I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made

Chapter 12
The Enigmatic Fortune Teller (5)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

From the end of the entrance exam until the start of the entrance ceremony.

Students were given one week. Many students used this time in various ways, such as exploring Romance Academy, meeting acquaintances, or briefly returning to their hometowns.

And these were also the people who hadn’t yet realized the true nature of Romance Academy.

Only those who were quick-witted or had heard information about Romance Academy in advance through acquaintances or deals realized the reason for this time’s existence.

This was preparation time.

“The dormitories inside the academy are all full!”

“All those buildings are full!?”

“Most of them are for upperclassmen, the freshmen dorms have been full for a while now!”

“Damn it! I have to somehow find a base outside the academy, even if it’s far from school…!”

Romance Academy was equipped with all sorts of things.

Schools, dormitories, training grounds, shopping districts, plazas, mountains, lakes, entertainment facilities, and even transportation to travel between them all.

But the academy only provided these things; using them was entirely up to the students.

They had to find their own accommodations, learn the locations of various shops, make reservations for training grounds, engage in economic activities, and even apply for classes; everything was autonomous.

Of course, that didn’t mean the academy did nothing at all. Actually, once you found accommodation, or rather, a base, there was no problem with just attending the classes you applied for and graduating.

It’s just that if you actively moved around, gathered information, and participated, you could gain much more.

And what I tried to dig up today was part of that. Treasures and artifacts with skills were hidden throughout Romance Academy, discoverable through various hints.

‘It was called treasure hunting.’

But according to the setting, not many people knew about this. It was an event that Romance Academy ambitiously prepared about 20 years ago, but because the difficulty was so absurd, the event ended with most of the treasures remaining hidden.

Since then, they hadn’t held the same event, so it was now a valuable secret known only to those in the know, but for me, who had found all the treasures and roughly remembered their locations, it was no different from the best event!

…That was one thing the excited Namgung Min overlooked.

“So explain yourself. Why did you dig up that place?”

“…………….”

“It’ll be disadvantageous for you if you don’t say anything. You need to explain yourself so we can resolve this without anyone getting upset.”

“………….”

“Huh…”

In the game, no one cared if the protagonist pulled out trees or dug up the ground on the main street to find treasure.

But in reality, it was a matter that would immediately dispatch the police, or in this case, the guards…!

‘…What should I do?’

I racked my brains, having been dragged to the nearby guard station after digging up the flower bed.

I knew this place wasn’t exactly like the game, yet I made such a foolish mistake, it just made me laugh at my own stupidity.

But… actually, resolving this situation wasn’t difficult.

‘If I reveal that I’m an academy student, everything will be resolved.’

With the immunity of being a Romance Academy student, digging up a single flower bed would be no problem at all.

But then,

‘Strange rumors will definitely spread. No, they definitely will. For sure.’

Quite a few people saw me being dragged away by the guards, and since I hadn’t received my uniform yet, I was unintentionally wearing an eye-catching outfit of a red dress shirt and black suit.

Many students must have seen my attire during the dedicated exam at the entrance exam, so some of them would realize that the fortune teller and the attempted flower bed digger were the same person.

If this ended with “Haha, actually, I’m an academy student. Oh, is that so? Haha, then you can go”,

Not only would I fail to obtain the skill I wanted, but strange rumors would spread in the academy.

There’s an academy student who dug up a flower bed in broad daylight and was dragged away by the guards? And that student is the fortune teller, who no one knows why he was chosen for the special class, which was supposed to be for the top elite?

‘My reputation would be completely ruined.’

And if my reputation was ruined, all the plans I had in mind would turn to wastepaper.

To ensure a successful first step after the entrance ceremony, I had to use a different method now.

Think, think…!

“Hey, are you an academy student by any chance? If so, you can go back without any problems.”

“………….”

“You’re a tight-lipped fellow. You know it won’t be easy if you keep this up, right?”

“………….”

“…This can’t be helped. First, we need to investigate this guy’s information—”

While I was desperately racking my brains, the situation kept getting worse.

