Chapter 5

Tuesday Morning, April 21st

"Wake up ... Open your eyes, Minase ... It's morning."

Ugh! How could anyone sleep with Imari making all that noise? She even started poking me, jabbing her finger into my back.

"I said, wake up!" ... poke-poke-poke...

"Five more minutes," I begged her without opening my eyes. "I'm tired."

"Don't be such a baby!" she exclaimed. "Just once, I'd like to see you get out of bed by yourself."

I ignored her complaining, tugging my blanket tighter around my shoulders. I pushed my head beneath my pillows.

"You'd better get up," she warned me, "or I'll have to take drastic measures."

No way! I'd been up too late the night before. Even after my trip to the school, I'd lain in the dark for an hour, tossing and turning with anticipation. Visions of Mika Ito dancing around my bed had filled my dreams. My morning erection throbbed with competing urges to piss or ejaculate. If only Imari would leave me alone, I thought, I might be able to make a decision. Or at least sleep until noon, that sounded pretty good too.

"Alright then," she sighed. "If that's the way you want it. You're determined to sleep, but I'm determined to wake you up!"

I didn't move a muscle. She could be so selfish at times. I wasn't going to pay any attention to her childish threats. I had to go to school, if only to find out if my spell would work, but sleep was my mistress. I wrapped myself in her warm embrace.

"If you don't want an Imari Punch, you'd better get up!" She began slowly counting for some reason. "One ... Two ... Three ... Imari Punch!"

Wham!... "Augh!"

The shock to my body brought with it an unbelievable amount of pain. She'd punched me in the small of my back and my rigid body screamed for mercy. Who would ever believe something called an Imari Punch could be so destructive? A split-second later I slipped beyond sleep and into something else altogether.

"Are you going to get up now?" she asked. "Hey! I know you're faking!"

She rolled me over easily, handling my limp form as if I'd become a rag doll.

"Minase! Stop pretending ... Oh! Why are your eyes crossed like that?"

I moaned weakly.

"I'm sorry, but you can't say I didn't warn you," she said, tugging at my arm. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Somehow, I managed to get out of bed and ready for school. Imari acted like nothing had happened. She was her usual cheerful self, turning politely around as I dressed behind her.

"Hey! What's this?" she wondered, opening the black book still sitting on my desk. "I haven't seen this before. What is it?"

"Nothing! Leave it alone," I told her. "I think I need to go to the emergency room."

"What a strange book." Imari flipped through the pages. "Can you actually read any of it?"

"No! I told you not to touch it!"

"This is Latin," she said. "I thought you failed that class?"

"I got a D-minus," I muttered. "Give me that!"

She wasn't about to let it go. Imari could be like a dog with a bone once she became curious about something. I finished buttoning my shirt and tried to grab the book, but she kept her body between me and the desk. It was all a game to her as she pushed her hips one way and then the other, slapping at my hands and rubbing her small, round butt against my thighs. She laughed like a little girl, which only frustrated me all the more.

"What do all these symbols mean? Is this some kind of geometry book?" She flipped another page before I could stop her. "Minase! Ugh! That's sick!"

She'd found the picture of the woman having sex with the goat. Imari momentarily froze as the graphic image burned into her consciousness. I snatched the heavy tome off the desk and shoved it into my book bag.

"Bestiality? You're so disgusting sometimes!" She poked me in the chest. "Don't tell me you're bringing that book to school!"

"Stop it!" I slapped at her hand. "It's none of your business. Just forget about it."

"Unbelievable! Sometimes I think I don't know you at all," she said, shaking her head sadly.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't know you," I retorted. "You attacked me!"

"I woke you up, that's all," she said. "And it's a good thing I did, too. Let's go!"

We walked towards the school and I moved slowly, bent over like an old man. Every now and then I would retch and gag, just for her benefit. We passed the kiosk selling bean cakes, but I wasn't hungry and Imari thought better of pestering me.

"Oh! Stop acting like that. I know you're okay," she said. "I told you I was sorry. So stop sulking, will you?"

"You could try being a little more gentle next time," I said, rubbing my tender kidney with an exaggerated motion. "You're always so rough. It's like being woken up by Godzilla!"

"Well..." She looked down. "I'm just trying to help."

"By trying to kill me?"

"How many times do I have to apologize?" she asked, suddenly looking up to find my eyes with hers.

"I don't want another apology," I sighed. "I just want you to be more gentle. Okay?"

"I will," she promised. "But you have to help too, you know!"

