Kamihari Kai

Saturday, 6th July
16:15


Fingers going a mile a minute, glittery eyelids flittered. Her heartbeat pound in her chest and her palms were slick. The light jingle which teased her anticipation was abruptly cut short by a dull buzzer and mocking remark. “Fuck!” Slapping the side of the glass as the metal claw dropped her supposed prize just before the chute, Shiori’s face scrunched up in irrational rage. “Cheating piece of shit!”

“Ladies shouldn’t swear,” the coo which came from behind caused the woman to snap around and glower daggers.

“If you’re so fucking smart, you do it.” Thrusting a handful of 100 yen coins into the flashy dresser’s chest, the redhead bit at the humid air between them. “That was my ninth turn and it drops it at the same place every Goddamn time.” Inhaling a breath as if she was trying to suck in the atmosphere, the hostess leaned against the side of the machine, this time facing the less irritating of the pair.

Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist, Kyohei scowled. Whether it was to do with the sun glaring down on the three of them through the high, glass-arched ceiling or the woman in her mid-twenties getting irate over a children’s game was anybody’s guess. “I don’t want to wait out here all night. Do you wanna grab a bite before you head back to work, Natsume?”

“Only if you’re buying.” Shrugging her purse up her shoulder, the redhead in a pale yellow sun-dress and gold strappy sandals jutted her head off to the right. “There’s a snack bar where we can talk just around the corner.”

If flashing lights and the hyper jingle wasn’t enough to catch the attention of the pair walking away, then they high-pitched cry of victory certainly did. Flouncing to catch up with his companions, Reo slung his arms over Kyohei and Shiori as he bounced on the spot between them. Dropping the white snow-dog into the woman’s grasp from over her shoulder, Reo held his chin up and puffed his chest out. “I won.”

The slightly older man shrugged the ex-host off him and tut; the redhead peered back with an unexpectedly mellow expression. “Thanks, Reo.” She smiled as she pressed her fingers into the pooch’s squishy belly over and over. “You can keep the change.”

The ex-host opened his mouth but his brain caught the reigns before he could say something lame. He’d spend thirteen hundred yen of his own money on top of the eleven hundred the woman had given him to get that stupid thing. He could go into a store just outside of the mall and buy one three times the size for that price.

“I used to have a dog like this when I lived back with my parents.” Pinching her lips at the corners, Shiori held it up to eye-level and a strange smile morphed her pretty features. “I used to come in here a lot when I first moved to the area and always wanted to win one of these but I never could.” She put the stuffed toy in her purse, keeping its head poking out and ‘booped’ it’s leather-feel snout with a childish giggle.

Coming to the indoor cafe with jewel tone, stained-glass windows, the trio entered the establishment which was darker than the men expected. Overhead amber swinging lamps barely lit the bar, and there were bottle-green glass light-shades overhanging the snooker table nestled in the back of the underground bar ran by niche employees.

“Good evening, Natsume Chwan~” The cross-dresser behind the bar waved his broad hand adorned with flamboyant pink acrylics enthusiastically at the woman he recognized. “Oooh~ was it two for one day? You’ll have to give me the card for wherever you picked up ‘the suit’.”

Grinning, the tall redhead leaned on the narrow bar in between two okama chatting on one side and a half-cut business man nursing his drink with his forehead on the other. “Have you been using a new serum? You’re brighter than any of your lights.”

“Oh, stop it.” The bartender placed their long fingers to his cheeks with a bashful coo. “What can I do for you this fine afternoon?”

“Just two rounds of beer and the back booth, if it isn’t booked.”

“Take a seat. I’ll bring them right over.”

“You’re a star, Chihaya San.” Rolling off the counter into a standing position, Shiori gestured for the two men to follow her to the back of the low-ceiling space filled with the trademark stink of tobacco and overpowering perfume. The further in they went, the more the tall trio had to watch their heads due to the low-hanging rafters fixed with framed photos of drag performers which had progressed and protected their community.

Sitting at the table which was quite literally a booth - but nothing like one the female worked in - it’s faux leather seats showing wear and the seams scratchy against bare skin. The backrests were in a high n-shape and the table was a little too large for the amount of space given.