I remained silent, unable to come up with anything to say, and the middle-aged guard captain, perhaps annoyed by this, let out a rough sigh. If things went wrong with the guards like this, it would be a problem…!

Was there anything I could do?

A way to get the skill, avoid ruining my reputation, and maintain a good relationship with the guards?

But there’s no way such a convenient method exists…

“C-captain!”

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

“H-hold on—”

“───What?”

The captain’s face, which had been listening to the guard’s report with an annoyed expression, was now colored with shock.

The guard captain looked back and forth between Namgung Min and the guards. After asking the guards who had rushed over several times and confirming, he looked at Namgung Min with a surprised expression.

“Second-place, enrollee?”

“………Yes.”

…There was.

I remembered the method.

“My name is Namgung Min.”

Actually, it was obvious that my identity as an academy student would be revealed soon. They would find out just by investigating.

In other words, even if I remained silent, the matter would be resolved. But then I wouldn’t get the skill, my reputation would be ruined, and my relationship with the guards would worsen.

But there was a way to turn this situation around…!

“Are you really the second-place student…?”

“My abilities are lacking, but I was lucky enough to pass the entrance exam in second place.”

“…You can’t get second place by luck alone.”

“You flatter me.”

Even though he knew I was the second-place student, perhaps because of my attitude so far, the guard captain’s words were sharp.

It was a natural reaction. From his perspective, this young kid was deceiving him and the guards.

Intentionally getting caught and not revealing his identity until someone said “Actually, he’s an amazing guy”? No matter how you look at it, it was just a chuunibyou-stricken tryhard hiding his power.

And in this situation, a natural question arises.

“If you had said so from the beginning, there would have been no problem, so why did you remain silent?”

So why did I remain silent? What was I supposed to answer to a question like “Did you want to act all mysterious by revealing you were the second-place student later and have everyone go ‘Wow, amazing’?” to make it convincing?

It was a situation where no excuse would work.

But even though I had an unpleasant past… I was someone who made a living with my words and even earned my university tuition with them.

There was a way.

“I was telling fortunes.”

“Fortunes?”

“I apologize for the late introduction, but I am Namgung Min. Just now, I had to remain silent because I was telling fortunes inwardly. This was clearly my mistake, but I had no intention of deceiving you or the guards. I apologize.”

“I-I see. To be the second-place student as a Fortune Teller, that’s amazing.”

“My abilities are lacking. Even if I entered as the second-best student, considering the hard work of the guards who are responsible for our safety, remaining silent was very disrespectful. Please forgive my rudeness and shortsightedness.”

“No, why are you bowing your head? I wasn’t offended at all, so stop apologizing.”

That was a lie. I saw him getting annoyed and angry when I kept silent earlier.

But the guy he thought was rude was politely apologizing and praising the guards at the same time?

It was enough to completely change their impression of me. Since they had only met me briefly, it would be easy for them to think that the attitude I showed earlier was a misunderstanding.

‘Just like you can’t spit on a smiling face, there aren’t many people who ignore a sincere apology.’

People made mistakes easily, but they didn’t apologize easily. And that’s why a sincere apology held great power.

Despite the somewhat hostile atmosphere just a moment ago, the mood instantly softened.

The guard captain, who now seemed to see me as a guest, brought out some simple drinks and snacks and continued speaking with a smile.

“So, you were telling fortunes?”

“Yes. It was about the flower bed.”

I had prevented things from going wrong with the guards, but there was still the issue of the skill buried in the flower bed and my reputation.

This was the time to use the cheat.

“That flower bed…? As far as I know, it’s just an ordinary flower bed, is there something there?”

“Yes. When I looked at the Feng Shui this morning, the life force of the earth was spread out beautifully. Even though Romance Academy is an artificially created sky city, there is still earth and sky, so how could it not be affected by the earth’s energy?”

“Uh, hmm?”

