Chapter 5: Love life
"Welcome," Klein greeted us warmly.
"What would you like to see today?"
"Love," Peytra said instantly. "Please divine my son's love life."
"Mom?!" I was stunned. Not in a million years did I expect that to be her request.
"You're almost twenty, and I haven't seen a single girl's shadow near you! Do you know how worried I am?!"
"There's still a year before that..." I tried to protest.
"No, you don't understand! I won't be young forever!" she scolded me back, passionately.
What kind of embarrassing scenario was this?! Even Klein looked at a loss, clearly unsure how to deal with the bizarre request.
I took a deep breath, calming myself.
"Alright, Mom..." I gave in with a sigh. "I want to see my love life," I told Klein.
"I... I understand," he replied awkwardly. "Please tell me a bit about yourself."
"Chris Diffodil, 19 years old. A student at Backlund University of Technology and Industry. The only child of the Diffodil couple."
I paused, mulling over my next words. "As for hobbies... I'm still figuring that out. I've been trying different things, hoping to find something that truly clicks with me. As for my future, I'm torn between following in my mother's or my father's footsteps."
As I spoke, I kept sneaking glances at Peytra, searching for any sign that she noticed something off—some reaction, even the slightest shift in expression, that might suggest I was different from the Chris she knew.
But there was nothing.
No flicker of surprise. No hesitation. She listened to me as naturally as if I were exactly the same person she had always known.
That only deepened my confusion.
After a moment, I pushed the thought aside and turned my attention back to Klein, deciding to leave it be for now.
After I gave a simple introduction, he nodded.
"Then, I'll use dream divination."
"Okay," both Mom and I responded, intrigued.
We watched as Klein slowly closed his eyes and slipped into slumber. My mother and I glanced at each other, both trying to process how strange this situation was. Even though we knew what dream divination entailed, witnessing it firsthand was surreal.
Fortunately, less than five minutes later, Klein woke up.
But... his expression was deeply conflicted, like he had just walked through a surreal nightmare. What in the world did he see?
Klein, during his dream, repeated the question seven times. The vision that came to him showed a mature woman's silhouette. Familiar. As it cleared—he was speechless.
It was Mrs. Diffodil. The mother of his customer.
His eye twitches involuntarily.
Then the scene shifted to a middle-aged man fixing a machine, but this time, the identity was obscured.
"..."
The impact left Klein mentally exhausted. He stared into the void for a moment, then drank a sip of tea before calmly speaking.
"Mrs., are you working in the clothing industry?"
My mother's eyes widened.
"How did you know?" she asked, astonished.
Was this some sort of placebo effect? No, I knew Klein's divinations were real. That made this even more awkward.
"Then, Mrs. Diffodil..." he said slowly, searching for the best possible words. "Your son's love life will depend on you."
...
No. Absolutely not.
Are you seriously saying I'm such a hopeless case that I need my mom to find me a date?!
You scammer! You wanna fight?!
But before I could declare war on the main protagonist...
"Did you hear that, Chris?! It's fine! You don't have to worry—Mom will take care of it!"
"No, Mom, don't believe this sca—"
"Thank you so much, Mr. Moretti." She cut me off with a bright smile. "I'll do my best for my son."
Then she happily handed over eight pence for the divination and dragged me out, positively glowing with thoughts of future daughters-in-law.
Klein, meanwhile, watched one customer glaring daggers at him, while the other beamed with joy.
'You can't please everyone,' he thought. Once again, he found truth in that phrase.
Later That Day...
Klein and Benson stood dressed in their best suits, waiting for Melissa. Thanks to Klein's recent involvement with the Nighthawks, his income had risen enough to buy quality outfits for the three of them.
Today was an important day. Melissa had an appointment with the person offering to sponsor her education.
Klein had been shocked to hear about the sponsorship through his teacher's recommendation. From a worldly perspective, it was a bold plan. Even without knowledge of mysticism, this world had a high mortality rate. Long-term investments were risky.
But the contract looked solid. No hidden traps, all terms clearly stated.
Klein could've covered her tuition himself, but Melissa, naturally, didn't want to burden her brother. This sponsorship was a golden opportunity. She would even have guaranteed employment after graduation.
The only "downsides" were that she'd have to assist in the workshop during her studies—though she'd be paid—and she'd be bound to work with the sponsoring company for five years post-graduation, or repay the tuition.
From her perspective, it was a dream offer.
If there was one issue, it was that the university would likely be in Backlund—not Tingen City.
When Melissa finally stepped out in a dark blue one-piece gown, simple yet elegant, both brothers smiled.
"You look like a noble's daughter," Benson teased.
"Don't tease me," Melissa muttered, face flushed.
Then the three stepped outside, where a carriage waited to take them to the meeting place.
"One of my seniors got transferred to Backlund," Klein said casually, noticing the unease in Melissa's expression.
They had spoken about this before—the chance that she'd need to relocate to Backlund. Benson was also planning to take the civil service exam, which might lead him there as well.
Klein's job in Tingen was excellent—stable, well-paid, respected. From their point of view, it made no sense to abandon it. But none of them wanted to be separated. The three of them were all that was left of their family.
It was a dilemma that weighed heavily on Melissa.
"Really?" Her eyes lit up with hope.
"Yeah," Klein said, patting her head gently. "So just do what you want to do."