Chapter 168 School Trip (17)

The roads in Kyoto are straight, even the corners are 90 degrees, a bit like a chessboard with straight lines.

The fortune-telling club that Ikki Aoi mentioned is near the Kamogawa River.

She checked the map and led the way, and the five of them walked leisurely along the Kamo River.

Go to the vicinity of Nijo Ohashi, turn in between "Harmony Zoo" and "Hokyōji Temple", and you will find a fortune-telling place called "Zhouyi Fortune Telling Kinkido" at the end of the alley.

The style of the whole alley gives people the feeling of an ordinary shopping street.

A photo studio filled with photos, a stationery store selling stationery for primary school students, a flower shop with flower language written on the billboard...

"I feel like a fortune-telling club shouldn't be in a place like this." Saito Keisuke stared at the entrance of the small bookstore, where semi-erotic magazines were deliberately placed.

The cover is full of female swimsuit models with nice figures.

"Maybe it's because housing prices in Kyoto are not cheap." Kunii Osamu's eyes swept across the vending machine in the corner.

What they sell there are some functional dolls.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't underestimate a store because of its location." As for Toru Watanabe, he prefers the photo studio.

Kimono is a must-see, but the dignified and noble Western classical aristocratic skirt and tight riding clothes...

When he came to his senses, Qingye Rin was looking at him with genuine contempt.

"Do you want to go in and take a look?" she said teasingly with a contemptuous smile on her face.

"Why would I buy flowers? I'm just curious about the language of flowers." Watanabe Toru shook his head and refused, "Ichiki-san, are you here yet?"

"Hmm..." Ikki Aoi looked at the golden sign of the fortune-telling club, then looked down at her phone, "This is it! Let's go in!"

The fortune teller was a middle-aged woman wearing a kimono, about forty years old, with serious wrinkles on her face.

But when she spoke, her voice was not mysterious, but seemed homely and friendly.

Perhaps because it was common for high school students to come here for fortune-telling, she did not show any surprise when she saw five people in school uniforms.

In a Japanese-style room with a glass window overlooking the Kamogawa River, she and Ikki Aoi sat face to face, and the other four sat behind Ikki Aoi.

The two began to tell fortunes.

"What do you want to predict? Academics? Friendship? Love?" the fortune teller asked gently.

"Look..." Ikki Aoi remembered that Kunii Osamu and Saito Keisuke were still there, "Can I see all of them?"

"Of course, the price is the same regardless of whether it's the same divination or all of them." The fortune teller shuffled the tarot cards. "Okay, please pick one at random."

Ichimoku Aoi drew one and handed it to her: "Whether the result is good or bad, please tell me everything!"

"Well, don't worry." The fortune teller looked at the tarot cards for a while: "May I ask how old you are this year?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen years old... Did you achieve satisfactory results in a certain competition recently?"

Ikki Aoi's eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded desperately: "Yes, yes, yes!"

“Depending on your age, and this tarot card, the next year may not go well.”

"Hmmmm! So accurate!" Ikki Aoi's eyes were shining.

Without Rin Kiyono and Toru Watanabe, the performance of the Kamikawa High School wind orchestra next year will indeed be worrying.

Watanabe Toru leaned slightly and whispered to the elegantly seated Kiyono Rin: "It seems to be quite accurate. Is she lying?"

Feeling the hot air spraying against his ears, Qing Ye Lin looked straight ahead and scolded, "Sit still."

"...Okay." Watanabe Toru straightened his back.

At some point, the fortune teller's smile softened.

She said to the excited Aoi Ikki: "Although you will encounter setbacks in the competition, please rest assured that as long as you maintain your usual focus in your studies, everything will go smoothly."

"Hmm! What about friendship? What will happen?"

The fortune teller looked at the tarot cards for a while and showed a surprised expression as if he suddenly discovered something.

"Congratulations! You have great luck in friendship! You will meet some amazing friends in your new class next April!"

"Next April?"

Ikki Aoi thought about all the students in the four classes of the first grade, but could not think of anyone who would be a "great friend".

But she doesn't care about friendship for now.

She asked nervously, "What about love?"

"The person you like is a friend from the club, right?" the fortune teller said in a firm tone.

"Eh? This can also be predicted?"

"Are you coming to Kyoto together this time?"

“Yes, yes, yes!”

"He is a person with outstanding appearance and excellent academic performance, right?"

"That's right!" Ikki Aoi grabbed the collar of her clothes with her right hand and looked straight at the fortune teller, "What will happen?"

The fortune teller said nothing and stared at the tarot cards for a long time.

Kunii Osamu came over and whispered to Watanabe Toru through gritted teeth: "It turns out that Ikki-san likes you!"

"Ah?" Watanabe Toru was stunned for a moment, turned his head and frowned at him, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I think so too." Saito Keisuke nodded approvingly.

"How could it be me?!"

"Friend from the club, came to Kyoto together, good-looking, excellent grades," Kunii Osamu stared at Watanabe Toru fiercely , "If not you, who else could it be?"

"I...I..." Watanabe Toru was speechless and could only look at Ikki Aoi.

The other party was looking at the fortune teller expectantly and didn't notice the situation here at all.

