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Nightclub at Daytime Chapter 27
Chapter 27
'You did well last night, ' said Tezuka to Fuji. 'Atobe wanted me to compliment you, because he thinks you're a wonderful singer. He wants to know if you want a singing career instead, but I told him you don't want that.'
Fuji smiled. 'Thank you,' he said. 'I don't want a singing career. I prefer photography. It's more anonymous. I don't like the spotlights that much. Especially after last night. Those were some weird people.'
'Yes,' sighed Tezuka. 'That is why I don't want parties in the club. The first one went fine. Nobody drank too much and everybody was acting normal. Yesterday some people went too far. It all started when Tachibana-san pulled you off the stage. Normally he is such a decent man, but alcohol definitely changed him. Some of the other men as well. Next time you will be singing you can only chose slower songs.'
'I will,' answered Fuji. 'That way we will keep the atmosphere the way it should be. I don't want any more drunk men touching me. Once was too much already.'
'That was not what the club was intended for. We wanted to prevent drunken men from coming here and touch our staff. If we wanted that we would have opened a strip club. We could earn more money with that. But I didn't, because I wanted this to be a safe place, where people would feel comfortable. There are plenty of places for women who are being traded by yakuza, but also by others, but there are hardly any places for men to go. We are one of the only places, so I don't want anything to go wrong. If we have to shut down you guys have no other place to go to.'
'Why did you start this?' asked Fuji. 'Why would you want to help people you don't even know and who can't really give you anything in return? You get the money back that you paid in the first place, but nothing more.'
'We earn a little more money than we spend,' said Tezuka. 'Otherwise Atobe would never finance this whole thing. He wanted to earn money with it, that is why he helped me to set it up. I got the idea when I still worked as a police officer. Together with Momoshiro. We often helped women to get out of the clutches of people who tried to sell them. We also found men now and then, but there was no place we could bring them, so my boss ordered to just leave them be. I couldn't accept that and asked him why. He told me to shut up and said I didn't know anything about it, because I was just twenty three. I couldn't believe he didn't do anything to help those men, so I decided to work on my own. I asked Atobe for help and set this whole thing up. Momoshiro wanted to help me. He couldn't work there anymore either. He thought it was discriminating. He helped me to get this all done and stayed afterwards to help as well.'
'Does your boss know you did this? He never brings any people to you, right? You go and get them yourself. You came to get me, and I know you did the same with Ohtori.'
'The police doesn't believe in this place. Some even though we opened our own sex club or something and didn't want to send men here for help. So I searched for the people who trade humans. I knew where I could find them, because of my experience as a police officer. It didn't take long before I got in contact with them and I bought Kaidoh from them. I told them not to get random people from the streets, because I would only buy if I needed them. They still pick someone up now and then, but it's less than before. I also found out with which other people they trade humans. I told the police, but they won't take action.'
Fuji could hardly believe what he had just heard. Tezuka might look scary and not kind at all, but he had a heart of gold. He sacrificed his career at the police to help other people that were left alone by everyone else.
'Amazing,' said Fuji. 'You sacrificed so much. I shouldn't complain about living a bad life here. You had to sacrifice much more than I did. I only have to stay here for about three years of my life, while you are here for years already and there is nothing that says you might get out of here, because there won't be anybody who will take over your job. You're more imprisoned than I am.'
'It doesn't feel like that,' answered Tezuka. 'I chose to do this job, while I knew it would be a lot of work, because there is not much money to hire more people. Seeing how you and the others are getting along well and how you can have some sort of normal life here is enough for me. It makes me feel glad that I set this whole thing up, despite all the work. Seeing how Yukimura ended up, makes me want to help more people.'
'Don't you ever want something for yourself? You're always helping others, you have hardly any privacy. Don't you ever want to just go out and do something you like? Except for jogging. There must be other, bigger things you like. Don't you want a family in the future?'
'I've never really seen myself with a family. My dream was to become an international tennis player. My arm got badly hurt when I was in middle school and I was never able to play long matches again. I could, but my arm would start hurting and I would have to wait and let it get healed again before I could play another match. I would never be able to play big tournaments.'
Fuji's eyes had grown big when he heard the story. 'Do you still play tennis? I can play a little. If you want I can play with you. I'm not that good, so you won't hurt your arm when you play against me. It's nothing compared to a professional tennis career or a family, but maybe it will make up for things a little?'
'That would be nice,' answered Tezuka.
