6 – 2. Beast Hook

In fact, it is not too difficult to convince people who do not believe in divination to believe in divination.

You just have to answer all the questions.

Of course, that’s difficult, so swindlers called fortune-tellers use all kinds of means, but at least if they can do that, it’s possible to be recognized by the rationalist instructor in front of them.

“……<Fortune Teller> Namkoong-min passed the special test.

Hearing the hesitant words of the teddy bear, I glanced sideways at the empty space.

< Goal: Senior Admission to Romance Academy! <- Highly recommended!>

“…….”

Having cleared this Mangem 25 times, I’m sure of it, but if I go on like this now, I’ll be sure to enter the top class.

The top admission requirements for <Romance Academy> are not difficult. It’s just that among all students, including the entrance exam and the exclusive exam, if you pass the exam the fastest and come out, you’re still the top.

In terms of game, Kim Seong-il of <The Imperial Family> passed and came out exactly 10 minutes after the start of the test, so if he went out before then, he was unconditionally the top.

‘About 7 minutes?’

It took a long time because I mixed various words rather than purely looking at divination, but it is still a good record.

The fastest time was 5 minutes when I was playing as the special class <Imperial Family>, so 7 minutes is pretty standard.

“………….”

But instead of getting up, I looked at the hesitant teddy bear with one hand on my forehead.

top. yeah, that’s a good spot

If it is not a special job, it is an opportunity to get acquainted with the students of the special job class, and if it is a special job, it is easier to build relationships.

In addition, if you are the chief, there are various benefits in the special compensation money, and there are special events that only appear when you occupy the chief, so if you play with emphasis on performance, it was absolutely essential.

This ‘fortune teller’ job is already destructive for physical activity, so the rewards you get from the main event must be pretty good.

Fortune-teller as a ‘game’ job is the best choice.

“Instructor.”

“………hmm?”

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

“……………….”

However, it is different if it is a fortune teller as a ‘real’ job.

It’s definitely a game, but it’s not a game. In the game, you can’t talk to Liu Yan before going to the dedicated test center, and you can’t stay still like this at the end of the dedicated test.

Isn’t this reality the same as a choice-based 2D game in the first place?

‘I have to change my mind.’

This is reality. A reality that is infinitely closer to <Romance Academy>.

I remember the conversation I had with Liu Yan, and the surprised reaction of the teddy bear. It wasn’t just a bunch of text or code that my sister wrote.

A world based on ‘Romance Academy’? Or did you make <Romance Academy> after seeing this world?’

Which came first the chicken or the egg?

… … In fact, it was a meaningless worry.

Even if this is a real game, and even if Liu Yan and Teddy Bear just said the script, my job is the same.

‘See the perfect ending.’

I know the background of the students here. And I know the pain and suffering they each have.

What if you simply see the ending? Just like you’ve done many times, just ignore their pain and do what you need.

‘why me?’

If you look at the ending of <Romance Academy>, the next moves of the other characters come out as a script as a kind of afterword.

If the main character helped, it would have been a happy ending, but if he couldn’t help, it would be completely different.

Suicide due to stress, disappearance due to assassination, immigration due to divorce of parents, frustration of not being able to achieve dreams, mental illness due to bullying, etc.

Just that part… … It is full of dark emotions that Jisoo must have felt after her parents’ suicide.

That’s why after the 1st playthrough, the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs repeated the save load several times, and everyone tried to have a happy ending.

‘Well, in the end, I just passed it on because of the problem that the game itself wasn’t interesting.’

But that’s a game, isn’t it different here?

“……Namgoong Min.”

I looked at the teddy bear. A blunt instructor character with a sad background, which is common in games.

But all I could see was a father who was genuinely concerned about his daughter.

“Yes, Instructor.”

Charles Teddy Bear is troubled.

He’s torn between the father who wants to hold me right now and do fortune-telling on his daughter’s health, and the instructor who doesn’t want me to waste my time and lose my senior position.

