NOVEL NEXT 50: In the Previous Life, I was a Shark!
“Hmm… I see it! In your previous life, you were a shark!”
“No way.”
After school, I left early and went to the shopping mall. I happened to see a fortune teller and decided to get a reading. The old fortune teller’s eyes suddenly widened as she spoke with great confidence.
“You seemed to have been a lonely shark that preferred the dark depths of over 1000 meters.”
“Even in a past life, I was excluded from the group.”
“Yes. It seems that curse has continued into this life.”
“…A curse!? Did you just say curse!? Who cursed me?”
It seemed like a curse that couldn’t have been cast unless someone really hated me. What did I do back then?
As I was struck silent by this shocking truth, the old fortune teller nodded solemnly. Was this the kind of thing that required an exorcism? As I shivered, the fortune teller brought out a jar and said, “Here’s good news for you.”
“This is an exorcism jar! Just keeping it at home will gradually lift the curse.”
“Whoa… This jar looks shady as hell…”
“The price is exactly 100,000 yen.”
“That’s not a price you should be asking a student to pay.”
“Don’t worry, we also accept installment payments.”
“I’m not that desperate to go that far…!”
It was clearly just a scam. It made me realize that even high school students are now being targeted. Well, nowadays, there are kids making serious money from streaming and video posting.
So, maybe it’s more common now for people to approach such kids, since they might be easier to deceive.
Of course, I’m not one of those students; I’m just an average high schooler, with only a few 1,000-yen bills in my wallet.
I don’t work much part-time, so I’m on the side of not having money.
“But aren’t you troubled by connections from your previous life?”
“What! How do you know that…?”
“Because it shows in your fortune. Hmm, the other person is… a girl.”
“Amazing! It’s not a scam after all!”
Even though she looked shady as anything, I didn’t expect her to hit the mark. Maybe I really should buy the jar… But it’s 100,000 yen…
Plus, even though Kamidama is insanely weird, it feels wrong to call her a proper curse.
Besides, a jar wouldn’t work on her.
If push came to shove, it would probably be physically destroyed.
Don’t underestimate Kamidama’s physical strength.
“Fuhahaha… Don’t look so worried. I didn’t think you’d actually buy the jar.”
“Really? You seemed pretty insistent with those intense eyes… Are you sure?”
“Persistent men are disliked. This is what I recommend for you.”
“What’s this cheap-looking bead bracelet…”
The fortune teller took out a bead bracelet that looked handmade and flimsy.
It didn’t seem like it would bring any luck.
If anything, it looked like it might lower my luck, given its shady appearance.
It wasn’t something I wanted to touch.
“What a rude kid… This is a bead bracelet infused with my full power from my prime. Wearing it will be good for you.”
“Even at most, I’d prefer to carry it around… So, how much is it?”
“500 yen.”
“Full power from your prime is cheap…”
“──That’s what happened. And this is the bead bracelet.”
“You were scammed! Scammed! How do you get involved in something like this when I take my eyes off you for a bit…!”
“Well, after hearing 500 yen right after 100,000 yen, it seemed incredibly cheap…”
“And you fell for a typical scam, Uraku…”
Of course, the one who looked at me like an idiot was Kamidama──Kamidama Kagari. We had arrived at the shopping mall, and while I thought we’d naturally split up, Kamidama seemed to think we got separated.
We coincidentally met again at the resting area, where Kamidama puffed her cheeks.
“So, do you feel any effect? For example… like feeling a chill when near the bracelet.”
“What do you think I am…? I don’t feel anything. There’s no such thing as a curse, right?”
Kamidama gave me a stern look and cutely scolded me not to take fortune telling seriously.
But… the reason I got curious about the fortune telling was because of Kamidama.
After all, that fortune teller had a sign saying “I will read your past life!”…
I ended up calling out to her without thinking.
Considering that I almost never approach others, it was very unusual for me.
“By the way, is it true that I was a shark in a past life?”
“Not at all! You were definitely human.”
“Really…?”
“I’m more surprised that you seem disappointed that you weren’t a shark, Uraku… Besides, you can’t swim, so that possibility was always the least likely.”
“You’re assuming I can’t swim?”
“Huh? So you can swim?”
“I-I can do dog paddle… Hey, stop looking at me with those warm eyes! It’s fine, I prefer to watch the ocean!”
I mean, the smell of the sea is pretty strong, and in summer, the sandy beach gets so hot it’s like torture.
On top of that, if I went into the sea, I’d probably get swept away and drown.
I can’t understand why people would go swimming voluntarily.
“Take care of your life” is the basic command.
“Hehe, then let’s have swimming lessons in summer. Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
“I definitely don’t want that…”
“Really? I’ll teach you step by step.”
“That’s what I don’t want…?”
It’s embarrassing to be a high school boy being taught to swim by a female classmate in a shallow pool.
It’s not just about pride, it’s really about my pride.
It’s definitely embarrassing.
If I got pointed at and laughed at by elementary school kids, I’d probably have a mental breakdown on the spot.
“Well, in the end, fortune telling isn’t reliable.”
“Well, it’s inherently uncertain. In the end, it’s up to you whether you believe it or not.”
I reached the obvious conclusion and took a deep breath.
As mentioned earlier, I thought we were splitting up to shop more efficiently, but I had already bought everything I needed.
Compared to that, Kamidama seemed to be making little progress.
She was probably looking for me ──now that I think about it, my phone had been vibrating quite a lot.
Feeling a bit guilty, I sighed and decided to accompany Kamidama with her shopping from here.
“Uraku. Hn.”
“…?”
“Hn!”
“No, I don’t understand. Why are you spreading your arms? I’m not going to hug you…”
“You do understand!? Geez, you’re so shy. People get really happy when they get hugged by someone they like, you know.”
So, come on, she said, cheerfully stepping closer to me.
──In that instant, there was a snap!
The bead bracelet on my wrist snapped and scattered.
“…………”
“…………”
“…It’s the curse!”
“N-no, it’s not! It just deteriorated! That’s all!”
Kamidama yelled while hugging me tightly, and I let out a small scream.