"Yeah," I agreed, knowing she was right.

There wasn't any point in arguing further. I'd made Imari feel guilty enough and if I pissed her off, she might stop waking me up altogether. I'd be late for school everyday if that happened, and I didn't need the trouble!

For all her complaining, and even walking slowly like we did, Imari and I still arrived at the school before most of the other students. I looked around for Ito, but she probably wasn't there yet. Or if she was, she would be in the classroom with Saeki and Murai practicing their silly magic. I couldn't help but smile as I imagined the big surprise Ito would be in for later if that spell I'd cast actually worked.

As we entered the shoe shelves, I checked the spot where I'd buried the rock. It wasn't obvious at all that someone had dug a hole and covered it back up the night before. I felt better about that. I'd suffered some small concern that someone would notice and find the rock with the paper wrapped around it before Ito could pass through the open doorway. I glanced at her shelf and saw her school shoes. She hadn't arrived yet and I wanted to hang around just to watch when she did, but that would look suspicious.

"What are you doing?" Imari wondered.

"Nothing," I replied, realizing that I'd been standing there for half a minute staring at Ito's shoes. "My back hurts, remember?"

Speak of the devil. Just then Ito appeared, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed, and decidedly cute beneath the bunny bow she favored. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect. Passing through the open doorway, she stepped right over the rock I'd buried. If the spell didn't work, it wouldn't be my fault!

"Good morning," she said, smiling at Imari. When she looked at me, the corners of her mouth curled downward. "What are you staring at?"

"I'm not staring!" I protested, turning my attention to my shoes.

Inwardly I felt slightly disappointed that she seemed to be acting the same as always. I'm not sure what I expected, but I'd sort of been hoping she'd start stripping down right then and there. Ito had a tight little body and I couldn't wait to feast my eyes on it!

"Don't mind Minase," Imari explained. "He's in a bad mood today."

"Oh!" Ito wrinkled her nose at me. "I thought he was just being a jerk, as usual."

I frowned, but only because nothing had happened. I could put up with the girl's snide remarks and superior attitude, but the book had seemed so genuine. I'd almost been convinced. Wishful thinking, I thought, that's all it was.

Magic didn't exist and watching Ito change her shoes like she did every morning was seriously anticlimactic. Or maybe it just took awhile for the spell to work? Hours or even days? The book hadn't said anything about how long it would take before she started dancing naked. Perhaps I just needed to be patient.

That thought cheered me and Ito frowned at my sudden smile.

"Let's go," Imari said, reaching for my hand.

She wore a frown as well and I didn't know why until we were climbing the stairs.

"Why were you smiling at her like that?" she asked.

"Huh? What?" I blinked at her. "Ito? I wasn't smiling at her."

"Whatever," Imari sighed, letting go of my hand.

There were several students already in our classroom, Saeki among them. She must have just arrived as she was busy removing her books from her bag. I sat down at my desk, preparing my own books and pens, while Imari joined a few of her friends near the windows. They were probably sharing more gossip about Dr. Kitami and I reminded myself to check her out sometime. Everyone said she was hot, although the rumors about her having sex with students seemed pretty far fetched to me.

I tapped my book bag with my foot as if to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. I'd brought the black book with me, although it was so large and heavy that I should have left it at home. The idea hadn't even occurred to me, however, and I felt a strange reassurance knowing it was safe and sound beneath my desk.

Hardly any of the guys were around, but more girls were wandering in every minute. I felt like an idiot for coming to school so early. Boys were supposed to arrive at the last minute, but Imari never gave me a choice. I glanced at Saeki and saw that she'd pulled out her deck of Tarot cards. They were laid out on her desk as if she actually knew what she was doing. I'd watched her tell fortunes for her friends before, always scoffing at the idea that she could predict someone's future.

I shook my head. "First magic and now fortune telling, huh?"

"You have a problem with the future?" Saeki asked, gathering her cards and shuffling the deck. "Maybe you should let me read yours."

"Go for it, Minase!" someone squeaked, and I looked up to see her giggling behind her hand.

Impossibly cute, Ayumi Murai. She'd walked into the room with Ito and they were both listening in. A few other girls were standing nearby as well, but they weren't nearly as cute as those three. Being surrounded like that felt like a challenge. I'd never gotten quite so much attention from my female classmates before.

"Forget it! He's got a closed mind," Ito sniffed. "Don't waste your time, Saeki."

"It's not a waste of time," Saeki told her friend. "I'd like to know what's in store for him, even if Minase doesn't."

