Entering the shop, Qin Yu had expected the stereotypical fortune-teller's decor, but to her surprise, it featured exotic foreign styles.
"It seems the owner is quite fond of Sumeru's culture," Keqing observed.
So, these are all Sumeru items?
Come to think of it, Qin Yu realized she had never left Liyue in her life. Though there hadn't been any need to travel abroad.
"Not just fond, I was born in Sumeru."
Whoa!? The sudden voice behind her startled Qin Yu.
Turning around, she saw a woman standing there.
"Welcome, welcome! Are both of you here for a reading?"
Keqing crossed her arms and shook her head. "I don't need one. Even if fortune-telling could predict the future, we still have to take practical steps. The outcome ultimately depends on our actions. Whether or not we consult a fortune-teller makes little difference."
Qin Yu thought, That's exactly what Keqing would say. While her logic was sound, her final remark seemed a bit prejudiced—and far too blunt.
Isn't fortune-telling how fortune-tellers make a living? Denying it so harshly... Qin Yu couldn't help but glance at the fortune-teller.
"Ugh! I'm angry now! Fortune-telling is not some trivial thing. Come here—I'll give you a reading first!"
I knew it would come to this, Qin Yu thought.
Keqing exclaimed in surprise, "Me?"
How did it come to this? I didn't even say anything wrong, Keqing thought, feeling a headache coming on. This is exactly why I dislike these places.
Whether it was human divination or Adeptus Clan fortune-telling, she cared nothing for it.
Even if Rex Lapis himself came to divine her fate, she wouldn't accept a single word of it!
With that thought, Keqing brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow. "Fine, let's have this divination. I'm curious to see what conclusions you'll draw."
Wait a minute, I was the one who wanted to come here. Why is Keqing getting her fortune told first?
Still, Keqing's divination results would be quite intriguing. Well, I guess I'll let her go ahead.
"This way, please!" the diviner huffed.
The diviner sat at one end of the table, with Qin Yu and Keqing taking seats across from her, one behind the other.
"What would you like divined? Love, health, or career fortune? Let me tell you, I excel in all of them!" the diviner declared proudly.
Keqing had no interest in any of these.
"None, really. Love? I have no such inclinations, nor can I imagine myself falling in love with anyone. Health? I've always maintained excellent physical condition. I may not live to be a hundred, but I'm confident my health won't deteriorate significantly."
"Career? One must naturally pursue that with their own hands. Besides, my ideals are inevitably intertwined with the unknown and the perilous. I've long accepted this, so there's no need to ask."
Whoa, quite the three-no-questions approach!
No questions about love, health, or career—doesn't that mean I'll have no fun at all... and know nothing about her?!
This won't do.
Qin Yu realized she couldn't let this continue. Even if Keqing was reluctant, she could at least pick one at random.
Before the diviner blew her top, Qin Yu quickly suggested, "Then, how about we ask about your love luck?"
Keqing shot her a puzzled look. "Why?"
You're asking me why? Well, this one just sounds the most interesting! Of course, she couldn't say that aloud.
In situations like this, you had to play it smart.
"I'm curious to know what kind of person Keqing would end up with if she fell in love," Qin Yu explained, feigning genuine curiosity.
Keqing frowned, looking troubled. "What's so curious about that...? But fine, let's go with that."
"Love luck, is it? Very well. Just a moment~"
The diviner closed her eyes and fell into a deep silence.
It's already started? Such a simple and direct method of divination. Can this even work? Qin Yu thought skeptically. Suddenly, she lost all interest in having her fortune read.
"...Umm." The fortune-teller opened her eyes.
Umm?
".....Umm, umm."
Huh?
The fortune-teller turned to Keqing and stated bluntly, "Your romantic partner will have a hard time."
Wow. Qin Yu blinked.
Keqing exclaimed in surprise, "A hard time? How could that be! Even if I were to fall in love—which is highly unlikely—I would never... force them to work with me. Everyone has their own ambitions; I would never demand anything of them."
