Chapter 82: Flag And Tower At The Same Time!


TL: Akabane


***


An upscale club, a cabaret club, and a girl's bar. I don't really know the difference. But many guys come to these places even if they have girlfriends or wives. In fact, the two guys in front of me were a little nervous because they had cute girls sitting next to them and I was a little nervous myself. I was a little nervous myself, because the woman sitting next to me, whose name is Suo, is so beautiful. Her black hair is as shiny as obsidian. Skin whiter than snow. Pale, shimmering green eyes. And a beautiful face that people around the world would imagine to be a pure and lovely Japanese woman. An incredibly beautiful woman.


"I'll pour you a drink."


She poured beer into the glass I was holding with elegant gestures.


"Oh, thank you."


I stammered a little. I felt like a virgin in love in front of this woman. This is the girl power of a top-class Kabukicho hostess at night! It's terrifying! That's why. I hold up my glass to blow away my nerves.


"Eh. ......... Oh man, there's only beautiful girls here, I'm so blank!"


The hostesses giggled and laughed. I feel like I'm off to a good start.


"Anyway, kanpai!"


""""KANPAI!""""


I toasted Suo next to me. The gesture was beautiful. Even the sound of glasses clinking against each other sounds like a beautiful melody in front of this woman.


"Why did you come to my place, my brothers, if you are so young and so popular? Why do you seem to need to spend so much money to talk to girls?"


Suo asked us. It was a new feeling for me. Normally, when talking to women, it's usually the man who initiates the conversation. It's a man's role to lead the conversation, and I think girls are looking for that, too. But it's different here. Women at night are not passive. They are active and open up the conversation.


"Let's see. Hmmm. Social study! My professor said that to be a good man, you should know a good restaurant and spend a good night with a good woman!"


There is no professor at the Imperial Capital University who would tell me such a nice thing. I came here to find out how Suo is related to Hagiri. In the future, Suo, who was a lawyer for his intermarried childhood friend, must definitely be one of the key persons of this era.


"Is that so? You are attending a good university, aren't you? Fufu..."


Her smiling face is also beautiful. I'm sure she and Hagiri have a deep relationship, and I would be rather shocked if she was his mistress or something. I'm already starting to like Suo, so I probably only have the qualities to be a sucker in the nightlife district. The two guys are talking to the girls on either side of me, and I'm going to have to be aggressive!


"Oh, brother..."


"Call me Kanata."


"So you're a college student, Kanata. What are you studying?"


"Architecture! I'm going to be an architect in the future!


"That's wonderful. What do you think? Like the interior of this room? From a future architect's point of view."


"Oh, this room. Oh my goodness! First of all, the proportions of the room are fabulous! Especially, the walls! I know this room is probably a remodeled build, but I love the craftsmanship! Definitely a high level of craftsmanship!"


I get up from the couch and pat the walls. It's definitely a wall that has been painstakingly finished by good craftsmen. I used to sweat the walls myself. I am a man who can tell the difference between a wall and a post! I look around the room. It's a really nice space. It's art. It's wonderful!


"Yes! This is definitely craftsmanship! But craftsmanship doesn't stand alone! It's an art that can be completed with a proper work plan! It's not just the walls, it's the marble on the floor! The patterns and lighting are designed to match! Whoever designed the interior of this room did a great job! But that's not all! Every single piece of furniture is arranged in harmony, which is also amazing! The moment you enter the restaurant, it's majestic! But when the drinks are served and a woman is around, it somehow transforms into a homelike, motherly space, just like in the womb, where you feel safe and secure! This is the taste of the person who ordered the event, who is very good at producing it! No doubt about it! Whoever hired the contractor to create this room is a genius! Good restaurants, right?! Tell the owner it's a great room!"


I suddenly realized. Am I an idiot? There was a beautiful hostess sitting next to me, and now I'm just a gloomy nerd walking around the room and talking about my vast knowledge with a smug look on my face. In fact, both Kekai-senpai and Tsukasa are pulling their pants off when they see me. The girls sitting next to them were also turned off. And Suo wasn't so surprised either. She was smiling with a wry smile in her eyes.


"Actually, I produced this room! I'm so happy to hear you praise me so much!"


This is different from the elegant adult and lady of the night that she was before. Here was the fresh emotion of a young girl's vivacious happiness. I was very touched. So cute. Suo got up from the sofa and held my hand.


"It's so nice to have someone who understands me! Let's drink more! I recommend this wine! I want to talk to you more!"


