Puppet Skin [OHSHC]

Chapter 4

"Do you have any more books that I should read before the other books?" Iiyo asked the club president, who was at his alter preparing for a ritual. It was toward the end of the Black Magic Club meeting on Thursday, and Iiyo had just finished the first book Nekozawa had recommended. She had extensive notes to prove it.

Nekozawa had seen that she took the book to class with her to read during the teacher's lectures, and even went to the club room everyday at break, lunch and a couple hours after school which she put the book back before she went home, but was still amazed she had finished so quickly. His eagerness was buzzing in his gut for all of the possibilities Iiyo could provide. "Of course I do," he said, with a grin that still sent shivers down Iiyo's back.

She still thought Nekozawa was weird in a creepy way, but she hadn't had any fun or felt so relaxed in a long time. Learning about the occult was absolutely nothing like she assumed it would be. There were several kinds of rituals, which some were risqué for the more famous and advanced occultists, but there were no use of blood or sacrifices, and even alcohol was strictly an option if it was wanted by everyone. While ancient occultists did worship certain deities (that weren't evil), the spells they used were mainly for protection against enemies, or fertility spells and spells for luck. In fact, according to a reference to the LaVey Satanic Bible, there was no such thing as "black" or "white" magic; it depends solely on the person's intent during the ritual. There were several different theories on the difference, if there was one, between 'white' and 'black' magic. According to the club's name, she assumed that Nekozawa meant that the club would be practicing the ancient rituals which outsiders considered evil, hence 'black magic.' When Iiyo was half way done with the book, she knew she had to have an open-mind and forget everything that she thought she knew.

Nekozawa handed her the candleholder while he searched through his library for more books. He brought down several and carried about twenty to the table Iiyo was reading at. "If you want, you could take these books home. I don't mind as long as you bring them back."

She thought about the tempting offer, but had to decline. "If my mom caught me studying this, she would freak out. I'm afraid to find out if she believes in book burning."

"Ah. I forget that parents don't normally approve of these kinds of things."

"Your parents approve of this?"

"I told you I was born of the darkness, but what I didn't tell you was that it happens every hundred or so generations, so my family had to prepare for my lifestyle."

"Do they practice black magic too?" Iiyo was getting a little worried that Nekozawa was a psycho from a psychotic family.

"No, only I do."

Iiyo was relieved, but confused because absolutely nothing he said made sense to her.

"How much luck do you think you have?"

There he went again with the cryptic nonsense. "What do you mean?"

"Your family name means 'lucky rice field,' doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. Why does it matter?" She remembered he had taken note of her family name the first time they met, so it was starting to feel a bit of alarm. She only read about the short references to some spells in the book, and one of which was a name spell that said if the wielder new the full name of someone, he or she could control the person.

"Family names are just as ancient as the belief in magic, and say a lot about our family. So how much luck do you think you have?" His head was slightly tilted to the side as he asked. It was times like that where Iiyo wished she could see his aura just so she could get a hint if he was scheming something.

"We don't have a rice farm. We buy rice just like most of the population."

"Yes, but that luck must still run in your family, right?"

"I guess," Iiyo answered with hesitation. "Even so, my luck has to have run out by now."

"What makes you say that? I found you by chance didn't I?"

"You found me because I'm not very good at sneaking around, and that I'm not wearing the proper school uniform."

"You enjoy being in this club don't you?"

Iiyo couldn't argue against that, but she still didn't believe that it was luck. "Doesn't this club believe more along the lines of destiny, than luck?"

Nekozawa noted that she avoided the question. He still wasn't sure if she would stay after she read all of the books, and that worried him, especially if she kept plowing through one book after the other. "No. Here, destiny can be changed with the use of magic, luck—bad or good—is everywhere. You can make good luck charms, but only after borrowing from the luck surrounding it. I'm asking you if you think you have any good luck because I think you could be a great aspect to the club if you perhaps apply yourself in the rituals."

Iiyo looked terrified of the idea, so Nekozawa had to revise.

"When you think you've read enough books, of course. There are some group rituals I had been dying to try, but had no members."

"And that has anything to do with luck because?"

"Because I think there will be more of a chance for success if someone has more luck than the average person helps me perform the ritual."

Finally, something that had made some sense to Iiyo. "Sorry, my good luck has been drained. I'd be lucky if I'm able to stay here for even a year or two."

"What do you mean?"

Iiyo didn't want to tell him too much because she didn't want to scare him off for a change. "I just don't want someone to find me. It would be very bad if he did." With that, Nekozawa's grandfather clock chimed, letting them both know that club hours were over. She began packing her journals and was about to leave before Nekozawa stopped her.

"Here." Nekozawa handed her a book with its covers covered in paper with 'Poetry' written on the front. "You can now safely take this home to read and your parents won't know."

Iiyo carefully grasped the book. She thought the book would be a lot thicker for it being a bible, but she didn't complain. "Does Satanism have anything to do with Black Magic?"

"Not directly, but it has some good information and a philosophy I thought you might find interesting. You don't have to read about the rituals themselves, but the materials that are needed are rather important since it will be very similar to the materials that we will use here."

"Ah, OK. Thanks for this Nekozawa-san." Iiyo should have thought about the paper-cover a long time ago, but now she would get some serious researching done.