Curious eyes danced around the deep mahogany woodwork and eccentric fixtures. “’Never thought I’d be in a place like this in the middle of the afternoon,” Reo hummed as he inspected the decor.

“Never thought I’d be in a place like this at all.”

The owner came over just as Kyohei had made his remark. “Do you have a problem with places like this?”

“None, I just never ended up in somewhere like this.” Taking his drink from the tray, his lazy line of sight took in the scenery. “I would never have guessed this kind of bar would have been smack bang centre of one of the most famous water-trade malls in Tokyo. I bet your rent is a state.”

Facial features twisting, Chihaya took a step back from the mental assault he’d had to relay in person over all the years he’d been in the business. “I quite thought that you were about to be derogatory.”

“To each their own. I have nothing against anyone, as long as they don’t negatively affect the people I care about.”

Line of sight sliding to the redhead, Chihaya quirked his brow and tilted his chin in tandem. “You can bring Sleepy Chan any time, too.” Placing down a platter of complimentary snacks the redhead received every time she visited, the okama turned his back on the trio.

Watching the man dressed in a leather miniskirt and floral chiffon blouse return to the bar, Shiori turned her attention to the man to her right. “When you prove you can use your words like that, it really makes me wonder about why Kiryū hates you so much.”

Glass to his lips, Kyohei paused his drinking to answer. “I couldn’t say. Akito claims it’s jealousy.” Not waiting for a follow-up, he downed just over half of the drink in one.

“I’d believe that even if it didn’t come from the horses mouth.” Picking up her own glass, Shiori took three swigs before returning the base to the dark wood between them. “I read the letters between her mother and Kiryū when we were cleaning out her house because she couldn’t do it.” Staring into her tall, slim glass of blond fizz, the redhead itched her chin. “It was intense to the point of obsession and her mother fuelled the fire. I’m glad Sai didn’t get to see how they spoke to each other, especially after how her father was. The hope of having a decent life waiting in the wings versus the poverty and abuse she actually got could have driven her over the edge.”

The tension in Kyohei’s shoulders was clear, even underneath the layers of frumpy shirts. “She was way over the edge before those letters came to light.”

Shiori lounged back in the shared wrap-around bench, the three of them not able to look at each other. “You’ve known her the longest; your family did take her in, after all.”

“The only family I ever had was my grandmother.” Staring into the foam at the bottom of his glass, the shaggy-haired man slid his lazy gaze to the woman across from him. “My mother had lost her shit way before I was born; she did everyone a favour by fucking off and my father was hardly ever home. Even when he was, he could barely manage to get his dick out of his pants to piss straight - he couldn’t look after himself, let alone a kid. They both hated each other from the beginning and drove each other to extremes: I think all my grandmother wanted was to fix what she thought she failed at, which is why she took us in.”

“Regardless of the reason, I think you both turned out pretty fucking good people considering all the shit you had to go through.” The redhead raised her hand, beckoning the bartender to bring another round before returning her attention to the pair across from her. Or rather, the man she’d known for close to twelve years as the newer CCFin employee scooted closer every time she closed her eyes to blink. “I didn’t want her to work with Hanazawa after he shaded her back then-”

“-That was his parent’s decision.” The look on the eldest’s face said he did not believe a word he was trying to convey.

“That man has never had the balls to stand up to nobody.” The woman’s temples crinkled and her hands fumbled under the table as she wore an unabashed sneer. “I don’t like him. I have never understood why Sai went into business with him in the first place. It makes me mad just thinking about it.”

“That position was Kyohei’s, y’know?” Reo spoke up for the first time in what felt like ages. The pair halted their discussion to look at the ex-host who was blindly fiddling with a loose slot of the panelled wall by his right shoulder. “Our old receptionist mixed up the paperwork one day when it was just us, y’know, after the boss was put away...It turned out it was old bank docs with Kyohei’s name as co-owner back from 2010.”

Hand on his head, the aforementioned man scrunched his face and huffed. “I was arrested that year.”

