Chapter 78:
My Telekinetic Office Lady Girlfriend Is Way Too Powerful!
This story takes place before Shota joined the company where he and Ryoko currently work. After graduating from college, Shota couldn’t bring himself to find a job right away. Instead, he traveled all over Japan, taking on live-in part-time jobs in search of himself.
He had just quit another job, with no next plans in sight. At 23 years old, he himself felt it was the age to drift.
It was 10 p.m. on a winter night in Osaka. Though the neon lights of Tsutenkaku — the retro tower that looms over the downtown district — still shone brightly, the streets of Shinsekai were eerily quiet. Laughter spilled from standing bars, but Shota wandered the back alleys, unsure of where he was headed.
"Why am I even walking around here…?" he muttered to himself, ambling down a dim backstreet.
"Hey, you there, young man."
He froze. The voice, while distinctly female, was oddly accented yet fluent in Japanese.
Turning around, he saw a woman with a red scarf sitting behind a tiny table in front of what looked like an old, Showa-era arcade building. She looked to be in her 40s—or maybe younger. Her deep golden eyes and a strange silver coin dangling on her chest pierced straight into him.
"You’re standing at a major crossroads in your life."
A gust of wind rustled by, making the red lanterns of a kushikatsu shop sway.
Though wary, Shota felt drawn to step closer.
Fortune Teller: “Feeling uneasy about your future lately?”
Shota: “…Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
Fortune Teller: “You were born under a fate burdened by karmic attraction. You tend to draw in intense romantic obsession… especially from Red-Eyed One. You should be careful.”
Shota: (Red eyes? Who even has those… The Red-Eyed One? Sounds like something out of a manga…)
Fortune Teller: “At this rate, you’ll eventually lose all your freedom. In fact… you might end up being completely dominated.”
Shota: “Huh!? You mean… by that Red-Eyed person!?”
Fortune Teller: “That’s right! Frightening, isn’t it!? You’ll be teased and tormented by her every day!”
Shota: “Eeep!”
—To be fair, what terrified Shota more than the idea of being dominated was the sheer intensity of the fortune teller.
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【Enter Masako】“Fufu… Is that really so?”
A low, gentle voice spoke up behind him.
The fortune teller’s expression instantly shifted. Shota turned—and there she was.
A woman in an elegant kimono stood there smiling serenely.
Fortune Teller: “…You… it can’t be…”
Woman in kimono: “If you’re going to speak of the future, perhaps aim for a little more accuracy. What you’re offering isn’t foresight—it’s just reciting fears.”
—Shota had no way of knowing at that moment that this was his “future family.” She was none other than Masako Takahashi, Ryoko’s biological mother.
Masako: “Now then, why don’t you share your ‘fortune’ again, hmm?”
Fortune Teller: “…I-I don’t recall asking for your interference—”
Masako slowly reached out, lightly placing her finger on the fortune teller’s crystal ball.
In that instant, swirling images erupted inside the crystal, and a golden light flashed.
Shota: “Whoa, what the heck!?”
Masako: “…Take a look. Your so-called ‘fortune’ is merely conjecture. The future shows clearer signs. For example—”
Her gaze briefly flicked to Shota.
Masako: “In three days, this young man will face a life-changing decision. What he chooses then will split his future in two.”
Inside the crystal ball, alternating visions appeared—Shota, smiling happily, nestled close to someone in love, and Shota alone, glumly eating a day-old McDonald’s cheeseburger under a flickering light.
Fortune Teller: “Wha… This is impossible… My divination can’t…!”
Masako: “Your fortune-telling only grazes the surface. I simply read the flow of possibility.”
Fortune Teller: “Grgh…”
Masako: “Fufu… In fact, I’ll read your future too. You’ll meet the Red-Eyed One you speak of—in Tokyo, three years from now. Just be warned… She’s not nearly as nice as I am.”
The fortune teller bit her lip, then pushed back her chair and silently walked off.
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【The Daughter Who Guides Fate】Shota: “…Um, thank you for helping me. Who… who are you?”
Masako: “Fufu, introductions can come later. First—let’s talk about the girl who will guide your fate in the right direction.”
Shota: “A girl…?”
Masako quietly sat down next to him, smiling warmly.
Masako: “The name ‘Ryoko’… sound familiar?”
Shota: “Ryoko…?”
Masako slowly narrowed her eyes, as if gazing up at the sky.
Masako: “The reason I’m here meeting you now… is because this is the year she left my side.”
Shota: “…What do you mean?”
Masako: “Ryoko has just stepped into a new world. She’s left my protection… and begun walking toward yours.”
Shota: “…But I don’t even know her.”
Masako: “You simply haven’t met her yet. But fate allows for rewinds and rewrites. The future is always a script in progress.”
Shota: “…A script?”
Masako: “Just remember this—once you encounter those red eyes, there’s no going back. …But that’s not a bad thing.”
Masako rose and began to walk past Shota.
Masako: “Right now, you’re strangers. But… time will bring everything together. So don’t worry, Shota-san.”
Shota: “…Wait, how do you know my name…?”
Masako: “Fate’s already in motion. Fufu… Be careful with those Red Eyes.”
—With that, Masako melted into the crowd of the shopping arcade and vanished.
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【Shota’s Fateful Choice】Exactly three days later, Shota’s phone rang.
It was a call from a college senior.
“Hey, Shota, what are you up to these days? My company’s sales department is looking to hire someone. I told my boss about you and he wants to meet.
“So… what do you say?”
Shota: “Huh!?”
! To be continued in the Present – Tokyo Arc !
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