She probed, her star-shaped eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and a burgeoning sense of awe. "Master, my age is..."
Victor's attention was mostly focused on the silver ripple, the subtle hum of the [Void] in the back of his mind. Hearing the girl's question, he casually answered, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Fifteen years and four months."
[From Hoshino Ai's trust, Divine Authority Gems +0.02!]
Nice. The gems were flowing in. Time to double down.
"My profession is..." she continued, leaning in slightly.
"Idol trainee." Victor stated matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather.
[From Hoshino Ai's trust, Divine Authority Gems +0.04!]
The numbers were escalating. Excellent.
"My training duration..."
"Two and a half years."
The girl's jaw dropped. She was instantly dumbfounded, her star-filled eyes shining with a light that wasn't just surprise, but genuine shock. The surrounding fortune-tellers, initially dismissive, were equally stunned.
Okay, yeah, experienced and sharp-eyed individuals could sometimes guess a person's profession based on subtle tells – calloused hands, posture, unconscious movements. But an idol? What in the actual fuck did an idol trainee even do to give off detectable signs? Was it the relentless, soul-crushing cheerfulness?
And it wasn't just that. He'd pinpointed her as a trainee? And nailed her age down to the month?!
A shill! This had to be a goddamn shill!
Their gazes hardened, convinced he was just some elaborate con artist with a pre-arranged accomplice.
But when they turned back to their stalls, ready to denounce him...
"Baka! Where are my customers?!" The little mustached Onmyoji spluttered, his face turning an indignant shade of puce. All their potential clients had abandoned them, flocking instead towards Victor like moths to a ridiculously well-dressed, charismatic flame.
Unbeknownst to the envious competition, Victor was already the center of a rapidly growing crowd. It wasn't just his seemingly supernatural accuracy, at least not at first. His outfit, that ridiculous robe of gold and silver threads, was a spectacle in itself
That getup wasn't just expensive-looking; it was expensive. Made with materials costing well over ten thousand yen and requiring over four thousand in labor, it also incorporated technology lightyears beyond anything available in 2012 Japan.
The gold and silver threads weren't just colored fabric; they were actual gold and silver.
Under the afternoon sun, the robe shimmered and sparkled incessantly. Coupled with his height – a head taller than most of the Japanese men around him – he truly stood out like a peacock in a barnyard full of chickens.
Hoshino Ai saw the crowd swelling, pressing closer, and a flicker of anxiety crossed her face. She leaned forward, lowering her voice slightly.
"Master, I wanted to ask..."
"About your upcoming romantic fortune?" Victor cut in smoothly, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
Instantly, the surrounding chatter died down. A collective hush fell over the onlookers.
[From Kirigaya Kazuto's trust, Divine Authority Gems +0.05!]
[From Gokou Ruri's trust, Divine Authority Gems +0.01!]
[From Yamagami Tetsuya's trust, Divine Authority Gems +0.02!]
"...?" Victor listened to the rapid-fire notifications pinging in his mind, his outward expression a mask of serene wisdom. Internally, however, he was utterly bewildered.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Kirigaya Kazuto? Wasn't that the protagonist of Sword Art Online, the legendary 'Black Swordsman' who cleared the floating castle of Aincrad?
And Gokou Ruri? "Kuroneko"?! The gothic lolita queen, a famous, fictional character from Oreimo?!
And Yamagami Tetsuya?! As in, the former JMSDF member who... well, in Victor's previous life, shot Shinzo Abe?! And apparently, in this reality, was the number one male player on the Japanese SAO server?! This was getting beyond ridiculous!
Victor's mouth twitched slightly, a suppressed laugh threatening to escape. He gazed at the collection of handsome young men and women surrounding him with wide, curious eyes, and couldn't help but complain internally.
So, he hadn't just transmigrated to a parallel world. He'd landed headfirst in a goddamn multiversal anime mashup! A chaotic melting pot of fictional realities!
Wait a minute...
Hoshino Ai?!
Victor forcibly restrained the urge to slap his forehead. The name finally clicked into place, his memories from his previous life colliding with the bizarre reality before him.
In the incredibly popular anime Oshi no Ko from his past life, this girl... this shining, star-eyed girl... died right at the beginning.
Her life story was a condensed tragedy: raised in an orphanage, skyrocketed to idol fame, fell for a scumbag, had children in secret, and was then brutally murdered by a fanatical stalker.
