Himegi-san a Bride from the Future Begs Me to Confess My Love to Her Again - Volume 1 Chapter 0.2

 Prologue 2

“So, that’s the rumored fortune-teller…”

Guided by the Line message sent by Kanako, I had come to the fortune-teller’s location.

The location is between the dim buildings near the station.

In that spot, chairs and tables were set up, and business was being conducted quietly.

There were two college girls among the customers, and the fortune-teller seemed to be reading their palm lines.

Joyful words were exchanged.

I don’t know if the fortune-teller really possessed mysterious abilities, but it seems that her conversational skills were quite polished.

I was prepared to wait in line because I had heard she was popular, but luck was on my side.

To be honest, if there had been a line of ten or more people, I was considering leaving immediately.

I was observing them from a little distance.

I intently watched every move of the fortune-teller, looking for any odd behavior.

According to the message written by Kanako on LINE:

『’She advised me to take my mother to the hospital, and when I did, they found an illness, but she was saved by surgery.’』

『’She accurately predicted that my sister’s boyfriend was a scam artist.’』

『’She accurately pinpointed the location of my missing dog.’』

『’She knew a secret that I hadn’t told anyone.’』

Well, if all of these testimonies are true and all of it was accurate, she truly is an exceptional fortune-teller.

By the way, the last message also contained abusive words like 『Die, you idiot!』 and 『Cowardly Prince (Ouji)!』.

It seems like untying the knot was quite a challenge.

Anyway, I generally consider those so-called fortune-tellers to be a bunch of liars.

However, if the person who had their fortune told is satisfied, I don’t see a problem with it.

If paying a few thousand yen makes someone happy or gives them a chance to reflect on themselves, that’s a respectable job—no matter what, and they’re making a good contribution to society.

Of course, I find the shady spiritual businesses that sell expensive pots, prayer beads, or wallets totally unacceptable.

While pondering these thoughts, the previous client’s fortune-telling session ended.

The two women seemed satisfied with the outcome of their fortune-telling and walked toward the direction of the station with refreshed expressions.

I sat down slowly on an empty pipe chair and handed over the free fortune-telling ticket.

“Excuse me, I heard that with this ticket, you can give me a free fortune-telling session…”

“That’s correct. On this occasion, I’ll provide a complimentary reading.”

The fortune-teller nodded, accepting the ticket.

If even one yen was involved, I would have just walked away…

“You haven’t experienced a fortune-telling session previously, have you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Now that she mentioned it, this was indeed my first time experiencing professional fortune-telling.

I stared intently at the fortune-teller. She was fully covered in a deep black robe, her face concealed by a black face veil, revealing only her eyes.

But predictions can be made from her eyes and voice. Maybe the fortune-teller’s age was around seventy.

Well, how should I put it, she fit the image of a fortune-teller that I had in mind.

“Is there an issue?”

“…No, it’s just that the atmosphere feels a bit mystical, so I felt a bit intimidated.”

“There’s no reason to feel anxious.”

“…By the way, what kind of fortune-telling do you do?”

“I’ve honed my skills in crystal ball readings, tarot cards, palmistry, astrology, feng shui, and various other forms of fortune-telling.”

“…I see, which type of fortune-telling do you recommend?”

“In that case, I will provide you with the most accurate reading. Share with me your name.”

“My name is Takashi Harukawa.”

I lied, and there are two reasons why I lied.

The first is that I wanted to test whether the old woman could detect false information by giving a fake name.

And the second is that I didn’t want to reveal personal information to a first-time acquaintance.

That’s why I gave a classmate’s name. Regarding this matter, I felt no remorse at all.

“You seem to have a certain sensitivity regarding your name, am I correct?”

“————!?”

“That’s likely the reason for your hesitation in revealing your name. Dishonesty isn’t advisable, Please disclose your real name.”

W-why did the lie get exposed?

By the way, as the old woman said, I used my classmate’s name instead of my real name simply because I didn’t want to reveal it.

“…H-Hakuba…Ouji…”

Why does stating my own name make me feel so ashamed?

Well, I know why. It’s because my name is what people usually call a flashy name. But even this name has a merit or two.

It is a name that has such an impact that once you hear it, you will never forget it.

I even made everyone laugh when I introduced myself last week.

However, if someone asks me if I like it, I’ll answer ‘No.’ with all my might.

I’m seriously considering changing my name in the future or becoming an adopted son-in-law somewhere.

…Could it be that today’s rejection by Himegi-san was because of this name?

“It’s a pleasant name.”

“…Do you really think so?”

“Yes, it’s a name that fits you perfectly.”

“Even though I may be incredibly handsome, I personally believe that a name like this is not acceptable…”

“I find it pleasing.”

That’s what she said. There wasn’t a single cloud in the old woman’s red eyes.

It seemed that she wasn’t just buttering me up by complimenting my name.

“I don’t mind being praised by someone beautiful like you.”

“Oh, would you consider marrying me then?”

“Before that, you’d have to get divorced.”

I gaze at the ring finger of the old woman’s left hand. A ring was shining brilliantly on that finger.

That brilliance is the very proof she loved someone and that someone loved her.

“I can tell you’ve been paying attention. Now, let’s move on to reading your name.”

The old woman takes out a black permanent marker and lets the pen run across the blank paper.

