Tsuji Private High School, Class 10-4, Monday

"Good morning, Hyuuga-chan!" - Watanuki greets enthusiastically, making her wonder what Himawari did this early morning to make him all work up.

"Good morning, Watanuki-kun!" - over the weekend, her bruises did not improve but worsened. The bruises on her face are now turning brown-red, and no amount of concealer can cover all bruises completely. Mikoto has to write a note so that she can have her cap and face mask for the rest of the week. Her body, in addition to being bruised, is so sore that she has to move carefully to avoid having her organs clashed together, causing the pain to worsen further. In summary, she is so miserable, both inside and outside, that she fails to recognize that Watanuki has removed his eye patch until after classes.

"Watanuki-kun, your eye! It's normal again. How? How did you get it back?" - she yelps in happiness before groaning in pain.

"I did not get my eye back, unfortunately…" - Watanuki scratches the back of his head, explaining shyly then changing the subject - "Doumeki-kun shared half of his vision with me. Are you free right now, Hyuuga-chan?"

"Hm…I'm planning to hit the internet cafe now. But that can change depending on why."

"Ah, Yuuko wants to meet you so she asks if you can come over to the shop after school."

"Ah. Sure! Let's go." - Watanuki quickly agrees to join Watanuki - "It's time to pay my due."

The Dimensional Witch's Shop

"Wait what?" - Kira's jaw drops after hearing the request - "I thought you said I don't have to clean?"

"Teehee, well, but now I think you need to clean, or let's just say you are helping Watanuki to clean." - said Yuuko, waving her hands uninterestedly while smiling at the two students.

"Um…Yuuko-san, it's not nice to go against your words. It's okay Hyuuga-chan, I don't need help. Plus, we have Maru and Moro, too." - Watanuki fidgets his fingers, feeling guilty for dragging her into such an unexpected task.

"It's okay," - she sighed, wishing she had said "no" to follow Watanuki to the shop earlier - "I'm here anyways, so let me help you."

With that, they start cleaning the shop's closet by moving everything outside. Some items are so far hidden in the back that they are covered in probably 10 layers of dust. It gets so dusty to the point that both have to wear masks to avoid filling their lungs in dust.

"Kamiiii-samaaaa, how long has it been since the last time you cleaned this closet?" - Watanuki rambles, shaking his head nonstop which makes Kira smile. Who would dare to speak to the Dimensional Witch like the way Watanuki does?

"Hm…never?" - Yuuko shrugs, taking another sip of the plum wine on the front porch.

"What are these junks anyways?" - Kira asks, looking at multiple vases, trunks, boxes, packets, books, blankets, and more lying out in the shop yard while catching her breath. From the outside, it looks like they are holding a garage sale.

"Junks? My dear, these are invaluable items." - Her eyes sharpen - "These are the equally prized items that their owners had to give up for their wishes. Most are magic items and are pretty rare to come by otherwise."

"Okay, what the heck is this?" - Kira lifts a cute pink wand with a star and 2 tiny wings attached to it.

"That… is a powerful magical wand that can control 53 powerful spirits. It was made for a cute girl so it has to look cute." - Yuuko grabs the wand, caressing it as if she is remembering a very fond memory before putting it back down.

"Are you planning to use them? Or giving them away?" - Kira looks at the amount of stuff in the yard, pondering the plans Yuuko has for her treasures.

"My shop is just a temporary stop for them. One day, their true owner will arrive and claim them." - Yuuko smiles, her eyes darting around and finally stopping at Kira - "People and items are fated to each other, just like people. Once the bond has formed, they will always find each other, one way or another."

"Everything happens for a reason." - It's among the first sentences Yuuko said during their first meeting.

"Hello," - Their cleaning session is interrupted shortly by a young lady to everyone's surprise - "Sorry for barging in. My name is Nanami and I'm a Cultural student at Tokyo University. I was passing by and was captured by the antique items in here."

"Don't worry about it, you are meant to come in here anyways." - The lady, Nanami, blinks, confused at Yuuko's remarks - "So what are you intrigued by?"

"Ah, this one." - She walks toward the shop's porch and grabs a small shiny kaleidoscope-like object on the ground - "I don't know what it is, but I cannot take my eyes off it."

Nanami caresses the object; her eyes sparkle with adoration.

"What is it?" - Watanuki and Kira share a look.

"What do you think it is?" - as if Yuuko can read their minds.

"Is it a kaleidoscope?" - her brows furrow as she turns the object in her hands, trying to decipher the mysterious object - "But there is no opening. Hmm, there is something inside. Can I please get this?"

"I don't think it fits you." - Yuuko's eyes narrow.

"Eh? Why? Is it really expensive?" - her face fills with disappointment.

"No," - she pauses shortly before continuing - "If you want it, I will give it to you under one condition."

"What is it?" - her face lits up.

"Never open it."

