3:43 AM.

A four-digit number is being dialed. Kou Shuurei twirls the telephone cord on her index finger, as she waits for her call to be answered. Beyond her, the Korean girl wipes her face with her umpteenth Kleenex, but she seems to have calmed down significantly, since Shuuei and the others have left the room.

Finally, an answer comes on the other line. "Yes?"

"Kochou-neesan?" Shuurei says. "It's me. I think I figured out who this girl is and how we can help her."

"That's great news." A sigh emerges from the other line. "That girl is going to cause me real problems. So, what is it?"

"She says she is brought here from South Korea because she's expecting lo land a job here in Tokyo." She twirls her finger to the opposite direction this time, untangling the phone cord. "But I'm guessing ..."

"Things went horribly wrong."

"Most likely. That gansgster awhile ago is probably in the business of ferrying young girls like her illegally here. He must get a hefty sum for it." She stands up from the chair, carries the telephone cradle with her and starts to pace around the room. "What I don't understand is how she ends up in Hotel Kogarou. What happened, Kochou-neesan?"

"It's a set-up." Kochou answers with a hint of fury. "You are no stranger these things, Shuurei-chan. People are not afraid to get theri hands dirty in this part of the city."

"What are they after?"

"They want to prove a point. Those gangsters probably could not accept that a woman like me heads Tokyo's underground. What happened tonight isn't really a big thing. They simply want to be noticed."

"So ... they're envious."

"And stupid. They must have sneaked in that girl with someone posing as a customer, then that man you saw awhile ago comes in here later on to have a fuck. She chooses one of our girls, then he suddenly cancels. So, he does his job on the girl, then calls a foul against us because the girl is resisting him."

"Which proves my point that the girl isn't here for this kind of work."

"He then makes a scene, saying that he'll report this to his danna, whom he says is allied with a bunch of other assholes who want me out of the scene. I simply told him to get the hell out of here. Their threats are worthless. Aside from the fact that they are gaijin, they don't possess the balls to beat me."

"But how does the guy know where the girl is?"

"The girl came in with a man. I checked the security cameras and saw her coming in with a salary man. He also looked Korean, so he's clearly involved in all this. He rents a room, then checks out after a few. He leaves the girl behind, probably in the WC. We don't have CCTV in there though, so all this is probable."

"The girl must have thought that he will meet whoever her employers will be in here."

"Maybe. So, the man checks out, then the gangster comes in after a while. And the rest unfolds, just as how I told you." Kochou heaves a sigh. "How is she? Is she still crying?"

"She's much better now. We're in Shuuei-sama's room. He, Kouyuu-sama and that other guy went out."

"I really wish that we didn't involve Shuuei-sama in all this. He's one of my top benefactors."

"I don't think he sees anything bad in what happened. He did offer his room." Shuurei sits down again, and places the telephone cradle on the table gingerly. "Kochou-neesan, I think we should send her to the Korean embassy. Or to Social Services. Probably the embassy will be best."

"My lawyer is already on it. He'll be bringing her to the embassy. He may be here in thirty minutes, so make sure she's dressed decently before you bring her down here."

"I knew you're already on top of it." Shuurei giggles. "No problem. I'll work on that." She answers.

"Thank you, Shuurei-chan."

"Kochou-neesan?"

"Mm?"

"Kouyuu-sama said that these things happen without the knowledge of most businesses." Shuurei's voice is mellow. "I don't know. It's ... disturbing." She pauses, looks at the girl across her and bites her lip. "She's just as old as I am. I'm just thinking aloud. If this happens a lot, to girls like her ... it could have happened to me. And the thought of that scares me."

"Oh, Shuurei-chan," Kochou sighs. "There are a lot of things that we encounter that are horrible and evil. "I see a lot of them happen in this brothel. But, in this kind of business, or life in general, you have to fight to survive."

"Right now, I'm imagining," Shuurei says. "This girl, she may have come from a poor family. She must want to bring food to the table, so in her desperation she seeks help. And in her desperation, she ends up like this." She bites her lip harder. "Kochou-neesan, am I not ... like her?" Tears start to well up from her eyes.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry that you're upset."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Shuurei wipes her eyes quickly. She doesn't want the girl across her to see her crying. "I do what I do here to help Otousama. I don't really care what other people say, as long as I do my job well and help him out."

"You're a strong girl. You're smart. You have a father who loves you and protects you. I'm sure you won't falter." Kochou reassures her.

"Mm." Shuurei nods. "And I have you. I know you won't let those things happen to me."

A shrill laugh erupts from the other end of the line. "You're right! You have me. If those lowlives even dare to lay a finger on you, I'll beat their sorry lives out of their bodies!"

Shuurei laughs. "Don't beat them too hard."

"There's no such thing as 'too hard'." Kochou says firmly. "Now, get that girl ready and bring her down to the lobby immediately. Make her look decent."

"Yes." Shuurei stands up. Just when she is about to say goodbye, she suddenly thinks of something. "By the way, Kochou-neesan, what room did the guy stay in?"

"The gangster? Room 379."

Shuurei's eyes widen. "Wha-what?!"

"Why?"

"I let a customer in there!" She exclaims. "The one who's with Shuuei-sama now!"

"You did what?"

"I didn't notice that it was marked occupied in the PC when he checked in." She scratches her head furiously. "Oh ... how come I didn't notice? He even found the used diaphragm underneath the bed!"