Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The Alien's Social Place

Kenji Mio started living in Tokyo.Every day, I go to work from Eiko Fujishiro's residence in Nakano to a high-rise building in the center of the city.The environment and content of the work are different from the original ones.About three-quarters of the staff in the Tokyo branch are locals, and the other quarter are managers and experienced backbones dispatched by the head office or other major branches to be responsible for guidance and supervision. When opening a branch, in order to integrate more closely with the local area, it is generally necessary to hire some local people.However, Tokyo is different from other places. The peer competition is extremely fierce and it is difficult to get in. Therefore, it is necessary to recruit a large number of local people who are familiar with the local conditions.Mio was in charge of the old customer stall in the new branch, and there were a few Tokyoites with him.He is extremely cautious in his work, and if something goes wrong, he will be regarded as a bumpkin by the locals.

Sanwei had no choice but to work hard, diligently, and strive to get familiar with the new environment and work as soon as possible. The most important task of the new branch is to break into the sphere of influence already formed by other banks and establish its own bridgehead inside.The combination of banks, investors and enterprises is based on the long-term relationship of mutual trust.This basis is often mostly a hereditary combination that started from the ancestors.It is no easy task to break this strong relationship, undercut the wall, and win customers over. The local banks also keep their eyes on the new banks, not allowing them to get their hands on their turf.As soon as I heard the news that a certain bank opened a branch, I immediately became nervous, built high barriers, and guarded them firmly.If high-value depositors want to buy expensive things with withdrawals, the bank will even send someone to follow the seller to mobilize the seller to deposit the money into the bank.

The so-called old customer business, to put it bluntly, is to poach the wall.Three tails is one of them.During the two months after the opening of the branch, I worked hard day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep.Thanks to everyone's hard work, although there are no concrete and obvious results yet, you can feel the turmoil before a new situation is about to open up like the darkness before the dawn.Although it was still in the dark night, it did feel some kind of movement.And only experts can feel this breath. Mio finally had some time to care about the things around him.The first thing that comes to mind is naturally Yingzi's disappearance.In the past two months, Yingzi still has no news.Apart from what the apartment manager and Eizo Fujishiro told him, there is no new news.

Maybe she will come back when I go to work, this faint hope is shattered every night when I go home, the room is still waiting for me as lonely as when I go out in the morning.He didn't find any clues from the things Yingzi left in the room, and he couldn't find out which "company related to fashion design" she worked for. Originally, I wanted to ask the neighbors about Yingzi's daily life, but they were almost never at home at any time.Sanwei herself also leaves early and returns late, this apartment is not so much a place to live as it is a place to sleep, and there is very little time for sleeping.

On a Sunday about two months after moving in, Mio slept until almost noon and then went to a nearby coffee shop to have a discounted breakfast.Every Sunday, he usually goes to this coffee shop to eat a special breakfast, a cup of hot coffee, toast with a lot of butter, and half a boiled egg. Everyone knows the discounted breakfast here, so the guests are quite crowded in the morning.Until 11 on weekdays and extended until noon on Sundays.Most of the guests were young men, and almost all of them were single men. Occasionally, there were couples with double income, or couples who looked like students living together, and there was also a young man who brought several young women.

All the people were sleepy-eyed, expressionless, and were eating breakfast in silence while browsing sports newspapers or story comic magazines.Not a single face showed the joy that today was a holiday morning with complete freedom of time. Sanwei felt strange, why did everyone look so stern and angry?Although there is no such convenient coffee shop in a small town in the countryside, the customers will never have such indifferent and gloomy faces.People gathered together, greeted each other cordially, and chatted enthusiastically.Yet the place has nothing but silence and a dull appetite.Although everyone had an empty stomach, it seemed that they were just stuffing something that was difficult to swallow, and there was no pleasant feeling.And, although the customers probably lived in the area, they didn't talk to each other and didn't know each other at all.The scene here is the epitome of a metropolis.

Sanwei found that he, like them, was also enclosed in a sullen wall, filling his stomach silently, and couldn't help being deeply surprised.It has only been more than a month since I came to Tokyo, and I have already become a member of the city's "youyu tribe". At this time, a beautiful young woman walked in, looking back inside the store, only the seat next to Mio was still vacant.She sat listlessly next to Mio.Sanwei felt that his face was familiar, a young modern woman's face, but her whole body looked lazy and sluggish.In fact, all the customers in the store give people this feeling of laziness, with the tiredness of urban life clearly showing on their faces.Although it is the epitome of urban life, Sanwei did not expect to be so monotonous and indifferent.

As soon as the young woman sat down, the two couldn't help but look at each other.The other party also showed a look of surprise, smiled and nodded slightly.Perhaps this is the first smile in this store.Sanwei seemed to suddenly see a flower in the great desert of Tokyo, and at the same time remembered the identity of the other party. "Ah, Miss Nagase." She was the woman who lived on the same floor of the apartment.The only woman who opened the door for herself when Sanwei just moved in to greet her neighbors. "Does Mr. Mio come here often?" She replied with a smile.The other party still remembered his name, and Sanwei was very moved.In this vast sea of ​​people, there are still people who remember their names.