He looked at Qingye Rin with a pleading look again.

"Hmm..." Qingye Rin stroked her chin, "I feel like drinking coffee."

“I’ll buy it for you later!”

Qing Ye Lin put down her hand with satisfaction: "I know who Ichimu likes. She told me that it's not Watanabe."

"That's good." Kunijii Xiu let out a sigh.

Although it is Aoi Ikki's freedom to like whomever she wants, he still hopes that the person she likes is not Toru Watanabe - both from the perspective of friendship and from the perspective of competitiveness.

"Eh? That's weird?" Saito Keisuke asked, "Are there any boys in the wind band who are more handsome, have better grades, and are more popular with girls than Watanabe?"

"No." Qing Ye Lin said calmly, "But liking someone is not just about being handsome and having good grades."

"That's right, but you have to be as honest as me." Watanabe Toru said seriously.

"Sit down." Qingye Rin's tone suddenly became stern.

Not only Watanabe Toru, but even Kunii Osamu and Saito Keisuke didn't dare to speak anymore.

The three boys straightened their backs and placed their hands on their knees.

Only when Ikki Aoi became so nervous that she moved her buttocks for the second time did the fortune teller take his eyes off the Tatarusaki cards.

"Sometimes divination works, and sometimes it doesn't, so even if the result is not good, please don't take it too seriously." She said this with a regretful tone.

"What do you mean?" Ikki Aoi, who was sitting on her knees, lifted her butt off her calves and straightened her body slightly.

"I suggest you choose someone else." As he said this, the fortune teller gently put down the tarot cards in his hand.

"How could this happen..." Ikki Aoi's sitting posture suddenly relaxed.

"Um, Ikki-san," Kunii Osamu's voice was frighteningly sharp, so he quickly cleared it before continuing, "The fortune teller also said that fortune telling sometimes doesn't work, so don't take it to heart."

Ichimoku Aoi turned around and gave him a forced smile: "Thank you, Kunii-san, but I can probably guess the result myself."

After that, she turned around and bowed to the fortune teller: "Thank you very much."

"If I have helped you, that would be great." The fortune teller also bowed deeply to her.

After raising her head, she said to the four people behind her, "Does anyone want divination?"

Qingye Rin looked uninterested.

The three boys looked at each other.

"I have no money." Saito Keisuke said bluntly.

"I have accepted my fate," said Kunii Osamu.

Ikki Aoi, who was sitting back next to Kiyono Rin, looked a little embarrassed with a lost expression when she heard this, and gave him an apologetic look.

Before Watanabe Toru could say anything, Saito Keisuke grabbed his arm and said, "Watanabe, why don't you give it a try? Let's see if you can live a life with an annual income of 100 million yen in the future."

"That's right! Go!" Kunijii Osamu clapped his hands in agreement.

"Guest, please sit here." The fortune teller made a 'please' gesture to the cushion where Ikki Aoi had just sat.

"Okay." Watanabe Toru had no choice but to stand up. "You two, listen carefully to my brilliant future. You'd better take a pen and write it down."

The cushion was still warm, retaining the girl's body temperature.

We should let this guy Kunii Osamu come.

"What do you want to know?" the fortune teller asked while shuffling the tarot cards .

"Career, friendship, and love."

"Please draw a card." The fortune teller pointed the tarot cards at Toru Watanabe. "How old are you this year?"

"Sixteen." Toru Watanabe handed her the card he had drawn.

"Career..." The fortune teller muttered, "I can't tell what kind of achievements you will make in the future, but everything will go smoothly, so I suggest you set your goals higher, because everything will be successful."

"What about an annual income of 20 billion yen?" asked Toru Watanabe.

"It will be smooth sailing." As if the number of 20 billion was too exaggerated, the fortune teller added, "That's what the tarot cards show."

Watanabe Toru turned around and said to the four people: "It seems that it is only a matter of time before I am written into the textbook."

"Since everything is going smoothly, you still set the goal of earning 20 billion yen a year. This is the best you can do," said Kiyono Rin expressionlessly.

"…Then let's change it to 20 billion US dollars in annual revenue." Watanabe Toru turned around and asked the fortune teller, "Is that okay?"

The fortune teller replied with an awkward yet enthusiastic smile: "As long as you are determined to do this, I believe it will succeed."

"What about friendship? Oh, let's just calculate the friendship between me and this beautiful girl." Watanabe Toru said, pointing at Kiyono Rin.

"no problem."

The fortune teller stared at the tarot cards for a while, then stared at the two people.

After a long time.

"According to what has been revealed, your friendship will not be very harmonious."

“…Is that so?”

The fortune teller raised his head and looked at Watanabe Toru awkwardly.

The others also watched his expression with some trepidation.

Although Watanabe Toru rarely smiles, this is the first time they have seen him with such a completely expressionless face.

I always feel an indescribable sense of oppression.

Only Kiyono Rin remained calm, and even curled up the corners of her mouth as if mocking Watanabe Toru.

"Although they are not harmonious, there is one thing," the fortune teller made an emphasizing gesture, "the degree of compatibility between the two of you cannot be underestimated."

