April 9th

It felt like I had a strange dream. However it was time to go to school.

"Yo, man, I'm so sleepy today," Junpei said. "In times like these, it's best to sleep during class! You ever notice how sometimes taking a nap in class makes you feel more refreshed than sleeping at home?"

"Don't sleep in class." I said.

"What? Why do you have to be all serious? That feeling of being recharged is awesome but I'm screwed later since I didn't hear the lecture! Oh, but we have classic literature today. That means we're stuck with Mr. Nasty old Ekoda."

In class.

"Ahem, I'm Mr. Ekoda. I'll be teaching you classic literature. I'll be teaching you about good old Japan all year. Some people say classic lit isn't relevant to everyday life but oh, how they're wrong! The students, the other teachers, wrong, wrong, wrong! Nobody really understands classic lit..."

I felt tired and ended up falling asleep.

"Hey, are you listening to me? Wake up, Jane Doe!" Mr. Ekoda shouted.

I awoke with a shock.

"As punishment for slepping during class, you will strip naked and bend over the desk for a caning."

I obediently stripped naked. Mr. Ekoda guided with a hand on my bare shoulder to bend over the desk. I did not even consider the borderline inappropriate touch. I was completely naked under the eyes of the class and soon to be under the cane.

"You are going to count and thank me for each stroke." he said.

Mr. Ekoda saw no reason to further delay the proceeding. I was terrified.

Without further ado, Mr. Ekoda pressed the cane against my bare bottom and pulled it back for a swing. I cringed. He did not hold back. A swishing sound broke as the cane cut into my backside. I say cut, because it wasn't a stroke or a hit. Although I stayed in place, the rattan cane that seemed more proper for judicial punishment of prisoners than young students, left a bleeding welt that had me screaming my lungs out.

"One, thank you, Mr. Ekoda." I said.

I was almost out of breath. He did not give me too much respite but he did allow time for the pain to set in properly and probably for the audience to enjoy the wriggling of my bare legs. My second holler was as loud as my first and Mr. Ekoda fell into a rhythm easily afterwards. Tears were streaming down my cheeks unchecked by now.

"Two, thank you, Mr. Ekoda."

My world was rapidly diminishing to be focused on on fires dancing on my upturned cheeks. Before long, the audience stopped being a concern. So did the shame of screaming and failing to show any dignity. My entire body jolted back and forth with each blow. Shuddering and convulsing in pain as he continued to rain down five more blows on me, I only remembered the exact number because I counted them aloud. Still, a small part of me whispered insistently that one stroke at a time, I could do this and I will not suffer any lasting harm. With every stroke, however, the desperation pressed out the rationality. It was on the 8th stroke that Mr. Ekoda decided to pause, which I did not even realise at first. My bottom quivered in anticipation.

"Stand up." Mr. Ekoda said.

I ambled to my feet, unsteady, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"Go stand in the corner, facing the wall." said Mr. Ekoda.

Still naked, I stood in the corner, my striped bottom on full display to the class. I did not dare cover myself. Mr. Ekoda continued his lesson.

"Now open your textbooks. First on our syllabus is 'Ise Monogatari', the origin of Japanese literature. It's a very interesting story. You youngsters might call it, 'da bomb'," Mr. Ekoda sighed. "I can tell you people are 'zoning out'."

I wasn't allowed to put my clothes back on until after class. I met Yukari at the shoe boxes and decided to go back to the dorms together. On our way, we passed through Paulownia Mall.

"Have you come here before?" Yukari asked. "A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. There's a karaoke box and a CD shop. Oh, and a really great cafe too! There's also a nightclub but that's kinda not for us yet."

The station was busting with students on their way home.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru said. "The moon is beautiful tonight. It might be nice to read a book by moonlight once in a while."

I was tired today so I went to bed early.