Kiyomi Liuli didn't notice Nanahara Takeshi's expression and was already stunned. After a moment, she suddenly realized and felt that this skill seemed familiar—wasn't this a skill possessed by many famous detectives in mystery novels?
So it wasn't an exaggeration in novels, there were actually people who could do this in reality?
But she still couldn't figure out specifically how he "read" it and couldn't help asking, "How did you know that senior was troubled by the competition, how did you know she was practicing the violin?"
"Very simple."
Kiyomi Liuli waited for a moment, but seeing Nanahara Takeshi smiling without continuing, she impatiently took out another 500 yen coin from her piggy wallet and slapped it on the table. Then, Nanahara pointed to his own neck beneath his ear and said with a smile, "She has a violin hickey—a mark from the friction of the violin on the neck, red like a love bite, hence the name violin hickey.
She also had calluses on her fingers from pressing the strings, so naturally, she was practicing the violin.
As for the competition... experienced teachers, through observation of the violin hickey, can deduce a student's practice frequency and intensity. That senior looked very dedicated at practicing the violin, practicing extra since the start of the school term, plus she was wearing Shimizu Women's Academy's uniform—Shimizu Women's Academy is a regular finalist in the national high school orchestra competition. Therefore, she is naturally preparing for the competition. If she is troubled, it probably stems from this."
A violin hickey, what a beautiful name.
Kiyomi Liuli became lost in thought, hearing for the first time that playing the violin could result in a violin hickey. However, trying to remember, she couldn't recall if the senior had any red marks on her neck, and she had no impression of the calluses on her fingers—who would go out of their way to inspect someone's neck and fingers like that? Wouldn't that be crazy?
However, she could accept Nanahara Takeshi's explanation, which was more believable than the unscientific spiritual medium.
She immediately asked, "What if you guessed wrong?"
Nanahara Takeshi said indifferently, "If I guessed wrong, then I guessed wrong, it's not like it's the end of the world, I'll just find another client."
That also made sense, Kiyomi Liuli thought to herself; Nanahara Takeshi was really cunning, obviously not a novice swindler.
She thought for a moment and then asked, "What about the guardian spirit, how did you know her grandmother had passed away?"
Nanahara Takeshi looked at her piggy wallet, and Kiyomi Liuli expressionlessly took out another 500 yen and slammed it on the table. Nanahara Takeshi swiped his hand over the coin, and it disappeared, who knows where he hid it, and then he said calmly, "I used the Testing Heart Skill's negative resistance reaction."
"Testing Heart Skill? Go into more detail, I paid for this!" Kiyomi Liuli didn't understand.
Nanahara Takeshi explained, "I was holding her hand levelly at the time, did you notice where my index finger was touching her?"
Kiyomi Liuli recalled for a moment, but couldn't remember. However, she had a guess, "Pulse?"
"Wrong, it was on the inside of her wrist," Nanahara Takeshi explained patiently. "The muscle there is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system and has autonomic muscle qualities. By observing changes in that muscle, if you are experienced, you can easily determine a person's current psychological resistance—whether they are affirming or negating what you say. It's instinctual, and almost impossible to fake without professional training."
"So?"
"So, I first mentioned an elderly person, and she showed no clear resistance psychologically. Then, I guessed it was her grandmother, and her psychological resistance immediately peaked, showing strong denial, which meant her grandmother was still alive. So I corrected myself to her great-grandmother... Sadly, her great-grandmother had indeed passed away."
Kiyomi Liuli hadn't expected that being a swindler involved so many tricks and pressed further, "What if both her grandmother and great-grandmother were alive?"
Nanahara Takeshi brushed off the question with a smile, "I'd keep guessing her ancestors then—her great-great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother, though the effect would diminish."
"So, that's how it is!"
Kiyomi Liuli finally understood that her classmate was very cunning and thick-skinned; more than just not being a novice swindler, he might well be a seasoned one.
She straightened her back slowly, lifted her chin, and with a "righteous spirit" swirling within her, said scornfully, "So, I didn't reason wrongly after all; you are indeed a swindler. You deceived that senior... Well, even though you didn't take her money, you tricked her into advertising for you, preparing to deceive even more people, your intentions are even worse!"
As Kiyomi Liuli was not giving money anymore, Nanahara Takeshi's demeanor changed instantaneously, he leaned back and crossed his legs, saying with a faint smile, "I didn't deceive her."
Kiyomi Liuli exclaimed loudly, "You did deceive her, you just admitted it!" If she were Sailor Moon, she'd smite this guy in the name of the moon!
"I didn't deceive her," Nanahara Takeshi repeated with a smile. "That senior's supervising teacher highly acknowledged her violin skills, chosen over the third-year students as the principal violinist responsible for the solo. This indicates that the senior's competition skills are absolutely fine; she just lacks self-confidence, that's all."
So if your senior sister's grandmother were here, would she encourage her to continue lacking confidence and to give up the chance to show off the results of her hard work? Would she suggest that your senior sister give up the opportunity for an assured university place and the prospect of instant fame? Wouldn't she applaud for her after she competed in the contest? No, she would only say the same thing as me!"