Tsuji Private High School, Class 10-4, Tuesday

"Hyuuga-chan, I made some picnic food, let's eat together with Himawari-chan and Doumeki?" - Watanuki holds a huge picnic basket carefully wrapped before her - "I want to thank you for helping me clean yesterday at Yuuko's."

"Ah, well, I won't deny free food. Hihi." - She smiles under the mask and follows him to the school's backyard, where Himawari and Doumeki have already been waiting; they are in PE uniform. Kira is dreadful, unsure how to handle the double PE periods tomorrow with all the injuries.

Their supposed peaceful picnic lunch is interrupted shortly by a familiar figure from yesterday.

"Ah, you two were from the shop yesterday," - Nanami greets them - "So, you are students at this school. What a coincidence!"

"Ah, yes, Nanami-san! This is Himawari-chan and Doumeki-kun. And you know Hyuuga-chan." - Watanuki introduces the group.

"Ah, very nice to meet you! I will be a part of the teaching intern group starting this week. Looking forward to seeing you all around."

When Nanami walks away and Watanuki explains what happened at the shop to Himawari and Doumeki, Kira keeps her eyes glued to Nanami's back. She smells something rotten. She smelled it since yesterday at the shop but she could not pinpoint the smell among a sea of antiques in the yard. Now that Nanami shows up alone, there is no doubt, that the smell comes from her, or more particularly, the object that Yuuko warned her to never open.

"Hyuuga-chan…Hyuuga-chan.." - Himawari pats her back. The touch from Himawari snaps her back to the conversation.

"What happened, what did I miss?"

"You are not missing any, Hyuuga-chan. We are just wondering what are you looking at." - Himawari explains.

"Ah…It's just…I just smell something, coming from her."

"Something?" - Doumeki asks, rocking his legs.

"A rotten smell, probably from the object she got yesterday. Doumeki-kun, have you heard of such an object from your grandfather's notes?"

"Nah, I don't think I ever read about a rotten kaleidoscope-like object." - He shakes his head.

DING…DONG….

The bell signals the end of lunch and the start of the afternoon period. And how coincidently or maybe "fated," Nanami is assigned to Class 10-4. Coincidently again, they also share the same path leaving school after classes.

Watanuki and Kira follow the group of teaching interns quietly.

"Did you see anything weird?" - she elbows Watanuki's arm to get his attention.

"No, nothing." - As soon as Watanuki finishes his sentence, they see Nanami take the object out from her purse and show it to others. The group seems impressed at the object as they take their turn to observe, admire, and guess what it is. They assess the object using various methods until it falls from one hand.

Kira's and Watanuki's hearts drop on the concrete ground when Nanami catches the object but unintentionally yanks it open.

"Never open it." - That was the deal and Nanami broke it. Kira covers her nose as soon as the object opens; a stench odor invades her nostrils aggressively, stealing all air.

She crouches and coughs profusely as Watanuki guides her in the opposite way of Nanami.

"Hyuuga-chan, are you alright?" - she heaves in and out, trying to repulse the filthy smell from her nostrils; Watanuki pats her back gently; he doesn't know what else to do or the reason for her strong reaction against the object. Plus, he did not get a clear look at the content of the object, they were too far away from Nanami.

"No. I think I'm going to be sick." - She wants to jump into the water channel nearby to wash away the lingering sense.

"Are you sure you are okay?" - Watanuki holds on to his bag, brows furrowing and voice filling with concern as he assesses Kira's facial expression once they are far away from Nanami's group.

"Yeah, a bit better," - she nods, hurrying him home before walking toward her favorite Ninja Internet Cafe. She deserves a treat to herself after the event and they have double PE periods tomorrow so less homework. With that, she strolls down the usual road.

She stays at the cafe until almost midnight. By the time she makes it outside to go home, there is an unexpected downpour, and she is completely drenched in the rain.

Tsuji Private High School, Class 10-4, Wednesday

"Good morning everyone," - Tsuda's voice is borderline hateful - "Surprise math test. Put everything away except for a piece of scrap paper. Now!"

A huge wave of complaints and groaning erupts which is quickly silenced by a single deadly stare. Nanami breathes out, feeling lucky and compassion with the students.

"Hyuuga-chan, Watanuki-kun, you can do it!" - Nanami encourages as she hands out the testing materials.

Kira's career as an assassin is exponentially comparable to her studying level - she fails in both.

"How did you do?" - Watanuki asks as they walk to the school's backyard for PE.

"As good as my attempt to get your eye back from the Spider Queen, I fainted at the first question." - Her shoulder drops, and her face droops in sorrow.

"It can't be that bad." - Watanuki pats her back.

She sighs heavier, imagining what Mother would do this time after seeing her score sheet.

The coach's whistle signals his arrival and everyone hurries to get into formation. Considering her wounds from the Autumn Festival and the note from Mikoto, she earns a free pass to the infirmary.

After presenting the notes from Mikoto and the coach, the nurse instructs her to use any available bed to rest. She chooses the second furthest bed from the door without much thinking as she would never choose the one by the window, in case something appears. Unfortunately, the bed is occupied by no other than the infamous Gojo Satoru.

