They arrived at the tournament quite early, approximately around 45 minutes too early since Kieran's match today was at 7pm, and now they have to kill some time before Kieran has to get into his stand.
They have been crowded around due to one certain individual in their squad gaining the attention of all the people in the crowd. Tanaka Ewu.
This short king has an easy 6/10 face card with messy layered hair and a good sense of style, unlike the others.
They were all in informal wear today, as the school was closed due to the heating not working. Roy was wearing a collared black and cream jumper with baggy jeans, while Kieran was wearing sportswear, as he was working out beforehand in his red tracksuit top and bottoms.
Sadly, Brock was wearing something so bland there is no use in describing his appearance; just know he is 5'10", and that's it.
The four of them drifted along the outer edge of the tournament grounds, trying to escape the cluster of people orbiting Tanaka like he was some kind of minor celebrity. Tanaka didn't help, of course. The idiot kept on waving at strangers that called out to him as if he were a celebrity.
"Bro, why are you acting like you're famous?" Roy muttered, tugging his jumper sleeves down against the cold.
"It's because I am famous, you know." Tanaka replied, flicking his layered fringe dramatically.
They kept walking, weaving between food stalls, merch stands, and groups of spectators. The sky was already dimming, that strange blue-grey that made everything feel slightly unreal. Kieran checked his phone for the fifth time.
"Still 40 minutes," he sighed.
"Time moves slower when you're nervous," Roy teased.
"I'm not nervous," Kieran lied, loudly.
They turned down a quieter path, one that curved behind the main arena. It was lined with old wooden booths, most closed, some half-lit, all looking like they'd been dragged out of storage for the event. The air smelt faintly of incense and damp wood.
"Yo… what's that?" Brock asked, pointing ahead.
At the very end of the row sat a hut. Not a booth, not a stall but an actual hut. A crooked roof, faded purple curtains, and a lantern hanging outside that flickered like it was struggling to stay alive. A hand-painted sign leaned against the doorframe:
'TAROT FORTUNE TELLER'
Tanaka's eyes lit up instantly.
"We've got to do this."
"No, we don't," Kieran said, already stepping back. "Absolutely not. I don't need some old lady telling me I'm gonna lose my match."
Roy squinted at the hut. "It looks… cursed."
"That's the point," Tanaka said, already marching toward it. "Cursed things are fun."
Brock shrugged. "I mean… we've got time."
Kieran groaned. "Why do you all want to do this?"
"Because", Tanaka said, grabbing Kieran by the sleeve, "you need to relax."
"That's literally the opposite of relaxing."
But Tanaka was already dragging him forward, Roy following reluctantly, Brock trudging behind like a man resigned to his fate.
As they approached, the lantern outside the hut flickered brighter, almost like it sensed them. The curtains rustled, though there was no wind. A faint smell of sage drifted out.
Roy stopped just short of the entrance.
"Yo… Are we sure this is safe?"
"No," Tanaka said cheerfully. "That's why we're doing it."
Kieran sighed, defeated. "Fine. But if I get cursed before my match, I'm blaming all of you."
Tanaka grinned, pushing the curtain aside.
"Welcome to my hut, boys."
They stepped toward the doorway and a pretty woman around the age of 25 greeted them.
As all of them came to a halt as they saw the girl sitting behind a desk with a lot of ornaments and dim lights, all of them rethought about their actions.
"Well, do you want a Tarot reading?" she exclaimed to them, with a big smile on her cute face.
"Yes please, and how much will it be?" Tanaka queried.
"It will be £5 per person, please." She gave a big smile while saying that.
Tanaka grabbed Kieran and pushed him into the single seat in front of her, as he was slightly startled from being pushed into the chair. Kieran then pulls out his wallet and then hands over a £5 note, which she takes with a massive smile.
It was slightly a scamy smile but they didn't acknowledge it.
Then she started speaking in a lower voice than before.
"Ok, let's get started but one thing. Let me explain my Soul Art before we start."
Kieran shook his head up and down.
"My soul art is called The Teller; a metaphysical apparition will appear behind your back and pull out a card from the deck. Please do not worry."
"Um, sure." Kieran replied, with him being slightly scared at what is going to happen.
Shen then starts shuffling the tarot cards in many ways that no one in the group has seen before and it was indeed a spectacle to watch as she gracefully played and mixed with the cards right in front of their eyes.
"Do you know what Tarot cards are?"
All of the boys who were initially watching her mix the cards in her hand looked up to her face from being pulled out of the trance.
They all collectively said, "no".
She carried on mixing the cards as she began speaking.
"It is a deck of 78 illustrated cards used for self-reflection, guidance and divination, exploring the past, present and potential future of an individual through imagery. This actually originated in 15th-century Italy."