Fuji was surprised that the answer was really 'yes'. He always thought that Tezuka was annoyed with him, because he never listened and did whatever he wanted to do. Maybe it showed how much Tezuka liked tennis, but Fuji hoped Tezuka also agreed because he liked Fuji, even if it was just a little bit.
'Great, let's go and play sometime soon then,' said Fuji. 'Maybe on the next day off?'
They made an appointment for the match before Tezuka left, because he had to get back to work. Fuji went to the kitchen to get a snack. In the afternoon he always got hungry. He walked through the hallway and almost walked against the door that Oishi opened.
'I'm really sorry, did I hit you?' asked Oishi worried.
'No, it's fine, I'm alright,' answered Fuji. He continued his way to the kitchen. He grabbed two snacks before he went back into the hallway and knocked on the door of Eiji's room. The redhead opened the door and let him in.
'I've got a snack for you,' said Fuji and he gave one of them to Eiji, knowing he loved an afternoon snack as well. Fuji sat down on the bed and started munching on the chocolate.
'So, tell me,' he started. 'What was Oishi doing here?'
'Just visiting,' answered Eiji, his cheeks were a little flushed. 'You know, just a little chatting and stuff.'
Fuji smirked. 'Oishi is not a person to idly chat when he has work to do. I never saw him go into someone's bedroom, unless he had to give them something, like he did to Ohtori a while ago. He only entered to give him clothes and information about this place. He never visits anybody for 'chatting and stuff'. So, either you are special or you are lying. Which is it?'
Eiji blushed. 'Fuji!' he whined with a pout. 'What are you thinking? I'm not lying and I'm not special. Oishi was just hanging around. We were just talking.'
Fuji shook his head. 'No, I know hanging around when I see it. Oishi's was blushing a little when he came out of your room and that was not because he almost hit me with the door. It was because of a different reason and that reason has to be you. So you can tell me or I will keep asking you about it. Not just here in your room, but during dinner in a few hours and at the club, tonight and I'll wake you up tonight to ask again. So… will you tell me?'
'Alright, alright, I like Oishi,' confessed the redhead.
'Good, that is a start,' said Fuji and he took another bite of the chocolate. 'So, you like Oishi. Did you confess to him just now? Was that the reason why he was blushing so heavily? Or… maybe the two of you did something else, something more… daring.'
Eiji's face was almost the same colour as his hair. He was blushing furiously and he didn't know what to say. 'We… we didn't do… that, you know.'
'No, what do you mean?' asked Fuji, knowing exactly well what his friend was talking about.
'You know, I didn't…. sleep with him or something.'
'A confession was all it needed to make Oishi blush then? I know Oishi is shy and he blushes already when you say a dirty word, but I don't believe that a confession would make him look like that. Come on, Eiji, give me details.'
'We kissed!' said Eiji. 'We kissed, just once. Nothing more. Just a kiss.'
'Very good, that is good progress already. I don't know when you confessed to him, but a kiss is probably a big step for him. And you helped him to take that step. He must really like you too, Eiji. I'm happy for you. Now it won't be much trouble anymore to get him into your bed. I mean, you already got a kiss from him.'
'Stop it, Fujiko!' said Eiji while biting his lip. 'I've never liked somebody, but I really like Oishi. I was afraid to confess and I was even more afraid to kiss him. It was really difficult, but I did it, so you should be proud of me instead of making fun of me. I'm not like you. I'm not experienced.'
Fuji smiled widely. 'I am proud of you, my little Eiji. You did great. Confessing to a man like Oishi probably isn't easy. Kissing him must be a disaster, but you did it. You showed you're a real man. But what makes you think I'm so experienced?'
'Well, just the way you talk with Nioh and stuff. I mean, you two often act like a jealous couple and you are always touching each other.'
'We're just friends. We're never hanging around in my room or his,' answered Fuji. 'Nioh and I would probably make the worst couple ever. Well, we might have fun, but other people would hate us. Wouldn't want that to happen. It would mean I would be stuck with that dude for the rest of my life. We would probably end up fighting badly.'
'You don't like him?' asked Eiji surprised.
'You thought I did?'
'Everybody thinks you two like each other.'
'I don't,' answered Fuji. 'Really, he is a great friend, but that is all and Nioh thinks the same way.'
'Too bad,' said Eiji a little disappointed. 'I hoped you could give me some advice.'
The smirk returned on Fuji's face. 'Even though I don't like Nioh, I don't mind giving you advice.