How This Fortune Teller Becomes Famous

The vice principal, who had been wearing an inscrutable smile the entire time the cheers for me continued, finally spoke up. "Everyone, please be quiet."

But with the entire auditorium in an uproar, there was no way his voice could carry. The students were still going wild over the mysterious concept of 'fortune telling.' Rather than looking annoyed, however, the vice principal simply smiled gently.

"Heh heh, such passionate young blood, all of you."

Ah. Now.

The moment the chuckling vice principal took a deep breath, I clamped my hands over my ears and curled into a ball. A few students gave me strange looks at my sudden movement── but only for a second.

"EVERYONE BE QUIET───!!!!!!!!"

"M-My ears!!!"

"What the hell is this?!"

Damn, my ears are actually ringing. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And I covered them and curled up as much as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could beforehand. Since I was standing closest to the vice principal, if I hadn't blocked them I might've burst my eardrums.

Shout. In the game it was a skill that stunned enemies with a loud roar, and it seemed to work pretty much the same way here.

Having instantly silenced the entire auditorium with his skill, the vice principal chuckled again. "You are now students of Romance Academy. Please listen carefully and follow your instructors' guidance."

Um... those bulging forearm and shoulder muscles rippling under his clothes? Yeah, I am absolutely going to do whatever he says.

I gave the vice principal an extremely polite bow before stepping down from the platform and taking my seat. After scanning the room once, the muscular vice principal nodded in satisfaction.

"You all must have felt the vibration earlier. Wouldn't it be a shame if the auspicious entrance ceremony of Romance Academy ended just like this?"

Snap.

Rrrrrumble──

"Huh?"

"The... the doors?"

When the vice principal flicked his fingers, every door in the auditorium began to open slowly. But what lay beyond them wasn't the path we'd taken to get here.

"What the hell is that building...? Was that there before?"

"More importantly, isn't it way too close?"

"That's not the only one! We're completely surrounded by buildings!"

The area around the auditorium had definitely been an open plaza when we arrived, yet now it was densely packed with every kind of academy building imaginable. The gaps between buildings were barely wide enough for five people to pass through, and there were even aerial passages connecting them overhead. A chaotic arrangement that had drawn everything unnaturally close, creating countless branching paths.

It looked exactly like...

"...A maze?"

"The conclusion of the entrance ceremony is simple," the vice principal said, pointing at the clock above the auditorium with a sly grin. "The current time is 8:42. All first-day classes begin at 12 o'clock."

"If you manage to escape this building-maze and arrive at your classroom by then, you pass. If you don't make it, you fail."

"...Is there a penalty for failing?!"

"Oh, excellent question. Those who pass will simply attend their classes. However, if you fail──."

"No way..."

"Expulsion...?"

Faced with this situation, I couldn't help thinking about the web novels I'd read before. Those Spartan academies where admission itself was brutally difficult, with constant tests that culled anyone who fell into the lower ranks. They were thrilling to read about, but actually living it? Not fun at all. Just incredibly stressful.

So the solution my little sister came up with was...

"──Cleaning duty."

".........Cleaning?"

"That's... not so bad?"

Wrong. It is that bad. The only reason they don't expel anyone is because of this...!

If you let your guard down just because they said 'cleaning,' you're going to regret it. Seriously.

"Students who fail must perform eight hours of mandatory cleaning duty every day for the next month. Heh heh, simple, isn't it?"

.........Simple?

The students who had been secretly relieved at the word 'cleaning' suddenly felt alarm bells going off in their heads. Eight hours of cleaning? What about sleep? Studying? Classes? And they had to do that for an entire month?

Obviously we can't afford to fail.

Even in the game, that cleaning penalty was the ultimate time sink. It ate up a full third of your day, making it much harder to grow stronger or build relationships. Now that this was reality, it would be even worse, not better.

"........."

"............."

A tense atmosphere settled over the students as they began watching the vice principal's expression. Some were probably thinking There's no way he'll actually make us do it, while others were steeling themselves to succeed no matter what. A few had apparently already heard about Romance Academy's infamous punishments through their own channels.

But right now, they were all thinking the same thing.

"I see the look in your eyes asking when we'll begin," the vice principal said, nodding in satisfaction at the burning determination in the students' gazes. "Heh heh. That kind of vibrant spirit is exactly what we expect from students of Romance Academy."

"............"

"..........."

"Very well. As the vice principal, I cannot disappoint my students."

The vice principal slowly raised his right arm, muscles twitching, high into the air. A fierce grin spread across his face.

"BEGIN──!!!"

CRACK!

"M-Move!"

"I'm going first!"

"Starting now! Haha!"