And she stopped shuffling the cards and spread them out.
All of a sudden, Kieran felt something behind his back and as soon as he was about to look back, she called out before he could look back.
"Oh yeah, if you do look behind at the apparition, you will die instantly."
Kieran's eyes widened with a massive wrinkle forming on his forehead. "Shouldn't you have told me beforehand!?"
"Oh well, I forgot," as she hits her hand on her hand and puts her tongue out in a cute way.
Everyone else didn't say a word as they were concentrating on trying to see the apparition.
All of a sudden, a ghost-like arm appeared from Kieran's back that startled everyone who was standing right behind him. As the arm curved around Kieran to lie on top of his hand.
Kieran was beginning to sweat from seeing a ghost-like arm lying on top of his hand; then it reached out to the deck of Tarot cards lying flat on the wooden table and it pulled the second card out with the top of the card facing at Kieran, waiting for him to flip it over.
Then the arm disappeared.
The woman then says, "That is the tarot card my soul art has chosen for you."
Kieran, now very curious, slowly puts his hand closer to the card. The boys are all hovering over Kieran as he does it.
The card was…
Justice.
The card had a lady on a throne holding a double-edged sword in her right hand and a scale in her left.
The woman began speaking again.
"Oh, you got the Card of Justice. How interesting. This card signifies balance, fairness, truth and accountability. It represents the universal law of cause and effect, where actions have consequences. It is a call for taking responsibility for your past actions."
"Huh?" Kieran understood what she said but he didn't comprehend what she was saying.
"What I am saying is, in the past you might have done something and you still haven't faced the consequences yet or it might mean that you will end up doing something and face severe consequences now."
Kieran blinked at her, then looked at the card, then back to her again.
"…What consequences?" he asked.
She shrugged with a smile far too cheerful for the situation. "That's for the universe to decide."
Roy started teasing Kieran. "What have you done, bro? You devious man."
"Nothing!" Kieran hissed back and then looked up. "I think."
Tanaka slapped Kieran's shoulder. "Relax, man. It's just a card. A spooky, karmic, doom‑laden card, but still. Nothing to worry about."
"That's literally everything to worry about," Kieran muttered.
The woman clasped her hands together. "Alright! Who's next?"
Kieran then pulls Tanaka into the seat and says, "YOUR TURN."
"WHAT!" Right after the ghost-like arm came out of Kieran's back, Tanaka, who was initially calm, was sweating profusely. To simply say, he was scared.
Tanaka glared at him but sat down anyway, arms crossed like a sulking child. The woman took another £5 from him with that same suspiciously bright smile.
"Okay," she said sweetly, "same rules apply. Don't look behind you. Or you'll die."
Tanaka froze. "Can you stop saying that so casually?"
She giggled. "Sorry."
She shuffled the cards again, this time even faster, the deck flickering between her fingers like liquid light. The boys watched, mesmerised, until…
A cold breeze swept through the hut.
Tanaka stiffened. "It's behind me, isn't it?"
"Yep," Brock said, eyes wide.
The ghostly arm emerged again. Long, pale, and translucent, its fingers tapering into faint wisps. It hovered over Tanaka's shoulder, then drifted down, brushing the back of his hand.
Tanaka squeaked.
Roy burst out laughing. "Nahhh, no way you just made that noise."
"Shut up!" Tanaka snapped, voice cracking again.
The apparition plucked a card from the spread, third from the left this time, and placed it gently in front of Tanaka before fading away.
The woman leaned forward, eyes sparkling.
Tanaka flipped over the card.
"Ooooh. This one is interesting."
She tapped the card.
The boys leaned in.
The Fool.
A young man with a small bag on the tip of a stick standing at the edge of a cliff staring into the bright yellow sky.
"The Fool," she said, tracing the card's edge with a fingertip. "Number zero. The beginning of the Major Arcana. A symbol of innocence, spontaneity, and new beginnings."
Tanaka perked up. "Oh? New beginnings? Sounds kinda cool."
She smiled. "Yes… but also recklessness. Naivety. Blind trust. The Fool steps forward without looking, believing the world will catch him."
Roy elbowed him. "So basically: you're an idiot with confidence."
Tanaka shoved him back. "Shut up, man, The Fool."
But the woman wasn't done.
"The Fool represents potential," she continued. "A journey not yet taken. But it also warns of danger when one leaps without thinking. You may be approaching a moment where you must choose: stay safe… or take a risk that could change everything."
Tanaka blinked. "A risk? Like what kind of risk?"
She tilted her head. "That depends on you. The Fool's path is unpredictable. But one thing is certain: your next decision will matter more than you realise."
And Tanaka got in and pushed Roy into the seat. It was his turn now.