Ignoring Keqing's protests, the fortune-teller continued, "Also, your romantic partner... is a..."
"A?" Keqing asked, her curiosity piqued.
So she's still curious after all, Qin Yu thought dryly.
"Very caring."
That's nice.
"And... very fond of being spoiled."
...A guy who likes being spoiled? That's a bit... awkward, isn't it? Not that it's inherently wrong, but I definitely wouldn't be able to handle it myself—though I have no intention of falling in love anyway.
"A bit two-faced, saying one thing while meaning another."
That sounds awful!
What kind of man could possibly be like that? Qin Yu couldn't even begin to imagine a rough sketch of such a person.
Keqing looked equally perplexed, her expression screaming, What is all this nonsense?
"Incredibly insecure."
Getting worse and worse!
"Deeply pessimistic about interpersonal relationships."
What a heavy burden to carry!
Aside from the first two traits, weren't all the others flaws? And the second one felt particularly unsettling. Keqing definitely wouldn't like a man like that.
This fortune-telling must not be very accurate after all.
"Wants to chain the other person down."
A total freak!
Keqing's face drained of color, her whole body trembling. "H-how is that possible?! How could I ever fall for a man like that?!"
"Not a man."
"Huh?" "Ah?" Their startled exclamations intertwined.
"A woman."
Whoa, a woman?!
Qin Yu whipped her head around to stare at Keqing.
"Keqing, do you... have romantic feelings for girls?" she asked uneasily.
"No way! No way!" Keqing shook her head vehemently.
Yeah, that makes sense. It's impossible to imagine anyway.
This fortune-telling was clearly just for amusement.
Keqing took a breath and said, displeased, "That's all?"
What utter nonsense, Keqing thought, her dissatisfaction growing.
"That's all. Oh, and one more thing~ Try to understand the other person better, okay? If you keep going like this, they might get snatched away, you know?"
Huh? They can be snatched away? Qin Yu thought in surprise.
Keqing, however, couldn't take in another word. The whole thing was utterly ridiculous.
"I see," she replied dismissively.
"Ignoring my advice might lead to trouble sooner than you think... Heh heh. Anything else you'd like to know?"
"Thank you, that will be all," Keqing replied.
The fortune-teller shrugged and turned to Qin Yu.
"And you, miss? What would you like me to divine for you?" Her tone toward Qin Yu was noticeably warmer.
I'm not really in the mood for more fortune-telling, but since I'm here...
No need to ask about work.
Health and romance, then? After hearing such an absurd fortune for Keqing, Qin Yu's curiosity had been piqued. She wondered just how much more outlandish the predictions could get.
"Ahahaha, could you tell me about my love fortune and health fortune, please?"
"Mm, certainly."
The fortune-teller closed her eyes again.
Qin Yu couldn't help but feel nervous. Being the one receiving the reading was different from watching Keqing's fortune being told.
Keqing grew increasingly attentive, wondering what the outcome would be.
Regardless, she believed Qin Yu had no reason to trust it. At the very least, believing the positive aspects would suffice.
After a moment, the diviner opened her eyes.
"Let's start with your health fortune."
Here it comes, Qin Yu thought, nodding slightly.
"You'll live a remarkably long life—longer than ordinary people. It's truly astonishing! Is there something special about your body?"
Qin Yu inwardly startled.
Her body had indeed been enhanced twice through the "Human Transformation" skill. Theoretically, she should live longer than average.
I never imagined the diviner could sense that.
Could it be... she's actually quite accurate? What about Keqing's reading earlier...?
Is it true? Keqing falling in love with a woman, especially such a terrible one? No way! As her childhood friend, I absolutely need to vet her choices when the time comes.
Keqing's expression softened slightly. Qin Yu living a long and healthy life? Excellent.
This, at least, she would believe.
"Now, let's discuss your romantic fortune."
The diviner paused, hesitating.
What's wrong? Is it really that bad?
Or is it because I'm incapable of romance, so it's zero? That wouldn't be so bad, actually!
"Please, tell me," Qin Yu urged.