Pausing for a moment, his smile faded as he calmly said, "A spiritual medium speaks for those who have passed on—it's a profession that gives the deceased a voice, and it has nothing to do with fraud. If you don't understand, don't speak carelessly."
Kiyomi Liuli was momentarily at a loss for words, considering that maybe Nanahara Takeshi's argument had some merit. It didn't feel right to accuse him anymore, yet something still seemed off to her, she insisted, "You did deceive, even if you meant well, you still can't communicate with spirits, that's a scam..."
Nanahara Takeshi stopped swaying his chair back and forth and asked curiously, "When did I ever say I couldn't communicate with spirits? I used Testing Heart Skill, but what does that have to do with whether or not I can communicate with spirits?"
Kiyomi Liuli had been planning on letting him off, willing to overlook his "deception" as long as he admitted to using tricks—the guy was definitely scamming people for money, but he seemed to have some moral boundaries and wasn't likely to cause any real harm, not a complete jerk. It didn't seem like much to let him set up his stall here, and there was no need to drive him away.
But by now, he was still being defiant as if he were a cornered duck, and her anger flared up again, she raised her voice, "Then try to communicate with a spirit for me!"
Her grandpas and grandmas were all alive, her mom could wrestle with bears, and her dad, having lived with her mom for so many years, was still around, their vitality surely stronger than cockroaches. Her sister was a mischievous kid, full of relentless energy, the kind that couldn't possibly die even after being kicked three hundred times, it seemed like she could withstand a nuclear blast with her bare body.
She wanted to see, with her family's condition, what kind of story Nanahara Takeshi the scammer could concoct, and if he couldn't come up with anything or even dared not to speak, she wouldn't go easy on him if it came to tearing down his bannered signboard!
Nanahara Takeshi didn't refuse, spread his hands to indicate that Kiyomi Liuli should place her hand on top of his, and smiled, "Sure, it's a new stall, and you're my classmate, let's make it 500 yen!"
Kiyomi Liuli sneered and slapped the money down before placing her hand on top, letting him close his eyes to start sensing, not caring where he put his fingers—I'm going to see if you can say anyone from my family has died and become my guardian spirit!
After waiting a little while, seeing that Nanahara Takeshi did not speak, she asked disdainfully, "Which of my ancestors are you planning to say is my guardian spirit?"
"This..." Nanahara Takeshi hesitated for a moment, then strangely said, "It might be hard to believe, but your guardian spirit... seems to be a dog."
"A dog?" Kiyomi Liuli was stunned for a moment, and without bursting into anger, she asked hesitantly, "Is it... what breed of dog?"
"It seems to have a gentle temperament, long and golden fur; I think your guardian spirit must come from a Golden Retriever."
"Golden Retriever..." Kiyomi Liuli's voice trembled as she asked, "Is its name Kota?"
"Perhaps, you're a layperson and might not know, a guardian spirit is not a ghost. He is a positive spiritual energy being, a collection of protective and caring beliefs at the moment of someone's death. Names no longer mean anything to him—he is him, but also not him, you need to understand this."
Kiyomi Liuli nodded in a daze, accepting Nanahara Takeshi's explanation. After all, he was the professional.
She asked eagerly, "Then can Kota... the Golden Retriever, no, my guardian spirit speak to me?"
Nanahara Takeshi nodded, "He can only convey simple thoughts.
He says to not be so curious in the future, to not carelessly fall into the river again, and don't wander in thought while walking. Make sure to look out for traffic and traffic lights when crossing the road, and absolutely avoid getting hurt again.
Also, you're already at that age, having entered high school—it's a critical period in your life. A little more effort now could save you ten times the effort in the future, so he implores you to focus on your studies as much as possible and not to stay up all night reading detective novels and comics..."
Nanahara Takeshi talked on and on, listing all trivial matters of daily life, but Kiyomi Liuli listened very seriously, nodding again and again, convinced that this was her Puppy Kota, no doubt about it.
When she was in kindergarten, her classmates said there were Kappas under the bridge. She was curious, so after school, she leaned over the railings to peer down and as a result, lost her grip and fell into the river, almost drowning.
If not for Kota coming to pick her up from school and jumping into the water to drag her to shore, maybe now the grass over her grave would be three feet tall.
She indeed had caused a traffic accident because she got lost in thought while walking, and got bumped by a bicycle. Hurt her foot and had to sit at home for most of the month. During that time, Kota always lay beside her foot, accompanying her, even following her anxiously to the bathroom.
As for staying up all night reading detective novels and comics, it was her personal hobby. Sometimes she got so engrossed, trying to understand how the murderer committed the crime, she would puzzle over it all night, sketching and modeling with clay for her theories, it was indeed a common occurrence.
As she listened, her eyes grew moist, and she murmured, "So it's been silently protecting me all along, and I never realized."
I'm sorry, Puppy, for making you worry in the past. I will make sure not to fall into the river again, and I'll be careful with traffic safety when walking. And I won't stay up...
Well, I'll try to stay up less!