Ficorpio
Chapter 1
During a livestream Tarot reading, I connected with an extremely wealthy client.
He sent me ninety-nine Gold Carnival gifts and asked, “Can my girlfriend and I be together forever?”
After a moment of silence, I answered, “You two can’t be together anymore.”
He was stunned. “Why not?”
My expression softened with sympathy.
“Because she’s been dead for a long time.”
He laughed and said I had it wrong.
My reading hadn’t been wrong.
He had simply gotten the people mixed up.
My name is Claire Bennett, and I’m a Tarot reader. After graduating and failing to find a job, I’d had no choice but to make a living doing Tarot readings.
The strange thing was, I was frighteningly accurate. Every reading turned out to be uncannily precise.
Because of that, I’d gained a modest following and created my own account. I often livestreamed, connecting with viewers for readings.
Today, just like always, I started a livestream. It wasn’t long before my first client joined. His username was Moon.
He didn’t show his face. His profile picture was a single moon, and judging from his page, he appeared to be a young man.
I often got clients like that during my streams—people who wanted readings about private matters they found too embarrassing or difficult to say aloud.
With that in mind, I began my usual questions before the reading.
“Hello, Moon. What would you like to ask the cards today?”
After three seconds of silence, Moon suddenly let out a soft laugh.
I froze for a moment. His voice was unexpectedly beautiful, and the livestream chat erupted instantly.
【Aaaah, does anyone else understand that laugh? His voice is so good my ears are practically pregnant!】
【That voice belongs to a total heartthrob. Why won’t he show his face? I want to see him!】
【The person above has it backward. A voice like that usually belongs to someone who weighs at least four hundred pounds.】
Moon ignored all the praise and teasing filling the chat. In a gentle voice, he said, “Teacher, my question is… can I kiss the Tarot cards before asking what they think?”
My hands froze halfway through shuffling the deck.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
The chat was stunned too.
【What kind of twisted question is that?】
【I think I just connected to the afterlife’s Wi-Fi.】
I frowned. “You’re not here just to mess with me, are you?”
The next second, a flood of golden animations engulfed the screen.
My eyes widened.
Each Gold Carnival Gift cost five thousand dollars.
He sent ninety-nine of them.
Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
In three seconds!
At that moment, dignity, shame, and conscience all abandoned me.
There was nothing in my head but money.
I immediately broke into my widest smile. “Thank you, Moon, for the ninety-nine Gold Carnival Gifts!”
Moon chuckled. “Can you do the reading now?”
“Of course!”
Chapter 2
For four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I’d answer his question without hesitation. Hell, I’d even use the cards to predict my own death.
I picked up the blue-black Devil card. I chose it because it was the card spirit I’d drawn when I first awakened the deck.
It could be a little fierce, but its answers were brutally sharp and always cut straight to the point. I liked that about it.
After bringing the card to my lips and kissing it, I began the reading.
When I finished interpreting the answer, I fell silent.
“What did it say?” Moon asked.
The chat was dying to know too.
After stalling for what felt like forever, I finally said, “It says I’m not allowed to use it for any more creepy questions from the underworld.”
The chat immediately dissolved into laughter.
【Hahaha, I’m dying! Even the Tarot card has given up.】
【That card must be furious. Imagine existing all these years, only for someone to use you to answer bizarre questions like this.】
“Is that all?” Moon suddenly asked. “What does it think about you kissing it?”
“Uh…”
I had no idea how to answer.
Only then did the viewers realize there was more to the reading, and they began demanding that I explain.
My scalp prickled. With some difficulty, I said, “It’s very unhappy. It feels like I took advantage of it.”
“Oh?” Moon sounded utterly casual. “And then?”
“And then…” I swallowed. “It wants me to kiss it again so it can even the score.”
The livestream went silent.
So did I.
If the result hadn’t been laid out so plainly before me, I would never have believed it.
【Then kiss it.】
I was still staring blankly when Moon reminded me.
“What?”
His tone turned teasing. “Didn’t you say it wanted you to kiss it again?”
That was what the card had said, but what did kissing it again even count as?
“What? Are you saying you made that up?” Moon asked.
Made it up?
Accusing me of lying was the same as smashing my livelihood. Without giving myself time to think, I picked up the Devil Card and pressed it to my lips for another kiss.
But the card, which had been cold only moments ago, suddenly grew scorching hot.
I froze. My fingers loosened instinctively, and the card slipped from my palm.
Once I had kissed it, Moon stopped giving me a hard time.
He continued, “Teacher, there’s one more thing I’d like a reading about.”
That brought me back to my senses. “What is it?”
The moment I asked, I tensed. Was he about to make me read on another bizarre subject?
Instead, Moon said, “I want to know whether my girlfriend and I can stay together forever.”
I let out a quiet breath of relief.
Finally, a normal question.
After gathering the basic information, I shuffled the Tarot Cards again and began the reading.
But when I turned the cards over, I fell silent.
“Teacher, what’s the result?” Moon asked.
I lifted my head, my expression unreadable.
Chapter 3
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you something first. You have only one girlfriend, right?”
The chat exploded.
【Holy crap! What does that mean? Does he have two girlfriends?!】
【Would that really be so strange? With a voice like his and that kind of money, of course he could have several girlfriends.】
【What a scumbag! And he actually came into a livestream to ask about his love life?】
Moon fell silent for a moment.
“Yes. She’s my only girlfriend. She’s also the only person I’ve ever dated—and the only person I’ll ever love.”
The comments began scrolling even faster.
【Then what’s going on? Is he not a cheater after all? Did Claire get the reading wrong?】
【This is my first time watching. Why does everyone believe her? Are her readings really that accurate?】
【Accurate doesn’t even begin to cover it. At this point, she’s practically psychic!】
Frowning, I gathered the Tarot Cards and shuffled them again.
The audience immediately flooded the chat with questions.
【What’s Claire doing? Why is she shuffling again?】
【Yeah, why isn’t she interpreting the cards? That’s not how this usually goes, is it?】
“Sorry, everyone.” I laid out a fresh spread as I explained, “I made a mistake just now, so I’m doing the reading again.”
【I knew it! Claire got it wrong. There was no way!】
【So who’s the lucky girl? Her boyfriend is rich and completely devoted to her. I’m so jealous!】
【Manifesting a boyfriend like this for myself.】
I slowly exhaled and turned over the cards.
Then I fell silent again.
Moon asked, 【Can you interpret them this time?】
I raised my head, my expression turning grave.
“Mr. Vale, have you ever suffered from a psychiatric disorder?”
“Wait, what? What did the reading reveal? Tell us already, I’m dying here!”
“Could this be some kind of publicity stunt? Is she making all this up for attention?”
“Probably not. I’ve been watching her for a long time. Claire never scripts her readings.”
After a brief silence, Moon finally spoke. His tone had turned strangely guarded.
“No. I’m perfectly healthy. There’s nothing wrong with me mentally, either.”
I let out a quiet sigh. “If you came to me for a reading, you shouldn’t lie to me.”
As I spoke, I turned over the three cards I had drawn, one by one.
The Devil.
The Hanged Man.
And The Tower.
“The reading says,” I said softly, “that the two of you can never be together again.”
Moon sounded stunned. “Why?”
The audience was just as eager for an answer.
I sighed again, unable to hide the pity in my expression.
“Because she died a long time ago.”
The comment feed froze.