“With the shopping district and dormitories located on the path of the life force, it’s truly warm, and by building various facilities underground, they receive the earth’s life force directly, making this an excellent location. Furthermore, with the mountain as the dragon at the center, when examining the flow of energy, the place with the most distinct earth’s energy is the main building of Romance Academy, so this is also excellent.”

“I-I see.”

“Curious about this, I examined various places in the academy, and there was a spot where the earth’s energy flow was strangely twisted and clumped together. At first, I thought it was a vital point where the life force was gathered the most, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that something was buried there, obstructing the life force, so I tried to dig it up.”

“Hmm, so… you’re saying that through that Feng Shui? fortune-telling, you saw something in the flower bed that was disrupting the Feng Shui and tried to dig it up?”

“Exactly.”

“Is that so….”

Normally, the response would be “What nonsense is that?”, but…

The guard captain was troubled because I had the job of , spouted all kinds of technical terms while explaining seriously, and was even competent enough to be the second-best student entering the academy.

He couldn’t believe my words completely, but he also couldn’t ignore them because something felt off.

Fortune-telling was a scam that exploited this very aspect.

“So, what were you going to do if you dug it up?”

“I was just going to dig a little and check. My skills are lacking, so I might have been mistaken, or someone might have intentionally twisted the earth’s energy to gather the life force in a specific place, so I was just going to check.”

“Hmm… okay.”

And I emphasized that all I wanted to do was check. I wasn’t going to drive stakes into the ground, or perform some strange ritual, just check.

The conflicted guard captain’s thoughts focused on one thing.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded with a gentle smile.

“If it’s just checking, there should be no problem.”

“Thank you. Then, would it be alright if I went with other guards? I’m not asking for help, but if something strange comes out of the ground, I’d like to leave it with you.”

“That’s no problem. You’re Namgung Min, right? I’ll go with you, so let’s check it out.”

“Thank you for your assistance.”

***

Alright.

I clenched my fist, having somehow resolved the problem.

Contrary to how I was dragged away with my arms held, I walked out of the guard station with a dignified air, accompanied by the guard captain and several guards.

“What’s going on?”

“Huh? Isn’t that the guy who was dragged away earlier?”

“I think I’ve seen him somewhere…?”

With the curious crowd gathering due to the strange sight, I arrived at the flower bed I had been digging up with a confident smile.

As the guards surrounded me and blocked the crowd, I grabbed the shovel with my white-gloved hands and plunged it back into the flower bed I had been digging up.

Thud! Thud!

“What’s he doing? Why is he digging?”

“I don’t know. He was dragged away by the guards for digging like that, and now he’s digging with the guards beside him?”

“Is he being punished?”

The onlookers murmured, and the gathering crowd grew larger and larger.

And finally, someone recognized me.

“Huh? Isn’t that the fortune teller?”

“Fortune teller?”

“There was a guy with the Fortune Teller job among this year’s enrollees. I remember him because of his unique outfit.”

“But isn’t that the fortune teller who took the dedicated exam? Why is someone like that digging the ground?”

“It’s obvious. The Fortune Teller is a trash job, right? He probably failed the exam and is doing manual labor.”

“That suits him!”

As expected, my reputation wasn’t very good.

There were probably quite a few people who were jealous that a , the trashiest of trash jobs, was taking the dedicated exam, which was only for famous and high-ranking people.

But they couldn’t complain to Romance Academy, so they were trying to bring me down instead.

Whether young or old, trying to boost your self-esteem by mocking those inferior to you is common.

But I dug. I just kept digging.

Thud! Thud!

“…Hey, aren’t you hot?”

“Of course I’m hot. Why?”

“But why isn’t that fortune teller sweating at all? Look, there’s so much dust flying around, but his clothes aren’t even dirty.”

“…Huh? You’re right.”

As I continued, people started to notice the discrepancies.

Not sweating at all despite doing the hard labor of digging.

Not getting dirty at all in the midst of flying dust.

And on top of that, silently digging despite the surrounding comments.

Although many still scoffed, some began to think there must be a reason for him digging.

And then.

Clang!

“Huh?”

“What was that sound?”

