Chapter 12

A few students in line for the haunted house watched as Rin declared she would protect Yuto.

He wanted to die.

But at the same time, his heart hadn’t fully recovered from the haunted house.

“D-didn’t you say y-you wanted to go to the Mystic Club’s Love Fortune Reading?” Yuto asked, longing for any excuse to get out of this embarrassing situation.

Rin's eyes lit up with a sparkle that made Yuto instantly regret his decision.

“You mean it?”

Yuto sighed, mostly to get his heart rate under control.

“I promised, didn’t I?”

“Alright, if you are ready, then let’s go!” She grabbed Yuto’s hand and dragged him towards the empty line. The boy sitting outside looked surprised to see anyone expressing interest in their club.

“Are you here for our fortune reading?” he asked as he hastily threw on his cloak.

Rin nodded enthusiastically whilst Yuto rolled his eyes.

“Well… Um… Our president Kurone is inside… Please go in,” he instructed, almost as if he was unsure of himself. One of his hands was still not through the arm sleeve.

Rin didn’t reply. She instead slid the door open and entered, yanking Yuto along with her.

A lone girl with a witch’s hat and an eyepatch sat at a round table that was draped in a dark purple cloth. Atop the table sat a crystal ball on an ornate wooden frame.

“Greetings, mortal guests. I am Kurone, the Almighty Great Love Matcher,” she spun around and struck a pose that honestly made Yuto want to gag.

How could she be so cringe? He thought to himself as Rin clapped enthusiastically.

“Wow. Thank you for having us, Almighty Great Love Matcher, Kurone,” Rin bowed her head to the girl.

“Ah, shucks,” the girl scratched her head, flashing her fanged tooth. “I mean… prepare to be amazed by my mystical temporal powers.”

Yuto leaned over to whisper to Rin. “I think she is a fraud, and we should leave.”

“I’m not a fraud!” the girl shouted as tears burst from her eyes and she collapsed on the ground sobbing.

Rin walked up to her and offered her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. The girl took it and blew her nose.

“There, there,” Rin consoled her, patting her on the head.

“Please don’t leave,” the girl cried. “It’s the second day, and you are the first people who have visited.”

Even Yuto was beginning to feel sorry for this girl.

“We’re not leaving,” Rin replied on their behalf. She glanced at Yuto for support.

“That’s right, we would love for you to read our fortune,” he added, his eye twitching slightly.

“Really?” the girl asked, looking up at them with the biggest puppy dog eyes.

“Of course!” Rin responded, helping the girl back to her feet. “Please read our fortune, Almighty Great Love Matcher, Kurone.”

The girl skipped over to the round table and took a seat. She motioned for them to sit opposite her.

Rin happily did so, and Yuto reluctantly followed suit. Rin reached across the table to interlock her fingers with Yuto. She nervously looked at him before focusing on Kurone.

“Are you ready for your fortune to be read?” Kurone asked.

Rin nodded, and Yuto shrugged. He still didn’t buy this for a second, but he’d feel bad for both of the girls if he didn’t play along.

Kurone began waving her hands above the crystal ball.

“The great crystal ball says your fortune can be found in the box of mystery.”

Yuto stared blankly at the girl, who proudly smirked as if she had done something amazing.

“Did it really say that?” Rin asked, fully buying her act.

“Of course, do you doubt my great love-matching abilities?”

“No! I would never do that!”

Yuto couldn’t help but feel slightly ashamed that this girl could so easily deceive Rin, yet he hadn’t been able to break up with her for months. What did that say about him?

Yuto pushed this out of his head. He didn’t want to have any self-discovery moments in this pseudo-science room.

“Are there only good fortunes in there?” Yuto asked, trying to mask his disinterest.

A mischievous smile played on Kurone’s lips. “No, there are many bad fortunes as well as good ones.”

He’d just assumed they were all good fortunes. If there was a chance he could get a bad one, especially with Rin so invested in the idea, Yuto was interested again. Perhaps coming to this fortune reading was fate.

“Are you nervous?” Rin asked, a worried look on her face.

“Yes!” Yuto replied, ignoring the possibility that it might be misinterpreted by her.

“You don’t have to be nervous. We will get a good one for sure.”

She placed her hand in the box, mixing it around several times. Rin closed her eyes and prayed, whilst Yuto crossed his fingers and wished upon a star sign or whatever pseudo astrological fortune deity could grant him a bad fortune.

“I feel the power of great love!” she screamed as she pulled a folded fortune out of the box, holding it above her head.

Rin gave her a round of applause, which temporarily made the girl act bashfully before she remembered she was in the middle of a reading.

She unfolded the paper, and her eyes skimmed the words.

Yuto leaned in whilst Rin began to shake nervously, even closing her eyes as if to brace for the worst fate.

The fortune teller's eyes widened. “I can’t believe it! This can’t be real!”

“What does it say?!” Rin shouted back.

The girl cleared her throat and collected herself.

“This fortune... It says… that you two are perfect for each other. That you will get married.”

“It really says that?!” Rin asked, her face flushed bright red.

“Yeah, are you just making that up?” Yuto replied, hoping it was all some kind of sick joke.

“Have a look for yourself.” She handed the fortune over. Rin and Yuto leaned in and read the tiny piece of paper. Sure enough, it read as she said.

“Isn’t that wonderful?!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

What was Yuto supposed to say to that? He obviously couldn’t answer honestly.

“How wonderful,” Yuto replied with a deadpan expression.

That was how day one of the cultural festival ended for Yuto.

❤︎ --- ୨୧ --- ❤︎

End of Chapter 12