He just found it troublesome and couldn't be bothered to deal with a young lady whose mind twisted through a dozen turns.
So he simply chose the most direct approach, one that best suited his lazy nature: a blunt offer.
"Is it just a gimmick? Why not try it and see?"
He shifted into a more comfortable position, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to have for lunch. "How about this? I'll make an exception and give you one free reading.
"Even about what you care about most—" He met Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze with calm eyes and said each word clearly, "the outcome of your competition with a certain 'special someone.'
"When the results come out, you'll know for yourself whether my fortune-telling is real or fake, accurate or bogus."
One free reading would get rid of this troublesome potential "source of attention" quickly, while showing off his "ability" and saving him from being pestered later.
Two birds with one stone. A win-win.
However, Sakayanagi Arisu's response was not what he expected.
She gave a gentle shake of her head, her silver hair swaying with the movement.
Her smile remained warm and impeccable, but her attitude was exceptionally firm, revealing the unquestionable pride etched into her very bones.
"No, thank you." Her voice was gentle, yet utterly resolute.
"I've always trusted my own judgment and plans, rather than relying on someone else's predictions to guide me. Besides..."
She paused, a sharp glint flashing in her violet eyes. "Answers that come too easily are often the least valuable, aren't they?"
Her gaze lingered briefly on the crystal ball resting quietly beside Lin Mu's hand.
Then her eyes returned to his, half-lidded and seemingly languid, yet remarkably clear and perceptive beneath the surface.
Her lips curved slightly as she said softly,
"Still, with an interesting classmate like Lin Mu in Class D... it seems campus life will be more interesting than I expected."
It sounded like praise, but there was an underlying meaning to it, as if she had already added Lin Mu to the list of people she intended to observe—or even contend with.
Seeing this, Lin Mu lost all interest in trying to recruit the young lady as a customer.
A slacker never wasted words on customers he wasn't interested in.
At her words, he merely shrugged indifferently and leaned back in his chair again. "Up to you. No pressure. If you change your mind, you're welcome anytime. My stall's open whenever fate wills it."
Then he simply turned away and looked toward the next customer waiting in line, as if Sakayanagi Arisu were just an ordinary student passing by.
Lin Mu's outright disregard made Sakayanagi Arisu raise an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, despite her composure. The interest and curiosity in her eyes deepened.
At that moment, Lin Mu's gaze seemed to fall casually on Kamuro Masumi, standing beside Sakayanagi Arisu. The conversation had left her looking tense and ill at ease.
Looking at her, he spoke in a flat tone, stating the truth with pinpoint accuracy. "You didn't listen to a single word I said to you at the convenience store, did you?"
He gave her a once-over, his gaze pausing on her uneasy posture. "Looks like someone caught you red-handed, and now you're at their mercy, huh?"
"You—!" Kamuro Masumi was instantly lost for words. Her cheeks flushed bright red, then turned deathly pale.
She shot a panicked glance at Sakayanagi Arisu beside her, so mortified she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.
Lin Mu was absolutely right!
She had been startled by his warning back then and had thought about reining herself in, but before long, the urge to seek thrills and rebel had come creeping back.
As a result, she'd been caught red-handed by Sakayanagi Arisu during one of her "itchy-finger" escapades. Sakayanagi had even kept a clear video recording.
With her secret in Sakayanagi's hands, she'd had no choice but to submit and become her follower...
It was her most shameful secret, the one she least wanted anyone to bring up. Now Lin Mu had exposed it in front of everyone—and right in front of Sakayanagi Arisu. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her.
Lin Mu looked at her bitter, mortified expression, as if she wanted to vanish on the spot, then glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was smiling as though she were enjoying the show.
He spoke even more casually, as if he were asking a trivial favor. "Classmate Sakayanagi, please keep her in line from now on.
"Otherwise, I think her excess energy and inability to keep her hands to herself are bound to cause more trouble.
"Just think of it as... special training for her."
He even paused deliberately before adding, "As far as I'm concerned, she has energy to spare, so she's perfect for running errands and doing grunt work."
"Linmu Fujimiya!"
Kamuro Masumi finally snapped. She clenched her fists, her cheeks red with anger, and glared at Lin Mu, her voice rising. "Y-you just wait! I'm not done with you!"
Kamuro Masumi was hissing angrily, like a tiger.
But her threat had no force behind it. It sounded more like an indignant outburst from someone who'd been exposed, and even she knew it wasn't much of a threat.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Kamuro Masumi, who was so mortified and furious she seemed about to start smoking, then at Lin Mu, who looked as calm as if he'd just remarked that the weather was nice.
It was a good day to climb the rankings.
A playful smile curled Sakayanagi's lips.
She gently patted Kamuro Masumi's tense shoulder (the latter gave a slight shudder) and spoke in her usual soft, elegant voice.
"If this is Lin Mu's 'fortune-telling advice'..." Her violet eyes smiled as she looked at Lin Mu. "Then let's wait and see."
Lin Mu had completely lost the patience to keep dealing with these two young ladies.
A long line of people was waiting behind him to hand over their points. Time was money—points, in this case—and wasting it on pointless probing and verbal sparring didn't fit his slacker economics.
He dismissed them outright, his tone flat but leaving no room for argument.
"If neither of you needs a reading, then please move along. I have other customers to serve, so I won't see you out."
With that, he stopped looking at Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi. He turned his gaze to the second-year boy at the front of the queue, who had begun to grow impatient, and motioned for him to come forward.
Sakayanagi's visit had been no more than an irrelevant little interlude, not even worth another second of his attention.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood quietly where she was, watching Lin Mu quickly move on to his next "sale." He was completely absorbed in his own rhythm, indifferent to outside disturbances, and the light in her violet eyes flickered.
She said nothing more. The inscrutable smile at the corners of her lips lingered for a long while.
At last, she turned around, her silver hair tracing a graceful arc.
"Let's go, Masumi."
Kamuro Masumi looked as though she'd been granted a reprieve. She shot one last glare at Lin Mu's back, though he didn't notice.
A harmless thing, a powerless hissing Prison Sister, a follower of a crutch-wielding girl, a threatened errand runner.
She hurried after Sakayanagi Arisu, and the two gradually disappeared into the bustling crowd.
The commotion continued around Lin Mu's fortune-telling stall, and points kept flowing into his account without pause.
Before you continue