"Right," I snorted. "What can a bunch of cards tell you?"

"Ohhhh..." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "I can find out almost anything. My readings are quite well received, you know."

"You're only being modest now," I teased, returning her smile. "Don't be shy. How good are you?"

"You don't have to be sarcastic," she chided me. "I'm just telling you the truth. People like to know the future."

"And you can tell them?" I shook my head.

Fortune tellers are always vague and non-committal, deluding their clients into believing the cards were right all along. Saeki could read her friends, not the cards. If she told people what they wanted to hear, naturally they'd want to believe her. Only an idiot would fall for such an obvious trick.

"Of course," Saeki replied. "But if your destiny frightens you, then maybe you're better off not knowing."

"Skeptics are always afraid of the truth," Ito butted in. "They can never admit they're wrong."

"Try it, Minase!" Murai smiled at me. "Even if you don't believe in magic, it can still be fun."

"Okay," I decided with a sigh. "Go ahead. Tell my fortune for me."

If nothing else, getting my fortune told would kill some time before class started. I'd also get a chance to sit a little closer to Saeki. For some reason, I felt myself drawn to her. Not just recently either, but ever since the beginning of the school year. She had a presence that I found attractive, never mind her lovely face and lithe, sexy body. If only she had a normal hobby, some interest that actually made sense, Saeki would be the perfect girl for me.

"Alright," she said. "First you have to tell me what kind of reading you want. Success in your ambitions? Or maybe your love life?"

"Don't bother," Ito said, looking pointedly across the room. Imari was still talking to her friends. "His love life is about as exciting as watching the grass grow."

"Hey!" I frowned at her as Murai and the other girls laughed. "You don't know anything about me!"

"Hmph!" Ito smirked, still watching Imari for some reason. "You might be surprised."

Yeah, I thought to myself, you might be surprised too, bitch. I prayed that spell would work just to teach Ito a lesson. I didn't know what her problem was with me, but I was getting tired of it. I decided to ignore her smug tone. Saeki was a lot prettier anyways and I could easily imagine falling into her lavender eyes. What an odd color, but they suited her face and flowing blonde hair wonderfully.

"How about money?" she suggested. "Or..."

"Could you tell me the outcome of something I've done recently?" I asked, resisting the urge to look at Ito.

"Sure, I can do that," Saeki said. "Those are the easiest readings of all."

"What did you do, Minase?" Murai asked to murmurs of curious agreement.

There was no way I could tell Saeki and her friends about the book, and especially not about the spell I'd cast on Ito! I wasn't even sure if I wanted to tell them I'd been down to the basement storage room, considering that everything I'd seen confirmed their beliefs.

"Do I have to tell you?" I asked, looking at Saeki.

"Absolutely!" Ito exclaimed, but her friend shook her head.

"No," Saeki told me. "The cards will tell us everything we need to know."

The small crowd voiced their disappointment at not learning my secret, but Saeki had spoken. She was definitely the leader. None of them dared interrupt or correct her. They all shut their mouths when she spoke and I rather admired that unspoken authority Saeki possessed. As she began to shuffle the deck, I watched her more than I did the cards.

"Siras ... Etar ... Besanar..." she whispered, laying out the Tarot cards face up on her desk.

Once she had them arranged to her satisfaction, Saeki looked up. "Okay, I'm going to do your reading now."

She looked back down, studying the cards while I sat opposite her and waited. It all seemed kind of boring to me. While the cards were placed in an orderly pattern, and they sported colorful designs, I barely looked at them. Saeki's serious expression was far more interesting. I liked the way she would lick her lips every now and again, showing me just the tip of her pink tongue. She probably didn't even know she was doing it.

"This is you right now," she finally said, tapping one of the cards with her finger. "The world inverted. You're struggling inside. You don't know what to do next, but whatever your decision, you have to move forward."

"I do?" I smiled, not understanding what she meant.

"There's no going back," she explained. "Whatever you've done, is done."

"Oh." I nodded. That made sense, but it wasn't very specific.

"But you mustn't let your guard down," Saeki continued. "Make a single mistake and you'll be dragged into the abyss, just like that..."

She pointed at a card depicting a man with a cane. He carried a bundle over his shoulder and the card was upside down compared to the last one.

"The Fool inverted," she said. "It's the obstacle your going to encounter as a result of your action. It'll capture you and carry you away from what you're trying to achieve. It means you'll take foolish action and pay a price for it."