The two of them were each carrying a few "strange" props. Together, they made quite an eye-catching sight, drawing sidelong glances from plenty of students passing by.
(Damn normies.)
As they walked, the girl naturally fell into casual conversation, her tone light and cheerful. "You're a new student too, right? Are you planning to join a club? With all that stuff... 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? Is it for crafts or fortune-telling?"
The girl seemed to have connected it to the Crystal Ball in her hand. Her eyes lit up a little, though she kept her question polite and tentative. "That sounds really interesting!"
"Yeah, fortune-telling." Lin Mu kept it brief, not wanting to continue the topic. "What about you? Which club do you want to join?"
"Me?" The girl tilted her head, wearing a cute, 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 dipping a little, tinged with embarrassment.
"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 the other students more effectively..."
Their conversation continued in fits and starts, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward.
The girl was good at finding things to talk about and didn't pry into anything personal. Most of the time, she shared what she'd seen around campus and her hopes for the future.
Lin Mu was in charge of brief replies like "Mm," "Oh," and "Is that so?" Before long, they reached the spacious plaza where the club recruitment booths were set up.
It was already bustling with noise and activity.
Rows of club booths stretched out before them, their banners fluttering overhead.
Members of the sports clubs showed off their ball skills or martial arts in the open space.
The cultural clubs displayed exquisite works or performed on musical instruments. (Why are they performing...)
The hobby clubs were even more varied, with everything from anime studies to pastry making.
New students excitedly weaved among the booths, asking questions, filling out forms, and trying things out. The air was charged with youthful energy and anticipation.
"Wow, it's so lively!"
The blonde girl gazed at the scene, her eyes sparkling. Then, quite naturally, she handed the bags back to Lin Mu, her face still wearing that gentle smile.
"Hey, you should go set up your stall. I'm going to look around too! Good luck with the recruitment!"
She waved and turned, ready to join the crowd.
Lin Mu took the bags and watched her go. He remembered her mentioning that she was interested in the Student Council.
With a lollipop between his teeth, he called out a reminder:
"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 her gentle smile returned.
"No need to trouble yourself, classmate... I think I'll head over to the Student Council's recruitment booth first! Thank you for offering. Bye-bye~"
She waved and started toward the Student Council sign-up booth.
At that, Lin Mu's brows lifted almost imperceptibly.
He nudged the lollipop with his tongue, rolling it around in his mouth.
Watching her turn away, and thinking back to what she'd just said, he decided to show her what his fortune-telling could do. (Superpower 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 were exposing something, and he called her by name with precision:
"Honami Ichinose."
"Y-you know me?"
Ichinose Honami froze where she stood, confusion written across her violet eyes.
Her lips parted slightly, her pretty face stunned.
She had only been at the school for two days and had introduced herself only in Class B. But she'd never seen this white-haired boy in Class B.
How did he know her name? Confusion rippled through Ichinose's mind.
Seeing her surprise, Lin Mu felt as if the lollipop in his mouth tasted even sweeter.
He maintained his languid posture and spoke slowly, his tone taking on a deliberately cultivated air of calm, like a "mysterious fortune-teller":
"Right now, you're wondering how I know your name, aren't you?"
He tilted his head slightly, and his white bangs swayed with the motion. "The truth is, I really am a fortune-teller.
"I came here today to set up a stall and tell the fortunes of students who need help, answering their questions and predicting what lies ahead."
He noticed suspicion rising quickly in Ichinose Honami's eyes—a wariness and instinctive disbelief toward anything supernatural.
He continued in an even tone. "I know you probably don't believe me.
"You probably think fortune-telling is just a con, a way to comfort people. Or maybe you think I somehow found out your information through some other channel and am 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 give you a reading for free.
"Ask me about one thing you want to know right now. Then you can see whether the result matches what I predict. How does that sound?"
Ichinose Honami's doubts were indeed strong.
She was a rational and gentle girl who had always kept her distance from fortune-telling and fortune-tellers. She thought they were merely tools for providing emotional comfort. How could anyone truly predict the future?
But... the fact that he'd called her by name with such precision was certainly strange. Still, he hadn't necessarily learned it through fortune-telling; he might have gotten the information somewhere else.
At the same time, she really was uneasy and uncertain about joining the Student Council.
On top of that, he'd offered her a free reading as a "thank-you," and his attitude seemed sincere...
After a moment's hesitation, her gentle nature and a spark of curiosity won out.
She drew a soft breath, then smiled warmly again, though a note of caution remained in her voice.
"Th-then, please tell my fortune, 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 how she truly felt.
"Of course."
When Lin Mu saw that she'd agreed, a sly glint of satisfaction flashed through his eyes, though his expression remained calm.
He formally introduced himself. "First, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Linmu Fujimiya, and I'm in 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 corner near the edge of the plaza, where there were fewer people. "Let's go over there. I'll set up my stall first."
The two of them walked to the corner.
As Ichinose Honami watched curiously while Lin Mu put down the pile of things he was carrying, she wondered how he would set up the folding tent, which looked a little complicated.
No one noticed Lin Mu's Psychokinesis activate silently.
The tent bag unzipped by itself, and the frame sprang out, extended, and clicked into place as if it were alive.
The folding table opened on its own and stood firm.
Two little stools popped out of the bag and landed precisely on either side of the table.
Even the banner reading "Accurate Fortune-Telling: See What Lies Ahead" flew up by itself and hung steadily above the tent entrance.
The whole process was smooth and swift, completed in the blink of an eye.
To Ichinose Honami, everything seemed to blur for a moment. Lin Mu appeared to have simply fiddled with a few things, and a perfectly convincing little fortune-telling stall was already standing before her.
"Wow, Lin Mu, you're really good with your hands! You set it all up so quickly. Was that a magic trick?"
Ichinose Honami praised him sincerely, even more astonished than before. 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 new Tarot Cards and the Crystal Ball out of the bag and placed them on the dark velvet cloth covering the table.
"Well then, Ichinose, shall we begin? Would you like a Tarot Cards reading or a Crystal Ball?"
Before you continue