“Oops!” The woman startled and pulled the device from her purse. Checking the number, she held her free hand up to the male pair. “Excuse me a second.” Answering the call, she cupped the receiver. After a few seconds of muffled hissing, her tone turned 180 degrees. “I already told you that I’m not interested so stop contacting me, you creep! What the Hel-who the fuck are you calling a bitch?”

On the other side of the table, the male pair stilled at the familiar turn in personality. “Jesus Christ, she’s just like the Boss.” Reo remarked as he watched the redhead twitch and turn in her seat as she barked down the line.

Holding up the hand which wasn’t holding his drink, Kyohei mouthed to the woman. Getting the man’s drift, Shiori handed over her phone. In the same instance, Kyohei held the device to his ear for a few seconds without a word, listening to the man on the other end of the line call the woman all the names under the sun. The crease between his brows deepened exponentially and the corner of his lip hitched up in a sneer. “Who the fuck do you think you’re speaking to? Hah, me? You little shit, tell me where you are and I’ll show you who I am.” There was a brief pause as he burned holes into the scuffed tabletop. Across from him, Shiori had her hand plastered over her mouth, her shoulder’s jittering as she was on the verge of cackling at the scene while the man's partner rolled his eyes at the aggression which was never far from the surface. “Don’t call her again, don’t go to her work again, don’t even think about her. If I have to come looking for you, you fuckin’ weasel, I’ll break your legs.” Ending the call, Kyohei tossed the cell back to its owner in a light underhand motion as he went back to his default minimum effort. “I don’t think he’ll call you again.”

Finally allowing herself to take a breath, Shiori howled at the performance. “You think?” Trying to compose herself, the redhead took a deep breath and exhaled a lengthy sigh. “I guess I should get to the point of why I called you here in the first place.” Plucking up a chunk of fried beef from the platter of snacks, the redhead held it to her mouth as she kept her eyes on Kyohei. “The Kamihari Kai are making a move on this city again.”

“I don’t understand what that means.” Reo looked between the pair who seemed to be having a silent conversation comprised of silent glances.

Unfortunately, the slightly older man did know what that meant. “They were squashed when Akito was sent to prison.”

“I had hoped so too, but I saw that tattoo only fifteen minutes before I tried calling you.”

“Somebody could be trying to impersonate that-”

Raising her brow, she shrugged the shoulder on the same side. “Who would want to do that? Who in their right mind would want to pick up that kind of mantel? It’d be much easier to re-brand to avoid the cops.”

“You could ask the same thing of those who started it.”

“I don’t want this.” The redhead shook her head. “I don’t want this at all. As soon as the cops get a sniff of this, they’ll start investigating everything. They’ll probably reopen the original case.”

“Just because they couldn’t find the higher up members, they pinned those crimes on Akito and those other guys seven years ago. You know as well as I do that she wasn’t involved in that.” Taking out a pouch of tobacco from his pocket, the scruffy man began rolling himself a cigarette. “If they do happen to reopen the case and they can’t find the real leader within a few weeks, they’ll do the same again. It’s gonna be the worst of two evils: she’ll be dragged back into it as a conspirator from the first time around, or they’ll re-try her for obstructing police work and send her down for that instead.” Finishing his second drink, Kyohei slammed his hand down on the table in the same instance the bottom of his glass hit. “She won’t get out of that place a second time.”

“I was left in the dark last time. I wanted to help her, but she shut me out. I didn't know what was going on.”

Eyes narrowed and shoulders taut, Kyohei took the woman’s fingers in his grasp as she hunched forward, her muscles tight and her jaw pulsing. “I won’t let that happen again.”

“It’s all well and good pretending to be the knight in shining armour but,” Reo shoved an insurmountable portion of fried octopus legs into his mouth, “what the Hell can you do when neither of us can get close to Kiryū, let alone ask about what’s happening?”

“A man like that wouldn’t tell you anything even if he knew what was going on.” Nodding her head in thanks to the waitress who brought over another round of beers and took the empty glasses, Shiori looked between the pair across from her.

