Part 1 Story 2: Hostess Bar and Protection
Fee
Translator:
Ririi Rain
It was a windy day, but the sky was bright
clear and the blooming flowers can be seen. The weather made it seem like one
would be sweaty even for just going on a small walk.
On Sunday, Minatomirai was overflowing
with tourists from afar, families with children, couples, etc. Everyone was
heading to their own destination. It was so lively as if the poisonous gas
incident had never happened.
Ringo walked to the inland area from
Sakuragicho Station, weaving through the tourists.
There were no tourist spots in this
direction, so, after a while, the people on the streets became sparse.
Secret was wearing a sleeveless,
super-mini one-piece dress with slits. And she also wore black shorts. Of
course, it was to hide her underwear from exposure.
However, what didn't change was that her
thin limbs were mostly exposed. In addition, the dress itself was designed to
show off body lines, so it was somewhat sensual.
She wore a pair of sparkling and dainty
glass earrings in each, which made her stand out.
She had a young face, yet her appearance
is mature and sexy. Just by walking around, she caught people's attention.
"Today’s
request is from a new client〜"
She told him with a laid-back, gentle smile.
He was holding down the beret on his head
with one hand to keep it from being blown away by the wind, but he had a calm
facial expression.
"Is
that so..."
Speaking about Ringo, he was dressed in a
navy blue T-shirt with black chinos. Those colors absorbed a lot of sunlight.
Because of that, coupled with the clear
and bright weather, he was dripping with sweat. The sweat flowed from his
temple to the tip of his jaw, and then it fell on the asphalt. His shirt was
sticky and it clung to his back, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Ringo's face was displayed all over the
country as the much-talked-about poisonous gas boy. He was beaten up like crazy
even on the internet. Maybe it was because he took off his unfashionable glasses,
cut his thick-long bangs, waxed his hair, and colored his black hair into a flashy
blonde, but no one doesn’t seem to recognize him.
In the first place, it had been reported
that the suspect had died, so no one would think that he was alive and
wandering around.
He was nervous at the beginning, but now
that a week had passed, he can go out without being afraid.
"Here
it is. Yokohama Grand Lou"
They stopped in front of their
destination.
"Yeah,
good job in leading the way."
When he turned around, Secret had already changed
her expression into a dignified and somewhat fearless look. Then, she put her
hand on the doorknob of the shop which had a sign that told people that the shop
was still in preparation.
"Hello!
I'm the consultant that you have contacted."
"Oh,
I've been expecting you."
The manager, whose age seemed to be around
40s, came out from the back of the spacious shop.
The shop manager had a youthful appearance
because the skin was tan and clean, but there were wrinkles because of age, and
this person looked a little tired.
"I'm
sorry for the sudden change of time, but I had some urgent business to attend
to."
(What
are you saying?)
Ringo looked at Secret, who said it without any hesitation.
Then, he took a deep breath in the
air-conditioned shop. He finally felt alive, but he turned pale after looking
around him.
"Thi-,
this place..."
"Eh,
Ringo-kun, is this your first time in a hostess bar?"
"Is,
is it alright for me to come!?"
"You're
so upright, huh. It's not the adult corner of a video rental shop, so it's
okay."
First of all, the smell was stabbing his
nose. Like an overripe fruit, it was full of a sickly-sweet scent.
In the dimly lit shop, where the lights
were set to be low, there were only the two of them and the shop manager who
was the client.
Luxury leather sofas were lined up in a
row, and an elegant, glimmering chandelier was overlooking the shop from the
ceiling. The color of the wallpaper along with the floor was a gaudy shade that
combined black and pink, but it created a coquettish atmosphere in the large
space.
It can be seen that Ringo practically had
no prior involvement with such places. The hostess bar that he saw in dramas
was right in front of his eyes.
"Then,
let’s talk in the back office."
The shop manager guided them in a familiar
manner, and the 15-year-old boy who followed behind Secret was surprised.
