Tarot Tricks

Lin Mu paid no mind to the obvious probing and amusement in Sakayanagi Arisu's words, as if he hadn't heard the hidden meaning.

Instead, he walked straight over to the water station at one side of the office with the easy familiarity of a regular. Disposable paper cups sat there.

He picked up a cup and poured himself half a cup of hot water, then pinched a few tea leaves from the nearby tin and dropped them in.

His movements were smooth and natural, as if he were in his own dorm room.

He blew on the steam rising from the cup and took a careful sip before turning around to face Sakayanagi Arisu again.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a carefree smile as he spoke:

"Well, Classmate Sakayanagi, if you put it that way, I guess you're interested in my 'little trick'?"

He set the tea aside, then pulled a deck of Tarot Cards from his pocket. With a deft flick of his fingers, the cards seemed to come alive in his palm, flipping, shuffling, and fanning out.

(I'll check the deck—French accent.)

The result was a dazzling display of elaborate shuffling. His movements were so practiced and fluid that he could have been a professional magician.

When the showy shuffling was over, Lin Mu held the neatly stacked deck in one hand and looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, still seated on the sofa with a teacup in her hands and a faint, elegant smile on her face.

The inquisitive light in her amethyst eyes had grown stronger, but she still said nothing, as if waiting for Lin Mu's next performance—or perhaps sizing him up.

When she didn't respond, Lin Mu was neither disappointed nor surprised.

He shrugged, looked away from Sakayanagi Arisu, and glanced over the other "spectators" in the office.

There was Manabu Horikita, looking stern; Kohei Katsuragi, tense and wary; and Akane Tachibana, standing beside Manabu Horikita and looking a little ill at ease.

Lin Mu's lips spread into a mischievous grin. His tone was light, as if he were about to start an amusing game.

"If Classmate Sakayanagi still thinks my fortune-telling is 'unnecessary'... how about the rest of you? Anyone want me to read your fortunes?"

He paused, letting his gaze move across Manabu Horikita's and Katsuragi's faces before glancing at Akane Tachibana. He spoke as though he could see right through them.

"I've already 'seen' it, you know—two of you have some family troubles weighing on your minds. Nothing too serious, but enough to be a bother.

(I've already seen it...)

"And as for the other one..." His gaze settled on Akane Tachibana's face, and he gave her a teasing wink.

"What's hidden in your heart is... hmm, a sweet little secret about being in love with someone?"

As he spoke of "family troubles," his gaze lingered for a moment on Manabu Horikita and Kohei Katsuragi.

When he mentioned "a secret about being in love," his eyes shifted steadily to Akane Tachibana.

The effect was immediate.

A faint blush spread across Akane Tachibana's cheeks, visible even at a glance.

She instinctively lowered her head and looked toward Manabu Horikita beside her, trying to avoid Lin Mu's gaze. Her fingers twisted together without her realizing it.

Manabu Horikita's eyes darkened behind his glasses. His expression didn't change, but the air around him seemed to grow even heavier.

Kohei Katsuragi knitted his brows and fixed Lin Mu with a keen stare, as if trying to decide whether he'd made a lucky guess or really knew something.

The office fell silent again for a moment, broken only by the distant commotion from the swimming pool outside.

Seeing everyone fall silent as if he'd hit a nerve, with no one denying it or playing along, Lin Mu quickly lost interest.

With a casual flick, he made the Tarot Cards disappear back into his pocket with a swift "whoosh," so fast that no one could see how he did it.

Then he simply walked over to the long sofa in the waiting area, as though he'd only come in to find somewhere to rest.

He picked a seat at the very end and settled in comfortably, leaning back lazily with one leg crossed over the other.

"If none of you are interested in my 'little trick,' then I won't bother you."

He picked up his hot tea and took another sip. "I'll sit here for a while and leave when class is over.

"Of course, carry on discussing whatever you were discussing... the school rules or the S System. Just pretend I'm not here. I'll act as if I haven't heard a thing."

Lin Mu's unruffled manner, as if he were the host rather than a guest, made Manabu Horikita and Katsuragi furrow their brows even more deeply.

But Lin Mu paused, as if he'd suddenly remembered something unimportant.

Then, in a casual tone, he dropped a bombshell that could have sent a thunderclap through the calmest waters:

"After all..." He tilted his head, and a few strands of white hair fell across his forehead.

"I seem to have met the school's requirement of saving up Twenty Million Personal Points to apply for a class transfer... a long time ago."

"Whoosh—!"

Every pair of eyes in the office was drawn to Lin Mu as if by an invisible magnet. They all stared at his face, which showed little emotion after he spoke—almost an innocent expression!

Manabu Horikita looked up sharply, his keen, hawklike gaze fixed on Lin Mu. His pupils contracted almost imperceptibly behind his glasses.

Even the composure and calm he'd maintained for years showed a clear crack at last, and his surprise was impossible to hide.

Akane Tachibana's eyes went wide, and her mouth fell slightly open. Shock and disbelief were written all over her face: "That's impossible!" "You're joking, right?"

Twenty million points? What did that even mean? More than twenty million Private Points, less than two months after enrollment?

It was utterly unbelievable!

Kohei Katsuragi stood rooted to the spot, his tall frame seeming to freeze. His face was a tangle of shock, surprise, and deep confusion.

A class-transfer rule? Twenty million points? He hadn't heard anything about this yet!

And this boy from Class D, who looked as if good looks were all he had, was claiming he'd met the requirement?

His mind raced as he tried to process this unbelievable information.

Only Sakayanagi Arisu, after her initial surprise, let her elegant smile grow even brighter. Amusement and interest nearly brimmed in her violet eyes.

She gently set down her teacup and folded her slender fingers in her lap. Her gaze on Lin Mu held more than curiosity now; there was also unmistakable admiration.

This boy from Class D was indeed far more interesting than she'd expected—so interesting that... she was getting a little excited.

Seeing the varied expressions of shock on their faces, Lin Mu found it rather amusing.

He tilted his head in feigned innocence and spoke as if to reassure them.

"What? Are you all that surprised?"

His tone was puzzled. "Did you think I shouldn't know about this? Or did you think... I couldn't possibly have saved up that many points?"

He shrugged. "It took me a lot of effort, but I finally 'divined' the information.

"But now that I think about it, it doesn't seem to be much of a secret, does it?"

He turned his gaze to Manabu Horikita, who'd recovered his composure the fastest, though the look in his eyes had changed. Lin Mu's tone was casual, but there was a hint of seeking confirmation in it.

"Why don't you tell us, Manabu Horikita? Is what I said true?

"You're the Student Council President, and you're about to graduate. Surely you and Senior Akane Tachibana know about a clause written into the school rules, right? Something like that does exist, doesn't it?"

He paused, then continued without waiting for Manabu Horikita to answer:

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in what you were discussing, and I have no intention of getting involved or 'taking care of' the people in Class D.

"I'm not transferring right now because... well, I find Class D quieter and more fun to be in.

"Transferring to Class A or Class B now would mean too many rules, and dealing with people would be a pain."