Dr. Kazuto Yamanaka graduated from Kyoto University with a master’s in Psychology seven years ago. At least that’s what Google searches said.

I read a few reviews from his peers and students. He had a brief stint as a teacher at a junior college, before starting his own work.

Understanding. Informative. Calm. These were some words I saw that people described this man as.

I planned on meeting with him in a couple of hours. His office hadn’t been too far from the ramen bar when we had met.

I had only worked a few shifts since the support group meeting and maybe meeting with Yamanaka would put me in a better headspace.

I headed out.

◊

Yamanaka’s office resided in a suite in an office building. Several men rushed from elevators to the outside. I tried my best to avoid them.

Going by the card, I went to Suite 445. My heart raced the closer I got to it. I stood in front of the door, then took a deep breath. The guy who could effortlessly get naked in front of a crowd of people could barely knock on the door to meet one guy while wearing clothes.

I continued to stand there after I knocked.

“Come in,” I heard a faint voice from the other side. 

I went inside. I walked in to see a brown oak desk with a bonsai tree on the corner. On the walls were watercolor art that looked like the ukiyo-e prints I saw in Jinbocho.

Then Yamanaka himself. He now wore a simple button-down. He was typing something on a Macbook. He closed it as I stood before him.

“Hello there. Are you ready?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Let’s move closer to the window, shall we?”

I stared at him.

“Better lighting.”

We pulled the chairs from the desk to move closer to the windows. I could see all the other office buildings in front of the clear blue sky. The sight did put me at ease.

“I’d just like to get to the point,” he started off. “I invited you to this one-on-one session because you possess something special within you. You...are an incubus.”

I sat my elbows on my knees. “A...an incubus? You mean a demon?” I was certain I came across it while I did my research.

“The nightmares you’ve been having is a result of your true nature gnawing at you. You are not living to your true potential.”

“If this is about me working in the strip club--”

“No, you should keep doing that. I mean something more…” he leaned in... “Hands-on.”

“So you expect me to just go around fucking people? I’m not that kind of a guy.”

“But you are. And it’s not just mindless sex you are to be having. You have to collect the life essence of humans.” 

“Life essence?” I shook my head, “Don’t tell me what that shit means.”

“Incubi were believed to be demonic forces that wanted to impregnate human women with their seed. But we’ve evolved. We want to help humanity and we’ve found a better way of doing it.”

I had my arms crossed in front of me.

“There’s a way to enter people's dreams.”

I thought about Keiji. “So what about the break-ins? Those were incubi, weren’t they?” 

“Incubi from hell. We’re not associated with them. Those incubi have a way of affecting men’s psyche, causing them to have certain desires they wouldn’t have otherwise. Stranger desires.”

Then I had a flash image of Kane sucking his cum out of me. Could something have happened to him?

“The more a man has encounters with those incubi, it could lead to certain psychosis or even death. 

The Dream World is different. We want to help men, not destroy them. You will have to participate.”

“You’re talking about going into people’s dreams? To fuck them? I can’t say I feel too comfortable doing this. ”

“You used to work at a host club in Shibuya. Now you dance at a strip club in Shinjuku. I’d say you’re pretty used to being around men.”

“H-How do you know all of this?” Was he some customer from the clubs that I just never noticed for some reason?

“Are you..a demon?” I said, staring at him.

He burst out laughing. “It’s taking you a while to catch on, I know.” He almost began to look at me with earnestness, then he rose up from his chair, then opened a drawer from his desk. He pulled out a bottle of pills.

“I’ve been made aware there are some men who aren’t as sexual as others. Asexuals, is it?” he shrugged. He held up the bottle. With no label, I could see the dark green capsules clearly.

“This is an alternative if you prefer not to go to the Dream World.”

“The fuck is that?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He handed me the pills. “

“Why the hell would I take these?” I looked more closely.  “This looks like fucking St. John’s Wort!” I knew about it from when I started taking vitamins and supplements, trying to be all healthy and shit.

“What is that?” His eyebrows arched as he frowned.

“You’re a psychologist and you don’t know what St. John’s Wort is? And why are you trying to prescribe me anything anyways?” I wanted to throw the bottle at him.

“Ohhhh, I think I remember now. This is something with a stronger kick.”

I chuckled. “A stronger kick.” I got up and slammed the capsules on his desk. I headed for the door.

“Haruki hasn’t seen you yet, has he?”

He smirked while tilting his head. “Would you like to have sex with him?”

“You’re really sick.”

I slammed the door on the way out, not giving a damn about the salarymen anymore.