The two of them each carried some "strange" props. Together, they made a rather eye-catching sight, drawing curious glances from quite a few students who passed by.
(Damn normies.)
As they walked, the girl naturally struck up a conversation, her tone light and cheerful. "You're a new student too, right? Which club are you thinking of joining? You've got so much stuff with you... Is it equipment for an outdoor club?"
"Something like that." Lin Mu answered vaguely. He didn't want to explain his "fortune-telling charlatan" business plan. "I'm setting up a little stall."
"A stall? For crafts or fortune-telling, maybe?"
The girl seemed to connect that with the crystal ball in her hands, and her eyes brightened slightly. Still, she asked politely and tentatively, "That sounds really interesting!"
"Yeah. Fortune-telling." Lin Mu kept his answer brief, not wanting to continue the topic. "What about you? Which club do you want to join?"
"Me?" The girl tilted her head, wearing an endearing, thoughtful expression. "I haven't really decided yet. I heard there are lots of interesting clubs, so I want to look around. But..."
She paused, her voice dropping a little as she grew bashful.
"I'm actually pretty interested in the Student Council too. I heard it has a lot of authority at the school, and that it can help students more directly..."
They continued chatting on and off, and the atmosphere wasn't awkward.
The girl was good at finding things to talk about, and she never pried into anything too personal. Most of the time, she shared what she'd seen around campus and her hopes for the future.
Lin Mu, meanwhile, was responsible for short replies like "Mm," "Oh," and "Is that so?" Before long, the two of them arrived at the spacious plaza where the club recruitment booths were set up.
It was already bustling with activity.
Rows of club booths stretched across the plaza, their banners fluttering overhead.
Members of the sports clubs showed off their ball skills or martial arts in the open spaces.
The cultural clubs had put out beautiful works of art or were performing on musical instruments. (Why do they have to perform...)
The hobby clubs were even more varied, covering everything from anime studies to pastry-making.
New students excitedly wove between the booths, asking questions, filling out forms, and trying things out. The air was full of youthful energy and anticipation.
"Wow, it's so lively!"
The blonde girl gazed at the scene with shining eyes, then naturally handed the bag back to Lin Mu, her gentle smile still in place.
"Then you should go set up your stall, classmate. I'm going to look around! Good luck with recruitment!"
She waved and turned, ready to join the crowd.
Lin Mu took the bag and watched her walk away, remembering that she'd mentioned her interest in the Student Council.
With a lollipop between his teeth, he called after her:
"Hey, classmate."
"Didn't you say you were interested in the Student Council? How about I tell your fortune as a thank-you?"
"Ah..." The girl blinked, then smiled warmly again.
"No need to trouble yourself, classmate... I think I'll head over to the Student Council recruitment booth first! Thanks for the offer. Bye~"
She waved, intending to head toward the Student Council sign-up booth.
At that, Lin Mu's eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly.
He nudged the lollipop with his tongue, rolling it around in his mouth.
Watching her turn away, and thinking over what she'd just said, he decided to show her what his fortune-telling could do. (Psychokinesis activated.)
Just as the girl was about to leave, Lin Mu spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to her ears. His tone was calm, as if he meant to expose something, and he called her by name with perfect accuracy:
"Honami Ichinose."
"Y-You know me?"
Honami Ichinose froze in place, confusion filling her purple eyes.
Her lips parted slightly, her pretty face dazed.
She had only been at the school for two days and had introduced herself only in Class B. She had never seen this white-haired boy in Class B.
How did he know her name? Doubt rippled through Ichinose's mind.
Seeing her astonished expression, Lin Mu felt as though he could taste the sweetness of the lollipop in his mouth more clearly.
He maintained his lazy posture and spoke slowly, his tone taking on the composed air he had deliberately cultivated as a "mysterious fortune teller":
"Right now, you're definitely wondering how I know your name, aren't you?"
He tilted his head slightly, his white bangs swaying with the movement. "The truth is, I really am a fortune teller.
"I came here today to set up a stall and tell fortunes for anyone who needs answers—to help them see what lies ahead."
He noticed suspicion quickly rising in Honami Ichinose's eyes—the instinctive distrust and wariness people felt toward anything supernatural.
He continued in an even tone. "I know you probably don't believe me.
"You think fortune-telling is just a scam, a way to comfort people. Or maybe you think I learned your information by chance through some other channel and am just putting on an act here."
He took half a step forward and looked calmly at Ichinose. "How about this? As thanks for your help just now, and to prove myself... I'll tell your fortune for free.
"Just ask about one thing you want to know right now. Then you can see whether the result matches what I tell you. How does that sound?"
Honami Ichinose was indeed deeply skeptical.
She was a rational and gentle girl who had always kept her distance from things as vague as fortune-telling and divination. She believed they were just tools for providing emotional comfort. How could anyone truly predict the future?
But... the fact that he had called her by name so accurately was strange. Of course, he hadn't necessarily learned it through fortune-telling; he might have found out through some other channel.
At the same time, she really was feeling quite uncertain about whether she could join the Student Council.
And since he was offering a free reading as a way to "repay" her, and seemed sincere...
After hesitating for a moment, her gentle nature and the curiosity he had stirred up won out.
She drew a soft breath, her warm smile returning with a hint of caution, and spoke gently:
"Th-Then, I'll take you up on that, classmate."
"I really do want to know whether I'll be able to join the Student Council. It's important to me."
Her voice dropped slightly on the last sentence, revealing what she truly felt.
"Of course."
When Lin Mu saw that she'd agreed, a crafty glint of triumph flickered through his eyes, but his expression remained calm.
He formally introduced himself. "First, let me introduce myself properly. I'm Linmu Fujimiya, from Class 1-D.
"For now, as you can see, I'm a fortune teller. And thanks again for your help earlier."
He pointed to a less crowded corner at the edge of the plaza. "Let's go over there. I'll set up my stall first."
The two of them walked over to the corner.
As Honami Ichinose watched curiously, Lin Mu set down all the things he was carrying. She wondered how he planned to put together the folding tent, which looked rather complicated.
No one noticed Lin Mu's psychokinesis activating without a sound.
The tent bag unzipped by itself. Its frame sprang out, unfolded, and snapped into place as if it were alive;
The folding table opened on its own and stood steady;
Two little stools hopped out of the bag and landed neatly on either side of the table;
Even the banner reading "Accurate Fortune-Telling: See What Lies Ahead" lifted into the air by itself and hung securely above the tent entrance.
The whole process was smooth and swift, completed in the blink of an eye.
To Honami Ichinose, it seemed as though her vision had blurred for a moment. Lin Mu appeared to have casually fiddled with a few things, and a neat little fortune-telling stall was already set up before her.
"Wow, Lin Mu, you're so handy! You set it up so fast. Was that magic?"
Honami Ichinose praised him sincerely, her eyes filled with even greater amazement. Her earlier suspicions about how he knew her name were temporarily pushed aside by his "amazing" magic trick.
"It's nothing but a few little tricks." Lin Mu lied without batting an eye. He took the brand-new Tarot Cards and crystal ball out of the bag and placed them on the dark velvet cloth covering the table.
"Now then, Ichinose, shall we begin? Would you like a Tarot Cards reading or a crystal ball reading?"
Before you continue