Are You Really a Fortune-Teller?

His tone barely changed, yet it was like a dull knife, slowly cutting into truths that had been deliberately ignored.

"But if that's the case, the first person to be crushed and worn down will be you.

The Student Council is far more complicated than it looks, and the relationships there are delicate.

If you really join, you might find that every day brings more than simply 'helping people.' You might even find yourself caught up in things beyond your control.

When that happens, forget helping others—you might slowly lose sight of who you were to begin with, until you've forgotten completely."

Ichinose Honami jerked her head up, surprise flashing in her eyes like startled birds taking flight.

She stared blankly at Lin Mu, as though someone had just seen through her deepest fears and defenses for the first time—so directly and so mercilessly.

The worries she had refused to examine, the ones she had ignored as she charged ahead on sheer determination, had been laid bare in the sunlight with a few casual words.

She bit her lower lip. Embarrassment at being seen through and a trace of hurt welled up inside her. Her voice was soft, trembling ever so slightly.

"But... I just want to help everyone. The students in Class B are all wonderful and kind. I want our class to become better, and I want everyone to graduate smoothly and have a good future.

The Student Council... doesn't it have access to far more resources and information than ordinary students?

With those, I could help everyone better..."

Her defense was stubborn in a childlike way, yet it revealed her genuine anxiety, her desperation to seize some kind of "power."

"Accessing resources and information isn't limited to joining the Student Council."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. His tone remained even, but every word struck like an awl, hitting the heart of the matter. "The core principle behind this academy's operations, when you get down to it, is 'ability' and 'points.'

Instead of pouring all your energy and hopes into winning a spot on the Student Council, scheming to get resources from the inside,

you should settle down and focus on improving yourself. Then lead your classmates in Class B to do well in every class assessment and subject exam, and earn all the points you can.

Once your class's overall evaluation improves, the Private Points you receive each month will naturally increase, and you'll have access to more resources.

That path is far more practical than treading carefully in the Student Council, watching everyone's expressions, and possibly even having to go against your own principles just to get 'inside information.'"

He watched the light in Ichinose Honami's eyes waver and knew his words had struck home. Then he added, still casually, "Besides, what you think of as 'helping' might not be what other people actually need or want.

Stop putting yourself in the position of a saint who 'has to help everyone.'

You're not a savior, Ichinose Honami.

You don't need to, and you can't, take responsibility for everyone's life.

First, figure out how to live your own life, and how to live it with less strain. Only then might the light you give off truly reach the people you want it to."

Ichinose Honami was completely stunned, frozen in place as though struck by lightning.

Lin Mu's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, jolting her out of the feverish obsession that had consumed her.

After the bone-deep chill came a vast, unfamiliar emptiness.

She had always believed that only by doing everything she could and meeting everyone's expectations could she avoid being abandoned.

Only then could she prove she was worthy of being loved and needed, and make sure the people around her were all right.

She had never stopped to consider whether running blindly like this, taking everything on without a second thought,

was worth it, whether it really helped, or whether one day she might lose herself in it.

Lin Mu's words cruelly shattered the protective shell she had built with kindness and hard work, exposing the real Ichinose Honami beneath it: frightened, afraid of becoming worthless, and secretly longing to be cared for, too.

The block of ice that was her obsession seemed to crack open, and the chill spread through her. Yet, strangely, the nerves she had kept taut for so long began to relax.

But what followed was an enormous emptiness and confusion, as though she had suddenly lost the signpost that had guided her for so long.

"But... I still... can't accept it."

She sniffed and blinked hard, forcing back the moisture in her eyes. Her voice was thick with tears, but stubbornly, she refused to let them fall.

"I prepared for so long and looked forward to it for so long. It's like running a race: I could already see the finish line, and then someone told me I couldn't keep going...

If I just give up like this, it feels... it feels like admitting defeat."

"Giving up on a path that won't work, or setting aside a goal that might not suit you, isn't admitting defeat."

Lin Mu leaned back in his chair again. The glow of the setting sun turned the tips of his white hair a warm gold, and he seemed to blend into the gentle dusk around him.

His tone was still relaxed, yet there was something strangely persuasive about it, as if he were speaking from a much broader perspective.

"It's just a choice between options. You're choosing another path that might suit you better and let you go farther with less effort.

If you really can't let it go, you can wait for the next selection. Just don't cling to the idea that 'I have to get in, or I've failed.'

Sometimes, taking a step back and letting things unfold naturally can reveal scenery that obsession had hidden from you, and bring unexpected opportunities."

He recalled a scene from one of his precognitive visions and added vaguely, "Besides, the 'benefactor' mentioned in that fortune-telling session might reach out to you in some way before long. You may not have to look for that person at all."

A spark suddenly flashed in Ichinose Honami's eyes, like a drowning person grasping at the last piece of driftwood. "You mean...?"

Lin Mu shrugged without offering a clear answer. He sucked on his lollipop and spoke somewhat indistinctly.

"I told you—time will give you the answer. Trying to puzzle it out right now will only make you more anxious. It won't help.

You'd be better off bringing your attention back to what you can do right now. For example, preparing well for the next class assessment."

He raised his hand and glanced at the time displayed on his wrist-mounted virtual terminal. His tone made it clear that he was about to end the conversation.

"I really do have to pack up now. You should go back and think it over, too. If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it for a while. Let things take their course. Stop fighting with yourself all the time—it's exhausting."

With that, he said no more and focused his mind.

Psychokinesis spread quietly like an invisible tide. The tent supports began unlocking and folding themselves away.

The folding table collapsed smoothly, while the Tarot Cards box and Crystal Ball floated into the luggage bag. Even the small blackboard lifted itself and dropped into the bag.

The whole process was as smooth as flowing water...

Ichinose Honami watched as it all happened in the blink of an eye and was once again stunned by his "skill," which defied common sense.

Thinking of Lin Mu's frighteningly accurate fortune-telling, and the words he had just spoken—words that cut straight to the heart, as if he could see through everything—

a bold, almost absurd thought began to take shape and swirl in her mind, beyond her control.

She watched Lin Mu pack all his equipment into two lightweight bags and pick them up, ready to leave. At last, she couldn't hold back and blurted out,

"Lin Mu, are you... are you really just a... fortune-teller?"