Soon, Kaoru Mitoma saw the long line forming.

He had expected students to have free time during summer break, but the sheer number of people exceeded his imagination.

And most of them were couples, with only a few coming with friends.

Kaoru even spotted some teachers and shop employees—this fortune teller seemed genuinely popular.

"Hehe, I'm going to line up in front with Chihiro-chan!" Honami said, slightly smug as she secured a forward position with Shiranami Chihiro.

Kaoru Mitoma silently watched, still unable to figure out her intentions for the day.

"That's way too sneaky!" Amikura Mako was dumbfounded, though her peripheral gaze kept assessing Mitoma's expression.

Seeing no reaction from him, she subtly inched a bit closer before slightly distancing herself again.

Standing side by side under the sweltering heat, it was inevitable that they'd worked up a sweat after walking all this way.

Even though Amikura Mako didn't press too close, Kaoru could still catch her scent.

Perhaps due to their height difference, just a slight turn of his gaze easily brought the girl's face into view, along with the glimpse of snow-white skin at her collar.

In such circumstances, standing beside a beautiful girl was, frankly, a bit overwhelming.

Noticing the line was still moving slowly, Kaoru asked, "Want to grab something to drink?"

"You're going to buy some?" Amikura Mako eyed the line ahead. "We're not even in the sun here. If we tough it out, it might be our turn soon."

"My treat," Kaoru replied.

Amikura Mako fell silent for a moment, as if resigned, before muttering softly.

"Then I'll have juice."

Kaoru nodded, then asked Ichinose Honami and Shiranami Chihiro what they wanted before temporarily leaving the line to head for a nearby vending machine.

By the time he returned, the line had moved considerably.

Accepting the chilled juice from Kaoru, Amikura Mako politely said, "Thanks."

"By the way, what are you planning to get a fortune for?" Kaoru took a sip of his drink, his gaze lingering on her.

"The meaning of life," Amikura Mako deadpanned.

Kaoru gave her a strange look—was this a subtle dig at him?

"Are you really dissatisfied with your life right now?"

"No, I'm just dissatisfied with myself." As she spoke, Amikura Mako stole a glance at him.

It was odd how this guy seemed entirely unfazed by what she'd said before.

"Because of bad exam results?"

For a high schooler's troubles, academics were the only thing Kaoru could think of.

"W-what? Why the sudden jump to studies?" Amikura Mako was both annoyed and a little guilty—her midterm and final exam rankings were middling at best.

Her academic performance really wasn't great.

"Then what is it?" Kaoru asked as a matter of fact.

Amikura Mako fell silent again, torn between hesitation and reluctance.

She didn't want to share her feelings with Kaoru, but staying quiet would make it seem like she was lying.

"Love," the girl paused. "I want my fortune told about my destined one."

"I see." Kaoru remembered her mentioning before that she'd had a crush in middle school.

Still, even if she got a fortune now, Kaoru didn't see much point—after all, Amikura Mako couldn't even go out.

By the time she graduated and moved on, the guy might already have a girlfriend.

A thought suddenly struck Kaoru—was she worried about that and seeking answers through fortune-telling?

"I only have one photo with him, a group picture we took together at graduation," said Amikura Mako. "He probably doesn't remember me. The reason I came to this school might be because I was afraid he'd start dating other girls here."

"Were you two not close?" asked Kaoru Mitoma.

Amikura Mako shook her head. "We were in the same club, but not the same class. Since he joined before me, I always called him 'senpai.'"

As she spoke, her lips suddenly tightened.

"And also... I wasn't pretty back then. I had braided pigtails, long bangs—I looked really plain. So he probably never noticed me."

Kaoru Mitoma studied Amikura Mako's delicate face.

Now, she wore her hair in a high ponytail, smooth and straight, revealing her fair neck, exuding youthful energy—nothing like the "plain" girl she described.

Even if she were to braid her hair again now, she'd still look like an adorable younger sister.

"He must have no taste," Kaoru declared firmly.

Amikura Mako grew flustered under his gaze and forced herself to stay calm, taking small sips of her cold juice to keep her face from heating up.

"You've never seen how I looked before. I was completely unnoticeable in middle school," she said, glancing at him.

"Unlike you—I bet you were popular with girls back then, right?"

Kaoru had even forgotten most of his youth—how could he possibly remember middle school?

"Not at all. I was a member of the 'go-home club,' playing video games every day."

Amikura Mako eyed him skeptically, finding his words hard to believe.

But she also knew he was dodging the topic, which made her a little annoyed.

After stewing in silence for a while, she realized he hadn't bothered to keep the conversation going.

