'I'll just come up with an excuse to brush this off.'
Kusuo thought to himself, preparing to send a message to the two.
But at that moment, he picked up a familiar voice.
"Kusuo-kun... will he come...?"
'Huh?'
Kusuo froze, his eyes widening.
The place was crowded, and even with telepathy, it was hard to distinguish individual voices—but Kusuo heard Airi's thoughts with crystal clarity.
That meant Airi was very close by.
Kusuo turned his head slightly and spotted her standing nearby, looking nervous, as if waiting for someone.
'Oh no, I hope she didn't see me...'
He thought, quickly turning away as if he hadn't noticed her.
But in that instant, Airi, almost as if she had telepathy too, turned around at the same time and caught Kusuo mid-turn.
"Kusuo-kun?"
Airi looked surprised, a hint of delight in her eyes. She hadn't expected to see him there.
"Sakura..."
Kusuo had no choice but to awkwardly greet her.
But then Airi��s gaze shifted to Kei, who was standing beside him. She hadn't expected Kei to be there either.
"Why is Kei here...? Could it be... Kusuo-kun came here with Kei for the fortune-telling?"
"On Kusuo-kun's birthday... Kei came alone too..."
"Could it be... Kei and Kusuo-kun are... in that kind of relationship?"
Airi felt a pang of discomfort. She wanted to ask, but lacked the courage, managing only a hesitant greeting.
"Kei... you're here too..."
"Hey, Sakura."
Personality-wise, the two were polar opposites, but Airi had improved since before—at least she had the courage to greet someone now.
"Kei wanted to try fortune-telling here, but since it's pairs only, she asked me to come along."
Kusuo explained quickly, hoping to prevent Airi from jumping to stranger conclusions.
"Oh!"
Airi nodded, relieved to know Kei and Kusuo weren't a couple. For some reason, she felt a little happier.
'Phew, that's settled for now. Good thing it's just Airi. If Hiyori were here too...'
"Kusuo!"
Before Kusuo could finish his thought, Hiyori's voice rang out nearby.
'Huh?'
Kusuo was baffled, wondering if there really was a god watching over this world.
'Looks like I'll have to get my fortune told after all.'
"I just saw Airi and was about to say hi... didn't expect to see you here too, Kusuo."
Hiyori looked surprised, not expecting such an odd group to be together.
"Kei and Airi are both here? From their expressions... they seem a bit concerned about Kusuo's presence."
Hiyori thought to herself.
'Hiyori's observation skills are terrifying. But she's rational—does she even believe in fortune-telling?'
Kusuo wondered.
"It's pairs, but there's no rule saying it has to be a guy and a girl—"
Hiyori glanced at Kei, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"If we're all four together, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Four people might be awkward," Kei said, slightly annoyed by Airi and Hiyori's sudden appearance.
"I think... it's okay..."
Airi, usually quiet, surprisingly voiced her opinion.
"Alright then, let's go as four. It should work."
Kusuo decided. Being alone with any of them for fortune-telling would be awkward, but with others around, it might ease the tension.
So, the four of them joined the line together.
Kusuo soon regretted his decision.
"That guy, with three girls? Lucky!"
"They're all so cute! I'm jealous."
"I've seen him before—Kusuo from Class B!"
The murmurs in the crowd suddenly focused on Kusuo.
'Great...'
Kusuo's urge to leave grew stronger.
After a long wait, their turn finally came.
'Finally...'
Kusuo sighed, shaking his head.
"Hi, it's pairs here."
The staff member reminded them.
"We're a group of four, but we've been waiting together, so it should be fine."
"Uh... okay, come in."
The four entered the shop, greeted by a strikingly attractive young woman.
Mikoto Aiura.
'She looks about our age...'
Kusuo thought, assuming she'd just spout vague predictions to scam money. High schoolers fell for it easily. He just wanted this over with.
"Um... can you tell me about..."
Airi, leading the group, wanted to ask about love.
But before she finished, Mikoto smiled knowingly.
"It's about love, right?"
Airi's face turned bright red.
"So accurate!"
She thought, amazed.
'She hasn't even started, but most high school girls ask about that.'
Kusuo thought.
But then Mikoto suddenly grabbed a bucket, spun it rapidly with impressive strength, and placed it down. She took a pencil lead, tossed it into the water.
"Huh?"
Everyone was confused.
'What's she doing?'
Kusuo's expression turned serious. He saw and heard something unexpected.
"You're very concerned about a boy!"
Mikoto declared, making Airi's heart race.
"Your compatibility with him isn't high, but the future depends on you... Also, you have a hidden side others don't know—maybe that's your true self. If you..."
Mikoto continued, leaving Airi stunned.
'Wow...'
Kusuo narrowed his eyes, focusing on Mikoto.
He realized she wasn't ordinary. While performing those strange actions, keywords about Airi flashed in her mind.
She's a psychic!
'Didn't expect another psychic here.'
Kusuo was slightly surprised.
"Your career and studies faced a big crisis, but something changed, and you'll overcome it."
"Thank you!"
Airi nodded gratefully.
"I should see more of your fortune, but an hour ago, I suddenly couldn't. Strange... I'm not in top form today."
Mikoto sighed, shaking her head.
'This is tricky. If I interact with her, she'll know I'm a psychic.'
Kusuo's mind raced for a solution.
He hadn't expected the fortune-teller to be genuine.
Next, it was Hiyori's turn.
"Her words are vague, and since nothing's happened yet, it's unverifiable."
Hiyori was only here because a book mentioned fortune-telling. She didn't believe in it.
"You crave friendship but only have one true friend, whom you care deeply about..."
"So accurate!"
'She gave in so fast...'
As Kusuo thought, Hiyori's turn ended, and Kei stepped up.
"You've faced something terrifying, which hurt you deeply. But recently, someone you didn't care about changed that, pulling you from the shadows. Your feelings for them shifted. Your compatibility is around 50%."
Mikoto said seriously.
"Wow, impressive!"
Kei looked surprised.
"I thought fortune-tellers were old ladies. You're so young—our age, right?"
"Yeah, we are!"
Mikoto smiled.
"I predicted my soulmate would be at this school, but since enrollment ended, I came as a fortune-teller to find him. I can see others' auras, but an hour ago, I couldn't. Today feels off."
"You predicted your soulmate?!"
Kei, outgoing as ever, asked curiously.
"What's he like?"
'Should I make an excuse to leave?'
Kusuo was still strategizing.
"He's incredibly talented."
'Should I fake a stomachache? Or distract them?'
"His initials are S.K."
'Huh?'
A bad feeling crept over Kusuo.
"And he has pink hair."
'What the—?!'
Kusuo was certain fate was mocking him.
After Mikoto spoke, the three girls stared at him.
"Is she talking about Kusuo?"
"Could Kusuo be her soulmate?"
"He fits the description perfectly!"
'This is a disaster...'
Kusuo was helpless. Everyone's attention was on him, and he had no escape.
Oddly, none of them mentioned his name.
"You, with the pink hair, come over... Wait, what's your name?"
Mikoto finally noticed Kusuo, gesturing for him to approach.
'Can't avoid this. Might as well come clean.'
Kusuo stepped forward.
As he neared, Mikoto sensed something peculiar.
Though she couldn't see auras now, part of her ability still worked, detecting traits in others.
"You..."
'Don't look surprised. Act like you know nothing.'
Kusuo sent the thought directly into her mind.