April 13th

I found the same guy from last time crashed his bike again, this time into a garbage bin.

"Someone..." he said.

Maybe I should help him. I helped him.

"Whew, you saved me," he said. "Thanks! Umm... Oh yeah, that's right. You're the transfer student, John Doe. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."

"Is your bike okay?" I asked.

"My bike? What about me!?"

Yosuke seemed to be alright.

"Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday?" asked Yosuke. "They found that announcer lady hanging from a antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident."

I'm certainly not kinkshaming but I certainly wanted no part of getting hung up from an antenna or water tower or something.

"You might be right." I said.

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that? That's just messed up. Then again, it was pretty messed up to just kill someone in the first place. Oh crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky but it should be fine."

In class, King Moron took the opportunity to berate us during homeroom.

"Be quiet, you idiots!" said Mr. Morooka. "You guys ARE in high school, aren't you!? Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense? First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy and since I'm so nice, I'll straight up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honoured!? And I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that's curious about the ****! Got it!? Now, get your books out!"

I listened to the lecture intently where he would use his moral concerns to upbraid us for the crime of being adolescent men and women. He wasn't even a competent teacher.

Still, he wasn't as bad as Mr. Ushimaru from Tokyo. At least King Moron was amusing.

"So you're getting used to this place?" asked Yosuke.

"Yeah." I said.

"Wow, that was fast. There isn't much to do here compared to the big city but is that certain something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great. Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

Just as I was about to say yes, Chie stomped over to the two of us, brow furrowed, inserting herself and Yukiko into our conversation.

"What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'." every word of Chie's dripped with venom, every mannerism filled with rage.

"Urgh, you always come around when I'm talking about food." Yosuke groaned at her arrival.

Chie turned to Yukiko, "How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?"

Yukiko stood up and gathered her belongs before answering, "I'll pass. I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway."

"Wow, Yukiko-san!" said Yosuke. "You started training to take over the family business?"

"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way." Yukiko said before heading out the door.

Chie shrugged but continued undaunted, "Oh well, we should get going too."

Yosuke took a small step backwards.

"Huh, do I seriously have to treat two people?" he questioned.

I wasn't comfortable with Chie hanging around someone she had assaulted only yesterday so I agreed to come in case she tried anything. Then I came up with a brilliant idea. I leaned over to Yosuke and whispered in his ear.

"Let's just take her with us. It'll be more fun if we do it in public."

"Okay, but we won't be able to go for the steak today." Yosuke whispered back in my ear.

The headphones wearing boy took me and Chie to Junes food court.

"THIS is the cheap place you were talking about?" asked Chie. "They don't have grilled steak here."

"Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Yosuke said snarkily.

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place." Chie said with a scowl and a bite to her tone.

Yosuke had an exasperated look on his face as he said, "Dude, this isn't my place or anything."

I cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh right, I haven't told you yet, huh?" Yosuke spoke up. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up and my dad was assigned to manage it so our entire family came out here."

"Ah," I said in response before turning to Chie. "You're getting a spanking. Take off your clothes or it will be worse for you."

As Chie reached her skirt, hail of whistles and catcalls from both men and women went out through the room. She stood blushing in front of everyone clad in only her panties.

"Give us a show!"

"Get those panties off!"

Chie pulled down her panties and stepped out of them.

She remained silent before she, in one motion, turned and bent over my knee.

Chie's beautiful ass, presenting itself ready to be abused was beyond erotic.

Many people were smiling, captivated by the show. I placed on my down on the girl's ass and began rubbing the bare skin. Her bare bottom did nothing to offer her protection.

"I think 20 should do. You're going to count each one." I said.

SLAP!

"One." Chie counted.

SLAP!

"Two."

The show had began in ernest. Yosuke and the other onlookers watched, as I started spanking Chie's cheeks in a solid rhythm. SLAP! SLAP! Slap!

"Five."

SLAP! The arousal could be felt in the whole court.

"Your naked body is basically on full display for the entire world to see!" I emphasised my words with another quick sharp slap to her rear.

Chie could do nothing but produce a moan in response. I released my hand high into the air. SLAP! My hand met one of her full cheeks, making hot wobbles.

"Now, Chie, what do bad girls get?"

I increased the **** of my spanks as I teased the girl. SLAP!

"Eight. They get their bare bottoms spanked." Chie said.

SLAP! I warmed her up with another hard SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

"Thirteen."

SLAP!

"Fifteen."

SLAP! My hand clapped down again and again. In return Chie's bottom just kept jiggling. I was fully engrossed in my handiwork. Chie felt like finely tuned instrument and I just the master too play her. I let out another 3 quick strikes to Chie's bottom in rapid succession. She flailed and struggling, her shrieks growing ever louder. My hand worked faster, hammering down on Chie's ass. Her reactions were already pathetic, no dignity, no self-control, just wailing in desperation. It made the taunting by the other girls worse. SLAP! Chie screamed to no avail.

"Twenty."

When I finally stopped, Chie's cheeks were flaming red. Yosuke and I gave her our order and she went over to the counter.

"Why are you naked?" a girl behind her asked. "And why is your ass so red."

"Because I was spanked for being a bad girl." Chie said, humiliated.

Chie returned to us with a tray of sodas and some snacks. Yosuke picked up his soda and handed another to me.

"Here, this is to welcome you to town." he declared with a smirk and a wink.

The conversation became animated over small talk. Of course, Chie remained naked. She also ate standing up due to the redness of her bottom.

"It's only been half a year since this place opened up but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing and... Oh, uh..." Chie trailed off and shuttered a bit.

