It was 22:54, Mitakihara City. The overbright city lights completely overpowered the full moon's glow. The city, as per usual on a Saturday night, buzzed with activity. People roamed the streets, walking, talking. It wasn't as busy as it would be in a city like, say, Tokyo, but plenty lively.
Amongst the cheerful nightlife crowds, roamed a rather gloomy-looking man. Most days he'd be hitting the hay right about now, ready for everything to start again the next day. But not today. And not the next day either. Maybe he was here to avoid it, that first morning of worry headed his way. He didn't want to think about it, so he chose not to. So here he was, still dressed in his business attire, suitcase in hand.
He wandered down a more secluded alleyway. It was an eclectic mix of commercial street and red-light district. Cosy, inviting, and a little tacky. The brightly flashing billboards and signs told the man he was headed in the right direction.
The district was more classy than you might expect from such a place. It offered bars and cafés of all kinds, all with their own themes and colours, from maids to fantasy characters. On Takinamu Street, you could be served by anything and anyone, happy endings optional.
Scanning the area, he grimaced as a waiter dressed like a certain Italian plumber gave him a suggestive wink. He hastily walked a little further before stopping and checking his phone. An address popped up on screen.
"Oh, kill me now…" he muttered.
"Be glad to! However, I do charge more for that!"
The suited man turned around and was met with a familiar pair of amber eyes. The small figure now standing in front of him smirked. It was a sly expression that brought back memories. He gripped his suitcase a little tighter, hesitating for a moment. Was this really a good idea? It wouldn't solve anything about his present circumstances which, of course, he hadn't known about when he agreed to meet up. The timing was simply unfortunate. Then again, maybe an evening's distraction would be just the thing, and besides, backing out at the last second would be a dick move.
"Ah man, I thought that was you, Maki-chan! I'd recognize your sorry ass from a mile away." The small man smiled ear to ear. "I am so glad you came. It's been a while… You look so buff, man! Sick." He paused for a moment, checking Maki out from top to bottom. "Nice suit by the way! you look so serious. Also what's in the suitcase? Drugs?"
Maki couldn't help but chuckle at the small man's excitement. Most people he knew would be aghast just at the thought of greeting someone like that, especially after it had been such a long time. Maki was glad to see that, except for the bleached hair, his old friend hadn't changed a bit.
"Sakamoto-kun, it's good to see you again as well." Maki patted his friend on the shoulder. "Haven't grown an inch in those four years, huh?"
The smile that had previously occupied Kaito Sakamoto's face slowly faded into an irritated glare.
"I see you still suck!" He said. "Also, you can still call me by my first name. Nothing's changed, so no formalities"—a sly smile crept back on his face—"Maki-chan,"
"Yeah, about that"—before Maki could finish his sentence Kaito clapped him roughly on the back. "Well, businessman. Want me to show you around?"
"I'm a regular guy in a suit, Kaito, not a businessman."
Kaito gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean? You've got a tie and everything!"
"Well," Maki said, drawing out the word, "I don't mean to start this off with a downer, but I lost my job today,"
"Oh," Kaito said, seemingly at a loss for words.
"In that case, let's just, uh, skip the whole showing you around thing and get straight to drinks!"
Maki looked around. People dressed in cosplay cheerfully danced around the tables, serving drinks and snacks. He frowned. Kaito giggled, "Don't worry, this is not the place. I made a reservation somewhere much more classy. I know you don't fancy these types of shenanigans."
He pointed at a small pub. The sign above the narrow window read 'The Velvet Walls' in elegant white letters. The place was wedged in between a brothel and a strip-club.
"I work at the club next door, so they know me." Kaito said as he headed towards the establishment.
"The club? I didn't know"—Maki started, concern in his voice, but Kaito talked over him.
"Dude. I enjoy my job, no worries!" then he smiled and headed inside.
Maki followed him and looked around while Kaito was talking to the barmaid. He had to admit, the place was very classy. Despite its rowdy neighbours, the pub was very quiet. The ground floor only had room for a small bar with barstools and two tables. A few abstract paintings hung on the walls which, Maki noted, weren't actually velvet, but made out of red bricks. Little potted plants hung from the industrial copper pipes that decorated the exposed ceiling. Who'd have thought such a nice establishment would be hidden away in Takinamu street.
"I got us a private room so you can cry, baby boy," Maki answered Kaito's grin with a deadpan stare.
"I'm not going to cry,"
"I know, come on!" Kaito gestured for Maki to follow him and headed up the staircase behind the bar.
The bartender Kaito had been talking to giggled and gave Maki a wink.
"Don't worry, he's always like that," she said, "good luck!"
What? Maki thought, then brushed it off and headed up after Kaito. Kaito opened the door to a little cubby they could sit in. It had comfy seating built along the walls, a table, and even though there was room for nothing else, three potted plants hung from the ceiling.
"I like these," Maki said, nudging one of the plants as he slid sideways into the seat opposite Kaito, "I'd love some for my apartme—Oh, shit. My apartment…"
"Yeah, okay," Kaito said, "beers! It's beer time now,"
A few drinks later, the boys had talked about their shared experiences in college and how they'd ended up after. One jobless, the other a stripper. What a pair they were.
"You know, I think it is fate, man. Us sitting here today," Kaito said,
Maki nodded at Kaito's comment, slightly drowsy from the alcohol in his system.
"No, but really." Kaito continued in a more serious tone. "You can crash at my place, you know. I won't mind, put your stuff in a storage unit or something. As long as it's cheaper than your apartment you should be fine for a short while, right?"
Maki rested his head on the palm of his hand.
"Yeah, I suppose I should try and find another job," he sighed.
The quiet stretched and Maki's frown deepened.
"Is that what you really want?" Kaito prompted.
"No it's not what I want, dammit!" Maki snapped, his voice rising. "It's the same shit all the time, day in day out. The truth is I was pissed off all the time there, I just didn't know where else to go," he deflated somewhat, "But now I have to know, don't I?"
The was quiet stretching once again when suddenly Kaito perked up and slammed his hands on the table, leaning in close to Maki.
"I gotcha!" he said, as a strange, manic light shone in his eyes. "I have an offer, you know, as friends."
Maki backed away a little, but Kaito was on a roll now.
"There is something I need to confirm. If it proves to be true, then all of our troubles will melt away like the ice in your drink." Kaito leaned back into his seat again and took a triumphant swallow of his own drink.
"What… do you mean?" Maki asked.
"What?" Kaito asked, his voice oozing sarcasm, "Did you really believe I want to work at a strip club all of my life? Fuck, no!"
Maki frowned, but he was already convinced, "So what do you need me for?"
Kaito sighed, "Well, here's what we need to do…"