Flicking stray hairs from his bangs away from his face, Reo puffed his chest. “I still have a few connections from my time in the biz.”

Kyohei grimaced at the act. “You’re not cool, even when you make up slang.”

“You don’t know jack shit, you fucking octopus.”

Flinging her hand up, Shiori closed her eyes. “Can’t you two fuck-heads get along for once? Sai’s life is on the line.”

“Unlike every other day of the year?” Kyohei joked but the hand suddenly grasping the front of his shirt cut off any other jesting.

The redhead had stood up, her weight pressing down into her grip. Her knee buckled on the wonky seat between his legs and the woman toppled when Kyohei took her wrists. Grabbing his attacker, he ragged the woman up before her expensive dress could hit the sticky table. Moving his drink with one hand, he directed her backwards, towards the cheap seating before she could stand up straight. Shaking off the hold, the woman rested her rear on the edge of the bench.

“I won’t watch my friend die all over again. Especially when she didn’t do anything wrong the first time.” Frame rigid, she sucked in a deep breath through bared teeth. “I don’t care who’s making the threats.”

“Be careful of what you say, Natsume.”

Tutting, the addressed turned her head away and threw her nose up. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“She really is just like the boss-”

“Don’t speak like you know anything about them.” Releasing the woman and fixing the strap of her dress which had fallen in the fuss as to save her modesty, Kyohei stood up and shuffled over to the bar.

“Fuck, he’s even more pissy than usual today.” Turning to the woman beside him, Reo handed her a napkin as the woman hung her head. “Are you okay, Natsume San? Take no notice of him; he’s an asshole on the best of days.”

Sucking in a deep breath, the redhead clenched her fists and glared at the spilt liquid pooling on the table. “He really is a prick most of the time, but he’s always gone out of his way for Sai and I. I’ve known him for a long time and despite his grumpy attitude, I don’t think I’ve come across such a selfless person. Ya know, he got beat up by a bunch of men for me when I was in high school just because Sai said she was worried about me. He went out in the middle of the night in a blizzard just to get his ribs broken because she was concerned about me.” Leaning back, Shiori poured herself a drink but paused to watch the bubbles forming up the inside of the glass as she tried to steady her breath. “I think given half the chance, he’d happily die for her if it came down to it.”

“Were they a thing when you were younger?”

“No, not at all; not like you’re thinking, at least. But he loves her…More than I’ve ever seen someone love another person...and it comes from the right place, too - not like Kiryū and her mother.” Twisting in her seat, the redhead peeked her tongue out to wet her lips before downing half of the booze in her glass. “It really worries me; them,” she paused, thinking of how she could word her thoughts without seeming like a gossip. “Sai’s always been wild and had the brass balls to refuse even people like Kiryū, but that’s her choice. I know it’s naive, but I like to think that she doesn’t realize the hold she has over the lives of those she claims to love. If it comes down to her serving time again and making a war out of throwing blame and burning bridges, I’m scared of what will happen this time around.”

Over the other side of the space, Kyohei had his needs taken care of as he watched the muted horse racing playing on a small television to the left of the bar.

“Sleepy Chan, you have expensive taste in booze,” Chihaya whispered as his line of sight went from the scruff, to the table his companions were at and then back again as he placed down an upgraded glass of Western Whiskey. “Are you going to be okay; it’s only 4:30.”

“If you’re worried about me paying the bill,” his left hand rummaged through his pocket and slapped a black card on the counter. “I’m good for paying up.”

“Won’t your boss be angry you didn’t return to work after lunch?”

“My boss won’t be angry because she’s probably doing the same thing on the other side of town, only paying for it with more than money.”

“Sir, what exactly do you do?”

“I’m a debt collector.” Kyohei paused his interest in the race to look at the okama. Snorting, something clicked in his head. Shaking his head, the man coughed a curt laugh into his glass as he downed yet another drink. “Don’t you find that funny? A debt collector seeming suspicious about not paying his bar tab?”

“Honey, do you need anything else?”

“Yeah, a refill, and five of your scratch cards.”
 

Updated: 13th September 2020 - 19:06