Suo pulls me toward the sofa and asks the waiter for more wine.


"Don't worry! This wine is on me! Let's talk some more!"


The wine comes to the table and Suo pours it into my glass.


"You are a man who is studying at a university, aren't you? That's wonderful. I respect people like that."


"Yes, haha. Thank you. But isn't it boring to be a serious guy who likes to study?


"No, not at all! I've seen many college students who are just bored out of their minds! They all go to college for fun! And their stories are boring and dull!"


I don't know what it is, but it seems to have struck a chord with this girl. Well, it could have been the hostess acting. But it felt good, so I don't care! After all, as an adult, studying is not something to be evaluated in this world. In fact, they even say it's lame to study. It's nice to be praised for studying, isn't it?


"Let me hear it! What you are studying!"


Suo looked so cute as she stared at me with a somewhat excited look on her face. That's why I'm on a roll and talking about it!


"Yes! The city of Shinjuku has evolved it's urban structure to adapt to the arrival of the once car-oriented society! The bus terminal at the station is a good example!"


"Yes, yes! And so?"


"And this Kabukicho..."


"Parks and department stores....!"


"The design of the city hall is more important on the lower floors than on the upper floors....!"


"Wow! You're so smart!"


I never knew chatting could be so much fun! A nerd-friendly hostess is much nicer than a nerd-friendly gal!





***Imagine the annoyance of Kanata rambling on about cities and architecture below!***




***Imagine Kanata's sophistication as he asks for more time and more drinks!***



***Consult your wallet before you go out at night! You'll be ruined if you go to a place that's too big for you!***





I found myself talking all the time. We drank a lot and talked a lot. Because Suo's reaction was so cute! No wonder we ordered so much and had so much fun! Eh .........? Am I a sucker for the nightlife? Watch out. I'm going to have to change course here.


"Haha. I'm tired from talking too much. If it's possible, I'd like to hear Suo-san's story. I want to know what kind of girl you are."


"Is it me? I am..."


At that moment, Suo's eyes looked awfully cold. They seemed to be real shadows and darkness. But that presence disappeared in an instant.


"I loved to study. My father and mother both praised me when I could study."


"I see. You have good parents."


"Yes, I still love them. I was born and raised in a city by the sea, where God gently looks down on the beautiful sea and the chaos of the city. I loved to drink guarana juice and watch the ocean."


God looking down? Not watch over? That's an odd turn of phrase. And what's a chaotic city? Guarana juice means somewhere in Hokkaido, right? Hokkaido must be the only place in Japan where guarana juice is widely available. Maybe she's from my hometown? But her accent doesn't sound like a Hokkaido dialect. Well, Hokkaido is a big place, and there may be places where the intonation is different.


"Yes. A jolly city. The most jolly hell city in the world where God looks down on you."


Suo's eyes seemed to gleam bewitchingly as she said this. I was horrified. I know what this presence is. This is the smell of violence. It's not the smell of the person being violated, but the smell of the person on the receiving end.


"But I hate that town. So I came to Tokyo with my family. And for various reasons, I'm allowed to work here. Hahaha."


I don't know. It sounds like a fake sob story. And yet, what I felt from this girl was not pity, but rather a sense of evilness. I wanted to get closer to this feeling of discomfort. What the hell is this girl? Why is she so close to Hagiri?


"Does working here mean you need money?"


"Yes! I'm in for getting my little brother into college!"


With that, Suo pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of a middle school-aged boy with green eyes. He was a very beautiful boy, much like Suo.


"It costs a lot of money to send him to college, so I'm working hard here! ...Ah, I'm sorry...I don't want to talk about this...hmm..."


"I see...it's tough, isn't it? I'll help you as much as I can! If there's anything I can do to help, I'll cooperate as much as I can!"


I'm not stupid. It's the skill of a hostess to extort money from her customers. But it's hard to say no when it's done right in front of you! But maybe this is my chance.


"Thank you very much!"


"You know what? You know how they give you a bonus if you make a champagne tower or something? I can ask for it!"


"Really?"


Suo looks very happy. Seeing her smile like that, as a man, I feel a sense of fulfillment. It's nice to make a girl smile, isn't it! Well, it's the power of money!


"But yes, I'd like to go with you next time. Let me do that "accompanying" with me. I'd like to talk with you outside, not in this place."


"Oh.... I don't usually go out with people.... Well, if it's Kanata, that's fine."


