The good times kept rolling.
But it was getting late, and they’d pretty much tried out all the games and attractions at the festival.
Other than playing cards, there wasn’t much left to do.
The Kant Card Masters Tournament wouldn’t officially start until tomorrow, so there was nothing else on the agenda for today.
Plus, Anna-veil was still back home, Naji wouldn’t come out for any fun during Ramadan, and who knew how long Ji Xue would be in seclusion.
With so many people missing, it felt a bit wrong for just the few of them to keep playing.
“Should we head back?” Milora asked, sounding eager to end the date.
“Looks like there’s nothing left to do, so—” Torina was about to lead the group to find a place to eat when a voice suddenly called out from behind.
“Hey, Little Sisters over there… mm mm mm mm… come here… come to this old lady over here…”
“Huh?” They all turned around and saw a small booth set up in an inconspicuous corner, draped in black cloth and separated from the outside by a deep purple curtain.
Lifting the curtain, they found an old woman sitting behind a low table, hugging a crystal ball.
She looked ancient, with gray-white hair and bones that seemed like they’d fall apart at a touch.
Besides the crystal ball in her arms, the table was covered with tarot cards, star charts, iron sticks, shells, old coins, and stones carved with symbols—she was the textbook image of an old fortune teller.
“We’re just killing time anyway, want to check it out?” Torina asked the group.
“A fortune-telling booth? Sounds kind of fun.” Laxis was interested.
“A fortune teller, huh… tch.” Milora couldn’t care less.
There were fortune tellers in the slums where she grew up, but they were all just con artists.
“I don’t buy into this stuff, all that supernatural crap.
In this world, strength is the only thing that matters!” Lanifi scoffed.
“Can you tell me where I can buy a more comfortable pillow~~” Lindas mumbled sleepily.
“…Well, I’ll give it a try too.” Patty didn’t seem all that excited, which was odd—weren’t little girls supposed to love fortune-telling and horoscopes and stuff?
“So, interested? Little Sisters? This old lady can help you see through the fog and glimpse the future…”
“Then please give us a reading.” Torina paid up.
Lanifi went first.
“Hey, old lady! When am I going to die? Use your scammy tricks and tell me! You’re just going to spout some vague nonsense, aren’t you?”
She was openly contemptuous.
“Mm mm mm, don’t rush… hmm…” The fortune teller rubbed the crystal ball, peered into it, then cackled and nodded.
“The day you see your true love will be the day you die… hee hee hee, pray that day never comes, little girl~”
“Ha, just as I thought, all smoke and mirrors.”
Lanifi laughed loudly, clearly not taking any of it seriously.
Lindas was next.
“My sleeping posture’s been off lately… my neck hurts, I want a good pillow… where can I buy one?”
“Mm mm mm, you’ve come to the right person, old lady here has some for sale, blessed by Buddhist monks from the Southern Continent~~”
The fortune teller pulled out a shoddily made pillow with a Buddha printed on the case.
Lindas happily paid and bought it.
Milora was third.
“Can you really tell fortunes… I heard fortune-telling is really hard and mysterious, and hardly anyone can do it anymore.” She was skeptical.
“Mm mm mm, doubting this old lady’s skills? Let me give you a reading and you’ll see~”
“Then, um… my, uh, love life?”
“Mhm, that’s what girls your age always want to know~~ So, who do you want me to read about?”
“Just…” Milora blushed, leaned in, and whispered something to the fortune teller.
The old woman cackled, laid out the tarot cards in various patterns, then whispered something back to Milora.
“!!” Milora’s face instantly soured, and she stormed off.
Torina asked what the result was, but she wouldn’t say.
Laxis was fourth.
“So, what do you want to know~?”
“I’m not sure, can you tell me what I want to know?”
“Hehehe, interesting question…” The fortune teller studied her palm, then said a few things that sounded like total nonsense to Torina, but Laxis listened intently.
“In short, little girl… kindness is a virtue.”
“I think so too.”
“That’s good, that’s good.
So… this old lady has a blessed incense burner… it can change your luck, want to buy one?”
“Sure~”
Finally, it was Patty’s turn.
Torina went into the booth with Patty.
“Lost little girl, what do you want to ask?”
“Hmm… what should I ask?” Patty tilted her head cutely, then clapped her hands.
“I want to know if I’ll be happy in the future, especially with the person I love!”
“Good question~ Let’s see…” The fortune teller rubbed the crystal ball, flipped through the tarot cards, then said mysteriously:
“The result is in.”
“What is it?”
“What you love is your life.”
“Pfft!” Torina almost burst out laughing, while Patty just smiled, clearly taking it as generic fortune-teller nonsense.
But then the fortune teller added—
“What you hate is your fate.”
“!?” Patty’s eyes flew wide open.
“What’s wrong, little girl? You look a bit pale…”
“…It’s nothing, thank you.”
Patty didn’t say anything else, and that was the end of their group fortune-telling adventure.
Torina took everyone out for a nice meal.
At the banquet, she got along great with Patty’s family, even inviting them to join the adventurer’s guild, but they just smiled wryly and politely declined.
“Instead of recruiting us, you should focus on making Patty happy.” “She’s our precious daughter, you know.”
“Yeah! I definitely will!” Torina promised.
After the banquet, it was late.
The others went back to the inn first.
Torina and Patty walked Patty’s family home, then strolled back together.
Fireworks from the festival still lit up the sky now and then.
The distant streets buzzed with the noise of the crowd.
The background noise only made the night feel quieter.
Summer was almost over, but the lingering heat and the warm night breeze felt nice.
The two of them chatted idly, talking about the fun they’d had these past few days, about the past, the present, and the future.
“Did you have fun these days? I feel like I haven’t been a very good fake boyfriend—uh, fake girlfriend.”
“…Yeah, I had a great time, really.
I never thought being with someone could be this much fun.”
Patty said softly, glancing at Torina.
“Thank you, Captain.
You’re the one who showed me all these happy things.”
“Come on, aren’t you always pretty cheerful every day?”
“Ahaha, I guess that’s true… What about you, Captain? Are you happy?”
“Of course I’m happy, especially when I’m with you.”
“When it’s just the two of us, you don’t have to pretend anymore~”
“What if I said I really meant it?”
“…Eh?”
