Chapter 391: – Tsubame Akari – [Membership Stream] Great Blessing? Great Disaster?

Chapter 391: – Tsubame Akari – [Membership Stream] Great Blessing? Great Disaster?

Gently plucked strings paired with a soft piano. Music gradually swelling to a soaring melody, reminiscent of ancient Eastern times.

While that played, a screen showing a pavilion floating over a glassy pond filled with crimson lotuses. Crimson silk curtains covered its sides, obscuring a female sillouette seated within.

Paired with the glassy pale moon above and the starry night sky, it was a mysterious atmosphere.

---

@[] Fortune telling stream go!

@[] Huh? There's only a few hundred watching right now?

@[] Is Tsubame too vanilla for people?

@[] Shrine maiden waifu is best waifu though?

@[] Who cares? It's like an exclusive club!

@[] That just means more chances for us to get our fortunes read!

---

"Welcome, esteemed viewers." Tsubame's sweet voice echoed, followed by the sound of rattling bamboo.

---

@[] Ooh! Are we doing this for real?

@[] Hi Tsubame!

@[] Aaah, Tsubame's voice is always so soothing...

@[] How've you been?

@[] Are we gonna do a reading for Asako? She's still streaming, right?

@[] lol. Still can't believe she turned a membership stream into a subathon...

---

"Though this humble shrine maiden does not possess much, I hope that we shall have a pleasant time together tonight. Now... Shall we begin?"

A wind blew across the pavilion, shifting the curtains and sending a few lotus petals flying. Soon after, the screen was covered in red from the petals. And when they blew past, it revealed a close up view of Tsubame sitting across a table.

As usual, she was dressed in her white and red shrine maiden robes. But unlike usual, she had more things with her.

A deck of tarot cards sat on the left side of the table, paired with a small tin with bamboo slips on the right side.

---

@[] It's enough just hanging out with you, Tsubame!

@[] Chill vibes are best vibes

@nyx_enthusiast The arcana is the means by which all is revealed...

@[] @nyx_enthusiast please god stop

@[] Ooh! I love the comfy atmosphere!

---

Tsubame let out a soft giggle as she picked up the cards. "Thank you, esteemed viewers- Ah." She paused and then smiled. "I suppose that is incorrect. Since you are here, you are my esteemed guests."

---

@[] You hear that? We're esteemed guests!

@[] We got promoted!

@[] Thanks for inviting us, Tsu-chan!

@[] Uuuu~ I can't keep finding all these sweet girls to watch

@[] No! Thank you, Tsubame!

---

Tsubame continued to shuffle the tarot cards and said, "Unlike my dear friends who possess myriad talents to entertain, I can only offer my blessings and a naive attempt to peer into the future for my esteemed guests. I cannot be the shining star to light the darkness in your life. Still, I hope to at least be a guiding light in these troubled times."

---

@[] The concept here is a bit mixed up, isn't it?

@[] Wait. A shrine maiden knows how to use tarot cards?

@[] You're already a shining star, Tsu-chan!

@[] Come on guys! We need to get Tsu-chan up there in views and subs too!

@[] So like, how is this fortune telling going to work?

---

Tsubame reached below the table and pulled out a tea kettle along with a pair of cups. She set the cups on the table and started pouring tea. As she did, she said, "Though I wish I could tell the fortune of every esteemed guest here, there sadly are only so many hours in the day."

She set one cup of tea down at the end of the table closest to the screen and then started pouring a cup of tea for herself.

"I pondered many a nights on how to best resolve this issue... and so this is what we shall do."

Tsubame set her own cup of tea down in front of her and then held out her hands, gesturing towards the tarot cards on the left and the tin of bamboo slips on the right.

"Although I am more familiar with omikuji, I understand that there are many overseas guests who may be more familiar with the guidance of the arcana."

---

@akihiko_p3 I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

@nyx_enthusiast THE ARCANA IS THE MEANS BY WHICH ALL IS REVEALED

@marryinkarin ENTRUSTING HIS FUTURE TO THE CARDS MAN CLINGS TO A DIM HOPE

@halfdevil ONE MORE GOD REJECTED

@[] Who ARE you people?!

@[] Guys, can we not right now?

@[] That's true! The overseas comrades do not visit shrines

@[] ...Are we in San Fransokyo or something?

@[] Tsu-chan is lady luck confirmed?

---

Tsubame smiled and then said, "For those esteemed guests who wish to have their fortunes read with the arcana and are willing to have it shared with the others, please send a message in the chat with the word 'Revelation.' For those wishing to do the same but with okimuchi, please send a small donation Superchat with the same word. I will randomly choose among both for our session today."

---

@[] More money for fortune readings? >.>

@[] Bro. There's no blessing without a price.

@[] Isn't it worth more if you give something up?

@[] Equivalent exchange, dude!

@[] Revelation

@[] Let the arcana be my Revelation!

@[] I want a Revelation!

