“So, what’s next? Want to draw some fortunes?”
Having finished our prayers, I asked Mika and Saori-chan about their plans.
Since they were both taking entrance exams this year, I figured they’d want to do that, and maybe buy some votive tablets to pray for success.
“Yeah. And a tablet too, I think?”
“We are students, after all. We have to make sure we’ve covered our bases with the gods. Let’s go, Daiki-san!”
The two girls pulled me along to the fortune-drawing area near the shrine office. A large crowd was waiting in line, but the flow was steady, and our turn came in just a few minutes. I paid the fee and shook the wooden fortune box.
“...Number twenty-three.”
A numbered stick slid out, and I exchanged it for a slip of paper from the shrine maiden. I took the fortune and stepped away, waiting for the girls under the shade of a sacred tree where there was a bit of space.
It wasn’t long before they joined me.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! How was it, Big brother? Did you get a Great Blessing?”
“I haven't opened it yet. I thought we could all look together.”
“Oh, okay! Well, let’s see!”
We all unfolded our fortunes at once.
“Ah! A Great Blessing!”
“I got a Small Blessing.”
Mika happily showed us her paper, while Saori-chan looked a bit disappointed.
As for me…
“? What’s wrong, Big brother? Why the sour face?”
“Is something the matter, Daiki-san? Did you pull a Misfortune?”
“...”
Without a word, I showed them the slip.
When they saw the characters printed on it, their eyes went wide.
“G-Great… Misfortune…?”
“Whoa, you drew a real doozy, Daiki-san.”
“...”
First the dream, and now this. What was going on today?
…Maybe I really should pay for an exorcism.
“Well, well, it’s just a fortune. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
“...Big brother.”
I tried to put on a brave face, but Mika’s pitying gaze only made it harder to bear.
As I stood there dejected by the result, Saori-chan spoke up tentatively.
“Um, Daiki-san? Why don’t you just draw another one?”
“...? Is that allowed?”
“Yes. It doesn't seem to be common knowledge, but it's perfectly fine to redraw your fortune.”
Saori-chan proceeded to explain the etiquette to me.
Apparently, when you draw a bad result, you’re supposed to tie the slip to a tree or a designated rack, offer a prayer, and then you can simply try again. Good fortunes should be kept in your wallet and tied to a tree only before the next time you draw a new one. Huh. Until now, I’d always just tied them to the trees immediately. Following Saori-chan’s advice, I tied the Great Misfortune to a branch, prayed, and then got back in line.
The result of my second draw was…
“A Future Blessing… Well, I suppose it’s better than another Misfortune.”
“Cheer up, Big brother. It might be a Future Blessing, but the actual advice is pretty good, isn't it?”
“...Do you want to try one more time?”
“No, this is fine. Like Mika says, the advice itself doesn't seem that bad.”
I turned down Saori-chan’s suggestion and tucked the paper into my wallet. Drawing over and over felt like I was pushing my luck, and I was honestly afraid of what would happen if I pulled another Great Misfortune.
Regardless, that was enough fortune-telling for one day.
“So, next was the votive tablets, right?”
“Yeah. Tablets for our exams.”
Mika and Saori-chan pulled out their wooden plaques. It seemed they had bought them while I was busy redrawing my fortune. Their wishes were already written; they just needed to find a place to hang them.
“The rack is over there.”
Saori-chan pointed to a stand near the purification fountain. I could see the wooden boards swaying in the breeze through the gaps in the crowd.
The three of us walked over to the rack, where middle schoolers their age and high schoolers who looked older than me were hanging their tablets and offering silent prayers.
“Okay, Big brother, we’re going to go hang these up.”
“Please wait for us, okay?”
“Sure.”
The two of them left my side. Finding myself idle, I decided to pass the time by looking at the wishes written on the other tablets hanging there.
There were hundreds of them, with all sorts of desires scrawled in permanent marker.
Let’s see…
“I hope I pass my exams for XX High School!”
“I hope I win the lottery.”
“I hope I stay healthy all year.”
Right, pretty standard stuff. Since the girls weren't back yet, I decided to keep looking. What else was there…?
“I hope I synthesize into university.”
“Amicable divorce.”
“I hope the serialization of [Redacted] resumes.”
“I hope my childhood friend doesn't find out I'm Shinichi. —By E...gawa Co...n.”
“Nothing in particular.”
…What were these people writing?!
The first one had a typo! It’s “pass,” not “synthesize”! At this rate, the schools were going to merge or something! And what was the story behind the second one?! I was in total agreement with the third—I wanted that series to resume quickly too. As for the fourth, was Co…n-kun actually here at this shrine?! And why did the fifth person even bother to buy a tablet?!
As I went through a roller coaster of emotions reading the various plaques, Mika and Saori-chan returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. What’s wrong, Big brother? You have a weird look on your face.”
“Ah, were you reading the tablets?”
“Y-Yeah. Just for a bit while I was waiting for you two.”
“From that reaction, did you find some funny ones? There’s been an increase in ita-ema lately, after all.”
“Ita-ema? What’s that?”
“They’re votive tablets with anime or manga characters drawn on them. They’re often offered at shrines that appeared in those works.”
“Hmm. Was the one you found an ita-ema, Big brother?”
“No. It wasn't an ita-ema, but… look at that one.”
I pointed to the tablet in question, and the girls followed my finger. The moment they read it, they both stifled a laugh.
“Pfft, what is this? They wrote the wrong word!”
“It’s true. Oh, Saori-chan, look at this one!”
“What is—pfft!”
For a while, we held a little viewing session of the more amusing plaques. Once we had seen enough, we left the shrine grounds and headed down the stone steps. There were still many visitors making their way up.
