"Oh?"
Questioned again? Were these stuck-up bitches treating him like some run-of-the-mill street swindler?
Victor raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze towards the new arrivals with a predatory glint in his eyes. Immediately, the silver ripple panel shimmered before his vision.
[Yukinoshita Haruno]
[Age: 18.666 years old]
[Occupation: University Student]
[Fate: Aikido (Blue), Prospers Husband (Light Green).]
[Lifespan: 69 years old]
[Status: Lazy (Scheming)]
Hmm, okay. Interesting.
[Yukinoshita Yukino]
[Age: 16.333 years old]
[Occupation: High School Student]
[Fate: Aikido (Green), Prospers Husband (Light Red), Bloody Disaster (White).]
[Lifespan: 77 years old]
[Status: Dissatisfied (Intensely complaining internally).]
...So it was these two. Victor propped his chin on his hand, settling into a mock-pensive pose. He knew quite a bit about the Yukinoshita sisters from his past life's anime binge. Haruno, the 'perfect' older sister with a hidden sadistic streak and a notorious sister complex. Yukino, the ice queen with a prickly exterior hiding... well, a lot of issues, apparently including an impending "Bloody Disaster."
They should be relatively easy to handle. Exploit their family drama? Check. Play on Haruno's protective nature (and maybe her... unique affection for Yukino)? Double check.
His mouth curved into a sly, mischievous smile. He was just about to drop a perfectly crafted line when a pair of slender, white hands suddenly reached out and grasped his palm. The slight tremble in her touch showed the other party's sheer, unadulterated excitement.
This sudden development not only stopped Victor in his tracks but also caused the two Yukinoshita sisters, along with the entire gathered crowd, to pause and stare.
"Master, thank you so much for this! I don't have much money on me right now, please take this for now!"
The girl with the hexagram eyes, Hoshino Ai, looked utterly grateful, her eyes sparkling with the relief of a near-fatal escape. The dozen or so green bills crumpled in her hand were unceremoniously stuffed into Victor's stunned grasp.
Then, completely ignoring the gaping onlookers and the fuming Onmyoji, she bowed deeply, several times, to Victor. She had genuinely believed him. He had just saved her from potentially marrying a literal walking death flag and dying a miserable, regret-filled death.
"Master, my agent is rushing me back! Can I... can I add your contact info?" The girl asked excitedly, already pulling out her phone.
"Maybe next time," Victor said with a helpless smile. He still didn't have a phone in this world, let alone a damn contact number. This was a classic transmigration oversight!
"Okay! See you next time, Master!" She wasn't discouraged in the slightest. A vibrant, dazzling smile bloomed on her face as she gave a playful, two-fingered wave. "If you're interested, you can follow me on Twitter! I'm an idol, you know~!"
With that, the fifteen-year-old future legend turned and practically skipped away towards the city center, leaving a trail of glittering stardust (and confusion) in her wake. She had a suddenly brighter, longer future to think about now.
[From Hoshino Ai's Conviction, Divine Authority Gems +0.51]
Fuck yeah! This wave of belief, of genuine conviction in his 'prophecy,' instantly pushed his total Divine Authority Gems past the one-point mark. Sweet!
Victor glanced down at the crumpled wad of Japanese Yen in his hand. Seventeen hundred Yen.
He'd earned that much in less than five minutes of spouting verified facts from a System panel.
Holy shit, being a divine charlatan is truly goddamn profitable!
His immediate food situation was instantly resolved. Ramen for dinner? Hell yes.
After dealing with Hoshino Ai's unexpected gratitude and subsequent dash for freedom, Victor raised an eyebrow and looked towards the front of the now even larger crowd, his gaze settling on the poised, black short-haired beauty.
"Miss Yukinoshita, do you have a question?"
SWISH!
In an instant, every single eye in the park seemed to snap towards the Yukinoshita sisters, gazes filled with burning curiosity and utter disbelief.
He called out a stranger's name again. Just by looking at her.
This wasn't an act. This wasn't a shill. This was... something else entirely.
"Impressive."
Yukinoshita Haruno, despite her outward composure, was inwardly startled. Her eyes, usually sharp and calculating, were fixed on the towering figure in the shimmering, ancient-looking robes.
She had walked over fully expecting to expose a charlatan, a con artist milking gullible people. She'd assumed the girl who just left was a professional actress hired to provide a convincing demonstration.
But now... she felt a prickle of genuine surprise, a knot of uncertainty tightening in her stomach.
He actually knew her surname? How the hell?
If she hadn't been standing right here, experiencing this firsthand, Haruno would definitely suspect she was part of the setup too.
However, the poise and cultivation honed through years of navigating the treacherous waters of high society and familial politics allowed Haruno to maintain her composure. A small, confident smile played on her lips as she shook a single, perfectly manicured finger.
"The one I want to ask about isn't me, Master. It's... her."
She smiled gracefully, gesturing towards the calm-eyed, noticeably flat-chested girl standing silently beside her.
