A Lewd Weekend and the Dark Merchant
"Yes, I've been training a bit since middle school."
I answered Hanasaki Sayaka's question. She immediately lit up and started talking a mile a minute.
"Then what martial art did you study? Karate? Boxing? Kickboxing? Since you're Korean, maybe taekwondo?"
"Actually, I'm learning Shinkaiyatsude."
"Eh? No way, you're lying, right?"
As the skill description for Shinkaiyatsude explained, my master was Fujigasaki Rinka. I might not be famous, but Fujigasaki Rinka was legendary. She had become the UMC No-Limit Class Champion as a woman.
The UMC No-Limit Class ignored gender and weight divisions entirely. It was famous for drawing countless hidden masters. Drugs, biological modification, even cyber implants were all allowed. It was the true colosseum of this era.
Fujigasaki Rinka had stepped into that arena in a woman's body, without any modifications, and claimed the champion title. She was universally regarded as the GOAT of martial arts history. Female fans especially adored her, and it looked like Hanasaki Sayaka was one of them. The way her eyes sparkled made it obvious she was a hardcore fan.
"Wow~ I seriously admire Rinka-nim so much. I'm a huge fan!"
"Yeah, Master has tons of fans."
Thinking back on it now, I still wondered how a martial-arts GOAT like Fujigasaki Rinka had ended up teaching a clueless middle-schooler. The most likely answer was that Taira Danzo, after seeing me getting bullied, had asked the promising young fighter Fujigasaki Rinka to teach me. At the time she hadn't been the strongest yet, but she had clearly been talented.
"Do you have any photos?"
"I want to see too! I know Rinka-nim!"
Aris said she knew Fujigasaki Rinka as well, so I showed them the picture I had taken with her.
It was the photo from the day I first became her disciple in my second year of middle school. A still-young Fujigasaki Rinka had her arm slung around my scrawny shoulders. If we were talking rarity, this was ultra-rare.
Fujigasaki Rinka was a purple-haired beauty famous for the line, "She's this strong and this pretty?" She didn't seem to age at all. The way she looked in my second year of middle school was almost identical to how she looked when we parted in my second year of high school before I left for America. Her hairstyle changed often, though. The afro phase had been absolutely hilarious.
"Wow, Ryuta looks so cute here. Hehe."
"Rinka-niiim~!!"
Aris didn't seem to be a martial-arts fan. She was far more interested in my old photo than in Fujigasaki Rinka. Meanwhile Hanasaki Sayaka was in heaven, screaming "Rinka-nim~!" while staring at the unreleased picture. She really was a massive fan.
"Um… excuse me…"
"Yes?"
"Could I possibly ask for an autograph?"
Hmm. An autograph request. It was the kind of favor that was both difficult and not difficult at the same time.
"Asking for an autograph isn't hard, but Master lives in America. We only see each other once every couple of years, if that."
"Ah…"
"I'll ask her to send one by letter instead."
"Thank you! Thank you so much! You're my savior for life!"
Hanasaki Sayaka grabbed both my hands and kept thanking me over and over. Since the idea had come up, I figured I might as well send a LINE message.
"It really was Rinka-tan…"
Hanasaki Sayaka must have sneaked a peek at my LINE, because her title for my master had instantly upgraded from Rinka-nim to Rinka-tan.
"As you saw, she said she'll send the autographs."
"Thank you so much!"
"I asked for plenty so Aris can have some too."
"Wow! Really? I'm not a fan myself, but Alex will love it."
So Aris's older brother, Alex FitzGerald, was a martial-arts fan too. After that the two of them got excited and started singing the UMC theme song together. When I asked Aris about it, she said Hanasaki Sayaka had insisted they practice so they could do a duet.
She was usually so modest and quiet, but the moment something she loved appeared she lit up like a Christmas tree. Bright and energetic was definitely better than quiet.
