Chapter 4.
Hotaru always liked kids. Deep down in her heart she believed that the main reason for it was her own childish nature. She always thought about herself as a simple creature and the way she looked at things around her reminded her of how kids usually perceived the world. Of course, with the passing years she started to notice greyish shades but her main convictions were still black and white. One should not do anything to hurt other people. If one sees injustice, one must do their utmost best to stop it. One must never lie... And yet, with every passing day she felt herself sinking deep into the web of lies and half-truths. Hotaru hated herself because of that and at the same time she understood she had no choice. It was the only way to keep him safe, to keep him sane... She was willing to go this far for that.
Twice a week after school, she went to the orphanage which was situated in one of the worst neighbourhoods the city had to offer. Yet, she felt there at home because she used to spend there long hours back in the days. The building was big and ugly, there was no two ways about it. The facade might had had some colours in the past but nowadays it scared off any passer-bys with dirty shade of brown and the empty window frames, covered up with wooden planks. Still, for those who didn't care about the first impression and were willing to take a closer look a really nice surprise was awaiting. Because in the inside of this miserable building lived a happy bunch of kids of all ages, who painted the inner walls with all the colours of the rainbow and were smiling everyday against all odds.
- Hotaru-chan! Hotaru-chan! Did you see? Look, look! - their excitement became her own and so she was happy to play with them. Currently, they were all sitting on the floor which was covered in big sheets of paper. They were mixing all sorts of colours creating fantastic stains in different shapes and sizes. Circles, dots, lines... Some straight and some curved, going in endless circles or turning into huge waves. Hues and tints, shadows and lights, cast against the snow-white paper. Here in this lonely and old place, kids' smiles shone brightly and Hotaru could breath easily. It was nice and she felt safe because the kids here didn't think much of the past. They were living in the moment and that was their strongest point.
The girl was standing in the bathroom, desperately trying to wash of the paint that seemed to be covering her entire body. One glance at the clock and she new she was going to be late. Quickly she dried her hands and grabbed her bag. He would be waiting for her in their usual spot so she said her good-byes and was on her way.
Midori-san was doing his rounds when he noticed a familiar figure at the end of the hall. The doctor observed carefully but couldn't tell exactly which room the person came out from. Yet, even from where he stood he was sure that the guy whom he just spotted was the same one he last saw Hotaru with. It occurred to him that it was fair to assume that Shuu was visiting someone here but he didn't pay it much attention.
The room was dark, lightened only by warm, red light coming from lamps that were scattered around the place. The bar was full and from where Shuu was standing he could see the stage clearly. He poured vodka and tonic for a man sitting at the counter and then he fixated his gaze at the stage. The music was loud and rhythmic, and guests were letting themselves to be swayed by it. Suddenly, the lights went out and seconds later when they were up again, in the centre of the stage, stood a slim, beautiful girl wearing leather attire that was meant to stress her curves but not to cover much. Her golden hair were put up in a high ponytail and her face was hidden behind a mask. In the dimmed light amidst the crowd of horny guys, she looked like an other-earthly existence. The music changed to something more sensual and she started dancing on the silver pole that connected the stage with ceiling. Shuu caught her gaze – her fiery green orbs searching for his and in that moment he hated himself for wanting to hide her away and fuck her here and now at the same time. Even though he really despised himself, he could not look away when she was dancing on that pole, her body twisting and bending in the rhythm of music. Instead he opted for sipping a drink and watching her every step promising himself that it would end soon.
Work at the hospital was always interesting and Midori-san really liked his job. He didn't mind working with kids and playing his role of ever-so-handsome and ever-so-good Midori-sensei. He honestly didn't care much about his appearance although he found it a bit ironic that everyone saw him as an angel when he clearly wasn't. Still, there was one day during the year when he questioned his life choices and thought about his job as a chore and perhaps an unnecessary burden. It was during the inspection. One day a year, all the private investors were descending from their safe heavens, eager to check if there were any means left to earn more money on other's people sickness. Midori understood perfectly well that the hospital had to be profitable but even his rational mind had problems with accepting what they were doing. It was even more difficult for him because for better or for worse, he was part of this. Because of his ability to smooth-talk anyone, year to year he was voted as a guide for the investors. And every year days like this one would end up with a big drinking party. Well, he liked to drink good alcohol but he hated being tied up by idiots like these people. That being said, he just knew that he would need to brave up and last the next twenty hours or so.
Hotaru was really nervous. Today she was to dance for a group that hired the entire club for their own needs. She heard from the other girls that during set-ups like this, men tended to expect something more than a dance and she really didn't want it to happen. It was true that Hotaru desperately needed money but she didn't have any confidence on stage yet. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and sighed heavily. Her outfit was really skimpy but she did her best to cover the thin scar on her ribs that was left after that incident. She had cat-like mask covering her entire face but eyes so that she could see what she was doing. She put on the high-heels one of the other girls brought for her. 'It's gonna be alright. I have to do this, there's no room for doubts now'. She took a deep breath and smiled to the other girls that were with her in the changing room: 'It's the show-time'.