As we descended, I asked them about their plans for the rest of the day.
“By the way, what are you doing after this?”
“Hmm. We haven't really decided on anything, have we, Saori-chan?”
“No. Besides, it’s New Year’s Day, so most stores should be closed today.”
“That’s true.”
Most New Year’s sales wouldn't start until tomorrow. If there were any places open today, it would be the shops that operated year-round…
“Then shall we stop by a family restaurant for now? It’s pretty cold, so we should get something to warm us up.”
“Yeah, I’m down for that. How about you, Saori-chan?”
“I’m fine with that too.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s see… where’s the nearest one?”
Scanning the town from halfway down the steps, I spotted a family restaurant sign a short distance from the shrine.
After a few minutes of walking, we arrived. Perhaps many other visitors had the same idea, because the place was packed. After a short wait at the entrance, a server noticed us and led us to a booth.
“Please press the button once you’ve decided on your order. Please take your time.”
The server left the menus and walked away. Mika and Saori-chan sat side-by-side, while I took the seat across from them.
“I’ll take care of the bill, so you two can order whatever you like.”
“Wait, really, Big brother?”
“Yeah. I’ve got the funds, so don’t hold back.”
I had the money I’d earned in the dungeon, and Father had secretly slipped me some spending money before we left. He probably wouldn't have been so generous if I were going out alone.
Plus, I felt like showing off a little as an older brother.
“Score! Then thank you for the treat, Daiki-san!”
“Yeah, don’t be shy. But only as much as you can actually finish.”
“I know!”
After thanking me, Saori-chan began flipping through the menu. Mika followed suit, and the two of them began happily scrutinizing their options.
“Decided yet?”
“Yeah. I’ll have the drink bar and this, Big brother.”
“I’ll have the drink bar and this too, please.”
“Okay, I’ll call the server.”
I pressed the red call button at the edge of the table. A light chime echoed through the restaurant, and a server came over a moment later.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Yes. Three drink bars, plus this, this, and this.”
“Understood. The drink bar is self-service, so please feel free to help yourselves. Your food will be out in a moment.”
After the server left, I told the girls I’d stay and watch our things while they went to get their drinks first. They left their bags on their chairs and headed for the drink station.
Once they were gone, I pulled my smartphone out of the sleeve of my nagajuban and checked the news. One headline caught my eye—an article about the development of a room-temperature superconductor.
“Let’s see… ‘Kikuchi Laboratory at TOKYO University of Technology succeeds in creating a room-temperature superconductor. Drop items produced in dungeons were the catalyst for the breakthrough’... huh.”
Wasn't this the biggest invention since Core Crystal power generation?
I scrolled down and read further. Apparently, by synthesizing Mithril dropped in dungeons with silver and several other substances, a room-temperature superconductor had been completed. Since it maintained a superconductive state in temperatures below 300K, it was expected to have revolutionary applications across multiple fields.
But man, Mithril… fantasy materials had finally made their debut. I guess it came out as a first-drop bonus? Actually, there was no other way to get it right now. Even though I killed slimes every day, I hadn't seen any fictional metals like Mithril yet. From what I’d gathered through online reports, items dropped the first time a monster was defeated in a dungeon were almost always high-tier rare items, even if the specific type was random. There were gold bars in America, massive diamonds in Russia, Mithril in Japan, and my own Appraisal Analysis skill scroll… Even my Appraisal Analysis was a high-performance skill with disproportionately good EP efficiency for an initial drop. Mithril was likely something that would normally only drop in the deepest floors of a dungeon.
Well, it was ten to one that it was bait to attract people to the dungeons. High risk, high reward—it really was a modern-day gold rush.
“Sorry for the wait, Big brother.”
“Thanks for watching our seats, Daiki-san. You should go get your drink now.”
I looked up from my phone to see the two of them holding cups in both hands. Mika had brought back cocoa and orange juice, while Saori-chan had a cafe latte and cola.
“Okay, I’ll head over. If the food comes while I’m gone, go ahead and start.”
“Okay.”
“Will do!”
I tucked my phone back into my sleeve and stood up.
When I returned with a coffee and a mixed juice from the drink bar, our orders were already on the table. A pancake for Mika, French toast for Saori-chan, and a cheesecake for me. They all looked delicious.
The two of them had already started eating, so I sat down and took a sip of my coffee. Yeah, that hit the spot. There’s nothing like a hot drink when you’re chilled to the bone.
“By the way, Daiki-san?”
“Hmm? What is it, Saori-chan?”
“I heard from Mika-chan that you’ve been going into the dungeons, right?”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise and turned my gaze toward Mika. Noticing my look, Mika wore a sheepish expression and averted her eyes.
Sigh… I guess it couldn't be helped.
I turned back to Saori-chan and gave a small nod.
“Yeah. I’ve been going into the dungeons.”
“I knew it! So, can I ask you about them?!”
“Well…”
Seeing Saori-chan leaning forward with intense curiosity, I wasn’t sure how to handle it.
When I looked at Mika again for backup, I saw her with her hands pressed together, bowing her head in a silent plea… hey, wait!
“Please, Daiki-san. Even when I ask Mika-chan, she won't tell me much about your dungeon stories.”
“Heh, is that so?”
…I see. Mika probably wasn't sure how much of what I’d told her was okay to share with Saori-chan. It was a difficult subject, after all. But that didn't mean she could just dump the whole explanation on me!
I looked at Mika again, but she remained in that same bowing pose.
Sigh, how was I going to explain this to her…?
I’ve heard they don’t actually put Great Misfortune in New Year’s fortunes, but I wonder if that’s actually true.