"Why aren't you in class?" - her eyes narrow, judging silently - "Why does this mtf love wearing sunglasses indoors?"

"I'm sleeping." - He mutters, barely opening his mouth but obviously not sleeping.

"You are not sleeping." - She crosses her arms.

"Why are you here?" - he turns toward her; she can feel his eyes on her.

"I have a note." - She waves the note.

"Hn. There are other empty beds. Why don't you take the one by the window?"

She taps her foot, wondering whether to admit that she is scared of ghosts or just suck it up and take the bed by the window. To her surprise, Satoru moves to the bed by the window and lies down wordlessly.

She mutters an inaudible thank, refusing to let Satoru hear it; she lies down slowly, holding on to her rib cage like it's about to fall apart.

"Stop looking at me, will you?" - she sighs.

"How do you know I'm looking at you?" - amusement fills his tone.

"My finger has eyes of its own." - She pulls the middle finger up, earning a slight chuckle from him.

"Tell you what, you still owe me for rescuing you that night." - Satoru speaks.

"The fact that you looked at my chest means I owe you nothing." - She glares, turning her body away from him but accidentally pressing on her ribs along the way; her breath hitches.

"You okay?"

"None of your business." - And that is the last of their conversation before she succumbs to sleepiness.

"Hyuuga-chan, Hyuuga-chan…" - Watanuki's voice wakes her up - "Hi, PE period ends, it's lunchtime."

"Ahh. I'm up. Sorry, and thank you for coming for me." - She massages the back of her head and turns to the bed by the window; it's empty. Somehow, she feels a little disappointed - "Let's go."

"The water in the school's pool is completely gone." - Watanuki briefs her on what happened during the PE period.

"Ehhhh? All of the water?" - she is shocked - "Where would the water go?"

"Yeah, the senior class 12-1 was supposed to have a swimming lesson, but I guess no swimming for a while or until the water is refilled. Also, I asked Yuuko-san yesterday, and she said the item within the kaleidoscope-like object is a Monkey's Paw."

"Monkey what?" - she never heard of such a thing as Monkey's Paw.

"Monkey's Paw - it grants wishes. Every time a wish is granted, a finger will snap."

"What happens when all wishes are granted? And what is the price?" - she doubts any wishes come for free, especially after knowing the existence of Yuuko and her shop.

"I didn't get that far. But she did say that Nanami is too arrogant to think of the consequences, and that's the reason Yuuko first said back in the yard that the object does not suit her." - Watanuki speaks without looking at her, his steps slow and stench smell enters her nostrils shortly.

"Kami-sama…The smell." - Even with the mask, the smell is still too intense. She presses her mask harder against her nose until her bruised cheek aches, hoping it somehow blocks the smell further. She glances at Nanami; her body freezes. On Nanami's shoulder sits a monkey-like creature, except it has four eyes in a row. Its mouth is red and dripping with black liquid that she does not want to know what it is. The monkey-like creature misses a right hand or paw, so she assumes the Monkey's Paw in the kaleidoscope belongs to it. The left hand is loosely hanging around Nanami's neck. Besides the monkey-like creature leeching to her shoulder, the black smoke oozes from Nanami's bag, carrying with it a foul smell.

"Watanuki-kun, Hyuuga-chan," - Nanami waves in excitement, failing to realize how pale Kira has turned due to the smell and that she is wearing a mask - "Are you guys going for lunch?"

"Yes, Nanami-san. I see that you must have some good news." - Watanuki smiles, eyeing Kira's white face.

"Ah…You notice!" - she giggles, closing the gap between them - "I think the Monkey's Paw at your shop is a real deal. There is a Mirror that I have wanted for so long, but no matter how many times I ask, the owner always refuses to sell it to me. So I used the Monkey's Paw."

"What?" - Watanuki gasps.

"Look!" - she pulls the Monkey's Paw and shows it to Watanuki, two fingers are snapped - "I wished for it to rain yesterday, and it did all night. But it might be just a coincidence, so I tested it again with the Mirror, and it just fell from the sky into my lap. Two fingers are gone, meaning I only have 3 wishes left."

At this point, Kira cannot withstand the smell or the sight of the creature anymore. Watanuki also starts sweating and takes a few steps back. Indeed, he has a special vision, too, so he probably sees something from the Monkey's Paw.

"In books, it's said Monkey's Paw usually brings misfortune to its user." - Doumeki appears suddenly behind them, startling everyone.

"Heh…It won't happen to me." - Nanami confidently concludes before saying goodbye to the group, allowing them to breathe.

"Wow, such confidence." - Kira admires as they resume their way to the cafeteria - "That paw will lead to her death after the five wishes are granted."

Author Note: Dear my lovely readers! Thank you for all your support and for reading my story. Just a quick announcement that my next update will be 2 weeks from now due to my vacation. I hope to see you all soon and, as always, please feel free to leave a comment or just say "hi" - I love to hear from you all :). Happy Reading and Happy Lunar New Year!