As in the character event of <Hero>, the character Teddy Bear is a person who raises the hand of reason between reason and emotion.

If you have a point, you can see it even after the test is over. It’s just that you have to wait until the entrance ceremony to be held a week after the end of the exam.

Knowing that, he probably just wanted to let me go. Just have to wait a week. It’s just one father’s selfish choice that stops me here.

Then, is it right for me to take the senior position here as he thinks?

“You said you had concerns about your family.”

“………….”

“The point about that worry is still there, so wouldn’t the test be over yet?”

Namgoong-min said, Absolutely not.

A stupid choice driven simply by pity? Absolutely not.

It is much more beneficial to give a divination rather than a senior position even for personal gain, sympathizing with the teddy bear.

But in the end, this will be to his greatest advantage.

“…… Student Namgoong Min.

“For me, a guest who wants to see a fortune comes first before the head of the great and glorious Romance Academy.”

“───”

“Couldn’t that be a fortune teller?”

Leaving the teddy bear at a loss for words, he shuffles the tarot cards and spreads them out in the center of the table.

He hadn’t answered anything yet, but he couldn’t convince the ‘rationalist’ Charles Teddy Bear if he didn’t.

I smile at him who still hesitates.

Try to be as simple and sincere as possible. So that the teddy bear’s heart can move.

“Think of someone in your family who is having trouble.”

“………….”

“After that, just draw three cards.”

My words are over. Now his only choice is left.

He wriggled his hands on the table over and over again and pondered——

“…………we are here.”

──In the end, I chose three cards.

As a result, only in this position, he became a father, not a rational and reasonable academy instructor.

“great.”

Perfect.

All that’s left is… … It’s just a story that fascinates him.

I sorted out the rest of the tarot cards and lined up the three cards drawn by the teddy bear.

The first thing to flip is the leftmost card based on the teddy bear.

It is the card of Major Arcana 16, <Tower>.

“tower?”

“As you said, it is a card that symbolizes the <Tower>. The tower is struck by lightning and is engulfed in flames, and people are running away by jumping from the tower.”

“…….”

“That family… has had a rough day since the past.”

“The past…?”

“Yes. Each of these three cards symbolizes the past, present and future.”

“…Yes, that child has been ill since childhood…”

Did Teddy Bear know that he was muttering to himself?

probably don’t know But that’s a green light that he’s starting to believe in mine to the point where his thoughts come out as words.

I reached for the second card.

“Then, what about the present? Oh… Major Arcana number 15, <Demon>.”

“……<Demon>.”

“The devil wants to corrupt Adam and Eve and enslave them. The devil is not on the outside. He is inside the human heart.”

As my explanation continues, his face gradually becomes earthy. It was probably because he thought that his daughter’s condition and the description of <The Devil> were similar.

Because my daughter’s illness is not visible on the outside. He looks fine on the outside, but he continues to suffer.

“then…….”

“It’s in a very dangerous state right now.”

“…………!!!”

The teddy bear that heard me… … Cold sweat broke out all over my body, and I felt as if I was going to run somewhere at any moment.

No matter how blunt and rational an instructor may be, there is no way he won’t be worried about his daughter after hearing such a story. Especially now that I believe my point is almost true.

But he just flinched somewhere and flinched, but didn’t get up from his seat.

That’s right, there’s still one card left.

Above all, the card that symbolizes the most important ‘future’.

“Cards…!”

“Let’s turn it over.”

He flips the last card with his rough breathing.

“………This.”

“………… Major Arcana No. 13, <Death>.”

“Ah, ah—”

“I’m glad.”

“───Ah, ah?”

In an instant, after hearing my words, the teddy bear went through despair, sadness, frustration, and doubts.

Eventually, his expression changed to anger and he glared at me.

bang!

Kicking out of his seat, he stood up, clenching his fists hard enough to bleed.

“Namgoong Min……!!”

“There’s a forward and a reverse side of the tarot cards. You know that.”

“That’s what it is!! My daughter is dying, but I’m glad that’s it——!!!”