@[] <100 USD> Revelation

@MichaelHawks <200 CAD> Praying for good luck on finals. Revelation please

@[] <50 EUR> This is small, right? Revelation

@[] Bruh

@[] Guys! Tsu-chan said SMALL donation!

@[] Calm? In Queen's life? XD

@[] Well then...

---

"As for the last card." Tsubame reached for the center card.

Like the others, it flipped on its own as if waiting for its chance.

A picture of John sitting on a golden throne in front of a towering gate. The rising sun behind him, along with a coiling dragon in the distance.

---

@[] As expected, John is the solution for everything

@[] So John is gonna step in now?

@[] That's the Emperor card, right?

---

"The Emperor." Tsubame picked up the card and said, "It looks like everything will turn out well for Aoko-senpai. Expert success and achievements. Victory in spite of impossible odds... That is what this card signifies in this position. So-"

---

@[] Wait! Aoko just won!

@[] #LongLiveTheQueen is trending!

@[] That timing!

@[] wtf?!

@[] Tsubame is legit?!

@[] Uptime of 71 hours and she finally beat chat in a race!

@[] Holy crap!

---

Tsubame paused, reading the chat. And then she giggled. "My. It seems that I am rather good at this?" She shuffled the cards back and said, "I was not expecting much from a first reading, but perhaps my skills transfer? Or perhaps this deck... Hm. Mister John did say that it was one that could scry most events..."

---

@[] I KNEW it was John's deck!

@[] Careful with that phrasing there

@[] Miss Yue might get mad by you talking about John's 'deck.'

@[] Why is chat always like this...

@[] Come on guys, be polite! We're in Tsu-chan's company!

@[] Do John next!

---

Tsubame hummed, still shuffling the deck. And then she said, "...It would not hurt to do a reading for Mister John as well, would it? At least one card..."

She stopped shuffling and drew a card to place down on the table.

And then the deck spontaneously burst into flames.

"@!#$!@#$@#$!!??!?!"

---

@[] HOLY CRAP

@[] BLACK MAGIC! BLACK MAGIC!

@[] TSU-CHAN!

@[] T-That's just acting, right?

@[] It's just CG. Definitely just CG.

---

Tsubame flung the cards along the table, waving her sleeves to put out the flames. "Demons! Demonic spirits! Be gone!" She grabbed her tea cup and flung it at the cards, using it to douse the flames.

Sizzling and crackling sounds echoed. A haze of steam covered the cards as the tea evaporated in dousing the fire.

And like that, a soggy mess filled the table.

Tarot cards covered in tea and ash from the spontaneous flames.

But despite that, they weren't ruined.

By chance, when Tsubame flung the cards, they had all flipped over. The 22 cards of the major arcana she was using for readings were scattered haphazardly across the table top, all flipped up to show the face.

The pictures were burned beyond recognition from what they previously were. But despite that, a clear design remained, traced out by the ashes and bits of flung tea leaves.

A woman with long black hair and green eyes, sitting atop a blackened throne.

Tsubame blinked and then hesitantly reached out for the cards, flipping through them all.

The same design on each card, as if purposefully burned in that way.

"T-The Empress replaced the entire arcana for John...?"

---

@[] YABE

@[] Isn't that design Yue?

@[] Uhhhh....

@[] I KNEW Miss Yue had yandere vibes

@[] Okay. If this wasn't scripted, that's scary as hell

@[] Look at Tsu-chan's expression!

@[] R-Relax, Tsu-chan! We don't need any more of that freaky Tarot card stuff!

@[] SEE! BLACK MAGIC!

---

Tsubame trembled a bit, a weird expression passing her pale face. And then she carefully set the cards off to the side. "U-Um... L-Let us stick to what I do best, haha..." She pulled the tin of bamboo slips over and said, "I-I-I hope you do not mind the change, esteemed guests. L-Let us see..." She picked up a folded paper slip from the glass jar of names and said, "T-The next esteemed guest is MichaelHawks who wishes for good luck on finals. As to whether you will..."

Tsubame reached to pull out a bamboo slip from the tin.

And then it exploded, sending all the bamboo slips flying with a burst of flames.

Tsubame froze.

The bamboo slips landed on the table with a clatter, [GREAT MISFORTUNE] burned onto each slip in both English and Kanji.

And then Tsubame quietly stood up and bowed. "...That will be it for today, Esteemed Guests. I-It seems like the heavens are misaligned today, so we shall try again another day. Please be well."

With that, the stream abruptly ended.

xxx

The Smith Family residence. Dinner time.

Yue paused in the middle of feeding Aurora from her place on a comfy couch.

John slowly turned to look at her from the kitchen, his phone still tuned in to Tsubame's membership stream that just went offline. "Wifey."

"Y-Yes, Husband?"

"What did I tell you about using karma magic to prevent people from scrying my destiny?"

Yue turned a bright red and said, "I-I just forgot to take them down! It wasn't on purpose, I swear!"

John sighed and wiped his hands down on his 'Kiss the Chef' apron. "I'll be back. Gotta make sure Suzu-chan isn't too traumatized about this whole ordeal..."