A dull ache settled in her chest.

She'd thought mentioning her crush would at least get some reaction out of him, but he didn't seem to care at all.

Kaoru, however, wasn't overthinking it.

Honami had warned him several times, so he figured he ought to respect his girlfriend's feelings.

Though Honami had been acting strange today, for some reason pairing him up with Amikura Mako.

After waiting for about an hour or two, it was finally Kaoru and Amikura Mako's turn.

"This fortune teller is amazing—she got everything right!" Honami exclaimed excitedly as she came out.

"We'll wait for you outside," Shiranami Chihiro said, sounding a bit down.

Curious, Kaoru stepped into the makeshift fortune-telling room. Inside sat an elderly woman, the space dimly lit except for a single candle burning on her table, alongside a crystal ball.

"Hehe, please take a seat," the fortune teller said.

Two chairs were placed in front of her. Kaoru and Amikura Mako sat down, watching her nervously.

Noticing their tension, the fortune teller smiled and pulled out a card reader.

"Which area would you like your fortune told?"

Kaoru glanced at the prominently displayed price list beside her, which listed four or five different packages, the cheapest starting at 5,000 points.

"I'll take the basic package," Amikura Mako said, handing over her phone first.

The basic package covered academics, love, career, and more.

"Hehe, may I ask for this young lady's name?" The fortune teller smiled as she looked at Amikura Mako.

After Mako told her, the fortune teller first examined her palm, then slowly began recounting the results of the divination—most of it was no different from the usual fortune-telling spiel heard on the streets.

However, when the topic turned to romance, Mako's expression stiffened slightly.

"Due to certain circumstances, you've been hesitating and unable to move forward, little girl. It seems you're in a bit of trouble." The fortune teller observed Mako's reaction closely.

"What is it you wish to know?"

Mako found it difficult to speak, her gaze flickering subtly toward Kaoru Mitoma.

"Hehe, no need to say it out loud. My eyes can see the secrets you don't want others to know."

Kaoru clicked his tongue in surprise—was this fortune teller really that skilled?

Just as he thought this, the fortune teller immediately turned her gaze toward him, her aged face curling into a knowing smile.

"Little girl, sometimes the meaning of meeting someone is simply to bid them farewell. No matter how unbelievable it may seem, perhaps this very moment is the most beautiful time of your life."

Kaoru smirked.

Such vague nonsense could only fool a few naive students at best.

"However, I must warn you," the fortune teller turned back to Mako, "if you don't toughen up, you'll suffer greatly in the days to come."

Mako remained silent, seemingly lost in thought, her expression unreadable.

"My name is Kaoru Mitoma. None of these options seem to have what I'm looking for." Kaoru handed his phone to the fortune teller.

"Can you tell what my problem is?"

Faced with what sounded like a challenge, the fortune teller merely chuckled.

"Of course. I can see the side of you that you don't want others to know."

"Then, please tell me—what should I do next?" Kaoru stared directly into her eyes.

"When you're tangled in the past, isn't the present just the past of the future?" The fortune teller performed some kind of ritual over her crystal ball.

"Even if you wish to go back, there will come a day when you long to return here."

Kaoru narrowed his eyes.

He knew cold reading was an essential skill in the fortune-telling trade—he was somewhat familiar with it himself—but this didn't quite feel like cold reading.

The fortune teller murmured, "The past is the past, the present is the present. Just like this young lady, you're burdened with too many worries. In truth, your concerns are entirely unnecessary."

"I don't agree that they're unnecessary. Humans are emotional creatures—we grieve over someone's death, we blame ourselves for past mistakes. You can't abstractly separate a version of yourself from a certain period and then complacently detach the corresponding responsibilities along with it."

Yet, in response to Kaoru's rebuttal, the fortune teller simply smiled.

"You've already given a satisfactory answer yourself."

Kaoru blinked in surprise, only to hear her continue, "As for your question, fate has already given its hint. Just be patient a little longer."

What kind of nonsense was this?

Beep—

Kaoru looked at the deduction on his phone—this cryptic woman had just taken 10,000 Personal Points from him.

Wait, Sakayanagi Arisu had sent him quite a few messages.

Since his phone had been on silent, Kaoru hadn't noticed at all.

Opening them, he saw that the earliest message had been sent half an hour ago

.Then came the messages sent over ten minutes ago, a few minutes ago, and just now.

"Hehe, it finally shows as 'read,' Mitoma-kun~"

"How rare, your location is actually at the Keyaki Mall. I remember you're usually in the dorm, right?"

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there"

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