The girls hurried into the women's changing room and thanked whatever gods they could think of.

 

 

 

 

Toshi and Harou were in the men's locker room getting dressed. Harou was grinning from ear to ear as he put on some cologne. Toshi got dressed much more slowly than his friend. Harou was talking to him, but Toshi was only half listening. He nodded a few times as Harou thanked Toshi for being the best wingman ever, but just could not focus. Something about building a statue in his honor so future generations will never forget his greatness.

 

Directly attached to the main building was a short corridor leading to a building with rental lodging. It wasn't very big, only two stories, most likely because they wanted to avoid ruining the view from the hot springs. One side of the hallway down the middle of the hotel was single occupancy coffin sleepers, with the other side being normal double occupancy rooms. As they passed the front desk, Toshi noticed that a sign behind it listed prices, breaking the cost down by type of room and lenght of stay, be it week, day...

 

Or by the hour.

 

Toshi was quiet right up until the girl's room was in sight. As Harou reached the door, he noticed that he was alone. Harou looked back to see Toshi standing in the middle of the hallway, a good twenty feet away. Harou turned back to the door in front of him, closed his eyes as he let out a sigh, then turned to walk back to join his friend, "Uhhh... Wingman?" He asked with some trepidation.

 

Toshi flexed his hands and stood there in silence. He seemed rooted to the spot.

 

Harou took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh as he glanced back at the girl's door. He closed his eyes then brought up the obvious, "Cold feet?"

 

Toshi looked at the floor, letting his hair fall in front of his face to hide his eyes, "I can't do it."

 

Harou glanced to the ceiling, "Oh C'mon! We'll just go there, flirt, talk about... stuff... things. You know..." He snapped his fingers, "Maybe we'll play a board game!" Harou tapped Toshi on the shoulder with the back of his hand, "It'll be fun!"

 

Toshi kept his eyes on the floor, "If we go in there, I'm gonna jump Asai's bones."

 

Harou froze at the admission.

 

Toshi continued, "And immediately afterward, I'm going to regret it." He slowly shook his head as he made a fist to strengthen his resolve, "I can't let go of Naora."

 

"ARE YOU-!?" Harou stopped then continued in a much softer voice, "Are you kidding me? You're holding out for the criminal heiress? The girl who is learning how to run a brothel? The Girl your family hates and frankly, never officially said you were dating?"

 

Toshi looked up and gave Harou a death glare. Harou stabbed a finger in his face, "Don't give me that! You know damn well that secretly dating just means she's secretly cheating on you! That's what it's like back home, and that's what it's like here! I don't want to be the guy to say it, but I'm gonna. Chances are she's keeping you around until she can't anymore, or as soon as you aren't fun anymore. Either way, she's going to dump you."

 

Toshi balled up his fists but said nothing else.

 

Harou sighed and rubbed his brow, "I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm saying this because you're my friend and I don't want to see you hurt. I get that you love her. But from over here, she is SUS as HELL." He put his hand on Toshi's shoulder, "I hope you are right. I do. I pray she is everything you think she is, but I don't believe that." He squeezed then let go, "You are my friend, no matter what. You come first. It's just..." He shook his head slowly, "Damnit. Is she someone worth holding a torch for?

 

Toshi looked down the hall toward the oh-so inviting door, looked back the way they came, then turned to face Harou dead on, "Yeah. I guess she is."

 

Harou took a deep breath and turned away. He put his hands on top of his head as he stomped around, then turned back to Toshi, "FINE... Fine." He lightly punched Toshi's shoulder, "Bros before hoes." He jogged his head back the way they came, "Let's go." and began to leave

 

Toshi caught Harou's arm at the elbow, "Wait. Look. I can make it back on my own. If you want to stay, don't let me get in the way."

 

Harou squinted with one eye at Toshi, "Seriously?"

 

Tosho nodded and returned the light punch, "Seriously. I'm glad I came. I got to see some titties, felt up some girls, got to play footsie..."

 

Harou arched an eyebrow, "Footsie?"

 

Toshi returned a devilish smile, "While you were chatting, I got to have some underwater fun. It isn't like this trip was a waste." His smirk faded, "But that's all I can handle right now."

 

Harou nodded, but seemed concerned, "So... you don't mind if I stay?" He hooked a thumb at the room where two girls anxiously waited, "I am going hit that all night long. Both of them. If you wanted to call dibs or were going to change your mind later, it's going to be awkward."