"You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" Yosuke sighed.

Yosuke turned to some girl.

"Hey, it's Saki! Sorry, be right back." Yosuke took a deep breath before getting up.

"Is she Yosuke's girlfriend?" I asked.

Chie laughed, "He wishes. That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she's working here part-time, though."

"Hey, how's it going? You look beat." Yosuke said, lightheartedly.

Saki actually did look pretty exhausted.

"I'm finally on break. What's up Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?" she said in a tone that I think was teasing but wasn't quite sure.

Yosuke seemed to take it that way as he feigned an offended gasp but with a big smile on his face said, "Madam, you wound me!"

He dropped the smile, shifting to a more serious expression.

"Kidding aside, you look down. Did something happen?"

Saki waved her hand dismissively and spoke with a sigh, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen. I-"

Saki chuckled, "I'm okay. Thanks, though."

But then she sighed with a disgruntled expression on her face, "Why'd I leave school early yesterday?"

Saki perked up and looked towards me and Chie.

"Hey, is he the guy who transferred here?" Saki asked, getting up and walking over tour table, Yosuke quietly following behind her. "Chie? Why are you naked?" she asked.

"I was a spanked for being a and girl." Chie reluctantly replied.

"Are you the transfer student?" Saki asked me.

I nodded.

"Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."

"Not necessarily."

"He doesn't have too many friends so I hope you two get along good."

"So he hangs out with a lot of girls then?" I nodded and smirked.

"Hana-chan's a good guy but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you."

"He's not as bad as Chie." I said.

Saki laughed, "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go. Laters!"

"Oh, uh...!" Yosuke sat back down. "Saki says I'm annoying but she's even nosier than me. She has a younger brother and she treats me pretty much the same way."

Chie seemed to take his joke as a confession, so she smirked and spoke teasingly.

"Ohhh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh?" Chie laughed. "I get it, so that's how it is. The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain? Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!"

"What? Dude, it's not like that."

Chie's smirk became even more devious, "Oh reaaaally, well I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?"

We both lilted our heads.

"You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen and they say that person's your soulmate." Chie finished, excitedly.

"What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful. How can you get excited over such a childish urban legend like that?" Yosuke spoke while rolling his eyes, topping it off by finishing with a long sigh.

Chie bristled at the insult.

"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?"

"Of course I don't!" Yosuke didn't even need to think about his response.

"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out, then you'll see!"

"Try it out? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself!?"

Chie flinched a bit and looked away.

"Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid. All that aside, you know that incident yesterday? You guys think it was ****? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around?" Yosuke laughed.

Chie's discomforted expression shifted to an irritated tone. Could it be that she's the killer?

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one? All I'm saying is, you guys better try it out to tonight."

Maybe I should try it out tonight. Maybe I end up with someone famous. Dinner was a lonely affair with Nanako.

"Did your father call?" I asked.

"No," said Nanako. "He always says he will. Oh, he's home!"

"What a day," said Dojima. "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

"No, you're late again."

"I'm sorry, been busy at work. Can you put the news on for me?"

It was a follow up report about the incident yesterday.

"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi."

When Ms. Yamano was alive, she was having an affair with a councilman's secretary. The man's wife was Misuzu Hiiragi. Could the incident be tied to their lover's quarrel?

"The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. Ina addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

Dojima sighed, "An interview with her? Where the hell did they find her?"

"What went through your mind when you found her?" asked a reporter. "Could you tell she was dead?" Did you see her face?"

The female student's face and voice were indistinct but I felt like I'd seen her before somewhere. It appeared that the young lady was the one who found Yamano's body and was therefore important as a witness.

"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?

"Huh? She was killed?" asked the female student.

"Oh, er... So did you see anyone suspicious around here?"

"No, not really."

"We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"Huh? That's..."

The reporters enthusiasm seemed to be perplexing the girl. Looking closely, she reminded me of Saki Konishi.

"...a tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district," the news continued. "Many storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as result."

"Hmph, if they lose more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it." Dojima muttered.

"It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna. I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit."

"Yes but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime."

"Lots of prank calls, thought." Dojima muttered.

"So the cause of **** is still unknown and they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayer's funds are going to a police **** who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?"

"Well be right back after these messages."

"At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products! Everyday's great at your Junes!"

"Everyday's great at your Junes!" Nanako repeated. "Hey dad, can we go to Junes together sometime?"

Dojima seemed to be asleep.

"No?" asked Nanako, sighing. "Geez."

The rain fell into the night, reminding me that I made a promise to test out the rumours of this Midnight Channel. I should check it out in my room. I watched the TV in my room. I could hear it raining outside. It was almost midnight.

"Your soulmate appears if you look into a TV on a rainy night."

Could Chie's story be true? I heard a voice. I waited as the clock ticked down to midnight.

Static interspersed with images of a young woman appeared before my very eyes and my head suddenly hurt as I heard words, "I am thou, thou art I... Thou are the one who opens the door."

On a whim, I touched my television screen and the most shocking part was that it rippled like the surface of a still pool. My hadn't went through the TV and I was suddenly being pulled by something but my body was too big to fit through the small screen. Flailing around a bit, whatever it was that caught me let go and I ended up hitting my head on a table. I'm surprised that didn't cause further damage and some may attribute my words to that head injury but I guess that doesn't matter now.

"Are you okay?" asked Nanako.

"Kind of." I said.

"Okay. Well, good night."

Nanako seemed to have returned to her room. What just happened? I decided to talk about it with the others tomorrow.