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vocab_drabblesTitle: 100% Not A Scam
Fandom: The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window
Author:elidelio
Rating: G
Word Count: 955
Summary: Mukae gives Erika a lesson on how to be a fortune teller, and she’s surprised by just how little fortune-telling is actually involved.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Miss Erika?” Sakaki glanced around the kitschy room, not even attempting to hide his disapproval.
“You’re free to leave if you want.” Mukae grumbled as he placed some candles on the table.
“Don't worry, Sakaki,” Erika reassured him, “It's not like this is the real thing.”
“Hey!” Mukae cut in, “I'll have you know my fortune telling is as real as it gets.”
“That's exactly why I'm worried,” Sakaki replied as if he hadn’t heard, “I don't think you should be learning from a fraud.”
Erika giggled at this, and Mukae threw a small candle at Sakaki, which he caught with ease.
“Do you want me to teach you or not?”
“I do! Pretty please, Keita.” Erika replied so genuinely that, for a moment, she seemed like a completely ordinary high schooler.
“Right,” Mukae cleared his throat, “The first thing you need to know is that you don't actually need your abilities most of the time.”
Erika tilted her head in mild confusion, Sakaki just scoffed.
“You can if you want to, of course,” He continued, “But most people come with questions the dead can't answer, so it's not going to be of much help.”
“What kind of questions?” Erika inquired.
“Oh, usually stuff about love lives or finances, sometimes friendship drama or family advice—mundane things like that.” He waved his hand, “You seldom meet people who need help beyond some casual life coaching.”
“So, what you're saying is that you're only a scammer ninety nine percent of the time?” Sakaki jabbed.
“Can the people not involved in this lesson please keep quiet?” Mukae glared at him, “Why are you even here?”
“I'm here to make sure you don't try anything funny with Miss Erika.”
“Excuse me?! What exactly do you mean by—”
“But how do you help people if you don't use your power?” Erika interrupted, having been completely absorbed in her thoughts, “I thought fortune telling was about telling people their future.”
Mukae returned his attention to the matter at hand, “Yes, in a way, but not really. Most of the time people don't actually wanna hear what you have to say, they just want to be heard, does that make sense?”
“Huh?” Erika didn't quite seem to understand.
Mukae tried to explain, “People come to get readings because they want answers, but most of the time they already have a solution in mind, and what they're really looking for is validation. The key to being a good fortune teller is being good at listening to people and getting them talking, most of the time they’ll tell you what they want to hear.”
Erika frowned and considered his words for a moment, “I guess that makes sense but… How do you do that?” She thought this would just be a matter of getting information from those ghosts and conveying it to the clients, but now she had to master the art of conversation?
“That's the easy part!” Mukae, who was charming and loquacious seemingly by nature, grinned as he replied, “I can teach you.”
A few hours later, Mikado found himself back at Mukae’s shop after receiving a cryptic text.
“Kosuke!” Erika waved as he walked in.
“Hi,” He gave a small wave back and took a look around the room, “What’s this about?”
“Keita’s teaching me about fortune telling,” She filled him in, “And I was wondering if you’d let me practice on you.”
“What?” Mikado was slightly taken aback, “Why me?”
“Cause it’s not gonna work if it’s those guys.” Erika answered as if it was completely obvious.
“Oh,” Seeing as this elicited no response from the other two, Mikado agreed, “Sure.”
“Okay! Please take a seat,” Erika gestured to the chair in front of her, “And tell me what’s been troubling you.”
“Uh, nothing’s been—”
“Just play along.” Mukae interrupted in a too-loud whisper.
“—Work’s been tough, I suppose.” He mumbled as he took a seat.
“I see,” Erika made a thoughtful face, “Has your boss been giving you a hard time?”
“You could say that.” He nodded. Hiyakawa had improved a lot lately, but he was certainly still a work in progress.
Erika gave him an emphatic nod and a knowing smile, “Workplace relationships are always tough to navigate.”
“It’s not that bad…”
“That’s good, then.” She made a face like she was concentrating on something, “If you can overcome the current hurdles, I see a happy future for the two of you, your relationship will only grow stronger with time.”
“I see… Wait—” Mikado frowned, “That’s not right, I thought this was about work.”
“I mean, it’s always about work when your boss is your boyfriend, right?” She asked sincerely.
“He’s not my—That’s not—” Mikado sputtered, then turned to Mukae, “What have you been teaching her?”
Mukae was trying his hardest not to laugh, “Just the basics. She has a gift, you know?”
“Yeah,” Sakaki added, “You should ask her for more dating advice.”
“I don’t need dating advice!”
“Are you sure?” Erika piped up, “Keita taught me just how to give someone love life guidance.”
“My love life is fine.” Mikado defended, then backtracked, “That’s not what I meant, Hiyakawa is just—”
“I’m just what?” Hiyakawa’s voice suddenly interrupted from the door.
Mikado shot up from his chair, “What’s he doing here?”
“I texted him too. The more the merrier, right?” Erika smiled.
“What are we doing?” Hiyakawa walked in with a smile.
“We’re leaving!” Mikado physically turned him around and pushed him back out the door, “You shouldn’t learn fortune telling from a hack!”
“I’m not a hack!” Mukae retorted.
Unfortunately, whatever was said in response was muffled by the sound of the door slamming shut.
