No, I still need to verify this one more time!
Driven by that thought, Akane Koizumi waited for the break between classes before scurrying over to Eri Kisaki's side. Her face was plastered with a flattering, sycophantic smile, and her eyes sparkled with forced enthusiasm.
"Kisaki-san, how about I perform a divination for you?"
Eri was buried in her book. She didn't even look up at the sound of Akane's voice, her tone as cold as a frozen lake. "No thank you. I don't believe in such things."
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe in it, we can just give it a try!" Akane persisted, refuse to be deterred. "Who knows? There might be a surprise in it for you."
"I'm reading. I don't have the time." Eri's brow furrowed, a clear note of impatience entering her voice as the speed at which she flipped the pages increased.
Akane's eyes darted around. Recalling Eri's previous behavior, she leaned in and lowered her voice to a suggestive, tempting whisper. "Don't you want to know what the future holds for you and Hayashi Shuichi?"
She intentionally dragged out the syllables, watching Eri's reaction like a hawk.
"The way you act... you like him, don't you? Maybe in the future, he'll marry someone else, and you'll just—"
"Enough!"
Eri bit her lip, a vivid crimson flush creeping up her fair cheeks—it was impossible to tell if it was from embarrassment or sheer irritation.
She slammed her book shut with a resounding thud. "Just once! But after this, you are never to bother me again!"
"Deal!" Akane nodded vigorously, her hands moving with practiced dexterity as she began to organize her divination cards. "Let's see..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Eri cut her off, her voice small and hurried. "Predict what you just said. Will... will I marry Shuichi in the future?"
As she asked the question, she lowered her head slightly, trying in vain to hide the mixture of nerves and longing in her eyes.
Akane followed her usual routine: shuffling the deck and laying out the spread.
As the cards were placed in a neat row on the desk, Eri tried her best to maintain a facade of indifference. However, her gaze was locked onto Akane's hands, and her body leaned forward ever so slightly—telltale signs of how much she actually cared.
"Well?"
Seeing Akane remain silent for so long, Eri finally couldn't help but ask.
"...It's just as strange as Mouri-kun's result," Akane muttered, her brow knitted in deep confusion. "There is absolutely no connection between your fates. It's as if... not only will you two never marry, but you shouldn't even know each other in the first place..."
She was only halfway through her explanation when a loud SLAP echoed through the air.
Eri's face had gone dark. She slammed her book onto the desk with enough force to make the cards jump.
"Get out!"
Akane let out a dry, nervous laugh and scratched her head awkwardly. Not daring to say another word, she gathered her cards in a scramble and scurried back to her own seat like a kicked puppy.
Though she had been rebuffed by Eri, the readings she had done for the three of them—Mouri, Eri, and Shuichi—confirmed one thing: the problem wasn't with her cards.
The real problem was Hayashi Shuichi!
His fate was the most distorted of all. It was likely that his influence alone had caused the destinies of Mouri Kogoro and Eri Kisaki to deviate from their original paths...
Wait a minute!
Akane suddenly froze. Why did this theory feel so familiar?
Influencing fate?
Mouri Kogoro and Eri Kisaki are just like me! Their fates were affected and changed too! Does that mean the person I'm looking for is...
Akane whipped her head around, her eyes boring into Hayashi Shuichi, who sat nearby. Her gaze was so intense it looked as though flames might burst from her eyes.
It was you all along, you bastard!
You're the reason I had to leave home and run all the way to Tokyo by myself! You're the reason I've been working myself to the bone for half a month!
By now, the next class had begun. The math teacher had just finished explaining a problem and was about to ask if anyone was confused.
As he turned his head, he saw Akane in the back row, staring "dreamily" at the Class A representative.
"Koizumi-san?" The math teacher frowned.
"Akane Koizumi!"
Seeing the girl give no reaction, the teacher's voice took on a sharper edge of anger. Even after calling her name twice, Akane remained immersed in her own world, completely deaf to the teacher's summons.
"The teacher is calling you!"
Hayashi Shuichi tried to give her a friendly reminder, but when he turned around, he was met with a glare from Akane that looked like she wanted to swallow him whole. He blinked, stunned.
What is wrong with this girl now?
At the podium, the math teacher's face turned darker by the second. He picked up a half-piece of chalk and flicked his wrist with a sharp snap—
"Ow!"
Akane clutched her head and jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Who! Who threw chalk at me!?" she yelled indignantly.
"I did!" the math teacher barked. "Why aren't you looking at the blackboard? Why are you staring at Hayashi Shuichi's face? Are there math problems written on his forehead?"
Startled by the sudden interrogation, Akane instinctively turned her head to peer at Shuichi's face before replying with deadpan sincerity: "There aren't any math problems."
Her dazed, earnest reaction caused the classroom to erupt into a roar of laughter. Even the previously fuming math teacher couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch upward.
"...Fine, sit down," the teacher sighed, waving his hand helplessly. "Pay attention in class from now on. Stop staring at Hayashi Shuichi!"
Akane finally realized how she had embarrassed herself. Her face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson. She nodded frantically and slumped back into her seat.
That hateful jerk! He got me scolded by the teacher again!
Fuming, Akane grabbed her pen and scribbled Hayashi Shuichi in the middle of her notebook. Then, she began drawing intricate, jagged magic circles and symbols all around his name.
Hayashi Shuichi!
I curse you to have the worst luck all day today!
I hope you get hit by a car when you go out... No, no, that's too much. I'll change it!
I curse you to be singled out by the teacher!
"Achoo!"
Shuichi suddenly let out a massive sneeze for no apparent reason.
I curse you to be laughed at by your classmates after school, and I hope your dinner is nothing but leftovers!
Every time the girl muttered a hex in her mind, Shuichi let out another sneeze. The constant, rhythmic sneezing naturally drew the math teacher's attention again.
"Hayashi Shuichi, do you also have a problem with my teaching?"
"I'm sorry, Teacher," Shuichi said apologetically, standing up. "I... I... Achoo! I think I'm having an allergic reaction to something."
Is it even possible to finish this lesson today?!
Though the math teacher was annoyed, a sneezing fit was a physical reaction beyond Shuichi's control. He could only wave his hand irritably. "Forget it. Sit down."
"Shuichi," Eri whispered, hurriedly handing him a tissue. She looked at her childhood friend with a worried expression.
"It's fine, just allergies," Shuichi reassured her, though he was internally baffled.
Since arriving in this world, his unique physical constitution meant he never got sick. Things like allergies or random sneezing fits were unheard of for him.
Everything was fine a moment ago. Why did this start out of nowhere?
Thinking of this, he caught the sound of Akane whispering something under her breath next to him.
Shuichi turned his head and immediately saw her hunched over her notebook, pen flying as she drew... something.
(End of Chapter)
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"