Do You Really Think You’re My Wife?

“Ah~~~~~ Quitting time! Quitting time! Quitting time! Refuse overtime, starting with me~~~~~”

Humming a little tune from my hometown—one I’d made up myself—I strolled along, heading home from work. Just the words ‘quitting time’ were enough to send dopamine surging through my veins. Having experienced this wonderful sensation, not even the cutest VTuber could possibly distract me.

A sigh escaped my lips.

My commute home was, as always, shrouded in a hazy mist. Laser searchlights pierced through the smog, illuminating colossal holographic projections overhead, making it impossible to discern whether the sky was bright or dark.

Given that I worked the night shift, it should have been early morning, yet there was no hint of dawn. The city remained perpetually vibrant.

Most residents of Starry Night City had chaotic internal clocks. Schools, malls, and shops operated on schedules that defied conventional logic, proving even more convoluted than the transportation routes themselves.

The bustling pedestrian walkway I traversed was situated on a middle floor of this colossal edifice—a building larger than any other building. Beyond the iron railings, countless lanes of hovercraft traffic crisscrossed the air.

Looking outward, my vision was obscured by a dense forest of towering skyscrapers. Yet, when I drew my gaze back, I saw only a throng of pedestrians and various street vendors.

Some small shops hawked all sorts of shoddy wearables and prosthetics. Others sold common or exotic instant foods, while some buskers played and sang for passersby. My target stall, however, was just ahead.

‘Almost there…’

This particular stall was sandwiched between a fried chicken vendor and a pirated book stand. A cheap astrolabe, a crystal ball, and a deck of tarot cards lay spread across a goose-down-covered table.

A neon sign above spelled out ‘Astrology & Fortune Telling,’ with a smaller line scrawled in colored markers below: ‘Fortunes for Wealth / Career / Love / Exams—all-inclusive! Members receive discounts.’

By all appearances, it was—at best—a down-to-earth operation, and at worst, a crude, charlatan setup. In any other city, the elderly city enforcement officers would have chased them off. In technologically advanced Starry Night City, it seemed even less likely to attract business.

Yet, the reality was quite the opposite; business was thriving.

Girls in middle school uniforms formed long queues, chattering incessantly. Some were on their way to school, others had just left night classes, clutching bubble tea and fried chicken bought from nearby stalls.

And sitting behind the low table of the stall was a familiar face: Aimira Milala.

She wore a black robe, her head adorned with a pointed hat decorated with metal flakes mimicking stardust. A black veil draped from the brim, obscuring the upper half of her face, lending her an air of mysterious authenticity.

“Next, please?”

“It’s my turn, it’s my turn! Hello, hello~ You’re the super~~ popular fortune teller from online, right? Ooh, you’re so cute up close!” A middle school girl, dressed in a flamboyant ‘hot girl’ style, sat down at the table. The tips of her prosthetic fingers glowed with dazzling, colorful light.

“I wouldn’t dare claim such a title. I am merely an ordinary astrologer. What would you like to have divined, young lady?” Aimira’s lower face curved into a gentle smile. She deliberately lowered her voice, adding a touch of seasoned maturity, and then placed a menu of prices before the customer.

Business Menu:

Today’s Horoscope: 10 Tokens

Love Fortune (within one month): 54 Tokens (70% off for same-s*x relationships)

Long-term Love Fortune: 40 Tokens × number of months

Wealth Fortune (within one month): 150 Tokens

Long-term Wealth Fortune: 130 Tokens × number of months

Career Fortune (within two months): 570 Tokens

Long-term Career Fortune: 200 Tokens × number of months

Eight Characters of Birth (Bazi): 62 Tokens

Gacha Draw Rate Prediction: 77 Tokens

Guaranteed Gacha Draw (100% success): Half the price of a single pull in the target game

Lost Item Recovery: Price negotiable based on item type

Predicting Double Color Ball/Super Lotto: This act violates Article 127, Paragraph 1 of the ‘Special Arcane Arts Authorization and Management Act’ and Articles 1, 7, and 12 of the ‘Unified Gambling Industry Management Regulations,’ constituting a serious criminal offense.

Merchandise:

Tarot Cards: 17 Tokens/set

Astrolabe Keychain: 20 Tokens/each

Lucky Charm: 5 Tokens/draw

Ninth Apostle Signed Photo: Not for sale, for bragging rights only

Payment accepted: Cash, Paybao, Weixin, Gaypal, AmamaPay, Bitcoin

↑ All services above enjoy a 10% discount with a membership card ↑

“Ooh, wow~~~~ So detailed! Okay, okay, I want to know my love fortune for this month! And for my darling!”

“Same-s*x or opposite-s*x?”

“Opposite-s*x! I’m a Pegasus, and he’s a Phoenix!”

“Would you mind revealing your names and birthdates?”

“Sure, his name is %#%%$^%^#…”

After listening, Aimira performed various imitations of the planetary devastation and universal pull techniques with the astrolabe and crystal ball, then transitioned into a survival dragon rider transformation pose. After a performance that left the ignorant baffled and the informed utterly embarrassed, she finally revealed the results mysteriously:

“The Ziwei star overlaps with Libra, while the Kang and Shen constellations converge, and the moon’s afterglow shrouds Venus… I see…”

“Well? Well? How is my super~~~~ wonderful love fortune with my darling? Is it fantastic?”

