Chapter 4: Old Habits

Rin Hibana glanced at her phone again, rereading the text message.

[Ten grand for one hour with the client. Since it’s your first time, I’ll give a hundred grand bonus. After that, it’ll be up to your performance.]

She bit her lips and then tucked her phone back into her pocket. As she did, her hand trembled. Still, she forcibly clenched them and took a deep breath.

“It’s just one hour, Rin. One hour and you’ll have enough money to pay for Mom’s hospital bills.”

The words rang hollow even to her ears. Even so, Rin recited them over and over again to steel her nerves.

The meeting place was supposed to be a karaoke room in Roppongi. And it was supposed to just be a date. A compensated one, but that was all.

The girl that told her about it reassured Rin that all she would need to do was flirt a bit and maybe let the guy hug her… But Rin knew that was a lie.

Otherwise, that girl wouldn’t have had that glazed look in her eyes as she said it.

Still… Rin was desperate.

The payment was due on Monday and if she didn’t have it, they couldn’t keep treating her mother. And not only that, she needed even more for the surgery to remove the tumor.

“…Just once. Just this one time.” Rin muttered to herself as she made her way through the side alleys of Roppongi, moving towards the address that man had sent her earlier.

“Where is it…?” Rin came to a stop and took a look around.

It was still Roppongi. But the buildings here were older, more rundown than near Roppongi Hills. Rather than those sleek modern towers, these were older brick buildings only a story or two high.

The exact sort of place that came to mind when a girl thought about ‘that’ sort of job.

A few men passing by stared at Rin. One in particular, a rotund man in a worn-out business suit, gave her a long stare, licking his lips.

Rin shuddered and hastened her steps. As she did, she clutched a bit tighter to her handbag.

“Remember. Just this once. I just have to meet with one guy… and then that’s it. I just have to… do ‘that’. And then Mom will be fine. Right. That’s all.”

Again, she muttered the words to encourage herself. But it was a lie. They were all lies.

She arrived at the building. Musou Karoke, written in flashing neon Kanji. Like the others, it was run down. And standing in front of it was a muscular bald man in a business suit and a dour expression. Arms crossed, he kept scanning the surroundings, looking for someone.

When his gaze met Rin’s, he scowled and walked towards her. “Took you long enough.”

Rin bowed her head. “S-Sorry, Mister Aoyama. I bumped into a foreigner and-“

“Whatever. I don’t care for your excuses. The only thing I need to know is if you’ll commit.” The bald man narrowed his eyes. “Well?”

Rin’s heart pounded, but she nodded. “Y-Yes. I’ll do it.”

The bald man smiled, an expression that didn’t reach his eyes. “Good.” He rummaged in his pocket and then handed a bronze key to Rin. “Room 101. Take a quick shower in the back and then head inside.”

“S-Shower?” Rin trembled.

Aoyama grinned. “Of course. Gotta look the best for your ‘date’, right?”

It was a thinly veiled excuse. A shower wasn’t needed if it was going to be just a simple ‘date’.

But Rin didn’t say that. Instead, she meekly bowed her head and said, “I understand.”

“Good. Then head on inside. I’ll send your date in when they get here.”

Rin bowed again and then walked inside. Knowing that she would hesitate if she moved slow, she sped up her pace and walked inside. But as she crossed through the doorway, she froze.

Aoyama peered in from the door and grinned. “Second thoughts?”

Rin shook her head and kept walking. “…I’m going.”

As she headed into the bathroom in the back to shower, Aoyama shook his head and scoffed. “Stupid girl. Does she honestly think that one time is enough?”

“It will be.”

“Huh?”

Aoyama blinked and then spun around, his hands raised. “Who’s there?”

Despite everywhere he looked, Aoyama couldn’t see anyone. The empty area in front of the building. The rundown interior. But that was all.

Aoyama slowly straightened and said, “…Must be hearing things.”

“Unfortunately for you, you weren’t. And also, goodbye.”

“Huh- Kuh!”

—–AI|IA—–

John wrinkled his nose at the dead man lying on the floor. “It seems like those bastards exist no matter where you go, huh?”

He sighed and then waved his hand, causing the corpse to vanish. At the same time, a soft light hovered over where it was.

John grabbed it and then swept his hand, causing a puppet to appear. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the light into the puppet, causing it to shine. When the light faded, a man that looked just like the one that died appeared in front of John.

But unlike that gruff man, this one politely bowed his head and said, “Master Smith. What can I do for you?”

“…” John forcibly shut his spiritual sense and walked into the building. “Deal with the girls. Fix their problems, and then get rid of this place. When that’s finished, dispose of yourself… Ah. And handle the ‘client’ that was going to be that girl’s first.”

“Understood.”

The man… No. The doll that John created to replace that man smiled and then adopted a stern expression just like the one that the man had.

John sighed and shook his head. “Room 101, was it?”

That girl was still in the bathroom. From the faint sound of running water, it seemed it would take a while before she finished.

Since that was the case, John walked inside the room first.

—–AI|IA—–

A television with songs scrolling. A jukebox and mics. Padded walls and lush couches.

It seemed that, despite the interior design, the rooms of the place were well maintained.

Of course, John could smell that faint musk that came from ‘those’ sorts of establishments.

“…It’s a good thing Yue isn’t here.”

That frosty princess would have torn the entire place apart and gutted all the men involved. And that was with or without her powers as well.

John shuddered at the thought of that girl somehow making it over to Earth.

Thankfully, she was never good with spatial calculations and stellar divinations. Moreover, she still had at least ten planet cycles to go before she reached the level to transcend the firmament and venture into the void.

John sighed and then sat down at the lounge.

There were a few bottles of wine on the floor beside the table as well as a few cups. All of them laced, of course.

John wrinkled his nose again and swept his hand, getting rid of the spiked drinks. In their place, he pulled out a few bottles of spirit water. The lowest grade, of course. The effect would be far too pronounced on a mortal. But it would at least lift that girl’s spirits and give her some good fortune.

After all, to run across him just before she resolved herself to resort to such acts… It wouldn’t do for him not to accept the karma that occurred.

A few minutes passed as John waited. Seeing as the girl still hadn’t arrived, no doubt preparing herself once more, John decided to flip through the songs while he waited.

Despite the obvious other uses the place had, it was still a functioning karaoke room.

“In that case… should I sing a bit?”

The plan was to go into the entertainment industry. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to see what sorts of songs were popular.