Her life was less a story, and more a small, unstable table piled high with one disaster after another.
However...
As if struck by a bolt of divine inspiration (or maybe just the sudden influx of Divine Authority Gems), Victor's eyes suddenly lit up, a vibrant spark of something akin to mischievous hope flickering within them.
If he told her the predicted outcome of "falling in love" – specifically, with that scumbag – allowing her to potentially avert her tragic, untimely end, would her "Beautiful Fate, Short Life (Light Red)" destiny disappear? Would her predicted lifespan of a mere 20 years actually change?
"Master?"
Seeing the handsome young man in the glittering haori suddenly fall silent, lost in thought, Hoshino Ai's heart tightened.
She came from a rough background, a single-parent home, and had suffered long-term domestic violence from her mother as a child. Because of this, she had always, desperately, longed for the warmth and stability of a real family.
If she could just find a lover who would comfort her, marry them, and have children... that felt like the absolute happiest future imaginable.
But she didn't dare to show any hint of disrespect to this clearly unusual individual. The girl leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice, asking cautiously:
"When I was doing idol activities today, I met a pursuer... I was thinking about him..."
"Is that person named Kamiki Hikaru?" Victor finished her sentence, his voice calm, almost serene.
"...Huh?!"
The girl, who had been nervously clutching the hem of her expensive skirt, snapped her head up, her beautiful star-eyes wide with shock, disbelief, and a healthy dose of fear.
Indeed... Victor thought, a grim satisfaction settling in his chest.
This child had already crossed paths with the walking embodiment of a red flag. Thankfully, it wasn't too late. The fanatical stalker who eventually killed her was manipulated by him.
Victor saw her stunned reaction, understood the full weight of her predicament, and smiled sadly.
"This person's fate is severely incompatible with yours. He is especially harmful to those he forms relationships with, bringing misfortune to wives and children. You would be wise to stay far, far away from him."
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone that cut through the gentle park sounds. "Otherwise, not only will there be a disaster that kills you, but you will also die holding infinite regrets."
"Huh?"
Hoshino Ai's mind went blank, her brain instantly crashing. She couldn't process the words for a moment.
His gentle, almost kind prediction had landed like a fierce, unexpected lightning bolt, instantly leaving her body numb and her thoughts in disarray.
Harmful to wives and children?
Dying holding regrets?
That... that didn't sound right at all! How did a promising possibility of romance turn into a death curse?
The girl's brows furrowed in disappointment, and she let out a small, shaky sigh.
While she deeply longed for love to enter her life, it had to be with a good person, someone with genuine character, right? Someone who wouldn't bring disaster and regret.
Besides, dying for love sounded terrifying! Like a bad ending to a poorly written drama.
She had been quite tempted by his charm, his attention, the promise of affection.
Now, after hearing the Master's words, it seemed pursuing him wasn't a wise move at all. Not even a little bit.
...
Victor triggered the [Void] again, his gaze settling on the bewildered idol trainee.
[Hoshino Ai]
[Age: 15.333 years old]
[Occupation: Idol Trainee]
[Fate: Celestial Voice (Light Blue), Beautiful Fate, Short Life (White), Many Children, Much Fortune (Light Red).]
[Lifespan: 40 years old]
[Status: Relaxed (Heart Knot Untied)]
She finally got it... Victor smiled calmly, a genuine sense of satisfaction warming his chest.
Her "Beautiful Fate, Short Life" destiny had been significantly downgraded, shifting from the ominous Light Red to a less threatening White. And her lifespan? It had almost doubled.
It seemed that fate, at least in this bizarre anime mashup reality, wasn't entirely set in stone. Making key, informed choices at the crossroads of destiny could indeed significantly alter one's path.
"Oh~, Master's methods are quite impressive."
Suddenly, from the edge of the now-silent crowd of onlookers, a teasing, melodic female voice rang out.
A short-haired young lady with a decidedly devilish smirk stepped forward, her eyes glinting with amusement. By her side was another girl, with long, flowing black hair and a calm, almost stoic expression, her chest noticeably... flat.
The two girls looked strikingly similar, like sisters, and were dressed in extremely exquisite, high-quality clothes. They moved with an air of cultured grace, like two beautiful, well-bred flowers blooming unexpectedly in the park.