"Um... I'll say it, then. Actually, I'm not very confident in this result. It seems so strange that I'm not sure if it's accurate."
Strange?
The fortune teller took a deep breath.
"Your romantic fortune... is remarkably good."
Huh?
Keqing exclaimed in shock, "Really? What kind of person? Who is it?"
As Qin Yu's childhood friend, she felt obligated to vet any potential suitors. If they weren't up to snuff, she'd personally kick them to the curb and ensure they never approached Qin Yu again.
"It's not 'who.' It's 'what kind of people.'"
People? Why is she using the plural?
The fortune teller scratched her head.
"Sigh, I'll just be blunt—this young lady has many destined partners, very many. And it seems they're all..."
"They all are...?" Keqing asked sternly.
"...female."
"Female?" Keqing asked in disbelief.
"Yes, female."
Qin Yu looked utterly bewildered, pointing at herself. "But... I'm a woman too?"
And I'm definitely not into women!
"Exactly! Qin Yu's a girl," Keqing pointed out.
On second thought, Qin Yu did know many women, and seemed to be on good terms with quite a few of them.
Ningguang went without saying, but there were also Shenhe, Yanfei, Hu Tao... even Ganyu.
Wait, isn't this perfectly normal? Keqing shook her head slightly. Besides, it's a good thing.
But... did she still hold a special place in Qin Yu's heart? If so, how special was it compared to the others, especially Ningguang and Shenhe? Keqing's thoughts drifted.
"So I suspect this reading might not be accurate. I apologize—I won't charge you for the love fortune. Perhaps my skills aren't refined enough yet. Ah, right! As compensation, I'll give you both another free divination. How does that sound?"
The fortune-teller gazed back and forth between the two with keen interest.
Another divination?
Qin Yu forced a smile. "I'm fine with it. What about you, Keqing?"
"Whatever you want. I don't mind."
Then let's do another one, but no more love fortunes.
The fortune-teller's love fortunes seemed utterly absurd, though the health readings had been surprisingly accurate.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
The fortune-teller grinned. "Leave it to me! This time, let's see... how about a reading of your futures together?"
Keqing and my future? Qin Yu couldn't help but glance at Keqing, only to find her already looking back.
Keqing will definitely refuse, right?
"Sure," Keqing replied instead.
Qin Yu was taken aback. She had expected Keqing to say something like, "There's no need for divination; our future doesn't require it." She never imagined Keqing would agree so readily.
Is Keqing feeling anxious or uncertain about our future? Qin Yu's heart sank.
No, maybe she's just curious. That must be it.
Well, might as well listen!
"Your future..." the fortune-teller murmured, pausing for a moment.
"It's not very optimistic. If you continue on this path, you'll become parallel lines."
Parallel lines.
Hearing this, Qin Yu felt a crushing weight settle in her heart, far heavier than she had imagined.
Parallel lines never intersect; they can only gaze at each other from afar. If that's what our future holds...
"That won't happen," Keqing declared firmly.
Why is she so certain? Qin Yu didn't believe Keqing's words. It wasn't that she doubted Keqing's feelings, but rather the fear that things might truly turn out that way.
Unless they could prove otherwise.
Prove that they wouldn't become parallel lines.
But the ring no longer fit. How could she prove it? Lost in her thoughts, Qin Yu followed Keqing, who was striding out of the shop, and slowly stepped outside.
Keqing sighed. "Finally out. Where should we go next?"
"Hmm... let's rest for a bit?"
"Good idea. Let's go over there. There aren't many people there."
Qin Yu and Keqing settled onto a bench in a quiet corner.
Leaning against the railing, Qin Yu gazed at the unremarkable sea.
Keqing leaned beside her, gazing casually at the sky.
"Keqing."
"Hmm?"
Qin Yu decided to confess that her memories had returned. Since she could no longer wear the "shackles" of their linked minds, she had to rely on words to convey her feelings.
"I remember now."
"What?" Keqing's attention snapped to her.
"The shackles."