When the door with the ‘staff-only’ sign
was opened, there was a dissonant office that had white walls and fluorescent
lights. Ringo let out a breath of relief.
The two were urged to sit on the guest’s
sofa and to sip the hot tea that had been brewed for them. The shop manager sat
on the other side of the table.
"Um,
you’re the management consultant... Secret,-san1, is that right?"
No wonder that the shop manager was hesitating.
It was a strange name that wasn't suitable
for business.
Ringo had guessed it in the past week, but
this woman didn’t give out her real name.
It wasn't known who suggested it, but
'Secret' was a suitable nickname for her who never reveal her real identity.
"Yes,
that's what I'm called."
Secret was facing the shop manager with a
face full of smiles.
The shop manager's dubious gaze then
turned towards Ringo.
Even though Ringo had been touched up to
look like a hoodlum, it can be seen with a glance that he was a teenager. It
wouldn't be appropriate to talk about business with him.
"And
this person is?"
"I
am, her assist——"
"He
is my subordinate2. I'm bringing him to the scene so that he can get used to the
work."
He was instantly intercepted by Secret.
('Subordinate’, you say? How are we the
yakuza3?)
Ringo desperately kept his straight face
from distorting.
"Can
you tell us about the request?"
Secret was calm and composed as she asked. Perhaps relieved to see
this, the shop manager also started to open his mouth regarding the request.
"——I
see, in other words, the people with yakuza on their back came and threatened
you to pay protection fee."
Secret crossed her legs while drinking the
cold tea.
"Yes,
to put it simply, that's the case. I worked for the main shop in Tokyo for many
years, and this time I’m entrusted to be the figurehead in opening the shop in
Yokohama, so I was prepared for the protection fee to some extent."
"But,
the amount was abnormal."
"Yes.
The requested amount was abnormal, so I'm wondering if the organization that
was mentioned is really involved. I'm a newcomer to this land called Yokohama,
and I'm in trouble because there is no source of information."
"As
for the content of the request, is there really yakuza at the back of those
people? If there is one, is the amount of the protection fee really reasonable?
If there is no backing, it would be a cleanup, is that right?"
"That’s
correct."
Ringo was silently listening to the
conversation between Secret and the shop manager, but he could barely
understand the talk.
There were too many words that he didn't
usually use, so it was quite hard for him to understand.
All he knew was that the talk was definitely about something
dangerous and illegal.
"But
I have one proposal."
The woman who called Ringo as her subordinate
had her sea-colored pair of eyes shining. She was talking about awful crime-related
security, but her face was somehow rational.
"Even
if this is resolved, another similar problem may occur again."
"Well...that’s
true."
"You
mentioned that you were having trouble finding sources of information, so I think
that if Grand Lou could secure organizations and human resources that can serve
as sources of information, we can prevent possible problems in the future."
Secret’s eyes were shining brilliantly.
It hadn't been long since they were
acquainted, but if it was just this, Ringo understood. This was the face that
she makes when she was thinking about making money.
"How
about, in addition to the initial fee of 500,000 yen4, we offer solutions to all
of your problems for an initial price of 200,000 yen5 for our future
relationship?"
"I,
I see..."
"If
you're worried, it's okay to reply after you see the results of our rough work.
We will have all your problems solved within two hours!"
The shop manager blinked rapidly and then nodded
at Secret who made that statement energetically.
***
1 San: (～さん) is a title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surname or given names. It can also be attached to the name of occupations and titles.↩
2 舎弟 can also mean someone's underling/disciple/pupil/follower/little brother/etc. Just an addition: for superior yakuza, they often mean ‘little brother’, and it's never used to refer to one's blood-related younger brother in modern Japanese.↩
3 Yakuza: a Japanese organized crime syndicate similar to the Mafia.↩
4 Around 4400 USD↩
5 Around 1800 USD↩
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