They began walking down the hallway, turned right four times, took two different sets of stairs, once upwards and once downwards, and finally reached the club room. Henry knew it was the chiropractic club, not so much because of the sign that read Official Chiropractic Club, but more so because of the screams. Behind the sliding door there were three students, two girls and a boy, performing on a patient. The student sat on a thin medical bed covered in paper sheets, with his legs stretched out and his back stood up. The three self-appointed medics passed his back to each other like a volley ball, swinging the upper part of the body from person to person while keeping the lower part grounded to the bed. This torturous game of hot potato was serenaded by the patient's spine, whose music was vaguely reminiscent of a metal roof under a hailstorm.

"Chiharu, you're back." One of the torturers left the game without notice, missing the pass and letting the patient fall motionless onto the floor. "You left for too long! There are two patients waiting for you." The girl pointed at two students sitting by the window, one of which was either sleeping or unconscious.

"Sorry, I had to gather this thing."

"Nice to meet you, I am a human person by the name of Henry Tailer, not a thing."

"I am the founder and leader of the club, doctor Shikei." Said the high school student. "These two are my assistants, doctor Shikkou and doctor Tosatsu." she pointed to the other two high school students.

"Are you also a doctor?" Henry asked Chiharu.

"She calls me a nurse." She answered with a tinge of annoyance.

"Now, let's get you ready on the table." The club leader pushed him towards the now empty table.

"No, no, no, I am not here as a patient!" Henry quickly said, fearing death. "I want to join a club. I don't know if I'll join this one, but I am curious to see."

"Oh, so you could be the assistant nurse! Then, why don't you go help Chiharu with her next guinea pig?"

"Guinea pig?"

"Patient. I meant to say patient."

"What an unusual slip of the tongue."

"Why does he have to go with me?" Chiharu complained.

"Be reasonable, nurse Chiharu. I wouldn't feel comfortable practicing in front of someone who I just met." Said the unexpectedly shy doctor.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this because I have to!"

"No one thought otherwise...” Said a confused Henry.

The nurse took out a reclining bed and spread a towel on it. The towel was mostly white, but had a peculiar pattern on it. It was mostly circular, spreading from the center in a confused way, and surrounded by a bunch of handprints and the word "Rache", all in red colors.

"Who wants to go first?" Chiharu approached the two patients.

The one who was awake turned his head to the left, where the other patient was still unresponsive.

"I-I guess I could go first." 

"Lie belly up." She commanded him, lacking the gentle nature you'd expect from a nurse.

After the boy had lied down, Chiharu grabbed his shoulders and began bending his back forwards. His spine closed on itself with the same ease you'd have closing a book you realized you didn't like only halfway through the story. The only difference was that books rarely screamed.

“C-Chiharu? What are you doing?" Henry was concerned, "Please, I’m sure that whatever this boy has done to wrong you is not worth his life!”

“I’m not killing him! This is part of the practice. Don't worry, he’s completely fine.”

“I’m not!” The boy heaved with tears in his eyes.

“Shut up! You signed up for the treatment, you're going to get the full treatment.”

She continued to bend, fold, unwrap, curl, tuck, knit, crumple, plicate, tie and untie, cockle, intertwine, enfold, and twist the body of the student. His bones were reassembled multiple times, giving him the shape of unspeakable creatures before turning him back to a human.

Chiharu cheerfully hummed a song while effortlessly moving the body around. Henry watched in terror.

Lacrimosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart started playing again.

"This is the procedure, more or less. Think you can repeat it?"

"I don't know if I have the stomach." Henry answered with a hand on his mouth.

"Don't be such a wimp! Here, help me put him on the chair."

"Can he not walk?"

"We've found that most patients fall asleep after the procedure. I guess it's more relaxing than you'd think."

Henry looked at the boy, who lay motionless on the bed. His eyes were open, yet entirely white.

"That is one deep sleep..."

"Get the legs, I'll grab him by the shoulders."

Nurse and assistant lifted up the body and sat it next to the other "sleeping" patient.

"Perfect! How about you do the next one?"

"Isn't there something more... Simple?"

"Hmm... Oh! Shikei-sensei, are there enough patients for a tameshiwari?"

"That is a wonderful idea, nurse Chiharu! We don't have enough people now, but I know where to find more subjects! I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

It was very simple to prepare for the therapy. All it took was two chairs and a stepladder. When Shikei came back, ten patients were gathered in the room, ignorant of what was about to happen to them. The chiropractors made one lie down with the feet on one chair and the head and arms on the other, creating a sort of bridge with his body. Then, the other nine patients were carefully stacked on top of the first, creating a small tower of human bodies.

"W-what's a tameshiwari?" Henry asked, fearing the worst.

"Have you ever seen a martial artist break tiles with just their hand? Basically that."

"This cannot be legal."

Doctor Shikei climbed the stepladder until her arms could easily reach the top of the human tower. She took a deep breath and then, with a sharp scream, she struck the top of the tower with the side of her hand and bent all of the student's backs with one clear hit!

Coincidentally, they made exactly the same sound that tiles make when they break.

Both the assistants and the nurse began clapping, avoiding the human bodies falling on the ground.

"Thank you, thank you." Shikei bowed before getting down from the ladder.

"This is ridiculous! How do you even have customers?!"

"Hey! I'll have you know the patients feel a lot better after a quick visit to the infirmary!"

"Then it's the school's nurse that is doing all of the job!"

"If you're so against it then just leave!" Chiharu crossed her arms and pouted.

"Wait, let me at least show you the punched-in-half trick!"

Shikei pointed to a student lying inside of a black box, with just his head and feet poking out of the sides.

"I'm leaving!" Henry could not handle the silliness of the situation, and preferred bailing.

Discouraged, defeated, tired, but more importantly, lazy, Henry was close to giving up and going home. The only thing that kept it moving was his love for anime, somehow, and he would not leave that school until he had joined a club. 

POSTFACE

- DID YOU KNOW GLOSSARY

I've already explained all of the Japan or anime related things that appear in this chapter, and so I have run out of things to talk about. Therefore, I will start explaining things that are completely irrelevant to the story.

Greater sage-grouse: also called sagehen, it is the largest bird of the grouse order found in North America. They are peculiar for having two sacs on their chest, which they inflate during courtship display and make them look as if they had a big pair of boobs. Sadly, this is the one bird that doesn't have "tit" in its name.

Lalochezia: The act of relieving stress or pain through saying, or more often shouting, vulgar words. E.g.: "Lalochezia is the act of relieving stress or pain through saying, or more often shouting, vulgar words"

Italy and New Zealand: The countries of Italy and New Zealand are almost on the opposite side of the globe, and by coincidence, or will of the gods, New Zealand kind of looks like an upside-down Italy. Not the opposite.