"We can't be friends anyway?" Watanabe Toru's cold voice revealed his lack of interest in divination.

The fortune teller hesitated for a while, and finally replied with a firm "yes".

"What about love?" Toru Watanabe straightened the sleeves of his school uniform, looking like he was about to leave.

The fortune teller had been through a lot and had been scolded for being a swindler before, so he quickly ignored Watanabe Toru's attitude.

"In terms of love..." She studied the tarot cards carefully, as if there was something written on them, "You are very strict with yourself and your partner, so you have little experience in love."

"Yeah." Watanabe Toru nodded indifferently.

"But the fact is that you are so popular that no one can match you. There are always various temptations around you. If you are not careful, you will indulge yourself too much."

"Overindulgence? Hahaha!" Kunii Osamu and Saito Keisuke burst into laughter.

Ikki Aoi also laughed softly in embarrassment.

Qingye Rin sighed with amusement and turned his bored eyes to the window.

The sun is about to set, and soon it will turn into a brief but beautiful magenta.

"Yeah." Watanabe Toru nodded perfunctorily, "I'll pay attention. Anything else?"

“Although the card shows that there are countless thorns ahead of you, as long as you persevere, it will be a smooth road!”

"Understood."

The fortune teller finally said: "You are better suited to focus on your career. If you insist on a rejection attitude in relationships, your life will be very smooth."

After Watanabe Toru finished, the fortune teller asked if there was anyone else who needed divination.

Ikki Aoi said to Kiyono Rin, "Kiyono-san, how about you try it too? It seems to be quite accurate!"

"Is it accurate?" Watanabe Toru interrupted and asked.

Ikki Aoi avoided his sight as if afraid, and said to Kiyono Rin: "Just give it a try, since we're already here."

Qing Ye Lin glanced at the expressionless Watanabe Toru, thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

She walked forward and sat down on the cushion, feeling the residual heat on it, and adjusted her position somewhat uncomfortably.

"What do you want to predict?" asked the fortune teller.

"I have already taken control of my own destiny in terms of career and friendship... Let's fall in love."

"Is this true?!" Ikki Aoi covered her mouth, "I didn't expect Kiyono-san would be interested in love!"

"Apart from career and friendship, the only option left is love, right?" Kiyono Rin explained helplessly.

After drawing tarot cards and asking about age, the fortune teller began to answer.

“I am attracted to men who are full of unknown feelings…”

“Isn’t this quite accurate?”

Everyone looked at Watanabe Toru in confusion, who suddenly became happy again.

Qingye Rin glanced at him with a cold gaze and signaled the fortune teller to continue.

"Compared to marriage, it's more about spiritual understanding."

"Yeah." Qingye Rin's attitude was ambiguous and he didn't make any comment.

"There is one more thing you need to pay special attention to..." The fortune teller looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, "Although she is very smart, sometimes you will choose to believe what she says even though you know she is lying."

"Impossible." Qingye Rin denied it without thinking.

After what happened to Toru Watanabe, the fortune teller has gotten used to it and still said with a smile: "Whether the fortune telling is effective or not, please take it as a reference and work hard to do what you want to do."

Probably because Saito Keisuke said he had no money, she no longer asked if she still needed divination.

After paying the money, the five people walked out of the "Zhouyi Divination Golden Turtle Hall".

The air was completely filled with the atmosphere of dusk.

Walking on the Nijo Bridge, you can see the faint sunset glow on the surface of the distant mountains, and even the Kamogawa is coated with a layer of gold.

"Ikki-san, what are you going to do next?" Kiyono Rin asked Ikki Aoi, who was supporting herself on the bridge with her arms folded.

Ichimoku Aoi looked down at the rushing river and said, "I want to ask Mai-senpai out."

The water flowed slowly, and stones poked their heads out of the water as if to block the flow of water, but it was just a meaningless resistance. The dark water ripples avoided the small stones and flowed in the same direction.

"Then we'll go first." Watanabe Toru, who had been busy all day, said while yawning.

It was his job to prevent others from interrupting Ikki Aoi's confession.

In addition, even though they agreed not to tell anyone, Asuka Mai is his girlfriend after all. It would only be awkward if he continued to stay and see his girlfriend being confessed to by a girl.

"Wait a moment." Ikki Aoi turned and looked at them, "Watanabe-kun, and... Kunii-kun, I hope you can stay."

"Is it okay?" Toru Watanabe looked at her.

"Yeah." Ikki Aoi nodded cautiously.

She might have done this because Kunii Osamu liked her, but whatever the reason, Watanabe Toru was not interested.

"Then should we stay?" he asked Kunii Osamu for his opinion.

Although Kunii Osamu was confused, he still said, "I'm fine."

"Wait a minute, what about me?" Saito Keisuke pointed at himself.

Forget about him.

Ichimoku Aoi smiled sheepishly: "If Saito-san is willing, you can stay too."

Then, Ikki Aoi called Asuka Mai and asked her to come here on the pretext of having dinner.

On the other side of the phone, Asu Mai still agreed in her calm voice.

Before she came, Watanabe Toru, Kunii Osamu and Saito Keisuke were skipping stones on the Kamogawa River.