A psychic?

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I stuttered, avoiding eye contact with her.

How the hell did she know about that?? It was all a product of my imagination. Was Yumiko reading my mind? Was she telepathic? A psychic? Or maybe, she's secretly a witch? Gah! I'd been watching too much anime.

Yumiko smiled and suddenly grabbed my hand. I tried to pull back but she tightened her grip on my hand.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Kouichi. You can deny it all you want but I know you think about me like a horny teenager."

Other students were passing by us and they cast glances at us in curiosity. I didn't know if they heard what we were talking about or no. I hoped not.

"Stop teasing me around. This isn't funny!" I shouted as I tried to push her away from me.

"Did you enjoy yourself yesterday? Were you thinking about me while you were pleasuring yourself? Did you imagine that we were doing all those things together?" Yumiko asked with a mischievous grin.

I tried to free my hand from her grasp but it was useless.

Finally I relented and gave in.

"Fine. I admit it. Yes I fantasize about you from time to time but I don't think I'll ever do any of those things. I'm not that kind of pervert," I told her with a stern look on my face.

"Haha! So you did think about me while masturbating! That's not a bad thing though. I'm flattered! Your imagination on the courtyard yesterday was not to my taste though." Yumiko giggled.

"Look. The bell is about to ring and we are almost late for class." I said while removing her hold on my hand. I felt my heart pounding in my chest and my palms were sweaty.

"Sure. Later then." Yumiko grinned.

I watched her walk away before walking inside the school building. I had no idea what just happened. How did she know what I was thinking? Maybe she was just teasing me as usual. I considered it for a moment before dismissing it. No no, her account of the courtyard fantasy was too spot on for it to be mere coincidence. She was definitely a psychic. Yes, she must be. There was no other explanation.

Or so I thought.

***

I found it difficult to concentrate in class today. All I could think about was this morning incident. I admitted that whenever I thought of her, I felt a warm sensation in my stomach and I could feel the blood rushing to my groin. Did it make me a pervert? But still, how did she know I was thinking about her like that yesterday? I kept going back to that question over and over again.

Our Math teacher, Yamaguchi, was lecturing on the topic of integral how it was useful in solving mathematical problems involving complex functions. I guess I was not the only one distracted as I could see the expressions on everyone's faces. Yumiko seemed to be paying attention though. She raised her hand and asked a question after the teacher paused for a moment.

"Excuse me, Mr. Yamaguchi," she started. "In the context of the quadratic equation, how does the integral theorem apply?"

"Quadratic equations are solved using the quadratic formula which involves integrating the function over a unit interval. What we have here is a circle and the integral theorem applies because we are given the area of the circle as a parameter and we are required to integrate it over the unit interval around the center of the circle."

My mind was blank. I couldn't comprehend what he just said. It all sounded like gibberish to me.

"Thank you, Mr. Yamaguchi." Yumiko replied.

At that moment Yumiko looked at me and winked. I tried to ignore her.

Suddenly, I recalled the day Yumiko transferred to our school. It was two years ago. She came to our class and introduced herself. She was wearing a checkered dress. When I first laid eyes on her, I was captivated by her beauty. She had large eyes and luscious lips. Her skin was radiantly fair. She was taller than most girls in our class and she had a slender, athletic build. Most of the boys in our class were entranced by her looks. I could see it in their eyes. Since then, she had joined the track team as well. It took almost no time at all for her to be one of the most popular girl in our school. I didn't really pay any attention to her except during class times. I was too self conscious to talk to her.

The only time we talked to each other was when we were grouped together for some assignment. I remember one time when we were assigned to work in pairs for a project. Gradually I got to know her more. I discovered she was not snobbish as I thought at first. She was easygoing and had a good sense of humor. Plus she was nice to everyone, including me. I could see why everyone and even the teacher liked her. So, you can imagine it came as a shock when I heard what she said this morning in front of the gates. All those things about masturbation and pleasuring oneself? Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine she to say something like that.