“And usually backward means the opposite of forward.”

At my words, which seemed to be pleased with my daughter’s death, the angry father’s hand turned toward me. I have neither the strength nor the mind to dodge his fists.

I didn’t stop talking to him who lost his reason for a moment.

“How do these cards look to me?”

“───What?”

“The <Tower> of the past, the <Demon> of the present, and the <Death> of the future. To the instructor, they are in the forward direction, but to me they are in the reverse direction.”

“…………that’s how it is.”

My eyes lit up as I watched the teddy bear calming down little by little.

Right now. Now is the watershed that will move his heart.

Now, is it really because of the divination that Teddy Bear chose <Tower>, <Devil>, and <Death>?

‘Absolutely not.’

When I first laid out the tarot cards, I intentionally placed those three cards in front of the teddy bear. Usually, the more worried and anxious you are, the narrower your field of vision.

Even if you choose a different card, it doesn’t matter. In fact, one of the cards Teddy Bear picked was a card from <World>.

‘It’s never about luck. It is manipulated with psychology, technology, and information.’

I swapped it out.

When arranging the tarot cards, <World> was changed to <Demon>, and Teddy Bear, who was still confused, did not notice it. In addition, the order of the cards was mixed in the order of <Tower>, <Demon>, and <Death>.

As a result, the current tarot divination is made.

“The reverse of <Tower> has a similar meaning, but the reverse of <Devil> is different.”

“It’s different…?”

“The <Devil> in the reverse direction that I saw has the meaning of breathing and recovering.”

“Can you breathe…? Recovery…?”

“Right now, your daughter is trying desperately in demonic pain.”

“Ah, Eileen…”

thud.

The teddy bear sits down on the chair, weak. His eyes are shaking, cold sweat runs down his body, and he exhales heavily.

All, the result of my obvious fraud.

“Then, how about the reverse of <Death>?”

“………ah.”

“The reverse of <death> is to escape death.”

“That’s right, you… that’s why you said you’re lucky… that’s what you said…”

It’s a lie.

The reverse direction of <Death> means ‘fear of change’ and ‘obsession with the past’.

Rather, the reverse direction of death means not to be bound by that death, but to move forward anew while giving up cleanly.

In a way, it means accepting death in both the forward and reverse directions.

But what about that?

‘I don’t believe in divination.’

This is nothing but a scam. So what does it matter what the tarot cards that were only used in that scam mean?

Whether that card is <Death>, <Clown>, or <World>, I decide the meaning.

That’s what tarot cards are all about. The meaning of the picture changes from moment to moment depending on who is doing the fortune telling.

It uses the same method of pseudo fortunetellers.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know that…”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s my fault for not explaining properly.”

At my hoax, Charles teddy bear cries and laughs.

To be honest, it hurts.

When I see him shedding tears of relief, it seems that my conscience is being pricked and cut out.

This is why I hate dots. Because at least one card can sway a person.

‘… … Just like my parents did.’

But I’m different from that dog-like swindler.

The guy who will chew to death and me. That child ruined a family solely for his own wealth and honor, but not me.

Not for myself, but for others.

‘So, it’s okay.’

It will be fine.

“Instructor, can I visit your daughter after the entrance ceremony?”

“Uh… Hmm? How could my daughter be sick…?”

“The instructor told me earlier.”

“……Yes, it was. It was.”

I looked at my beastly guest.

I deliberately tricked him into divination.

So, if I’m going to be different from the impostor, the teddy bear must be rewarded much more.

I will.

“There is a distinct difference between fortune-telling indirectly and direct fortune-telling. Right now, I’m just looking at a vague future… but maybe I can find out something about your daughter’s illness.”

“……Student Namgoong Min, I have to say this first.”

“yes?”

“Thank you… thank you very much.”

… … … hahahaha.

Teddy bear laughs for 25 times… … … I’ve never seen one.

From noble mtl dot com

“……Thank you so much, Instructor.”

The teddy bear’s smile seemed to tell me that this world was real.

I just laughed along.

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