 

Toshi grabbed Harou by the shoulders and spun him around, "Go." Toshi gave him a shove, "Have a threesome for me. Let me live vicariously through you. You can skip taking pictures, however. That's creepy."

 

Harou glanced back with a conflicted expression, "You sure?"

 

Toshi started retreating backwards down the corridor, "Yeah, I'm sure. I just... this is a step too far. I can't." He made a fist and tapped his chest over his heart, then pointed to Harou.

 

Harou copied the gesture, "Be safe, man."

 

 

 

Toshi turned and walked away.

Harou turned and knocked on the door.

 

 

---

 

"Toshi is hanging out with a bad influence."

 

 

Madori and the older woman she hired to keep an eye on Toshi were sitting in the booth of a conveyor belt sushi establishment. The reason being the constant clanking, and the music they pipe in to cover up the clanking, made it difficult for people to listen in.

 

Madori frowned as she turned to the private investigator, "Run it from the top for me."

 

The thirty-five-year-old woman sighed and started looking through the photos and notes, "Okay. I'm fairly certain Harou is selling sex to his classmates. For some reason, he lives alone. His mom lives in..." She picked up a notepad, "the middle of nowhere, so he's sent to Tokyo to get a good education." She looked up, "No idea where dad is."

 

She started to flip through the pages, "There is a meeting once a week at his apartment. Toshi, Kenko, some new girl. I don't think she's paying for sex. Honestly? She could get some on her own if she wanted." The investigator showed a picture, "Do you care?"

 

Madori shook her head, "Only if you think it's important."

 

The woman nodded, "She's not." She put down her notepad, "Toshi and Harou have been hanging out more. Mostly they meet at Toshi's house. Yesterday, Toshi and Harou packed up and had Toshi's driver take them to the Riverside Spring and Spa. A rather notorious hookup place for college women looking to peep on men, and where boys who have mommy issues go to try and get college girlfriends."

 

"Crap."

 

The detective nodded, "Indeed. They waited outside the mixed spring until they were sure it was just them and two college girls who were apparently on a river sightseeing trip."

 

"I'll bet."

 

"Conversation lasted maybe half an hour, they all left at the same time. The girls went back to their room. Toshi and Harou went to meet them."

 

Madori let out a long sigh and rubbed her forehead, "This is gonna break Naora's heart."

 

"Maybe not."

 

Madori looked up, "Eh?"

 

"They both walked into the hotel area. I couldn't follow without being obvious, but about five minutes later, Toshi came walking out... alone." The investigator held up a series of pictures taken from the lobby as Toshi came out of the hotel wing of the establishment, "He was calling for a ride. About a half hour later, his usual driver picked him up."

 

Madori took the picture and looked at it, "So... Harou stayed behind and had a threesome?"

 

The investigator shrugged, "You didn't pay me to keep track of him, but if you wanted me to guess? Yes. He banged both of them. Like a set of drums. That guy is a sex machine, from what I've gathered." She waggled her eyebrows, "I'm thinking of asking him what his hourly rates are."

 

Madori eyed the picture, "This guy?" She pointed at Harou while looking slightly disgusted.

 

The investigator leaned back and took out a cigarette, "When you get older, you realize looks aren't everything. It's ENTHUSIASM that makes or breaks a lover, ya know what I'm saying?" She tapped a photo of Harou, "This kid is a right proper slut. Mmm!"

 

Madori looked disturbed by her employee's admission, but quickly changed the subject, "Back to Toshi. What do you think happened?"

 

The woman shrugged, "My guess? Misery loves company. Harou has been making some bad choices, so to make himself feel better, he's trying to get his friend to make the same stupid choices." She pointed at the picture of Toshi, "This kid strikes me as naive as hell. Harou tricked him into coming to this spa, then tried to convince him to join in an orgy which, at the last minute, Toshi realized what was going on and left."

 

Madori nodded, "Got any video?"

 

The investigator nodded, "Some. Nothing from the hot springs themselves, obviously"

 

"Don't tell anyone else about this."

 

The woman frowned, "Uhhh... you aren't going to tell our boss? Or at the very least, get this kid away from his slutty friend?"

 

Madori shook her head, "Nope. I'm hoping Harou will drag him deeper. With any luck, Toshi will cross a line that his family will find unforgivable. It'd certainly save me a lot of trouble." She eyed the flash drive with the available video evidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Otherwise, I'll have to see about making it look like he has."