Indeed, there was no excuse for my occasional fantasy of her. I couldn't help it when I saw her at school or when we were working together. Her joining the track team didn't help either. She wore tight fitting clothes that accentuated her figure and made my heart beat faster. Even when she was running, I could see bulges under her sports bra. Whenever she bent down to pick up a ball, I could see the curve of her ass and legs underneath her shorts. I could even see a hint of camel toe.

It was inevitable that I fantasized about her. I was a normal young male after all.

But did Yumiko knew all that? I was starting to wonder if Yumiko was the one who planted that fantasy in the courtyard in my mind. She could do that if she was a psychic, right?

The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that she was indeed a psychic. She would be able to read my mind if she was a psychic. I must guard my mind every time she was around me.

I let out a sigh and shook my head. I wasn't going to get anywhere with these thoughts. I decided to forget about it and focus on my lessons for the rest of the day.

***

After school ended, I steeled myself in preparation to be confronted by Yumiko. However, she was nowhere to be seen. Probably practicing for the track meet tomorrow. I avoided the courtyard and instead went straight to the police station to report my discovery of the Guropeji site. I had already prepared my story to tell Detective Saito.

Detective Saito listened intently as I recounted everything that I learnt about Guropeji site from the forum, especially the voting system. I also showed him the screenshots in case he didn't believe me and the forum address so he could check it out by himself later.

"I had my suspicion regarding the voting candidates and my suspicion turned out to be correct." Saito stated while scratching his chin. "There's no way they would reveal the real name of the potential victims. They will either use false names, fake names or nicknames to keep their identity confidential. That was what I thought at first. But when the names turn out to be of real people, we have no choice but to consider them as potential victims and put them under surveillance and protection. Thus, this discovery of yours change nothing for us. As long as there is a possibility that the names listed on the voting page being the potential victims, we will continue to monitor them."

I nodded. "Understood."

I had foreseen this outcome. It was a different story if the names were fictional; there was nothing to be done then. It was a brilliant move on the part of the masterminds behind Guropeji. The police force would be spread thin and the investigation was further complicated by this move. I felt sorry for those people whose identities were revealed. They would be subjected to intense scrutiny by the public. And worst still, they would know no peace, always looking back at their shoulders for fear of being abducted. It was a dark reality.

"Anyway, thank you for reporting this matter to us." Saito said. "Your assistance is deeply appreciated. You can leave now."

***

I bowed my head as I left the police station. After leaving the main street and crossing the road, I stopped to look at the signboard of the local bookstore. On impulse, I entered the store and browsed through the bookshelves. My eyes landed on a book that sat alone on a shelf without any other books nearby. As I walked closer, I noticed it was a thick hardcover volume more resembling a tome rather than a regular book.

The tome had a leather cover embossed with the image of an eye. The eye was covered in gold leaf and surrounded by geometric shapes, each one connected to the next by thin lines. There were no words written on the cover; no title, no author's name. Inscribed around the edges of the spine were strange symbols: squares and circles that looked like they might be runes or sigils. A leather strap held the book closed when it was not being read. Rather than the bookstore, it belonged more to a museum display cabinet.

How come such a thing ended up here? Was it a rare edition perhaps?

Curiosity getting the better of me, I picked up the tome and examined it carefully. The tome felt heavy and solid in my hands. Its texture was soft yet firm. It appeared to be the work of a craftsman, created by someone skilled and passionate about his craftsmanship. It gave off the impression of age and history. It smelled old and dusty and slightly damp. I ran my fingers along the leather cover, feeling its smooth surface and trying to identify the material.

What was this? It felt familiar somehow...

As I pondered, I flipped open the pages to find texts and writing within. At first glance, the pages seemed ordinary. Each page was filled with text printed in black ink. But upon closer examination, I realized that each letter was formed of intricate patterns of tiny dots, spirals and loops.

A language I've never seen before.

I opened another page to take a look at the contents therein. There were several photo illustrations accompanying the text. I was shocked to find that I recognized the pictures.