This Fortune Teller Does It For Free
Honestly, I had expected the academy to take some kind of action against me. After all, I was the first student in the academy's history to escape the entrance exam maze, and I had cleared the academy's prepared lessons in one go through "fortune-telling." As long as I was around, any test involving mazes or finding hidden locations would be impossible. If I rallied the students like I did during the entrance exam and led them all out together, individual evaluations would become meaningless. So while imposing restrictions on me felt excessive, I could at least understand the reasoning behind it.
But understanding and accepting are two different things.
Understanding is one matter. Accepting it is another. To put it bluntly, it's like telling a student who excels at a particular art technique, "You're too good at it, so stop using that method from now on." I swept my gaze across the conference room, taking in the instructors seated around me—essentially every instructor in Romance Academy. Several concentric circular tables with a gap in the middle filled the space, and I stood on a raised platform at the center. The vice principal sat directly in front of me, maintaining a stern expression. Feeling the weight of countless stares from all directions, I opened my mouth.
"First, I would like to ask. Regarding the restrictions on fortune-telling, what exactly is the scope?"
"All of it."
"……By 'all of it,' do you mean every single fortune I tell within Romance Academy?"
"That is correct."
……That was quite severe. Had all these prideful academy instructors actually agreed on this? More importantly, did they really think I would just accept such a penalty without protest?
"Vice Principal, this penalty is unfair."
"Unfair, you say."
"Yes. Romance Academy exists to educate students so they can fully utilize their classes. In that sense, restricting my class identity as a Fortune Teller—specifically the act of fortune-telling itself—is an excessive measure."
"Hmm."
Of course I had to voice my complaints. And honestly, if my presence was making tests impossible, wasn't that something the academy should handle on their end? Why solve it by limiting my abilities instead? Several instructors nodded in agreement with my perfectly reasonable objection. This was a school, after all—not a corporation or the military. Why would a school restrict a student's abilities?
Now that I had the momentum, I had no intention of stopping.
"Vice Principal, and all the instructors gathered here, you are well aware that I possess a non-combat class. As the name suggests, a Fortune Teller exists solely to tell fortunes. If fortune-telling is taken away, what remains?"
"……That is not an incorrect statement."
"Honestly, this seems rather harsh."
"We are an educational institution meant to nurture students. Not a place that suppresses their abilities."
At my words, several instructors began voicing their support. Though few in number, their voices echoed throughout the conference room. There were dissenting opinions as well, which suggested this was the vice principal's unilateral decision. That made it even harder to understand.
Why go so far as to restrict all fortune-telling?
In truth, if Romance Academy wanted to keep my fortune-telling in check, there were plenty of other methods. They could simply exclude me from maze or navigation tests and award full points to others. Or require me to report and obtain permission every time I told a fortune. Or limit the number of fortunes I could tell from the start. But completely banning all fortune-telling was excessive in multiple ways. The academy should have known that.
While I pondered the academy's true intentions, the vice principal looked at me.
"Namgung Min, let me ask you something in return."
"Please do."
"Why are you attending this academy?"
"……?"
What kind of question was that? Asking a student why they attend school? As I momentarily lost my words, the vice principal continued.
"As you yourself stated, Romance Academy's role is to train and help class holders grow in their respective classes."
"That is correct."
"But you have nothing left to learn, do you not?"
"………Ah."
Now I understood what he was getting at. I had always thought of myself as a "student"—someone attending Romance Academy to learn, interact, and witness the endings as a player. But how did the academy see me?
A Fortune Teller's growth comes from fortune-telling, yet I have never been wrong.
Whether it was actual fortune-telling or not, from an outside perspective, I possessed a 100% accuracy rate. Therefore, there was no need for me to attend Romance Academy. There was nothing left for me to learn or improve upon. That was precisely what the vice principal was pointing out.
"You are the first Fortune Teller in Romance Academy's history, yet we were fully prepared to educate and guide you. By inviting other fortune tellers from outside, for example."
"………."
"But you are more exceptional than any fortune teller I have ever known. To be frank……I would even consider hiring you as an instructor for the Fortune Teller course."
