CH 12

12 - Fortune telling is...

Lunch break. After finishing my meal, I went to the back of the school building.

Saito and Tachibana asked me where I was going, but I deceived them appropriately.

"My, Kazuto-kun. I'm glad you came." (Rinka)

"......Hello." (Kazuto)

Mizuki-san, who had arrived before me, smiled thinly at me.

I responded, feeling a little embarrassed as I averted my gaze.

Nevertheless, the air in the back of the school building is nice and fresh.

Just standing there, the soft breeze caressed my whole body.

Even so, there were few people around, so no one could see us.

Isn't this a perfect place for a secret meeting?

"It's about this morning..." (Rinka)

"No, I don't even know about that either. I was suddenly asked to choose a finger. Well, Himekawa-san's friend was watching with a grin, so it was probably just a prank." (Kazuto)

"...you don't you know about that?" (Rinka)

"That?" (Kazuto)

I asked back with a question.

Mizuki-san put her hand on her chin and made a face of thinking.

"I see, it's okay. If you don't know that, it might be convenient." (Rinka)

"Huuh...?" (Kazuto)

She interpreted it in her own way and convinced herself in her own way.

What the hell is going on here?

"Yeah, that's right..... Then, how about you choose my finger this time?" (Rinka)

As she said that, Mizuki-san pointed her beautiful, thin, feminine fingers at me.

"What's the point of this, really? Somehow, it's kind of creepy......" (Kazuto)

"You don't have to think too much about it, it's just no big deal, a little fortune-telling. Just go with your intuition and pick my finger." (Rinka)

"..." (Kazuto)

"...Perhaps, are you saying that you'll touch Himekawa-san's finger but won't touch mine?" (Rinka)

Mizuki-san asked me somewhat anxiously.

I hurriedly shook my head.

"Th-that's not the case." (Kazuto)

I was even more nervous than I was with Himekawa-san.

The psychological burden of holding the finger of an ordinary classmate and that of a popular idol was incredibly different.

"This is my advice to you, but I suggest you choose the ring finger." (Rinka)

"The ring finger?" (Kazuto)

It seemed that depending on the finger you chose, the meaning would be different.

I pretended to choose her middle finger.

"...!" (Rinka)

Mizuki-san bent her eyebrows slightly and her face became tense.

Her face even changed to that of someone who is about to cry.

"Umm, Mizuki-san?" (Kazuto)

"Kazuto-kun. Though, I do believe in you....." (Rinka)

She gave me a strange feeling of tension and a desperate craving.

Though, she said it was no big deal fortune-telling.......

I'm sure I've heard of it, that girls do tend to love spiritual(?) things.

I read on an online dating forum that many guys were dumped by their girlfriends because they were incompatible through fortune-telling.

It was such a horrible story.

Will Mizuki-san hate me too if I choose the middle finger?

As I was thinking about this, I unconsciously gently picked her ring finger.

At that moment, Mizuki-san smiled as if she was a flower blossomed with a poof.

――――Eeh?

"I did it!...... Ahem. No, I should say that this result is natural. Since we've been married for years, so we didn't need to confirm it by fortune-telling, yes." (Rinka)

Mizuki cleared her throat and returned to her normal cool mode, but she spoke quickly.

It was unusual to see her like that, but the smile she had just shown me had left a strong impression.

She was known as a cool beautiful girl idol by the public, and a neat cold-blooded doll by some haters...

I didn't expect her to have such a defenseless smile on her face.

Somehow, it was reminiscent of Rin in the online game.

"I don't know what this fortune-telling thing means, but I'm glad Mizuki-san is happy about it." (Kazuto)

"It's not like I'm happy. I was just simply confirming a fact." (Rinka)

"Are you going to be a 'tsun' here.....?" (Kazuto)

Mizuki said with a crisp expression.

For better or worse, she was her normal self.

"There's a lot more I want to tell you, but if it's too late we might get some suspicion." (Rinka)

"I guess so. Tachibana and Saito were also suspicious." (Kazuto)

"Real-world is still inconvenient, yes. It's hard to just talk to someone you like." (Rinka)

"..." (Kazuto)

My heart bounced when she was said such words very naturally.

From Mizuki-san's point of view, it probably natural enough to say it.

"But it's exciting in its own way." (Rinka)

"Exciting?" (Kazuto)

"Yes. Stealing a moment from the public eyes and exchanging a few words with the person you love in a small amount of time. It's like an old-fashioned love story, isn't it?" (Rinka)

"I-I guess so....?" (Kazuto)

I gave her a vague answer.

I was too embarrassed to keep up the conversation.

"I'll go back to class first." (Rinka)

"O-okay." (Kazuto)

".....I wonder if it would be fun to meet up somewhere else next time." (Rinka)

While muttering such a thing, Mizuki-san turned her back and left.

"..." (Kazuto)

The back of the school building had become quiet.

The only sound that reached my ears was the pleasant sound of the wind.

"I think I'll stay here a little longer." (Kazuto)

It seemed that it would take a while for the burning in my cheeks to subside.

"...Mizuki-san's innocent smile, huh?" (Kazuto)

When it comes to the "Rin" in the game, I understand her so deeply that there is no room for doubt about her personal nature.

However, I probably still have no understanding of the inner workings of "Mizuki Rinka", who acts as a popular idol.

"I wonder if something will change if we play online games together tomorrow." (Kazuto)

I'll be able to call her Rinka.

Then I can finally take my first step in real life.

Somehow, that was what I thought.