June 25th, 2019: Saturday

"This is a pretty sketchy neighborhood," Hideaki muttered as he and Akira walked through Shinjuku.

He had never been in a red-light district before, so when Akira called him up to meet him here with his camera, he'd been rather surprised. And then Akira had offered no explanation as to why, which made him nervous.

Akira grinned. "Don't worry. Just project an air of confidence and people here will leave you alone."

Hideaki watched as several people standing outside seemed to take an almost alarming interest in him. "If you say so," he said quietly.

The two stopped in front of a building, with the sign loudly declaring it to be "Crossroads".

"You brought me to a bar?" Hideaki asked.

"It's not so much the bar as it is who's in it," Akira said, walking in with no hesitation. "Relax, I'm a regular. They'll love you."

"If you… say so," Hideaki repeated, following his friend. At first glance, it looked like a normal bard, with several stools and a wall of liquor. Aside from the bartender, there was a woman in jeans and a black shirt slumped over the bar, snoring loudly.

A low, husky voice growled, "Ah, Kurusu-kun, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Akira smiled and waved at the… woman? Man in drag? Hideaki wasn't entirely sure. He'd have to follow Akira's lead on this one. He didn't want to offend anyone. "Hey, Lala-chan. Just needed to talk to our local barfly."

The woman with her head down snorted and raised her head. She had to wipe away some drool. "Hm? Whu?"

She turned to Akira and beamed at him. "Heeeeey! Iz been too long, Aki-kun!"

"I was hoping you'd be a little more sober for this, but this will have to do," Akira said. He grabbed Hideaki by the shoulder and gave him a small push forward. "Ohya-san, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine; Hideaki Nakamura."

"Always a friend to meet Aki-kun's pleasure!" Ohya slurred, raising a glass to them. With the same level of excitement, she asked, "But why?"

Akira stepped back. "My friend here is an aspiring photographer, and I always hear how you need one, so…"

Like a switch, Ohya immediately sobered and sat up straight. "A photographer, you say?"

She was up, out of her seat, and in Hideaki's personal space in seconds. He flinched back at the level of scrutiny he was under. "Uh, hi?"

"Hmmm." Ohya raised the glass she still held to her lips and took a sip. She crossed her arms and leaned back. "How much experience you got, kid?"

"Well, I, uh, I've been doing it as a hobby for a few years now. I'm taking a two-year degree at—"

"Excellent!" Ohya grabbed Hideaki's hand and shook it violently. He almost felt like he was about to be lifted up and shaken. "With a recommendation from a trusted source, I can already tell you're going to do great! I'll talk to my boss about getting you on the payroll. It'll be independent contract work to start, since you have almost no real experience, but keep it up and you'll have a full-time job!"

She walked back to the bar and returned to her seat. She downed the rest of her drink, set it on the bar, then walked to one of the private booths. "C'mon. Let's talk business."

Akira gave Hideaki a pat on the back. "Go easy on him, Ohya."

"What?!" Hideaki stammered. "What do you mean 'go easy'?"

"Don't worry, hon, I'll make sure she doesn't get too rough with you," Lala-chan said with a wry smile.

As Hideaki tentatively made his way into the same private booth that Ohya went to, Akira took a seat across Lala-chan.

"Now, how's that girl of yours doing, hon? Oh, I do hope you bring her by again, she was such a treat."

Akira laughed. "I've never seen someone get so close to drinking Ohya under the table, but Tae put up an admirable effort."

Twenty minutes later, Hideaki rejoined Akira at the bar. He didn't speak for a long moment.

Akira raised a brow. "So…? How'd it go?"

"She's really… intense," Hideaki said.

"Most of the woman in my life are," Akira agreed absently. He hadn't really thought about that before. "But you got work, right?"

"I'm going to be her photographer," Hideaki confirmed. "She's calling up her boss and getting the paperwork ready for me to be an independent contractor."

Akira gave his shoulder a light punch. "Good for you, man!"

Hideaki fixed him with a hard and firm stare. "Akira. You have very terrifying female friends."

"I know. Aren't they great?"