The results of the fortune-telling left me and the senior who performed it staring at each other with unreadable expressions. I had gradually increased my hypothetical budget on the premise that buying cheap would only lead to a waste of money, but I never imagined I’d have to raise it tenfold from the starting point.
"So, uh... how do I put this? I feel a bit awkward asking, but what exactly are you planning to buy?"
"Haha... just something big, with a price range that varies wildly based on quality."
I couldn't exactly tell him straight out that I was looking to buy a mountain, so I kept my answer vague. Even if I had been honest, the senior probably wouldn't have known how to react anyway.
As I dodged the question, the senior let out a short, "I see," looking slightly sheepish. He likely felt he had pried too rudely into my personal business.
"Well, whatever it is, it seems you’d be better off setting aside a decent budget, at least according to these results."
"It seems so. Since the cards keep shooting down my current plans, I'll definitely have to reconsider the numbers."
"Right. But remember, fortune-telling is just fortune-telling, okay? How much you take to heart is up to you—it's not absolute. It’s fine to use it as a reference for your actions, but make sure you think for yourself before you move."
"Understood. Thank you very much."
I gave a polite bow to the senior and stood up, casting one last glance at the desk where the cards had been cleared away. He told me to use it as a reference, but with results this blatant, there was definitely room for a "budget adjustment."
To be fair, while the properties I’d been shown so far met our basic criteria, they were all difficult cases. They were either in locations with terrible access, or they were saddled with abandoned mines and dungeons...
"The budget, huh...? I guess I'll consult with the other two later."
During the previous property viewings, I’d had a nagging feeling that we needed more capital; now, I was ready to consider it seriously. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—I had a source of funds I could allocate to the purchase, so increasing the budget itself wasn't an issue.
Even if I didn't go all the way to ten times the original amount as the cards suggested, some kind of increase was probably for the best.
"Now then, shall I go take a look at the second-year attractions?"
I left the House of Fortune-Telling and departed from the third-year floor.
Descending the stairs, I returned to the hallway where the second-year classrooms were located. Since this was my own grade, I had a general idea of what the other classes were doing. I’d often heard them prepping while I passed by after school.
After a quick check on my own class's cafe, I began to wander, peering into the other rooms.
"It’s lively enough, but it feels a bit... lonely, somehow."
Just like the attractions for the other grades, there were plenty of guests and the student clerks were enthusiastically calling out to passersby, yet something felt missing. It was the "heat"—the passion. Compared to the first-years who were fired up for their first school festival and the third-years for their last, the second-years seemed a bit more subdued.
As I walked along, a familiar face called out to me.
"Hm? Oh, Kokonoe! Long time no see. Are you touring the stalls right now?"
"Oh, Tanaka-kun. Yeah, long time no see. I’m on my break, so I’m just looking around."
The person who had stopped me was Tanaka-kun, who seemed to be working as a barker for his class. He was a guy I’d been in the same class with until last year. Since the classes were shuffled, we hadn't had much interaction.
That said, we had spent our entire first year in the same room. When we ran into each other, we still chatted like normal.
"I see. Well, why don't you check out our attraction? It's open right now."
"Is that so? What are you guys doing?"
"Us? We're doing handmade crafts. You make a small accessory and take it home with you."
"A crafting booth, huh... That sounds like it might take some time."
Handmade goods usually required a fair commitment. I’d already seen a lot, and my free time was starting to run low.
As I hesitated, Tanaka-kun offered a compromise.
"Even though it's crafting, it's just a simple keychain. The easiest version is just taking a pre-cut piece of wood we've prepared, coloring it, and then attaching the hardware and a strap."
"I see. In that case, it shouldn't take too long."
"Think of it as a souvenir for the school festival."
Based on Tanaka-kun's explanation, it didn't seem like it would eat up my whole break, so I decided to accept the invitation.
Entering the classroom, I saw several corners set up, divided by the type of item being made. I asked Tanaka-kun where I should go.
"So, where do I start?"
"Oh, that desk over there is the keychain corner. I'll go let them know, just wait a sec."
Tanaka-kun quickly moved to a desk at the back-right of the classroom to speak with a female student in charge.
The conversation wrapped up in less than a minute, and Tanaka-kun gestured for me to come over.
"Kokonoe, you're all set."
"Thanks."
"Yeah, have fun."
With that, Tanaka-kun went back to the front of the classroom to resume his recruiting duties.
I gave a slight nod and greeted the girl in charge of the corner.
"Nice to meet you."
"I heard from Tanaka-kun. You don't have much free time left, right? Let's get right into the explanation."
"Please."
With the greetings out of the way, the tutorial began. The girl took several pieces of wood out of a box under the desk and showed them to me.
"First, please pick one of these."
"Based on the silhouettes... we have a dolphin, a turtle, a bird, a panda, a dog, and a horse?"
"Exactly. Once you pick the base, you'll color it with markers, apply a protective film to the surface, and then attach the hardware and strap. It's quite simple, but your personality really comes through in the colors."
"Coloring, huh... Its simplicity makes it a real test of taste."