Midori was sipping his whisky trying his best not to show how bored he was. His companions were already pretty much dead drunk so he assumed he would need to wait only an hour or two more before he could excuse himself. The music started playing again and several girls marched through the catwalk. He wasn't in a mood for games but then something caught his attention. The last girl who entered the room and headed straight to the pole that was nearest him seemed oddly familiar. He cautiously looked her up from head to toe and then his gaze lingered on her ribcage. Even in this dark room he could recognize the faint line that was the only trace left after the knife wound he personally attended. He then looked up to search for her eyes and when he found them, he was lost in the sea of green which showed nothing but determination. All other girls were flocking to the men he came with so he stretched his hand to the blonde in front of him. She came to the place where he was sitting at and then straddled him without hesitation. Midori put his hands around her waist and let them travel down to her thighs and calves. The sensation of her hot skin against his cold one wasn't like anything else he felt before and knowing how embarrassed she must had been under her mask only made him more eager to explore. Since nobody was paying them any attention, for a minute he was considering removing the mask and kissing her as a revenge for their 'onsen-kiss'. In the end he opted for pretending that he didn't recognize her and simply guided her when she was doing her lap-dance. With the song coming to an end, he leaned toward her and pressed a lightly kiss on her collar-bone and let his lips linger a little in this sweet spot. He could feel her body trembling against his so he rest his forehead in the crook of her neck, taking his time to inhale her scent and steady his own breath. He didn't want to scare her away but since he had no guarantees that opportunity like this would present itself again in the future, he just wanted to held her closely a bit longer. Nobody was looking at them and even if they were, he made sure not to cross any boundaries. A few minutes later, with a charming smile gracing his face he helped her to stand up and watched the last part of the performance on the pole. He had never seen anything like that: an intoxicating mix of acrobatics, sex appeal and bashfulness. The moment she left the stage he lost his interest in this drunkard's party so he grabbed his coat and wish them all goodnight. Leaving the place he caught a glimpse of fair hair in the back alley and when he stopped to take a closer look, he noticed her entering the red old corvette he knew from before.
Shuu turned on the radio in the car and let it play in the background. Hotaru was sitting next to him in the passenger's sit but she was unusually quiet. Somehow she looked flushed. Shuu knew that she didn't like what they were doing, mostly because she didn't like anything that could be seen as even remotely illegal. But that was beside the point as they needed the money and he knew that having her dance at the club was a good cover-up in case anyone got interested in a sudden surge of cash. Nevertheless, no matter what after every performance she would chat about how it made her feel so ashamed to stand up in her scarce outfit in front of strangers. But recently she seemed to started enjoying the effect she was making on all those guys. Yet, today was somehow different. First of all, she agreed to do the lap-dance, mainly because they had to pay another instalment soon. Shuu couldn't help but feel jealous seeing his Hotaru being so intimate with another man. And second of all, something about the way that man zeroed in on her from the second she entered the room till the very moment she left... The way he held her keeping her close to him to the point she couldn't really do what she was supposed to be doing. It was just a hunch but Shuu suspected that Hotaru might knew the guy from somewhere else and that was why she had been so quiet all the way. He gritted his teeth and tighten the grip on the steering wheel. As long as she was up for the next challenge it didn't matter who that man was... Or that was what he told himself but oddly enough it didn't make the storm in his heart die down.
Hotaru had never felt her heart beating so fast. How unlucky she must had been to meet Midori-san in this God forsaken place? What would she do if he had recognized her? She felt rather hopeless knowing that for some or other reason she was giving him more and more leverages that could be used against her. Guys might be thinking that she had forgotten about what he did to them in the past but that wasn't the case. She remembered well what she felt when she first fought him at TGC all those years ago. She could still hear his taunting voice and see his face when he called her a liar. However, no matter what everyone else was saying her relationship with the doctor changed a lot since then. He was the one who gave her the much needed push after Matsuoka-san banned her from the team. What's more he was the one who backed her up when she tried for the second time to explain her friends that she in fact was a girl. Midori-san was also the first man she had kissed and although it was an awkward kiss it still counted as something in her mind. She just didn't want him to be disappointed in her. That's all there was to it. And if he knew what she was doing he would for sure be disappointed. He, Matsuoka-san, Yukimura-san and Haruki-kun. Of course, not the dancing part, she wasn't ashamed of that because ever since she met the other girls she came to appreciate that there was an art and skill in what they were doing. In a way, she was being a host just like Matsuoka-san was. So she knew that they wouldn't be disappointed if they'd found out that she was a dancer. Knowing them, they would become overprotective and probably made sure that at least one of them is always with her at the club to keep an eye on the potential perverts. This was a heart-warming thought. However, she had to make sure that under no circumstances any of them ever gets to know about the other thing. Being implicated in the activity she was participating in, could end their respective careers. And although Midori-san wasn't a part of Toy Gun Gun, she came to care about his well-being as well. He as a respected doctor should never be involved in the underground she reluctantly became a part of.
- We're here – Shuu's voice woke her up from her slumber – Are you ready, Hotaru-chan?
- I am and please don't use my name here.
- Sorry, I got distracted – he chuckled but she got the feeling that he was just pretending not to care. Hotaru pulled up her hoodie and took the bag he handed her. Then the two of them headed toward the entrance of an old factory building which was shut down years ago. It was inside of there that Hotaru's next task was awaiting.