“Troubles in love… are actually quite simple to handle.”
The Fortune Teller turned her back, holding a wooden rod that pressed against her spine, forcing her to straighten her usually hunched posture, resulting in a somewhat awkward stance.
I had wanted to accept the label of ‘love’ naturally, but when I thought about Gu Fan’s ambiguous attitude towards me, and my own desire for him that went beyond mere friendship, I found myself hesitating.
“We’re not really in a relationship yet… At most, it’s just me harboring some not-so-good feelings unilaterally. He hasn’t even admitted I’m his girlfriend.”
“That doesn’t matter. If you weren’t a couple just now, from this moment on, you can be.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Literally what I said. If you want to win a man’s heart, you have to start with yourself first.”
I furrowed my brows in confusion. The Fortune Teller turned around, lifted a finger, and began shaking it rhythmically, nodding her head with a poetic cadence reminiscent of ancient verses.
“First, adjust your mindset. You must be the outstanding woman who will surely become his wife. Even if other girls are better than you in many ways, they can’t break your determination to completely conquer your boyfriend. After all, you’re a catgirl—a very special Black Cat. Even if you can’t directly outmatch your rivals, you can always sneakily trip them up with little tricks…”
Her expression was serious, but her mouth fired off a rapid stream of practical advice like a machine gun. It almost sounded like she was saying things she shouldn’t.
My mind wasn’t the sharpest. Even with my cat ears perked straight up, fully concentrating on recording every word the Fortune Teller said, I still couldn’t catch it all.
When she grew tired of talking and stopped to take out a grimy bottle of mineral water from a sack-like leather bag hanging at her waist, gulping it down, I looked up from typing on my phone and asked,
“Could you say that again?”
“Huh?”
The Fortune Teller choked on her water before she finished drinking, coughing several times and wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her black robe.
Then, she composed herself, lightly tapped the wooden rod on the floor, and said,
“The free part is over. Now comes the payment.”
“How much? Fifty yuan?”
“One hundred yuan.”
“…”
At the mention of the price, I immediately turned off my phone screen and slipped it into my skirt pocket.
Although conquering Gu Fan was the most important thing to me, I couldn’t accept the Fortune Teller’s sudden price hike.
I had originally planned to buy some comforting words, but rather than handing over money to a stranger, I could use it to buy more food to fill my stomach or get Gu Fan some electronics he liked.
But… the money I’d saved over the past six months from part-time jobs was enough to indulge myself a little. Spending a bit more on these mental pacifiers wouldn’t be a loss if they helped even a little.
I turned to leave, ready to walk out. Having grown up observing my mother’s negotiations, I had learned a thing or two about reading merchants.
Just as expected, after I used this tactic, the Fortune Teller hurriedly circled back to me with an apologetic smile.
“Oh, why didn’t you try bargaining with me? It must be really unpleasant to bring your troubles home, right? My prices are already very reasonable. Other people charge way more.”
Her hands danced as if performing a ritual, her fingers waving incessantly while she spilled a stream of watery excuses.
“Expelling evil spirits drains a lot of energy. Raising my prices a bit is unavoidable. If I don’t eat well, I won’t have the strength for the next job.”
“…”
Seeing her try so hard to explain, I sighed helplessly and silently transferred the hundred yuan. Upon hearing the satisfying notification of successful payment, her tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, like hot water poured over tea leaves, her smile blossoming amidst the rising steam.
The Fortune Teller’s skill at charging money far surpassed her fortune-telling techniques, and a pang of unease crept into my heart.
I reassured myself that next time, I wouldn’t waste money on intangible metaphysics. But it was too late this time—might as well listen to what this black-robed catgirl who had just fooled me once had to say.
She put the water bottle back into her bag, cleared her throat, adjusted her slipping sunglasses, and began to examine me seriously.
Her gaze was sharp—even behind those shades, I felt waves of discomfort ripple across my body, like someone tickling me with a delicate feather.
This feeling was similar to the red-eyed catgirl with disheveled hair I had imagined in the bathroom mirror a few days ago, except that catgirl, who looked almost identical to me, seemed eager to take my place.
But this Fortune Teller, a Black Catgirl in her early thirties, was simply searching for something within me.
“Hmph, this is troublesome. So this is how you’ve been… Interesting.”
Could it be that professionals of the occult always speak in such cryptic ways?
Unease spread deeper in my heart as I gripped the strap of my school bag, ready to run at the first sign of danger. The hundred yuan would just count as another loss to the Fortune Teller’s tricks.
Thankfully, she didn’t take too long to make her point. She nodded meaningfully and asked,
“The boy you love dearly—he’s had a serious illness before, hasn’t he?”
“!!! Y-Yes… but the doctor said he’s cured now.”
Surprise surged from my chest upward. I bit my lip hard to suppress it, doing my best to keep my tone normal as I answered her question.
As far as I remembered, I hadn’t mentioned Gu Fan’s incurable illness in my previous fortune-telling conversation—only that I wanted to attend his birthday party.
Could it be that this Fortune Teller really had some genuine ability?
Ignoring for now the fact that she called Gu Fan “the boy you love dearly,” I stepped forward as if grabbing a lifeline.
“Will he get that illness again? When? Is it serious? How can it be cured? If it’s true, I have to hurry back and be with him, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. No… I should just die with him.”
Unconsciously, I turned into a babbling crazy catgirl, venting all the negative feelings I’d bottled up for days.
Then I realized how improper I looked in front of a stranger, so I stepped back two paces and bowed apologetically to the smiling Fortune Teller.
“Sorry… I lost control of my emotions and offended you.”
“Oh dear, it’s no big deal. I’m old enough not to care about such things, and besides, you’re doing quite well right now.”
“Hm?”
She crossed her arms leisurely and said, “What you lack is the courage to risk everything. Don’t be timid. Since you like him, just boldly go after him. There’s no need to care about what others think.”
“… Does that really work?”
I instinctively wanted to find an excuse to argue, but after opening my mouth repeatedly, I couldn’t think of a better method. I couldn’t exactly pray for Gu Fan to take the initiative to ask me out—that would be too shameless.