Chapter 3

"What would you like me to divine for you, sir?"

"Maybe whether I should give up on what's troubling me or continue with it."

"In that case, may I have your hand?"

Rai placed the man’s right hand on her left and then placed her right hand on top of it, sandwiching his hand between hers. She silently murmured “clairvoyance” in her mouth.

She looked at the man’s entire body. A little below his stomach, the duodenum, as it would be called in this world, glowed red.

After confirming the location, she silently chanted “healing” with just the movement of her mouth. She released her magic power as thin as a thread. She didn’t fully heal him; doing so would cause a commotion.

"Well, in the long run, both choices could lead to good results. If you give up, your mind will be at peace, and if you continue, it might eventually bring good benefits."

Her answer was very vague, but the client wasn’t really looking for an answer. The fortune-telling customers at this shop all came because they heard that “the fortune-teller at this shop makes you feel a little better after touching your hand.” They had to maintain the form of a fortune-telling session to avoid legal issues, so the fee was set at 2,000 yen for a reading.

For about three minutes, she used healing magic to slightly improve the client’s condition.

Shoulder stiffness and muscle fatigue-induced back pain usually healed on the spot. If they didn’t exercise, it would recur, but for 2,000 yen, they could buy a moment of comfort.

"Wow, the heaviness in my stomach is gone."

"Once your worries are resolved, your mind will clear up."

Healing magic wasn’t omnipotent, but for this level, it was easy. The man left with a smile.

"Mom, can I have some yakisoba, beer, and pickles?"

"Sure thing."

Even though she had eaten three bento boxes late in the afternoon, today she had used quite a bit of magic, so she was hungry. Rai took off her veil hat and ate the fragrant yakisoba while drinking cold beer. Yuki’s yakisoba was rich in flavor and very satisfying.

At first, the sight of the katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) moving on top of the noodles was terrifying, but once she realized they weren’t alive, she became a big fan.

Eating pickles between sips of cold beer was also the best. The food and drinks in this country were exceptionally delicious.

"Thank you, Rai. The customer from earlier left a bottle for us."

"Really? I hope he becomes a regular. It would be great if he comes back."

"That would be a help. In these times, we want every customer we can get. He seemed to have some money, too."

"Hehe."

Rai met Yuki at a super sento (public bath).

At the time, Rai was obsessed with super sentos, which didn’t exist in her home country. She learned about their existence from a part-time coworker.

"Rai, have you ever been to a super sento? You can enjoy paradise for less than 2,000 yen. I always go on my days off. It’s a feeling you can’t get from a small bath."

"I don’t know how to use it."

"I can teach you."

Rai learned the bath etiquette from the part-time coworker and went to the nearest super sento from her apartment. She became hooked after just one visit, thinking it was worth it even if she had to cut back on food expenses.

One day, while drinking beer after a bath, she heard a woman sitting next to her, who was eating a sashimi set, say “ouch” several times. That was Yuki.

Unable to hold back, Rai asked, "Does something hurt?"

"It’s a frozen shoulder. I thought my right shoulder was finally better, but now my left shoulder has started to hurt."

"Can I touch it a little?"

Yuki was very suspicious, but when Rai said she wouldn’t charge, she reluctantly let her. The shoulder pain was gone on the spot.

Yuki was so happy that she not only treated Rai to a beer but also invited her to the shop and treated her to yakisoba and beer. That’s how their relationship began.

Japanese law is very detailed.

Since coming to this country, Rai has been careful not to break the law. While in the shelter, she used the freely available computer to research everything she was curious about. After getting a smartphone, she accepted the high usage fees as a cost of self-defense and continued to search and research, even now. Her ability to use the language without any difficulty might be thanks to the summoning magic.

After all, she had suddenly become a mysterious person in this country with no known background.

She wasn’t on any missing persons list, no search requests had been issued, and she claimed to have no memory. She was an extremely suspicious person. If she added a criminal record, life would become difficult. She didn’t want to ruin her chance to live in a wealthy and safe country.

Yuki has a good nature and provides Rai with a space for fortune-telling to boost the shop’s sales. Gradually, word of mouth spread, and Rai’s fortune-telling, which was actually healing magic, became popular.

Later, the wealthy man came back as a customer.

"It was good for a month, but my stomach started hurting again."

"What’s troubling you today?"

"Maybe it’s that my son won’t get married."

"Please place your right hand in my palm."

Tonight, she would earn 2,000 yen in three minutes. With three reservations today, she would make 6,000 yen in nine minutes. She could earn income and release magic, and both the customers and Yuki were happy. It was all good.

Rai’s recent worry was that to honestly declare this unrecorded income, she would need to file a blue return and go through the tedious process of bookkeeping. But there was no other way.

She had to be careful and avoid breaking the law.

Being a saint and being bound for life was worse, so recently, she had been seriously reading the “Guide to Blue Return Filing” as a magic user.