Even though Tomoko lacked the skills and the grace that all hostesses were required to have, here she was; in the middle of one of the fanciest dress stores in Kamurocho, looking for dresses to kick-start her career in the business of hosting. On top of all that, she was also with a handsome guy that she barely knew, whom was also her boss. Tomoko had pinched herself many a time while browsing for dresses.
"I don't know... What should I pick out? Should I pick something slutty and revealing? Wait, what if he's running one of those higher class clubs? If that were the case, he'd want a higher class girl with a conservative dress... But what if my first hunch was right?! Fuck, I didn't think this would be so hard!" Tomoko's eyes were darting over nearly every dress, her indecision was obvious to the more experienced Akiyama. He pointed over to one of the more conservative dresses. "Here, this one'll fit you just right. You've got a more petite body, and when you combine that with this dress... You'll be giving off a more 'innocent' vibe. A lot of guys I know go for that."
Tomoko looked at the dress, then back to Akiyama. She nodded for the fiftieth time, because nodding is a hell of a lot easier than talking. "This guy knows his shit... I picked a good place to work." She let Akiyama pay for the dress. Next stop... The salon! Because even God knows that Tomoko needs a trip to the hairdresser.
Even though he had never been to a hostess club, Tomoki still knew that the best place to go for info on those kinds of establishments was MEB: Men's Entertainment Bureau. Mostly because the taxi driver told him about it, but you already knew that because I said that in the last chapter. Anyway, moving on... He walked into the place, moving past several otaku who were ogling the posters of the girls, and headed up to the attendant there.
He knew that there was no way that a place would send out Tomoko the day after she was hired, and that was IF she was hired. What he wanted was a list of the clubs, so he could ask them and their scouts if any girls fitting her description came to them. After getting what he wanted from the attendant, Tomoki went to walk out the door, only to be greeted by a very irritated man, who stank of booze.
"Hey!" he shouted, "You're the asshole that stole my woman!"
"I'm 14, you dumbass."
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A DUMBASS?!"
Not again. The man raised his fists, ready to throw down with the young lad. Tomoki did the same, adopting a 'lazier' stance. In truth, he adopted this stance to ensure that he could dodge fast and kick faster. He waited for the drunken fool to take the first swing, and swing that drunken fool did. After dodging that poor excuse for a punch, Tomoki delivered a kick to the man's side. Even though the pain was dulled thanks to the alcohol, there was still enough force behind it to knock the man into MEB's window. Another kick kept the man there for a moment, long enough for Tomoki to charge up a third and final kick: One to the skull that was strong enough to send the drunken man right through the glass.
After heading over to the man's defeated body, he placed a foot on his chest. "You done?"
"Now that I think about it, you don't look a thing like the guy that stole my woman... S-s-sorry, kid..."
"Good. Now get out of here. The police are going to be over here, soon."
"...Of course... T-thanks, kid..."
Tomoki took his foot off of the man's chest, and headed off to the first hostess club: Jewel. It was the closest one, after all.
With a dismissive wave for the hairdresser, Tomoko stood up from the chair, marveling at her hair in the mirror: What was once an unkempt mess had transformed into an absolutely stunning high-ponytail. She couldn't believe how much cuter she looked already! Akiyama himself acknowledged this change, "Not bad. The last stop will be at the club itself; we can do your makeup there. You'll also be able to try on your dress, too."
"T-t-t-thank you, Mr. Akiyama, sir..."
"It's no problem." That was a response that almost elicited tears from the shut-in. "This guy, he's so nice to me..." She thought, as a few sniffles broke her silence.
"Whoa, hey... Don't cry yet, we're not even at the club." Akiyama patted Tomoko on the back, a non-verbal signal that it was time to go. Tomoko obliged.
Soon they were at the club: Elise. Akiyama was just about to open the doors when a familiar face had opened it for him...
Jewel and Shine had seen no sign of anyone that fitted his sister's description, leaving Tomoki with one, final option: Elise. After making his way towards the manager of the club, he interrupted the man's introduction and went straight to the point. After giving the man a brief description of Tomoko, the manager sighed. "We haven't had any new girls in a while. On top of that, all of our regular scouts were out sick last night, leaving Mr. Akiyama to do it himself-"
"Where's Akiyama, then?" Tomoki cut off the manager. He wanted the info now.
"Not here, I'm afraid. He hasn't been answering his cell phone, which means he's busy right now. Maybe you can come back later?"
With a tired groan, Tomoki headed back the way he came. After the doors slid open, he came face to face with an odd man with a nice set of clothes and- Tomoko!
"There you are, you little shit."
Tomoko froze in fear. "No no no no, he can't be here! If takes me home, I'll never be popular!"
"Are you talking to me, or the girl?" Akiyama asked.
"The girl. C'mon, Tomoko, we're going home."
Tomoko had to act fast. Her dreams were crumbling before her very eyes. An idea made it's way to her mind... "H-he's my ex-boyfriend! He used to beat me, Mr. Akiyama!"
Akiyama turned to Tomoki, with rage in his eyes."What?"
Tomoki looked at Tomoko, with rage in his eyes. "What?"