I inspected the wood pieces as I listened. Each piece was a simple rectangle about the size of a large eraser. The animal silhouettes weren't drawn on, but seemed to be branded into the wood.
As I curiously traced the marks, the girl explained.
"Oh, those? They're laser-engraved. A nearby home center has a laser engraver available for rent in their workshop corner."
"Laser-engraved... That’s a lot of effort."
"Not really. Once you've set it up, it engraves them automatically, so mass-producing them was easy."
"I see."
I occasionally saw things like that on DIY shows, but I hadn't realized there was a place nearby where you could do that. My class was running a cafe; if we’d made custom signs like this, it might have added more to the atmosphere.
I traced the scorched marks on the wood, feeling a slight pang of regret for our own decor.
"Go ahead and pick your favorite."
"Let's see... I'll go with the dog."
"The dog, then?"
"Yeah."
As I picked up the wood piece with the dog silhouette, the girl put the others away to clear the workspace. Next, she brought out a box of markers and a sheet of coloring samples.
"These are the markers, and here are some examples of finished keychains."
"Heh... these are all quite unique."
"We made those flashy on purpose—to show that it's okay to go for a unique look. Without some bold examples, people tend to hesitate and play it safe."
"I can understand that. Even when you're told to do whatever you like, you can't help but worry about what's 'normal'..."
The samples included a camouflage-patterned dolphin and a dog in black and yellow warning stripes. Some of the designs were so wild I wondered why anyone would choose them. But seeing them definitely made me feel like any kind of coloring would be acceptable.
"Oh, and the back is engraved with commemorative text, so please only color the front."
"Text on the back?"
I flipped the wood piece over. Sure enough, it was engraved with: XXth School Festival, Class 2-5 Production.
"I see. This makes it clear exactly when and where it was made."
"Since it’s a souvenir, we thought it would be better to leave a record of where it came from."
"True. After some time passes, you might look at it and wonder what it was. Having it in writing is a nice touch."
"Yes. Well then, let's begin."
I picked up a white marker and quickly began coloring. I’d seen the varied samples, but an orthodox color scheme felt like the safest bet. If I went with something too weird, I’d probably just end up throwing it away once I got home. To keep it as a decoration for the long term, a standard look was best.
"Oh? You're not going for an adventure like the samples?"
"Safe is best. Even if I tried to be unique, I don't have the kind of artistic sense that would impress anyone."
As we chatted, I finished the job in less than five minutes. My design was simple: a white dog with a red collar.
"Safe, indeed... It lacks a bit of excitement."
"Safe is fine. So, what's next?"
"We apply a protective film to keep the color from rubbing off. Since it's wood, we could have used varnish, but we can't exactly tell guests to wait for it to dry."
"True. Varnish would take way too long."
A wooden keychain sticky with half-dry varnish would be a nightmare to carry around a festival.
"Right? So we use the protective film instead. Here. It’s already cut to the size of the wood, so just align the corners and stick it on."
"It's pre-cut? Thanks."
As I took the piece of film, my expression clouded. I was notoriously bad at this. Even when putting a protector on my phone, I’d have to redo it multiple times only to end up with a screen full of bubbles.
Carefully aligning the corners, I pressed it onto the surface. I felt like I’d used more concentration on this than anything else today.
"There, it’s on."
"Then finally, screw in the hook and thread the strap through, and you're done."
She handed me a screw-eye hook, a strap, and a pair of pliers.
I used the pliers to twist the hardware into the top of the keychain. Thanks to my explorer-honed physical abilities, screwing in the hook took only a few seconds without much effort. I threaded the strap through, and the keychain was complete.
"Phew, finished."
"Good job. It turned out pretty well, didn't it?"
"Didn't you say it lacked excitement?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. You must be imagining things."
She had a sharp tongue.
As we chatted for a bit while critiquing the finished keychain, the girl let out a small sigh.
"Is something wrong?"
"No... it’s just, you’re as gentle a person as Tanaka-kun said you were."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, you’re the person who performed like that at the sports festival, right? To someone who doesn't know you, it was pretty nerve-wracking. I was worried you might be short-tempered or something."
Apparently, my own classmates considered me a high-risk individual.
Well, that appeal demonstration had been intended to intimidate Hisashi Goto and his group, so I had intentionally made it aggressive and flashy. Even from an explorer's perspective, I would be someone to watch out for; it was only natural that a regular student would find me scary.
"For someone so worried, you were teasing me quite a bit, weren't you?"
"I was gauging your reactions as I went. But we hadn't heard any bad rumors about you before that display, and Tanaka-kun—who was in your class—said you'd be fine, so I figured I could get away with a little teasing."
"Haha..."
At the very least, my "dangerous person" label seemed to have been lifted for her. However, judging by this reaction, there were likely plenty of others who remained wary of us—especially the first and third-years who had no regular contact with me.
While I had completely achieved my goal in terms of deterrence, now that the mass withdrawal incident was over, it might be a good idea to try and clear up the misunderstanding at some point.
When there's little personal interaction, people tend to judge someone's entire character based on a single, intense event.