Chapter 476: Choosing Cards

"Ahem! Let me clarify—although the flash talisman can be used the way Sanzenin described, my original intention in making it was for the few people here whose personal abilities aren't strong yet to use it for protection."

"For example, Sonoko, Fujiwara, Hayasaka, and Miss Sakuya."

"Miss Sakuya is just an ordinary person, so she really does need to use a prop for protection. Sonoko and Fujiwara's personal abilities are practically nonexistent, so they also need to rely on props for protection, and then there's Hayasaka."

"Hayasaka's Door-Door Fruit is better suited for support. Until her personal physical abilities get stronger, prop-based protection is still necessary. And in another dimension, Hayasaka's ability is also better suited for throwing the talismans out to create area-of-effect control."

Ren Amamiya hurriedly stepped forward to explain, otherwise in a moment he would be mistaken for the textbook example of a charlatan pervert.

"Right, this is a topic I mentioned to Sanzenin before. Some things—once you've prepared yourselves, if you haven't made sufficient preparations, you can hold off on acting first."

"..."

The girls present all understood the meaning of those words. None of them responded, simply nodding silently.

"Good, let's skip this topic for now~"

Ren Amamiya proactively and cleanly skipped over this slightly heavy topic.

"Actually, I already started talking about this talisman business with Miss Aizawa back when we were in the RV. For instance, the talisman's effect is quite good, but against ordinary people with a certain degree of training and resistance, the control time gets shortened to twenty minutes."

"If it's someone with special abilities like us, the effect on them would be even smaller."

"Kaguya, Sanzenin, and the others can only be hard-controlled for about a minute."

"As for Mao Li Lan, if the talisman's ability isn't nullified and canceled out, at most she'd only be affected for twenty seconds."

"Of course, no matter how long, a prop that easily causes trouble for oneself isn't a good prop. But that doesn't mean there's no way to avoid it."

Ren Amamiya flipped his palm, and a set of tarot cards appeared in his hand.

"These tarot cards are all composed of some kind of high-grade product. Wearing them on you can prevent being affected by those ordinary props."

"So..."

That deck of tarot cards began to rotate in sequence in the air as if operated by a trick.

"Everyone present, begin choosing a card that belongs to you."

From the spinning deck, one card drifted down into Ren Amamiya's hand.

"I choose The Fool."

The others all looked at the deck and made their choices one after another.

"Then I'll choose The Lovers."

Suzuki Sonoko made her choice first—this lightning-fast choice made Kaguya Sigong's hand pause for a moment, but she quickly adjusted.

"The Emperor."

After Kaguya Sigong made her choice, Hayasaka Ai also made hers.

"Temperance."

Ren Amamiya glanced at this master and servant pair, thinking to himself that their choices were really quite fitting.

The Emperor reversed means childishness, powerlessness, being dominated—completely matching Kaguya's previous situation.

Temperance reversed means depletion, exhaustion, and unease—it's practically a replica of Hayasaka being controlled.

"Mm, then I'll take The Empress."

Nagi Sanzenin also chose the card most suited to her.

The Empress reversed does match her life experience quite well—uncheerful, lacking ambition, a scattered lifestyle, and most importantly, disputes with family.

After Nagi Sanzenin finished her selection, Maria also made her choice.

"I'll take The Hanged Man."

Ren Amamiya felt that Maria's card should be interpreted in its upright position.

Accepting trials, sacrifice, rebirth from the ashes, broad learning, devoted love—this practically describes Maria's life as written in her story.

Accepting trials, choosing to leave Nagi Sanzenin's side, then being reborn from the ashes, traveling and learning along the way, she also gave her love to the person she loved.

"I'll choose The Hermit."

Aizawa Sakuya's choice also fit her situation well, though it was an upright interpretation.

Independent action, listening to others' opinions, enjoying solitude, beneficial vigilance, and an elder.

It matched her personal situation at home very well—especially as an older sister, she was an understanding person, a listener, and crucially, someone who took care of others.

"Mm, I'll choose The Magician."

Shironomiya Isumi also made the choice most suited to herself.

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This card was also better suited to an upright interpretation for her—the beginning of things, a change in action, it practically described her story with Nagi Sanzenin.

Skilled technique and craft, unwavering will, and ambition achieved through the use of natural forces—this spoke of the power she wielded in her identity as a shrine maiden.

"Then I'll choose Strength."

The most powerful Mao Li Lan chose the card representing the most power.

And for her, both upright and reversed really did fit.

The upright speaks of the present; the reversed speaks of before the diary arrived.

After everyone had chosen their cards, the corresponding cards from the deck came to float before each person.

Only one person remained who hadn't made a choice.

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Everyone focused their gaze on the last one—Fujiwara Chiha.

"Mm... which card should I choose? Amamiya, what do you think?"

For the moment, Fujiwara Chiha couldn't make a decision, so instinctively she wanted to seek Ren Amamiya's opinion.

"For you, The Sun would be good. The upright interpretation fits your situation very well."