He just found it troublesome and couldn't be bothered to deal with a young lady whose thoughts twisted and turned like a winding road.
So he simply chose the most direct approach, one that suited his lazy nature best: laying his cards on the table and recruiting her outright.
"Whether it's a gimmick or not, 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 reading for free.
"Even about the thing you care about most—" He met Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze calmly and enunciated each word. "The result of your contest with a certain 'special someone.'
"Once the result is out, you'll know for yourself whether my fortune-telling is real or fake, accurate or baseless."
One free reading would get rid of this troublesome potential "source of attention" quickly, while also showing off his "skills" and saving him from being pestered later.
Two birds with one stone.
However, Sakayanagi Arisu's reaction was unexpected.
She gave a gentle shake of her head, her silver hair swaying with the motion.
The smile on her face remained warm and impeccable, but her attitude was unusually firm, revealing the unquestionable pride etched into her very bones.
"No need." Her voice was gentle, yet her words were 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, don't you think?"
Her gaze lingered briefly on the Crystal Ball resting quietly beside Lin Mu's hand.
Then it returned to Lin Mu's eyes, which seemed lazy and half-lidded, yet were remarkably clear and perceptive beneath the surface.
Her lips curved slightly as she said softly,
"But having an interesting classmate like Lin Mu in Class D... It seems campus life from here on out will be even more entertaining than I expected."
Her words sounded like praise, but they carried an undertone, as though she had already added Lin Mu to the list of people she would watch—or even compete against.
Seeing this, Lin Mu lost all interest in continuing 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. "Whatever. No pressure. If you change your mind, you're welcome anytime. I open this stall whenever the mood strikes."
With that, he actually turned his head and looked toward the next customer waiting in line, as if Sakayanagi Arisu were just an ordinary student passing by.
Lin Mu's complete disregard for her made Sakayanagi Arisu, who had remained composed all along, raise an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. The interest and curiosity in her eyes grew even stronger.
Just then, Lin Mu's gaze seemed to fall casually on Kamuro Masumi, standing beside Sakayanagi Arisu. She looked tense and uncomfortable after their conversation.
He looked at her and spoke in a tone as calm as if he were stating a fact, but his words hit the mark. "You there. Looks like you didn't listen to a single word I said to you at the convenience store."
He looked her up and down, pausing briefly on her uneasy posture. "Seems someone caught you red-handed, and now you're stuck doing what they say, huh?"
"You—!" Kamuro Masumi was instantly at a loss for words. Her face flushed bright red, then turned deathly pale.
She glanced frantically at Sakayanagi Arisu beside her, so mortified that she didn't know what to do with her hands or feet.
Lin Mu was completely right!
She really had been startled by his warning that day and had thought about keeping herself in check. But before long, that urge to seek thrills and rebel had resurfaced.
The result? During one of her "itchy-finger" escapades, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had already suspected her, caught her red-handed—and even had a clear recording of it.
With Sakayanagi holding that leverage over her, she had no choice but to submit and become her lackey...
It was the most shameful secret in her heart, the one she least wanted anyone to bring up. Now Lin Mu had exposed it in front of everyone—and in front of Sakayanagi Arisu, no less. She wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
Lin Mu looked at her bitter, mortified face, as if she wanted to vanish on the spot, then glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu beside her, who was smiling as if she were enjoying a show.
His tone grew even more casual as he spoke, as though he were asking a trivial favor. "Classmate Sakayanagi, please keep a closer eye on her from now on.
"Otherwise, I reckon her boundless energy and inability to keep her hands to herself will get her into more trouble.
"Just consider it... special training for her."
He even paused deliberately before adding, "In my opinion, she's got so much energy to burn that she's perfect for running errands and doing the grunt work."
"Linmu Fujimiya!"
Kamuro Masumi finally lost it. She clenched her fists, her face red with anger as she glared at Lin Mu, her voice rising. "Y-you just wait! I'm not done with you!"
Kamuro Masumi was hissing; it was like watching Tora-nii.
But there was no conviction behind the threat. It sounded more like an angry outburst from someone whose secret had been exposed, and even she knew it wasn't much of a deterrent.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Kamuro Masumi, who was so embarrassed and furious she seemed about to start smoking, then at Lin Mu, who looked utterly calm, as if all he'd said was, "Nice weather today."
Today was a good day for climbing the ranks.
A playful smile tugged at Sakayanagi's lips too.
She gently patted Kamuro Masumi's tense shoulder, making the other girl flinch slightly, and spoke in her usual soft, elegant voice. "Since this is Lin Mu's 'fortune-telling advice'..." She smiled at Lin Mu, violet eyes twinkling. "Let's wait and see."
Lin Mu had completely lost his patience with these two young ladies.
A long line of people was waiting behind him to hand over their points. Time was money—or points—and wasting it on pointless probing and bickering went against his Slacker Economics.
He dismissed them outright, his tone calm but leaving no room for argument. "If neither of you needs a reading, then please move along. I have other customers to attend to, so I won't see you out."
With that, he stopped looking at Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi. Instead, he turned toward the second-year boy at the head of the line, who was already getting impatient, and gestured for him to come forward.
It was as if Sakayanagi's visit had been a trivial interruption, not even worth another second of his thoughts.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood quietly where she was, watching Lin Mu swiftly move on to his next "transaction." The light in her violet eyes flickered as she observed how completely he followed his own rhythm, oblivious to outside distractions.
She said nothing more. The enigmatic smile on her lips lingered for a long time.
At last, she turned around, her silver hair tracing a graceful arc.
"Let's go, Masumi."
Kamuro Masumi was as good as pardoned. She shot one last furious glare at Lin Mu's back, though he didn't notice at all.
A harmless nobody, an impotent hissing Prison Sister, a follower of the Cane Alien, a threatened errand girl.
She hurried to catch up with Sakayanagi Arisu, and the two gradually disappeared into the bustling crowd.
The commotion continued around Lin Mu's fortune-telling stall, and points kept pouring into his account.
Event dates: May 1 to May 5.
Before you continue