After 10 minutes of mindlessly digging, the shovel finally hit something hard.

It wasn’t visible from outside because I had dug quite deep, but Namgung Min carefully brushed off the dirt and emerged from the hole.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“This was the object that was buried. It’s not harming the earth’s energy, but it seems it was gathering the life force of the surrounding land because of its strong energy.”

“…Huh, haha. I was wondering what you were talking about, and it turns out to be this.”

What emerged from the ground was a box with the seal of . It was the box the academy used to hide things, just like in the game.

And the guard captain, who had worked in this sky city for over 30 years, naturally knew what this box was.

“It seems like a suspicious object, would the guards be able to take it?”

“Haha, this is not a suspicious object.”

“Yes?”

Of course, I also knew what this was, but that was Namgung Min the gamer, not Namgung Min the fortune teller who took the entrance exam just yesterday.

So, as I put on a puzzled expression as if I didn’t understand what he meant, the guard captain, with an impressed smile, continued.

“This is a treasure hidden by the academy.”

“A treasure… you say?”

“Yes. It’s been hidden for almost 20 years, and now almost no one knows about it, so it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it myself.”

The guard captain gave a wistful smile, as if remembering those days 20 years ago.

“Back then, it was a big deal because of this. Students dug up the ground, the buildings, the mountains, they practically destroyed the entire academy trying to find these. That’s why I heard they stopped hiding them after that.”

“Then this is…”

“Only a very small number of the treasures hidden by the academy were found. I’ve only seen two myself, and to think I’d see another one…”

The guard captain looked at Namgung Min, gazing at the box that seemed to have preserved the passage of 20 years, a bit worn but still intact.

“Open it.”

“…Yes.”

Opening it wasn’t difficult. It just opened with a bit of force.

Click.

“This is…?”

“It’s yours now.”

What came out of the box was a necklace, slightly tarnished from being inside for so long.

It looked like a cheap craft at first glance, but an unusual power emanated from it.

[

A necklace of someone who wished to watch over someone forever.
Faint lingering resentment and obsession remain.

✻ When equipped, activates the general skill ‘Observe’. Uses a skill slot.
✻ May affect personality if worn continuously for more than 24 hours.]

A status window popped up, showing the necklace’s information.

Namgung Min nodded at the same performance as in the game.

“It’s an unusual… artifact.”

“Try wearing it. It will probably activate the skill.”

As he was told, as soon as he put the necklace around his neck, a change began to occur.

‘So this is how it is.’

His right eye became a bit clearer and started to see more things.

This kind of change didn’t happen in the game, but… it must be the Observe skill taking effect.

While I was focusing on my right eye, which still felt a bit awkward,

“D-did you hear? He said it’s an artifact with a built-in skill…!”

“No way. He just dug up the ground and that came out?”

“That guy’s a Fortune Teller, right? Maybe he used fortune-telling?”

“Do you believe in fortune-telling? It’s common knowledge that their job skill accuracy is less than 20%!”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

A commotion was arising around us.

People were just watching a fortune teller digging the ground, and that fortune teller found an artifact that the academy had hidden long ago.
Actually, artifacts with built-in skills weren’t that rare. Anyone with the job could make artifacts.

However, Blacksmith was an extremely rare job, so the supply of artifacts could never keep up with the demand.

The academy hid artifacts, items that could easily cost several houses, all over the place?

“This is…”

“Wouldn’t it be a jackpot if you find one?”

The crowd buzzed, and some of them quickly slipped away and ran off somewhere.

“This is a jackpot…!!”

“A treasure hidden by the academy 20 years ago? I’m definitely finding it!”

Even if they were job holders or whatever, the students of Romance Academy were still teenagers under the age of 20.

Treasure hunt, and on top of that, a treasure hunt where you could get an artifact? It was something anyone would be interested in…!

“I’m the one who’s going to find it!!”

A treasure hunt commotion started by a single fortune teller’s digging.

And among the people gradually scattering,

“……….”

A certain girl was watching Namgung Min, who was fiddling with his necklace.