We sang enthusiastically for two hours. When we finally got hungry and checked the time, it was already seven, so we decided to head to the restaurant. TERT had 111 floors and four different restaurant levels: Japanese, Western, Chinese & Asian, and South American & African. You could eat at any of them or order room service like a hotel.
"What do you feel like eating?"
"Hmm… I want Chinese."
Note that "Chinese" here included everything from authentic Chinese cuisine to American-style orange chicken and Korean-style jjajangmyeon. Since I was suddenly craving spicy Korean-style jjambbong, I just said Chinese.
"I have to watch my diet because of the shoot I'm doing right now… I was thinking of having a salad."
"Try bibimbap with very little rice and lots of vegetables."
At my suggestion Hanasaki Sayaka clapped her hands brightly and said, "That sounds perfect!" Then she whispered something to Aris.
"Since we're staying up all night, it might be tough. Aris, you should eat a lot."
Unable to reply in front of her friend, Aris's ears turned bright red.
We got off at the 74th floor, the Chinese & Asian food level. The entire floor was the restaurant, but there weren't many people. We were shown to a window seat. Being so high up, we could enjoy Tokyo's night view while we ate.
"Bibimbap with less rice and extra vegetables, please."
"Korean-style jjambbong, sweet-and-sour pork, and orange chicken."
"Phở and Beijing duck for me, please."
Because it was Chinese & Asian, the menu combinations were incredibly varied. While we waited for our food, a man who had been eating a few tables away stood up and walked over to ours.
"Sayaka-chan~! You ignore all my dinner invitations but you'll eat with other people so easily?"
It was Murakata Keiji, the actor whose popularity was currently rising fast. He was leaning over Hanasaki Sayaka with a sleazy grin.
"I have zero interest in sharing a meal with a lecher like you."
Saying it that bluntly would hurt any lecher's feelings. Not that I'm calling myself one, of course.
"Come on, just eat with me instead."
Murakata Keiji suddenly grabbed Hanasaki Sayaka's slender wrist and tried to pull her away. We were clearly with her, yet he was suggesting the two of them eat alone. Did he plan to chase off the woman sitting by herself at the next table? I'd seen enough. I reached out and seized the wrist he was using to hold her.
"Let go. Who the hell are you? I'm Murakata Keiji!"
His eyes were completely bloodshot. It looked like he'd taken some light drugs before coming here. Deciding he wasn't worth answering, I lightly chopped the side of his neck with my hand. Thanks to my regular Shinkaiyatsude training, my proficiency had gone up. The neck-chop knockout that had failed back in Korea succeeded perfectly this time.
Security staff came running late and dragged the unconscious Murakata Keiji away. It had been an unpleasant experience, but Hanasaki Sayaka seemed fascinated by the instant knockout. She asked me all kinds of questions until the food finally arrived.
The meal was excellent. Every dish tasted great, and ordering several plates gave even a big eater like me a satisfying sense of fullness. After we finished, Hanasaki Sayaka asked for my LINE ID so she could receive the autographs. Then she said she had night filming and left TERT.
The moment Hanasaki Sayaka was gone, Aris clung to my arm with a slightly shy expression.
"Then… shall we go to the room?"
Aris was Taira Kokoro's niece and received quite a few privileges. She could use the high-floor luxury rooms reserved for S-class only.
To get a room at TERT, you simply told any passing staff member you wanted to check in. They would contact the front desk and assign an available room. Ours was Room 3 on the 102nd floor. The second we stepped into the elevator Aris suddenly kissed me. I kissed her back, and we kept kissing all the way down the 102nd-floor hallway, through the door of Room 3, and inside.
"Hehe, I've always wanted to try that. Kissing from the elevator all the way until we open the hotel room door."
"Yeah, that scene shows up in tons of movies and TV shows."
She really wanted to reenact every cliché she saw. Aris and I brushed our teeth side by side, stripped together, and stepped into the shower. We started foreplay by soaping each other's bodies. Inside the bathroom the sound of bubbles, the wet slide of shower towels rubbing skin, and soft "haa… haa…" moans echoed off the tiles.