I get that he's giving a loud starting signal, but... did he really have to smash the platform to pieces...?

After silently offering a prayer for the shattered platform, I looked around the auditorium. Most students were rushing out in a panic, though there were still a few who had been pushed out of the scramble or were staying seated because they had their own plans.

According to my plan, I was supposed to stay in the auditorium too, but...

Where's the Saintess?

Plans be damned── if that fanatic came running at me swinging a mace, I'd have to bolt immediately. So I urgently searched for her first.

She wasn't in her original seat. Not near me either. Was she running toward me? No. Had she already left?

She must have decided that avoiding eight hours of cleaning was more important than smashing a fortune teller's head in.

Only after confirming that did I finally feel at ease. I activated my class skill.

Tap.

The moment I activated the skill, a tarot card dropped from thin air. Honestly, this skill feels like its only real purpose is summoning tarot cards. Pretty convenient, though.

I gave the cards a light shuffle and drew one at random.

"Major Arcana Number 10, The Wheel of Fortune."

"........."

"Miss Liu, doesn't this mean you and I are fated to be together?"

"Bullshit."

"You won't even take a joke, huh."

I turned to meet the eyes of Liu Yen, who had somehow appeared right behind me. She looked the same as when we'd first met, except her hair was a bit frizzy and her eyes were bloodshot.

Why does she look like that?

"Miss Liu, have you not been sleeping lately?"

"Whose fault do you think that is?"

"Pardon?"

"I can't sleep at night because of you."

......So she means she can't sleep because she's been investigating me and feeding her paranoia, right? It just sounds weirdly suggestive. Must be my imagination.

Anyway, it looks like the suspicion I stoked last time has flared up into a full-blown inferno. This isn't good.

Liu Yen is the type who won't stop being suspicious until she collapses from exhaustion.

"I will definitely uncover everything about you..."

"Miss Liu."

".........What."

"Would you like to make a deal with me?"

"A deal?"

Liu Yen's face twisted. Of course she wouldn't want to make a deal with someone she was suspecting in real time. But this was for her own good. Besides, there was no way she would refuse.

"If you help me until the time limit is up, I'll tell you one of my secrets."

"...How do I know I can trust that?"

See? The moment I mentioned my secret, she immediately bit. Even if it's Liu Yen, she'll probably doubt it even after hearing it, but she must have figured there was no harm in listening first. After all, it would increase her information about me.

"If you don't want to, that's fine. I can always make a deal with someone else."

"Ha! You think I'd fall for such an obvious bluff──"

"Ah, excuse me, sir? Could I have a moment of your time..."

"──Fine, I'll let it slide this once."

"...Pfft."

"Don't laugh, you bastard."

Even though Liu Yen looks like a little kid on the outside, the way she keeps snapping at me is honestly kind of cute the more I see it. Well, the reason she's willing to hang around me like this is ultimately because gathering information on me herself is the simplest method. Her class, Great Wealthy, is definitely not just for show.

Still, she usually doesn't move personally unless the target of her suspicion is particularly serious. Just how much does she suspect me, exactly?

"So? What do you need me to help with?"

"Ah. Please wait just a moment. I need one more person."

"One more?"

Liu Yen's expression twisted again. Is she thinking something like Why does he need someone else when he already has me? As expected of a severe paranoia case, her self-confidence is off the charts. Though if she suspected even herself, daily life would be impossible, so that makes sense.

In truth, Liu Yen could probably handle most things by herself, but this time that one extra person was absolutely necessary.

After scanning the area several times, I finally started walking.

"Miss Lane Arthur."

"......Y-Yes?"

"...Fortune teller."

The Arthur siblings, Lane Arthur and Lucas Arthur, who hadn't left yet and were still sitting in the auditorium. The reason they could afford to be so relaxed was simple. To these two, the maze was completely meaningless.

"We met briefly before. I'm the fortune teller, Namgung Min."

"......Mage, Lucas Arthur."

"P-Psychic, Lane Arthur......... is my name."

Lane was one thing, but I was surprised Lucas actually returned my greeting. This guy is a hardcore meritocrat who won't even speak to the protagonist until their abilities exceed a certain threshold. It seems my various performances earlier left quite an impression.

And while Lane was trembling slightly, she wasn't using formal speech with me. Just as I'd asked her to keep quiet about me at the academy.

Looking at the siblings, I gave them a bright smile.

"This may be presumptuous, but doesn't this maze hold no meaning for either of you?"

"........."

"Sir Lucas could easily escape using magic, and Miss Lane has teleportation, so you're both essentially exempt."

"So what exactly are you trying to say?"

"It's simple."