“——Huh?”

I genuinely was surprised.

While I had intended to maintain a poker face as much as possible, I couldn’t help but be shaken.

The old woman wrote down my name.

Yes, on the white paper, she wrote ‘Hakuba Ouji ( 王子白馬) ‘ in beautiful characters.

I had only verbally told her my name. In other words, I hadn’t given her any indication of the characters that make up my name.

Yet, this fortune-teller wrote down the kanji characters for my name without any hesitation.

If my name were something like ‘Yamada Tarou’. I think anyone could easily associate it with the kanji “山田太郎” without any hesitation. But my surname and given name aren’t easily translatable into kanji characters…

“Is something the matter?”

“Ah, no.”

“By the way, let’s also delve into a horoscope reading. Your birthdate was November 17th, correct? If so, your zodiac sign is Scorpio.”

“….Huh?”

I trace back the past few minutes.

After all, I don’t recall telling this old woman my birthday.

By the way, my birthday is indeed November 17th, so there’s not a single mistake in her statement.

She not only wrote down the kanji characters for my name but also accurately guessed my birth month.

“…How did you know my birthday?”

I don’t want to believe it, but is this fortune teller… for real?

Does she really possess some mysterious power?

As my mind is about to freeze, the old woman speaks to me insistently.

“I have insights into everything—including your past and your future.”

“…That’s nonsense. There must be some trick to it.”

For example, if she’s conspiring with Kanako and the others to deceive me, then everything that’s happened so far could make sense.

“It appears you might be harboring doubts about your childhood friends, but that’s not accurate. I genuinely possess the ability to perceive your past and future.”

“The future, huh? Then predict tonight’s dinner at the Ouji household.”

In the morning, just before leaving the house, my mother told me, ‘Tonight’s dinner is going to be nikujaga.’

That means, unless something unexpected happens, nikujaga should be on the Ouji family dinner table today.

Now, let’s see what kind of menu this old woman will come up with.

“…Sushi Maru’s delivery sushi from the shopping district. Premium nigiri, four servings.”

The fortune teller states this confidently and firmly.

“You miss the mark. We never order delivery sushi at home unless it’s for a special occasion, let alone premium nigiri…”

Even when I passed the entrance exam for this high school, the sushi we ordered was the middle-grade nigiri course.

I can assert with confidence that my frugal mother would never order premium nigiri on a regular day.

Sadly, if we were to ever order the premium course based on our economic situation, it would likely be on the occasion of my marriage or job placement.

“Whether you choose to believe it or not is your decision. Additionally, allow me to forecast your future.”

“An… additional one?”

“Yes, I can perceive it. In precisely one hour and eight minutes, you’ll experience such astonishment that you’ll be momentarily speechless, exclaiming, ‘Hawawawa—’. I envision a future where you’ll encounter the person destined for you.”

“What? One hour and eight minutes from now, I’ll be surprised and exclaim ‘Hawawawa’ when meeting my destined person?”

What’s with that situation?

Though it’s an unclear prophecy, one thing I’m sure of is that this old woman is nothing more than a con artist below the level of a fortune-teller.

I let out a deep sigh and stood up from the chair.

The old woman then grips my hand tightly with both of hers, trying to stop me.

“W-Why?”

“I have something wonderful to give you.”

Saying that, she shows me the palm of her left hand with a ring on it.

“…There’s nothing there though…”

“Please look closely.”

She tightly holds my hand, then rotates her clenched fist in a circular motion.

“From this empty hand, something intriguing will emerge—— From nothingness, something remarkable will manifest…”

This is definitely… you know what…

“——Ha!”

With a spirited shout, from the previously empty palm, she produces what seems to be a handmade talisman.

“How is it? Out of nothingness, a talisman has materialized.”

Her face is hidden, so it’s hard to see, but under the robe, she must be wearing a proud expression.

“Wow… amazing! Truly, it’s a mysterious power!”

I applaud and compliment her performance.

“This is where the skill comes into play.”

Seemingly unaware of the sarcasm in my tone, the old woman proudly brags.

“Well then…”

Saying that, I’m about to leave the place—

‘—Five hundred yen,’ a voice comes from behind, and I stop in my tracks and turn around.

“Huh?”

“If you keep that talisman close to you, good things will happen.”

…what does that mean? She wants me to buy it?

“Five hundred yen.”

The old woman smiles with a hint of satisfaction. I let out another sigh.

And then, I take out five hundred yen from my Velcro wallet and exchange it for the talisman.

If she had tried to push an expensive vase on me, I would have reported her to the police… well, five hundred yen is a reasonable price, I suppose.

Above all, with this talisman, I should have proof that I went to the fortune teller.

“Um, so, something amazing is supposed to happen in about an hour and eight minutes from now, right?”

“It’s now one hour and five minutes from now on.”

I take out a white smartphone from my pocket and set a timer.

This way, an alarm should go off in one hour and five minutes.

But really, the last thing she showed me was undoubtedly a magic trick, no matter how you look at it.

Yeah, it wasn’t about mysterious phenomena; it was a classic trick with nothing more than sleight of hand and gimmicks.

In fact, I’m confident that I could replicate the magic trick she demonstrated even better. Well, it’s childish to go that far, so I won’t.

This time, I finally bid farewell to the old woman, who waved her hand cutely.