Saying this, she gave me her business card with her phone number on it. I guess she meant that if I wanted her to accompany me, I should call here. It wasn't hard to imagine that she would take a lot of money from me. Thank goodness that makes me cheated on the stock market! Hooray for future knowledge!


"Yes, Boy! You built the tower!"


I said and slapped the boy on the cheek with a wad of cash. Then I shoved the wad of bills into his chest pocket, and he quickly created a tower out of glasses with a twinkle in his eye. Then he reverently offered me a glass of champagne as I stood in front of the finished tower. I popped the cork on the bottle of champagne with a flourish. Everyone in the room was looking at me. Kekai-senpai was snapping pictures of me on his phone. Tsukasa was drawing me in his sketchbook. And Suo was hunched over me. Her white hand overlapped my hand holding the champagne.


"Let's pour it together."


Then, Suo and I poured the champagne into the tower. One by one, the glasses from the top are stained a shimmering golden color. Then each person in the room picked up a glass.


""""Kanpai!!""""


The sound of clinking glasses echoed. Everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves. Suo was smiling, too, of course. But. Her smile was somewhat fragile, and above all, it seemed to have an infernal cheerfulness to it.















The bill? The bill was eye-popping and the price was so outrageous it made my eyeballs pop out. But, being a time-leap cheater, I was naturally smiling and paying in good spirits.


"No change!"


I slapped him across the cheek with a wad of cash and shoved it into his pocket.


"Ehehe! Thank you!!! We look forward to seeing you again!"


And then me, Kekai-senpai, and Tsukasa left the restaurant.


"It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? I like this way of playing. I can see why the old guys are into it! Gyahaha!"


"Yes, it is! But it's so frustrating to have a beautiful girl by your side and not be able to touch her! On the contrary, I was so thrilled that it was like I was a virgin again!"


""Second virginity! Gyaahahahaha!""


"You guys' second virginity sounds super seedy. Hahaha!"


We walk through the night streets, laughing loudly. The night is not over yet.


"Why don't we go back to the beginning and go karaoke? An endurance karaoke contest until morning!"


"Great! I haven't done karaoke with nothing but dudes in ages! I'm going to sing a dirty joke song! Hahaha!


"Yes, yes! I want to sing a song about eroge! I want to sing eroge theme songs! Hahaha!"


The silliness of the guy who holds back in front of the girls is boundless! We enjoyed Kabukicho until morning came.

















[Suo's POV]


I hate this town. It's a filthy town where idiots and b*tches waste their lives. There is no God in this town. Because as proof, my phone was displaying Hagiri's name and phone number. I had just changed my clothes and was about to go home when I saw this. It was as if he had gone out of his way to call me even though he usually only texts me. It was so late at night.


||  "Hei. I'd like to ask you to do some work for me. Is that okay?"


"I wish you wouldn't do that today. It's been a while since I've had a good customer. I don't want to erase the afterglow."


I took a lot of money out of him, but I thought the story of this Kanata customer was really interesting. He was enjoying his college life in an honest way. I was envious of that, but his sparkling eyes dazzled me.


||  "Huh? That's interesting. He must have been a very nice man for you, a man-hater, to say so. But I'm sorry, but I have to put those lingering thoughts to rest. Today's work is urgent. Get to it. You don't want to deprive your parents of an honest job, do you?"


Threats as usual. But I have no choice but to give in. No choice. No matter where I go, it's the same. I have no choice but to cross from hell to hell.


"Sh*t! I got it! I got it! Where's the target?"


||  "Hayao University baseball team. I've already done the setup with the women."


What kind of a man who is fearless enough to fabricate sex scandals and blackmail executives of major corporations, bureaucrats, and politicians would target a baseball team?


"That's unbelievable. If you got the picture, that's all that matters, right? I'm not even supposed to be in the picture.


||  "No, that's not enough. That's not enough this time. That's why it's you. Show them the real violence."


You can threaten a college student or so with as many pictures as you want to get him to do what you want him to do. There should be no need to use violence. So I knew right away. I was sure that this was a private matter.


"I'll give you one advice, Hagiri. One piece of advice."


||  "Yes?"


"Violence is a tool. not the purpose."


||  "Unfortunately, my life is so messy that it's hard to separate it. I'm at my usual business place in Roppongi. Head there right away."


With that, Hagiri hung up the phone. I immediately hailed a cab and headed for Roppongi to do a job that would be intertwined with my life in a very difficult way.



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