Chapter 16: Lesser Girl with a Touch of power
It was school hours, and Hiraku sat with a concentrated look, solving the math classwork with great delight. The nerdy side of him was always evident in his studies. He checked his watch—2:35 p.m. It was almost closing time. He felt the urge to practice some of the spells Zack had given him with Lisa. Lately, he had been feeling uneasy, almost as if someone was watching him. His third eye was slowly healing, but only a fraction of its power had returned.
"It could take a year for it to fully heal," he thought to himself.
Some days, he sensed a dark aura trailing him; other days, it felt like a feminine presence was stalking him. He focused on his book but, for a moment, glanced forward. His eyes caught Mira staring at him. She quickly moved her head to and fro, as though searching for something. After a moment, she peered into her desk and brought out a lipstick. Hiraku couldn't understand why she had been staring at him.
He pretended to look at his book and secretly activated his third eye, careful not to draw any attention. To his surprise, he saw that her aura had been trailing him for days.
Rising from his seat, he walked toward her.
"Can we talk?" Hiraku said gently.
"I'm busy right now," she responded coldly, applying lipstick to her lips. Hiraku knew a trick that worked on her. Mira, the queen of the school—as the students called her—hated being embarrassed or gossiped about. With a slightly high-pitched voice, Hiraku retorted,
"Why do you keep follow—"
Hiraku was cut off as Mira clamped her right hand over his mouth. The students in the class stared curiously, as though waiting for Mira to retaliate and do something rash. Instead, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the classroom.
*
Mira stood, peering from the top of the school building.
"I remember telling you to follow me to babysit a little brat, but I can't recall what happened after that," she said with a confused look. She stared at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but Hiraku remained unfazed by her words.
He walked closer to the edge of the building and said, "You went home after that. I guess you had too much to drink. You found her dad's wine cabinet and drank some of it. I tried to stop you, but with your personality, it was impossible. Lisa dropped you home after we left."
His gaze remained fixed on the distance.
"Lisa," she thought carefully. An image flashed in her mind, but it was hazy.
"When I had too much to drink, did we, umm, do anything like... um..." The tip of Mira's right shoe fidgeted against the ground. "Did we make out?"
Hiraku was stunned. Was her spirit rejecting the memory spell, or was it an altered memory playing tricks on her mind? he thought to himself. Slowly, he regained his composure and responded with a firm shake of his head.
"No, Mira. I didn't take advantage of you in any way. You can ask Lisa if you don't believe me," Hiraku replied in a frank tone, his eyes still fixed on the distance.
He could feel her gaze on him. She moved closer, her face just a few inches from his.
"Why do I feel like you're lying?" she asked, her tone almost seductive.
"I'm not lying, Mira. Aren't you too young to be thinking that way?" Hiraku replied, stepping back slightly.
"Oh, and by the way, I saw what you did to that kid in the hallway. Nice job, Mira. Your queen title really reaches new heights when you're bullying others," Hiraku added, a glint of disappointment in his eyes.
"I followed you to the girl's house because I wanted to give you a piece of advice: don't hurt others just to feed your ego. I'll say this just once—try to change the way you treat others. Try to be better than who you are now," Hiraku concluded, turning to walk away.
"I'll change," Mira said, her eyes gazing down at the students walking to and fro.
"I'll change so much that you'll fall for me, Hiraku Mayes," she added, smiling.
Hiraku was dumbfounded. If they were even close to being friends, he might have told her he was already in love with someone else. But he didn't bother to say anything. He simply walked away, his right hand absentmindedly twirling a silver bangle on his wrist.
*
"Shin, hey man! I haven't been seeing you around. Are you busy or something?" Hiraku asked, walking closer to Shin.
"I had some issues at work, so I got fired. I've been looking for a side job," Shin said, twirling the glass in his hand.
"Oh, I see," Hiraku replied, his thoughts drifting to the automobile shop his dad often visited—and where he worked on weekends.
"Do you have any experience fixing vehicles, even if it's just a little?" Hiraku asked.
"Yes, I've been doing odd jobs since I was little. I can fix a car—I'm quite the handyman," Shin responded with a smile.
"Well shin,you've got yourself a part-time job" Hiraku said as he placed his arm on his shoulder.
Lisa was waiting behind a tree. Hiraku could see that she was meditating on a spell in her thought.
"Hi Lisa," He said holding her hand. Shin couldn't help but notice how close they have become. Hiraku didn't know it yet but shin has always known Lisa since when she was little,back then nobody came close to her,she was a complete outcast,and there was a time they talked and knew each other for a while,but because of how much of an outcast she was,he stayed away from her and never interacted with her for the fear of being bullied. Somedays he couldn't help but feel guilty for abounding their friendship.He never would have thought Hiraku would date someone like her.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone