Boogiepop Returns VS Imaginator Part 1 Read Online Free Page A

there just a moment before, but now he could see nothing.
    And her expression -- her mouth was closed in a straight line, her eyes alone sparkling, laughing --
    “Wh-who are you?!” Asukai cried out, leaping to his feet.
    “Relax. I am only borrowing her body . . . temporarily ,” the girl with Kotoe's face whispered.
    “Wh-what?!”
    “This girl's psyche is not capable of becoming my vessel, ” she said quietly. “I must leave her in a moment.”
    “You weren't a delusion. . . you're a ghost?”
    “No. . . not a ghost,” she said, standing to face him. “To be completely accurate, I am a 'hypothetical possibility given substance.’ But for your feeble mind, consider me 'a glimpse of the future.”'
    She reached towards Asukai's forehead.
    She stroked it gently with both hands.
    “Asukai-sensei, don't you feel it's time you. . . did something?”
    “About what?”
    “The flaws found in human hearts.”
    Her soft, gentle fingertips massaged Asukai's face, firmly.
    He moaned. The sensation was sweet and hard to resist.
    “What do you think your flaw is, Asukai-sensei?”
    “. . . . . . . .?!”
    “You lack a 'calling.'“ Her voice was peaceful, yet firm.
    “. . . Eh?”
    “Let me show you a little glimpse of the future.”
    She pulled his face towards hers, arched her back, and placed her thin lips upon his.
    Instantly, something opened in Asukai's head.
    A torrent of images cascaded past him.
    “Ah. . . aaauuughhhhhh!” he screamed, forcing her away.
    She never flinched, simply staggered once and then stared back at him again.
    “Hahh. . . hahh. . .” Asukai gasped for breath. “Wh-what was that. . . that spectacle?”
    “Your 'calling,' Asukai-sensei.”
    “L-like hell! I would never do something like that !”
    “The choice is yours. But you are capable of it. Nothing will change the truth of that. The reason for your birth is there. . . and only there .”
    “Shut up! What. . . what are you, some sort of demon?! I. . . I. . . he wheezed, unable to find the words.
    “Am I tempting you? No. That's not my intent. It's up to you to decide.” Her eyes alone laughed. “But, Asukai-sensei, remember this. Birds do fall from the sky, and sometimes it does snow in April.”
    “Get away!”
    Asukai flung the contents of his stew bowl at her.
    She made no effort to dodge, but simply stood there and took it.
    A moment later there was a scream. “Ow! Wh-what the heck?!”
    Asukai gasped.
    Kotoe was back.
    “A -- are you. . .”
    “Why. . . why am I. . . ? Gross!!!” Kotoe said, confused; no idea what was going on. Her memories didn't match up.
    Asukai wiped her face off with a towel, trying to keep his body from shaking.
    (. . . What did she call herself? The Imaginator. . . ?)

    ***

    He might well be going crazy, but that was no reason to skip work. Asukai was at the cram school again, speaking with yet another student.
    “I can't do this anymore. It's not for me. Like, in the middle of the night, I can be taking notes. . . and my hands just start shaking,” the girl said, nodding to herself, over and over.
    There was no stem in the girl's 'vision.' She had roots, but they connected directly into the leaves and base of the flower.
    “You need a change,” he answered, but Asukai knew it was useless. This girl was afraid that nothing in her being was ever secure. No matter how often she tried something new, her anxiety would always be there. Whether she passed the exam or not, nothing would change.
    “What should I do?”
    “Take a break, do whatever you like. Or change the way you study. You've got a good memory don't you?”
    People without stems were good at stuffing things in. They were unable to turn that knowledge and experience into anything, to nurture it or let it grow. They could put in as much as they liked, but it would just pile up, never changing, never rotting.
    “I suppose so. . .”
    “Then spend one week concentrating on solving equations. Halve the number of things to