“Go to school an hour early tomorrow. Before you leave, remove your hand prosthetics and bring something soft, like a towel.”

“Eh? Why?”

“You will understand when the time comes. Just consider it a ritual of sorts.”

“Hmm~~~~ Alright, there’s no harm in following it, I guess. Thank you~”

“You’re welcome. Please come again. Would you like to get a membership card?”

Hmph, her business was truly getting better and better, which I found quite gratifying.

After all, Aimira Milala’s astrology was genuine, even applicable in combat, though I knew nothing about divination magic. Moreover… middle school girls, predicting horoscopes, blood types, and love fortunes—these were topics that would never go out of style, even in Starry Night City.

To be honest, while she had forcibly stayed by my side, I couldn’t bear to let a sixteen-year-old girl starve with me. I had originally planned to find a high-risk, well-paying job, like high-altitude work, but she insisted on helping me share the income. The result was… the money she earned from her fortune-telling stall was even more than what I made as an internet cafe manager.

…I’m not embarrassed, okay? Really!

Still, with such good business, it looked like her stall would be open longer today. I should reward her.

“Phew… F-finished! Everyone, this morning’s business concludes here.”

“““Aw, but we’ve been queuing for so long!”””

“My sincerest apologies, but this humble shop’s operating hours are from 10:30 PM to 8:00 AM the next day. We welcome your continued patronage tonight~”

Aimira packed up her stall. She stuffed the astrolabe, crystal ball, and various small items into her shoulder bag. When she pressed a button on the low table, it automatically folded into a metal plate the size of a laptop. The velvet cloth and other items were folded neatly, perfectly filling a backpack.

Starry Night City’s technology was truly convenient.

“Mhm, he should be off work by now too. I dragged on a bit today. I should hurry and buy some ingredients to make breakfast… Hmm?”

As she muttered to herself and began her journey home, she suddenly noticed a man standing by the iron fence across the street.

He was of medium height, with an unremarkable appearance, dressed in an old plaid shirt, his dark golden hair a little disheveled. Seeing Aimira notice him, he first smiled, then shook a cup he was holding—ah, it was her favorite takoyaki and charcoal-grilled yogurt!

“You worked hard, Aimira.”

“Ah…………”

He smiled gently, taking her shoulder bag and backpack, and handing her the takoyaki and yogurt. He was like an attentive boyfriend waiting for his girlfriend after her night class, holding her favorite snacks.

“Th-thank you very much! Apostle—ah… that, thank you, ‘Kos.’” The girl was surprised, yet she couldn’t appear overly deferential. After all, their assumed identities here were ‘young nomadic couple,’ so an overly respectful attitude would seem strange.

“Business looks good. You worked hard today too.”

“You also worked hard, as an internet cafe manager… uh…”

“It’s not exactly busy, nor is it particularly relaxing, but getting free internet is nice… Watch out.”

Without a word, Kos switched places with Aimira, shielding her from a group of small children on hoverboards, crashing and yelling. His movements were so natural that Aimira’s heart fluttered.

“Hmph, those little brats… You weren’t hit, were you?”

“No! Thanks to you—”

“I bought these takoyaki specifically for you. Aren’t you going to eat them? They’ll get cold.”

“Ah, I’ll just…”

Aimira untied the plastic bag, revealing a small paper box inside containing eight takoyaki. Delicious sauce drizzled over the balls, but there were no skewers to pick them up.

“Are there any bamboo skewers?”

“Eh? Tsk, looks like the boss forgot to include them. In that case…”

A chain pattern flashed across Kos’s index finger and thumb for a moment. Then, he picked up a takoyaki and brought it to Aimira’s mouth. The girl was flustered by his sudden action.

“Eh, eh, eh!? What are you doing—?”

“If there are no skewers, we can only eat it like this, right? I’ll hold it, so the sauce doesn’t get on your hands.”

“But, but, but, but—”

“I just commanded the germs and dust on my fingertips to scram. It’s perfectly clean, here.”

“………………”

WahhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feeding Achievement – Unlocked!

“Ahem, then I shall respectfully accept.”

Aimira looked up, like a hungry chick, opening her small mouth to bite into the takoyaki. She chewed it slowly for a long time before reluctantly swallowing, even extending her small tongue to lick away the sauce from the corner of her lips.

Damn it, only after actually eating it did I realize how embarrassing this was, and on the street too! We looked exactly like a couple of idiots deliberately showing off their affection…

“Why are you so quiet? How does it taste?”

“It’s delicious, ‘dear.’”

“Why are you suddenly calling me so intimately?… Our ‘marriage’ is just a fake identity, a disguise. I know this sounds harsh, but don’t get carried away.”

“Understood, ‘baby daddy.’”

“Are you even listening to me!?”

“I am, ‘my lord.’”

“You’re not actually thinking of yourself as ‘the Ninth Apostle’s wife,’ are you? Wake up, silly girl. Not just Jadette, but Fei, Cyan, Justina, Zhuxiao, Valeria, You Xiaxi, Aisha… any one of those women could blast you to smithereens.”

“…………It’s more likely I’d blast them to smithereens.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself~”