The instructors' murmurs ceased at the vice principal's candid remark. Even those who had been inwardly dissatisfied with the penalty seemed to accept his explanation. I suddenly recalled what Instructor Redfield had said.
"In my opinion, none of the new students use their class better than you do."
It was exactly that. The academy evaluated me even more highly. The gap had arisen because I did not consider myself to be actively fortune-telling.
The vice principal did not press further, perhaps sensing my contemplation. He was waiting for some kind of response.
How should I answer?
First, accepting the penalty was out of the question. I still needed to intervene in characters' lives through the "fortune-telling" probability. If my fortune-telling was restricted now, it would become difficult to grow closer to Liu or the princess, who had become friendly with me because of my accurate fortunes. So should I ask for the restrictions to be relaxed?
……That would only be a temporary fix. Eventually, if my fortunes keep hitting, this situation will repeat itself.
And I was someone who needed to keep hitting the mark in critical moments going forward. In that case……
"……There is no helping it. I will speak honestly."
"Namgung Min?"
If I could not see a way to resolve this problem, then I would simply dismantle the problem itself.
"My fortunes do not always have a 100% accuracy rate. There are conditions."
"Conditions, you say?"
Ultimately, the academy's desire to impose penalties on my fortune-telling stemmed from the premise that my fortunes were always correct. Breaking that premise would naturally solve the issue. Of course, through deception and lies.
"Each time one of my fortunes fails, the accuracy rate of the next one increases by 1%."
"Hmm……?"
"That is why I keep making minor fortunes in my mind. By failing those, I raise the probability of success for the important fortunes I tell later."
It was complete nonsense.
"Such a trait exists? I have never seen a Fortune Teller with that characteristic."
"I do not know the reason either. It has been with me since birth."
"Hmm………."
This was also a lie, of course. It was a one-sided explanation with no evidence or logic, something that would normally be difficult to convince even an ordinary person of. But there were several reasons why my words would be accepted.
"……Is that really true?"
"Does anyone here know about Fortune Tellers?"
"There are many of them, but they are such an alien class……"
First, fortune-telling was inherently illogical. Unlike things with clear evidence or logic, fortune-telling required people to believe whatever the fortune teller said as "fate" or "divine will." Since its very existence was detached from logic and reason, even an absurd explanation carried at least some persuasive power.
And more importantly—
"……Does that not make more sense?"
"Pardon?"
"That is also true. The idea that every fortune you told just happened to be correct from the start is what does not make sense in the first place."
"Hmm, if there is such a restriction, then……it is not incomprehensible."
Because my fortune-telling was so unrealistic, my explanation actually sounded more realistic. That was common sense. If someone offered you a hundred million for free, most people would be suspicious. But if they said you had to stand on your head for twenty-four hours first, some would start to believe it. Unrealistic results required an appropriate price—that was common sense.
Now, let out a sigh at the right moment.
I deliberately acted resigned. I lowered my head, sighed, pretended to ponder for a long time, and made my voice tremble. Combined with the condition that made sense and the attitude I displayed, it was more than enough to make the lie seem like truth.
"Hmm, Namgung Min. Why did you hide this?"
"……Attending Romance Academy has been my long-time dream. Since there has never been a Fortune Teller admitted before, I was afraid that revealing this condition would make admission difficult. I am sorry."
"Goodness……"
By subtly appealing to the instructors' pride in the academy and adding the inexperience and naivety expected of a student who had only recently become an adult, it did not take long for the vice principal and instructors' gazes to turn somewhat favorable.
"It is fine. The academy asks students to disclose their classes and skills for the sake of smooth education. You are more than qualified to attend the academy."
"Then what should we do? Should we cancel the restrictions on fortune-telling……?"
"But in the end, the fact that Namgung Min can clear all tests with fortune-telling remains the same, does it not?"
"He has that characteristic, though. Should we not take that into consideration……?"
The conference room gradually grew noisy. Now that my fortune-telling had been brought down from an unrealistic element to something "controllable," discussions began about how to handle the penalty. Those who had been dissatisfied with the penalty from the start, those who still saw me as a threat to the tests, those who insisted the penalty should still be given—various voices mixed together and grew louder. Even the vice principal, seated at the head, was deep in thought. This was the moment I had been waiting for.