"Ah, Miss Yukino?" Victor acknowledged, his eyes briefly flicking over the younger sister.
As the name 'Yukino' left his lips, the flat-chested girl beside Haruno visibly stiffened, a flicker of shock crossing her usually impassive face.
Knowing her older sister, Haruno, who was practically a minor celebrity within their social circle and constantly attending official events, was one thing. Someone could potentially look her up, gather information.
But her? Yukino? She was just an unknown high school student. She actively avoided attention. How could he possibly know this? Did he investigate her too? It was impossible to do it that quickly, that thoroughly.
Under the intense, curious gaze of the entire crowd, Victor paused for a moment, then offered another calm smile.
"Miss Yukino, it is not advisable for you to travel or engage in risky activities recently. Your fate currently shows you will encounter a bloody disaster."
There it is. The Bloody Disaster fate. Time to exploit Haruno's notorious weakness.
"Master, while I'm not entirely sure how you seem to know our names..." Haruno's smile slowly receded, replaced by a slight frown. Her tone, though still light, held an undeniable edge of warning. "...this is not something to joke about."
Instantly, the atmosphere grew tense. The surrounding crowd, previously buzzing with excitement, fell silent, sensing the shift from curious amusement to potential confrontation.
Just as I expected, Victor thought inwardly, a smirk hidden by his sleeve. This is exactly what you, you damn sister-complex pervert, care about.
"I wouldn't joke around in a place like this," he said, his voice even, his demeanor completely composed and at ease. His gaze was fixed directly on the slightly displeased black short-haired beauty before him.
Then, he went for the jugular, starting with publicly verifiable facts to establish credibility, before diving into the juicy, private stuff.
"Yukinoshita Haruno. Born on July 7th. Your father is a prefectural assembly member."
Immediately, under the hyper-focused gazes of everyone present, the corner of Haruno's mouth curved into a mocking, 'I knew it' arc.
The Yukinoshita family was prominent. Anyone with halfway decent connections or research skills could certainly dig up this much information.
However...
His next words instantly made her lose her carefully constructed composure.
"Your interests include horseback riding, reading, and traveling. You are skilled in all forms of housework and proficient in all academic subjects. You are also highly skilled in Aikido. Your favorite coffee is Guatemalan, and your spirit animal is the lion."
Victor spoke unhurriedly, listing details that went far beyond public records, reciting the information displayed on his hidden system panel with perfect composure. The crowd gasped softly. This level of detail...
Then, he smiled, that same knowing, slightly wicked smile. And he dropped the bomb.
"You appear indifferent, perhaps even distant, towards your sister, Yukino. But in reality, you harbor a severe, undeniable sister-complex. Even within the confines of your dear sister's own room, you occasionally indulge in... shall we say, activities that leave little doubt about the depth of your passionate affection for your sibling."
The implication hung heavy in the air, thick with suggestion and scandal. The crowd's collective intake of breath was almost audible. The Onmyoji's eyes practically popped out.
"Wait!"
Haruno's perfect facade shattered completely. Her eyes widened in genuine panic, her expression anxious, and she quickly reached out a hand to interrupt, her voice sharp.
If he kept digging like this, every embarrassing, private, deeply fucked-up secret of her sister-obsessed life would be laid bare for the entire damn park!
[From Itou Makoto's Conviction, Divine Authority Gems +0.11!] (Wait, the School Days guy? What the hell is HE doing here?! And trusting ME?!)
[From Yamagami Tetsuya's Conviction, Divine Authority Gems +0.02!]
[From Kimura Ryuji's Conviction, Divine Authority Gems +0.03!] (Who the hell is Kimura Ryuji? Doesn't matter, gems!)
The observing bystanders were absolutely reeling. This was too much! This was too real! He was pulling out details no one should possibly know, details that painted a picture that was... wild.
"Master, I'd like to ask..." someone from the crowd started, emboldened by the sheer spectacle.
But they were cut off by a sharp, urgent voice.
"Master!"
Haruno had gone pale, biting her upper lip. Her eyes, fixed on Victor, were filled with a sudden, intense tension that replaced the earlier amusement and suspicion. She swallowed hard.
"Is there any way for my sister to avoid this bloody disaster?"
She had backed down. Completely. Defeated not by force, but by the terrifying accuracy of a man who could see into the deepest, most private corners of her existence, including the parts she desperately kept hidden.
This mysterious Master in the glittering Hagoromo robes had just threatened to reveal her most embarrassing, dark, sister-loving secrets to the entire park.
How could anyone's 'fortune-telling' possibly calculate a person's personality, their specific hobbies, their exact family background, their date of birth...
And even knowing such hidden, deeply personal, frankly disturbing things... It was too outrageous! It defied all logic!
Haruno didn't completely trust the 'bloody disaster' he mentioned. It still sounded like sensationalist bullshit. But if there was even a chance that something truly went wrong with Yukino, something bloody, she would regret not asking, not doing something, for the rest of her damn life. Her sister complex, her deepest vulnerability, had just been expertly targeted and exploited.