Chapter 1 Part III

And the next day after I had given up, strangely my feet were drawn towards the direction of the fortune-teller. It's probably just because I was free every day. There's no other reason than that.

"Ahh".

Yet another bizarre meeting. At the same time and at the same place, I reunited again with Ibuki.

"Why did you come again?...and alone too" Ibuki asked.

Ibuki hugs herself while looking at me with a disgusted expression.

"That's my line too. I'll return the question to you as it is" I replied.

"You said you liked fortune-telling, didn't you? I just thought maybe you'd try to have your fortune told even if you're alone. That's all".

It's a sort of renegotiation then, or perhaps she came expecting the situation to have changed. Or something of that sort. I wonder if Ibuki just likes fortune-telling that much. I started to feel like wanting to know which part of fortune-telling she likes in particular.

"This is a straightforward question, but Ibuki, are you the type of person who believes in fortune-telling?" I asked her.

"Is it wrong if I believe in it?".

"No, I'm not saying that...but it's not something you can just suddenly believe in right?".

It's not like everyone understands that fortune-telling is an application of cold reading like Horikita does. In other words, there are many people believe in that mysterious power. 

"It's something people interested in fortune-telling often think about first, but if you can't throw aside that thought, you'd be better off not being interested in it at all" Ibuki said.

"Are you saying non-believers have no right to fortune-telling then?" I asked her.

"That's not quite right...let me just say this, it's not like even I believe unconditionally in fortune-telling. It's just that people who are skeptical from the start don't stand to gain anything from this" Ibuki carries on.

"The people who make fun of fortune-telling are full of contradictions. Many people normally don't believe in the existence of a god. But when they're in trouble, it's often that sort of god that they pray to" Ibuki continued.

A good analogy. God doesn't exist, ghosts don't exist. People who often make statements like that pray to God. They would visit shrines on New Year's Day and pray for a healthy life, a prosperous business and fulfillment in love. Even if you replace that with fortune-telling, it's still the same thing. What you truly believe in and what you want are different things. Nobody can deny that.

But, yes, if I think such things, indeed I can understand where Ibuki is coming from. But fortune-telling and believing in gods normally is still different. It's because fortune-telling is done by a human who exists just like you do. It's natural to be skeptical towards something like that.

"Did you get it?" she asks me.

"Yeah. It was easy to understand".

Of course I still have my misgivings, but I did understand the point Ibuki was trying to make. And that's where I made a proposal to her.

"Hey, this fortune-telling requires a pair but it's not like the only thing they're divining is love affairs, right?" I asked her.

"Naturally, yes" Ibuki said.

"In that case, why don't we ignore who our partner is and go have our fortunes told? You and I are both genuinely interested in fortune-telling after all. In any case, if it's a relationship that won't last after this I don't think there'd be any problems" I proposed to Ibuki.

I myself don't feel anything but a flat emotion towards Ibuki. I don't feel anything particularly good or bad towards her, almost like a first impression.

"I don't mind...I'd like to have my fortune told too. But are you fine with it?" Ibuki asks me.

"Horikita's just a friend to me" I replied to Ibuki.

"That's not what I mean. From the island test, there are still students who are holding a grudge" she said.

It looks like, in her own way, Ibuki is looking out for me. If I were to be seen together with her, my fellow classmates might begrudge me too and so it seems Ibuki's worried about me.

"I don't think you need to be worried about that at all" I told her. And as I answered her like that, Ibuki tilted her head curiously.

"I don't understand why you answered like that".

"If this were a school where everyone gets along, your actions would be a breach of morals. But this school cares only about 'ability' and that is everything, and besides, it was an exam where classes directly compete against each other. And depending on the situation, it's also possible to conduct spy activities or sabotage. Am I wrong?" I asked her.

"There are those that won't be satisfied with just that logic alone. It's not like everyone's this flexible" she replied to me.

"I don't think people like that would have the necessary qualifications to enroll in this school in the first place".

Having given my honest opinion, Ibuki crossed her arms and seemed to be giving it some thought. 

"You're surprisingly cheeky" Ibuki finally told me.

"I'm just a failure of a student though. I'm not interested in rising up or falling down. I just ride on the coattails of a student like Horikita and consider that as being lucky" I told Ibuki.

From the perspective of someone who tries to rely only on themselves like Ibuki, what I just said would have been a laughable story. But Ibuki neither laughed at me nor mocked me.

"This isn't uncommon. In the first place, everyone who enrolls in this school is only eyeing the privilege when they graduate. Nobody would've expected they'd end up in competition like this. So most people would find this difficult" she told me.

It seems like the students of Class C aren't that different from Class D. If that's the case, the Ibuki who caught Ryuuen's eye and was assigned to spy activities early on must be pretty high up in the hierarchy of Class C. Since she is paid quite the attention by her surroundings, it's also not uncommon for her to act by Ryuuen's side. She had said she was only with Ryuuen because of her failure, but it seems to a degree, she's with him because Ryuuen also trusts in her. And with the both of us convinced, we lined up in the queue. 

And the female clerk who had talked to me yesterday came by again to confirm that we were indeed a pair and handed us what seems to be a ticket. It seems there are 8 pairs in front of us we would have to wait for.

"It looks like we'll be doing some waiting".

If only one fortune-teller is available per queue, even if there were ten pairs that would force us to wait for more than an hour. It's shaping up to be a long wait. The only question now is, how will the two of us endure for more than one hour? It doesn't seem like I can carry on a conversation for that long.

"Ahh. Don't be worried about silence, our relationship is only for the sake of fortune-telling so you don't need to speak pointlessly with me, right?" Ibuki said.

"I guess so..."

It seems she's seen through my idea. That saves me the trouble.