"Vice Principal, I hesitate to say this, but……I have an idea."
"Hmm? Everyone, quiet for a moment. Namgung Min, you have an idea?"
"Yes."
I had resolved the existing problem for now. The academy had intended to impose an unconditional penalty on me, but not anymore. So now, I would steer things in the direction I wanted.
"Ultimately, the issue is the accuracy rate of my fortunes, is it not?"
"Indeed. Even with that characteristic, if you raise your accuracy to 100% before entering a test, it becomes a problem."
"Then we simply need to prevent me from raising the accuracy rate in advance, do we not?"
"Hmm? Did you not say you could tell fortunes in your mind earlier? We cannot read your thoughts."
No, what I wanted to say was slightly different. My plan had gone somewhat awry, but the reason I had deliberately shown off my abilities during the entrance exam and made my name known was for this. A way to smoothly interact with characters going forward—and earn money while doing so.
"I will open a fortune-telling shop."
"A fortune-telling……shop?"
"Yes. If I tell fortunes for other students there, it will be difficult for me to raise my accuracy rate in advance, will it not?"
"Hmm."
Opening My Own Little Fortune Teller Shop. That was my goal.
"A fortune-telling shop. That does not sound bad."
"If he tells fortunes for other students at the shop, he will not be able to raise his accuracy rate beforehand."
"Even so, he could just raise it right before a test."
"We could administer surprise tests, or simply have an instructor ask for a fortune right before the test. That would solve it."
"There are still some loopholes, but it seems like a realistic way to restrict Namgung Min's fortune-telling."
"More importantly, if we permit the shop, the academy will not have to bear the dishonor of having restricted a student's abilities. There is no benefit to setting such a precedent."
Favorable voices could be heard from various places. It was not a perfect method, but since it was not an unconditional restriction on my fortune-telling, they seemed to consider it a good practical means of control. It also preserved the academy's honor as a bonus. In the end, the academy was not trying to completely control my fortune-telling—they simply wanted it at an appropriate level. They had taken such an extreme measure because they thought they could not regulate it at that appropriate level.
After listening to the various opinions, the vice principal opened his eyes, apparently having made a decision.
"Very well. We will accept Namgung Min's proposal."
"Thank you, Vice Principal."
"I should be the one thanking you—and apologizing. However, I will add a few conditions."
"Conditions……you say?"
"Yes. First——"
Thud.
After leaving the conference room, I wandered aimlessly through the academy. Things had worked out well enough, but the conditions the vice principal had added were giving me a headache.
"Tch, what am I supposed to do? I do not have many acquaintances……"
At best, there were Liu, Lane, Lucas, the saint, the prince, and the princess. If I stretched it, maybe Sasaki Ito. With fewer than ten people, I could not possibly meet the vice principal's conditions. But I could not give up either, so for now, I was pondering——
"Found you."
"………Hm?"
——when a voice from behind made me turn around. My first thought was that she was beautiful. Since we were inside the academy, she had to be a student as well. Her flowing attire, her beautiful face despite the sweat, her figure with generous curves where they should be and a slim waist where it should be, and her long golden hair. I was not good with words, so it was hard to describe in detail, but she was the most beautiful female student I had ever seen.
Hmm, but——
Who……are you?
Seeing such a female student was a feast for the eyes, but she had said "found you" to me, right? But who was she? I had never seen a student like her in the game.
"I have been looking for you. Ever since I came to the academy……only you."
"Uh, excuse me? Did you perhaps mistake me for someone else……"
"No. It is the same appearance I saw in my dream back then."
Looking for me? A dream? I was having the somewhat rude thought that she might be unwell when the unidentified female student suddenly threw herself into my arms—wait, her soft parts were touching me!?
"I finally found you……Namgung Min-nim."
"Uh, um, uh. E-excuse me!?"
In that moment when my thoughts came to a halt due to the completely nonsensical situation and the softness, a voice rang out.
"Hey! Fortune teller bastard! I heard you got a penalty from the academy! If you want, this magnate will……help……you……"
"L-Liu?"
"………"
Liu, who had been running over with a smile, instantly frowned. The teddy bear ornament hanging from the female student's neck sparkled.