I Was Sleep-Deprived at a Matchmaking Meeting and Ended Up Engaged - Chapter 32

I bought some appetizers for emergencies and the sweets that Ai and the others like.

Perhaps because it was a sweets shop currently popular among young women, I also received a discount coupon for a newly renovated fortune-telling hall—though it seemed to be just a fortune-telling booth on the seventh floor of a department store.

“The expiration date is today,” Ayato showed me the discount coupon with a picture of a crystal ball.

“If you want to try it, we can go.”

I’d never really relied on fortune-telling before.

I wasn’t sure if I was really in love.

But now, with the major event of marriage ahead, I felt like I wanted to hear some opinions from outside myself, so Ayato and I went to the booth next to the arcade that called itself a “fortune-telling hall.”

“I thought we’d leave if it was crowded, but there’s no line at all,” I said as we wandered around the makeshift fortune-telling hall enclosed by white partitions.

Since the same crystal ball picture from the discount coupon was displayed at the entrance, this had to be the place.

Keiki read the promotional phrases stuck on the partition.

“‘Guaranteed Accurate!’ ‘Half Price Now!’ … I thought a fortune-telling hall would have more of a solemn atmosphere.”

“I’m starting to think this fortune teller should have someone else divine the direction of his own shop,” I remarked.

“Not that it’s any of my business,” Ayato added, when an utterly ordinary-looking young man peeked out from behind the partition.

He looked at us and immediately pulled back.

“What was that? He looked like a plain, serious college student,” I said.

“Actually, that makes me feel more confident he’ll be accurate. More so than if he looked suspicious,” Keiki replied.

“Um,” I peered behind the partition and confirmed that the young man was indeed the fortune teller.

The fortune teller handled both reception and payments himself.

“So, what would you like me to divine?”

“You should get your fortune told,” I said to Keiki.

“Shiragane-san, please go ahead.”

“Ah, then… how about our future?” Keiki suggested.

When we agreed, he nodded solemnly and slowly produced a deck of cards.

Wait, what about the crystal ball?

He began the reading in a manner no different from the card fortune-telling I’d tried on a whim during my student days.

You’re not just playing Sevens, are you? I grew anxious.

But he looked at the cards and nodded.

“It was quite an unexpected meeting, wasn’t it?”

He was right!

Keiki and I exchanged glances.

“Both of you seem to have good financial luck,” he continued.

“…Do you have some connection to gambling?” he asked, proceeding to make several other reasonably accurate statements.

The gambling probably referred to mahjong.

But he seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

I wondered if someone else—maybe a friend—had written the “Guaranteed Accurate!” sign out front.

However, when he reached the crucial part about our future, he frowned.

“Maybe my fortune-telling isn’t accurate after all.” he began.

“What? Why do you say that?” I leaned forward.

“The cards suggest that one of you will betray the other.”

One of us will betray the other?!

We were both thrown into confusion by the dubious fortune teller’s words.

“From what I see, you look like such a compatible couple…” he murmured.

So, you trust your own impressions more than your fortune-telling…?

“Ah, um, this is just the reading for your current situation. I think it would be good if you did something different from your usual routine after leaving here,” he said, clearly trying to be considerate.

We received pocket tissues as a free gift and left.