely not be smooth."

That was a harsh thing to say, but unexpectedly accurate. This wasn't something that could be judged by just a few words.

"Your wealth is excellent, but your luck is not. Although your fortune has been on an upward trend, the starting point was very low. The time of your birth was likely the lowest point of your luck in this life, and it wasn't until you were eleven that your fortune finally reached a normal level. I imagine you must have experienced quite a few hardships before you were eleven, right?"

Upon hearing this, the look in Sagara's eyes as he stared at the fortune-teller shifted slightly, though he did not respond to the results of her so-called "divination."

After that, it was Ibuki's turn. There wasn't much to say about her reading; the fortune-teller mostly provided positive information, only reminding her to be a little more careful occasionally.

"Ibuki, you go back first. I have some things I don't quite understand that I need to discuss with this fortune-teller."

"Oh." Ibuki didn't overthink it and left the room exactly as Sagara had instructed.

After Ibuki left, the room fell into complete silence.

"You said you had things to discuss with me, yet you're just staring at me without saying a word," Miss Takizawa finally spoke first.

"When did you find out?" Sagara asked.

He was certain that this person came from that place. He didn't believe in things like divination; he didn't think a number as specific as eleven years was a coincidence.

"From the very beginning. Okada never believed that you lost your memories due to that shooting incident," Miss Takizawa recalled the situation at the time.

When they located Sagara, the personnel who reported back said he had lost his memory due to the shooting, which led Okada to mock Tsukishiro.

"My finest work wouldn't lose his memory over such a trivial matter," was what Okada had said.

"Work, huh? That's exactly what he would say." Sagara rubbed his temples, organizing the memories that were gradually surging back into his brain.

"You really are unlucky, kid." Miss Takizawa smiled. "One year after you escaped from there, the place ceased operations."

"Oh, that's truly fortunate then." Sagara put on an expression of immense relief. "If it had been any later, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to escape."

Ceased operations? Don't make me laugh. The reality was likely that it had gone underground to operate more secretly. If that were the case, the escape plan he had spent three years formulating wouldn't have worked.

"Tell me, what is your purpose in finding me?" Sagara looked at the old woman with the mature, seductive voice. The parts he hadn't understood before were now perfectly clear.

"The Masterpiece—you must have heard that title quite a bit before, haven't you?" Miss Takizawa mentioned a codename that left a deep impression on Sagara.

"Heh, Okada didn't stop nagging me with that title." After all, that title was also Okada's expectation of him.

"He is also in this school. Find him, and then get him expelled." Takizawa stated the reason she had come to see Sagara. "This is the homework your dear mentor Okada left for you, Shin."

"...My name is Sagara Zoya now."

"Heh, even if you change your name, the past won't disappear." Takizawa sneered. "You don't think you can escape your destiny, do you? Now, don't disturb me while I work; get out."

With that, she waved her hand, urging Sagara to leave. As for whether Sagara would actually complete the homework, she didn't care; she was just passing on a message for that guy Okada. Making money was more important anyway—my, the money of these adolescent kids is so easy to earn.

Sagara didn't say anything else; he turned and left the room.

Even though he had known that the past would one day come for him like a rabid dog, he hadn't expected it to arrive so swiftly.

"The Masterpiece, the top student of the fourth generation?" Sagara pondered the information he had received. Which class could he be in?

"It's most likely Class A, isn't it?"

After all, as the top student of the fourth generation, even if the title of "Masterpiece" had some exaggeration to it, he should still possess considerable strength.

The most likely candidate is... Sakayanagi Arisu. Could it be her? Judging by her previous behavior, she seemed to have some knowledge of his background. However, the physical capabilities of the "Masterpiece" shouldn't be at that level. Is she hiding her strength, or is there someone else? Is there another hidden figure in Class A? Or could he be in another class...

It looks like I need to be more cautious from now on.

As for the task Takizawa mentioned, that was none of his business.

"But what exactly is the masterpiece of the White Room doing here at Advanced Nurturing?" Without enough clues, Sawahara couldn't see the situation clearly.

"Forget it, there's no real point in thinking about this right now."

Whatever the adults want to scheme, let them be; the one who wins in the end will surely be him.

Since he already knew the true purpose behind Takizawa asking him to come here, there was no point in him staying any longer. This was definitely not because he found maintaining order here boring and wanted to skip work.

Finding a valid reason in his heart for his act of skipping work, Sawahara prepared to just leave.

"Sawahara-kun?"

Should he have performed an exorcism before heading out today?