The Mage Lucas Arthur could use every spell in existence. As the superior version of all magic-related classes, teleportation was obviously within his capabilities. The Psychic class, on the other hand, was basically just teleportation and nothing else.

Of course, of the two, the one I needed was obvious.

"I'd like to request a deal with you, Miss Lane."

"A deal?"

"B-Brother."

"Stay quiet, Lane. Namgung Min, was it? I acknowledge your ability, but I don't believe you're in any position to casually propose a deal to the young lady of the Arthur family."

At Lucas's sharp words, I simply smiled. Meritocracy. If Lane Arthur's defining principle was 'weak to the strong, strong to the weak,' then what ruled Lucas Arthur was pure meritocracy.

He possessed a rare Special Class, was the heir to one of Europe's most prestigious families, had outstanding looks and impressive height. Born with every possible advantage, yet the Arthur family's education had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ordered him to start from the bottom.

At the age of five, Lucas had been thrown into the slums with nothing but his class. There, he honed both his abilities and his influence. By the time he was sixteen, he had essentially conquered the underworld of an entire city, proving his worth and earning the right to return to the Arthur family.

That was why he evaluated others solely based on ability. Appearance, personality, background── none of it moved him. The fact that he was even speaking to me now meant I'd shown enough ability to warrant conversation, but I still fell short for something like a deal.

"Don't worry. For Miss Lane, it's simply making use of her spare time, so it's beneficial for her. And I'll be able to achieve my goal, so it's a win-win situation!"

"How do I know what kind of deal this is?"

"Don't we have a guarantor right here?"

"......What?"

In response to Lucas's confused look, I pointed behind me. Standing there with her arms crossed, glaring at both me and Lane Arthur with an extremely annoyed expression, was Liu Yen.

".........Me?"

Before Liu Yen, who had been making a face that said What the hell are you talking about?, could react──

"Since Miss Liu Yen has already accepted my deal, doesn't that mean it's a transaction worthy of the Great Wealthy class? I believe that's sufficient as a guarantee."

"......Liu, is that true?"

Lucas's voice suddenly became much gentler as he asked Liu. Come to think of it, Lucas had a crush on her, didn't he? Even by ability alone, Liu was superior to Lucas. I remembered that when Lucas returned to the Arthur family at sixteen, he had fallen for her at first sight.

Yeah. This guy had fallen for her based purely on her face, regardless of her ability. In the game, he was the ultimate simp who fell for the heroine at first sight. Since the protagonist is male now, he's still secretly in love with Liu, but I think in a few months he'll end up falling for another girl at first sight again.

Wait, who was it again?

".........Well, it's true that I accepted that fortune teller bastard's deal."

"Liu, why would you──!"

"Hey, Lucas. What does it matter to you whether I make a deal with that bastard or not? Didn't I tell you your meddling is disgusting?"

"............"

Hey, hey. Why are you looking at me? Why are you staring at me with those boiling eyes? Weren't you being somewhat friendly toward me earlier? You even responded when I spoke to you because you thought I had ability. Why did you suddenly turn into a lovesick fool... Ah, right. This was a dating sim.

"Namgung Min, you bastard...!"

".........Miss Lane?"

"Y-Yes?............Huh?"

Ignoring Lucas, who was now glaring at me like he wanted to kill me, I approached Lane. While she was still confused about how to treat me, I secretly pulled out a tarot card and showed it to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her.

The Lovers card.

Since I'd shown it to her by mistake anyway, I might as well make use of it.

"......!"

"You remember, don't you?"

"Fortune teller! What are you saying to Lane! Lane, get away from him immediately. You mustn't get close to this man!"

Why is he talking about me like I'm some kind of poison? Lucas tried to grab his sister's arm as I seemed to be getting too close to Lane, but──

"......L-Lane?"

".........I'm sorry, Brother."

Lane dodged his hand and moved behind me... Wait, why is she standing behind me?

Lane, who had been secretly rubbing the Lovers card I'd hidden behind my hand, finally lowered her head.

"Hey, fortune teller bastard. That's enough, right? Let's get started already."

"L-Liu!"

And then Liu Yen, whose patience had finally reached its limit, walked over to stand beside me. Somehow, the situation had become Lucas standing alone while Liu and Lane were both at my side.

Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose.

"Sir Lucas, just trust me."

"Ugh...!"

Don't worry. Your sister is incredibly capable, so I'll just borrow her for a bit and return her. And if I give you a compatibility reading or love fortune with Liu, maybe that attitude of yours will soften? Since you'll fall in love with another girl at first sight in a few months anyway, there won't be any lingering issues.

Yeah. No problems at all.

With a bright smile that conveyed 'don't worry,' I looked at him.