Fandom: The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window
Author:
elidelioRating: G
Word Count: 955
Summary: Mukae gives Erika a lesson on how to be a fortune teller, and she’s surprised by just how little fortune-telling is actually involved.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Miss Erika?” Sakaki glanced around the kitschy room, not even attempting to hide his disapproval.
“You’re free to leave if you want.” Mukae grumbled as he placed some candles on the table.
“Don't worry, Sakaki,” Erika reassured him, “It's not like this is the real thing.”
“Hey!” Mukae cut in, “I'll have you know my fortune telling is as real as it gets.”
“That's exactly why I'm worried,” Sakaki replied as if he hadn’t heard, “I don't think you should be learning from a fraud.”
Erika giggled at this, and Mukae threw a small candle at Sakaki, which he caught with ease.
“Do you want me to teach you or not?”
“I do! Pretty please, Keita.” Erika replied so genuinely that, for a moment, she seemed like a completely ordinary high schooler.
“Right,” Mukae cleared his throat, “The first thing you need to know is that you don't actually need your abilities most of the time.”
Erika tilted her head in mild confusion, Sakaki just scoffed.
“You can if you want to, of course,” He continued, “But most people come with questions the dead can't answer, so it's not going to be of much help.”
“What kind of questions?” Erika inquired.
“Oh, usually stuff about love lives or finances, sometimes friendship drama or family advice—mundane things like that.” He waved his hand, “You seldom meet people who need help beyond some casual life coaching.”
“So, what you're saying is that you're only a scammer ninety nine percent of the time?” Sakaki jabbed.
“Can the people not involved in this lesson please keep quiet?” Mukae glared at him, “Why are you even here?”
“I'm here to make sure you don't try anything funny with Miss Erika.”
“Excuse me?! What exactly do you mean by—”
“But how do you help people if you don't use your power?” Erika interrupted, having been completely absorbed in her thoughts, “I thought fortune telling was about telling people their future.”
Mukae returned his attention to the matter at hand, “Yes, in a way, but not really. Most of the time people don't actually wanna hear what you have to say, they just want to be heard, does that make sense?”
“Huh?” Erika didn't quite seem to understand.
Mukae tried to explain, “People come to get readings because they want answers, but most of the time they already have a solution in mind, and what they're really looking for is validation. The key to being a good fortune teller is being good at listening to people and getting them talking, most of the time they’ll tell you what they want to hear.”
Erika frowned and considered his words for a moment, “I guess that makes sense but… How do you do that?” She thought this would just be a matter of getting information from those ghosts and conveying it to the clients, but now she had to master the art of conversation?
“That's the easy part!” Mukae, who was charming and loquacious seemingly by nature, grinned as he replied, “I can teach you.”
A few hours later, Mikado found himself back at Mukae’s shop after receiving a cryptic text.
“Kosuke!” Erika waved as he walked in.
“Hi,” He gave a small wave back and took a look around the room, “What’s this about?”
“Keita’s teaching me about fortune telling,” She filled him in, “And I was wondering if you’d let me practice on you.”
“What?” Mikado was slightly taken aback, “Why me?”
“Cause it’s not gonna work if it’s those guys.” Erika answered as if it was completely obvious.
“Oh,” Seeing as this elicited no response from the other two, Mikado agreed, “Sure.”
“Okay! Please take a seat,” Erika gestured to the chair in front of her, “And tell me what’s been troubling you.”
“Uh, nothing’s been—”
“Just play along.” Mukae interrupted in a too-loud whisper.
“—Work’s been tough, I suppose.” He mumbled as he took a seat.
“I see,” Erika made a thoughtful face, “Has your boss been giving you a hard time?”
“You could say that.” He nodded. Hiyakawa had improved a lot lately, but he was certainly still a work in progress.
Erika gave him an emphatic nod and a knowing smile, “Workplace relationships are always tough to navigate.”
“It’s not that bad…”
“That’s good, then.” She made a face like she was concentrating on something, “If you can overcome the current hurdles, I see a happy future for the two of you, your relationship will only grow stronger with time.”
“I see… Wait—” Mikado frowned, “That’s not right, I thought this was about work.”
“I mean, it’s always about work when your boss is your boyfriend, right?” She asked sincerely.
“He’s not my—That’s not—” Mikado sputtered, then turned to Mukae, “What have you been teaching her?”
Mukae was trying his hardest not to laugh, “Just the basics. She has a gift, you know?”
“Yeah,” Sakaki added, “You should ask her for more dating advice.”
“I don’t need dating advice!”
“Are you sure?” Erika piped up, “Keita taught me just how to give someone love life guidance.”
“My love life is fine.” Mikado defended, then backtracked, “That’s not what I meant, Hiyakawa is just—”
“I’m just what?” Hiyakawa’s voice suddenly interrupted from the door.
Mikado shot up from his chair, “What’s he doing here?”
“I texted him too. The more the merrier, right?” Erika smiled.
“What are we doing?” Hiyakawa walked in with a smile.
“We’re leaving!” Mikado physically turned him around and pushed him back out the door, “You shouldn’t learn fortune telling from a hack!”
“I’m not a hack!” Mukae retorted.
Unfortunately, whatever was said in response was muffled by the sound of the door slamming shut.
