“Oh my, I was terrified when Nomili was giving you a hard time. I was so afraid you’d get angry and beat her to a pulp with a spiked mace~”
The blue-haired girl flashed a mischievous, devilish smile, making Yuriko break into a cold sweat.
‘How does she know what I was thinking? Is it mind reading?’
Yuriko’s mind was a mess, but she maintained her outward composure.
‘What if this is just a coincidence?’
“Haha, your joke is quite funny. How could I do something so violent to a classmate?”
Yuriko feigned calmness while observing the blue-haired girl’s expression.
The blue-haired girl didn’t drop her suspicions because of Yuriko’s words.
She merely looked at Yuriko meaningfully and said, “True, but I’d much rather see that kind of development. Beating up a brainless classmate on the first day of school is way more interesting than this dull progression~”
Faced with the blue-haired girl’s teasing, Yuriko could only offer an awkward laugh.
She thought she had performed perfectly, so why was she seen through the very first time they met?
Just as Yuriko was feeling cornered, Kalmira finally intervened in their conversation, speaking to the blue-haired girl.
“Miss Yuri, please stop teasing the new student. She just joined the class, and you’re making things difficult for her.”
The girl called Yuri—Astraea Yuri—rested her chin on her hand.
She continued to examine Yuriko with an interested gaze, though she gave a polite reply.
“I know, I know. It’s just a reaction to seeing a new classmate~”
‘Are you really only happy because there’s a new student?!’
Yuriko seriously suspected that this Yuri wasn’t interested in her as a person, but rather in the secrets she carried.
Based on her performance just now, she had clearly discovered something!
After advising Yuri, Kalmira introduced her to Yuriko.
“Ruri, this is Astraea Yuri from the Stargazer Tower. Though she teases people from time to time, she isn’t bad at heart.”
‘Looking at her behavior, where exactly is the “not bad” part?’
Still, the Stargazer Tower?
Yuriko immediately asked Hwanling for information regarding the organization.
[The Stargazer Tower is an organization established by the direct disciples of the Sage. Its members are well-versed in divination, capable of calculating fortune and misfortune and observing destiny, meow.]
Upon hearing Hwanling’s answer, Yuriko felt her scalp tingle.
‘How is there a fortune teller among my classmates?! Does that mean my secrets are about to be exposed?’
“Hello, Miss Astraea… Since you’re from the Stargazer Tower, are you very skilled in astrology?”
Yuriko still held a sliver of hope.
What if this Miss Yuri just happened to be from the tower but didn’t know the craft?
However, Yuri’s answer was about to disappoint her.
“Just call me Yuri. Using my last name feels too stiff. As for your question—teehee—I’ve known astrology since birth. Although I’m young, my skills are only slightly inferior to the Tower Master’s~”
After hearing Yuri’s answer, Yuriko’s heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.
Although she didn’t know how powerful the Master of the Stargazer Tower was, as the leader of an organization founded by a disciple of a legendary Sage, they certainly wouldn’t be weak.
But it wasn’t certain.
What if she couldn’t calculate specific details?
Yuriko decided to test her.
“That’s amazing. Then, can Miss Yuri tell what I’m thinking right now?”
Yuri stared intently at Yuriko for a moment.
With a serious expression, she nodded.
“Mhm, I see…”
Yuriko’s heart tightened. ‘Can she really tell?’
Yuri folded her arms, closing her eyes in deep thought for a moment.
Then, she opened them, spreading her palms playfully.
“Just kidding! Astrology isn’t that miraculous~”
‘Then what were you posing for just now!’
Yuriko now understood what Kalmira meant by “teasing people from time to time.”
She had only just met this girl and had already been played several times.
‘This girl is truly wicked!’
“However, I can see that your destiny is very interesting, Miss Ruri. You definitely have many fascinating secrets hidden on you~”
Yuri suddenly added that sentence, causing Yuriko’s heart, which had just settled, to leap back into her throat.
‘Does this mean she can see I have secrets, but doesn’t know specifically what they are?’
If it was just that, it was fine.
As long as she wasn’t directly exposed, there was no problem.
It seemed Yuri’s first comment had been a coincidence, though considering her status as an astrologer, she might have sensed Yuriko’s impulsive urge to punch someone at that moment.
She needed to be on guard against this Yuri.
If possible, it would be best to avoid contact with her.
“I’m just an ordinary girl. I don’t have any secrets. Getting in here was just good luck, not worth your attention, Miss Yuri.”
“Teehee~ Just ‘good luck’~?”
Yuri’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Obviously, she didn’t believe Yuriko’s “luck” for a second.
“I’m quite curious about just how good Miss Ruri’s luck is to be a transfer student here.”
Although Yuri didn’t say it explicitly, Yuriko could hear the underlying meaning: I don’t believe a word of your nonsense. I’m going to stick to you until I figure out your secrets!
“Miss Yuri is quite interesting.”
In the end, that was the only response Yuriko could squeeze out.
“Heehee, you’re the one who’s more interesting, Miss Ruri~”
Yuriko ended the conversation and turned back to listen to Avier on the podium discussing this year’s arrangements.
‘Sigh, what a bad start.’
She sighed in her heart.
‘How did I get targeted as soon as I got here?’
‘Hwanling, is there any way to block her prying?’
[There is, meow. The stronger you are, the greater the price others must pay to use astrology to spy on you. So, you just need to work hard to become stronger and raise your status. Then she won’t dare to use astrology on you so casually.]
Although Hwanling gave her a method, it was no different from saying nothing.
‘Isn’t there a more practical, more efficient way? For example, an item or a magic spell that blocks prying? I’m in a precarious position right now!’
[Items with that kind of function are very rare, meow. I do have a spell to shroud fate, however. With your aptitude, you could master it in three to five years.]
‘I’ll be a skeleton in a graveyard by then!’
[That is already considered fast. Someone else might not be able to learn it in a lifetime, meow.]
Yuriko knew she currently had no good way to block someone’s divinations.
The only silver lining was that Yuri couldn’t directly figure out her identity as a mobster—or perhaps she had, but for some reason, she hadn’t spoken up.
Yuriko had never encountered a girl as quirky as Yuri, making it difficult to guess her thoughts.
‘She’s so hard to understand.’