However, Mio's emotion was fleeting.While waiting for the waiter to bring coffee, the other party took out a book and began to read, without any intention of continuing the conversation with Mio.Sanwei wanted to continue the conversation, but now he had to stop.However, he thought to himself that if he lost this opportunity, he did not know when he would be able to meet this neighbor again, so he said: "Are you working in a company?" "Ok." Nagase Masami nodded without lifting her eyes from the book.It was as if there was a thick wall around her, keeping everyone out of the wall.Fundamentally, it's a distrust of people.

"It's not easy for a young woman to live independently in Tokyo, isn't it?" "I'm used to it, it's nothing." "I just came out of the country, and I don't even know the east, west, north, south. Please take care of me." "Where, I don't know." The other party's answer is as brief as possible, and the conversation cannot be started.When the waiter brought the coffee, she ate, talking less and less. "I live in Eiko Fujishiro's room in room 708. Because she disappeared, her parents asked me to live in her house and watch her house until she comes back."

"Shi Cong?" Nagase Masami looked up at Sanwei, and said with interest in her eyes, "Will she move to another place?" "No. I haven't come back since I left on March 16. She and I are high school classmates and are now transferred to Tokyo for work. Her parents entrusted me to live in her house and look for her whereabouts." "Oh, yeah." Masami's serious expression softened slightly. Seeing this, Sanwei immediately asked further: "If you know something about her daily life, even if it is some details, please tell me." "Actually, I only met her a few times in the corridor, and we haven't interacted with each other." Masami's expression looked a bit embarrassed, as if she had more than enough heart but not enough energy.This feels a rare human touch among urbanites who are indifferent to each other. "Did anyone come to her? For example, a man..." "I didn't pay attention to it. Because everyone's life time is different." "How do you know she's had a different life time than you?" "I rarely see her. When I go to work in the morning, she seems to be still sleeping. I work overtime at night, and when I come back late, she doesn't seem to come back either." "So, she went out very late and came back late at night?" Fujishiro Eizo said that Eiko works part-time in a fashion design company. This is his vague understanding of what Eiko said, and his credibility is questionable.Maybe Yingzi lived an unrestrained life in a place beyond the reach of her parents. "That's right. I remembered that one time I worked overtime all night and didn't come back until dawn. I happened to meet Fujishiro in the elevator and she came back from the outside at the same time. She said she was going to the disco." "Dance disco?" "She said she danced all night at a disco in Roppongi. She looked tired." "Does she go to disco often?" "I don't know. Just heard her say that once." "When did this happen?" "About mid-February." Mid-February was the month before the disappearance.Eiko always likes excitement and novelty, so it is entirely possible to be fascinated by disco.Anyway, Mio found the first clue to Eiko's life in Tokyo. Like Ginza and Shinjuku, Roppongi is the most fashionable place in Japan.Ginza is an elegant and noble orthodox fashion center, Shinjuku is a fashion center for young people, and Roppongi's fashion has a mature urban style, overflowing with an international common relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Roppongi is a concentrated area of ​​TV stations and embassies of various countries. There are many people in the film and television industry and foreigners, full of colorful and fashionable world colors.Although it is one of the few bustling entertainment districts in Tokyo, there are no movie theaters and video game halls, which also reflects the refined and elegant characteristics of this street. The nightlife in Ginza ends earlier, and those "night owls" who are still enjoying themselves will gather in Roppongi after 12 o'clock in the middle of the night.After the entertainment venues in other parts of Tokyo closed, Roppongi really started to liven up. All-night popular restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and bistros are their hangouts.Among them, the discotheque is an indispensable place for Roppongi's nightlife.Roppongi and Shinjuku are both known as the "sacred places" of Japanese disco.Most of the discos in Shinjuku are teenagers, while the discos in Roppongi are mostly "adults" in their 20s. The disco in Roppongi is mainly concentrated in a building near the intersection that can be called a "disco hall". On different floors, there are also member-only ballrooms where you can bring your partner.Guests can choose the appropriate ballroom according to their age and hobbies. From the perspective of age, Eiko Fujishiro probably chose a disco that targets young people in their 20s.Since she didn't find any man around her, first exclude the membership dance halls with dance partners. Mio decides to investigate discotheques that target young people in their 20s one by one.If Yingzi is a frequent visitor, some traces of her should be found. Disco regulars don't show up until 12 o'clock in the middle of the night.Mio has never had the experience of visiting Tokyo in the middle of the night.His previous life had nothing to do with places like discotheques, so he felt nervous as if he had entered a magic cave. However, some of the local staff at the branch are familiar with the trade. "Ah, Sanwei also wants to dance disco? The bank's work is very serious. It would be bad if others knew that I was obsessed with disco, so I didn't dare to say it. Since Sanwei has the same interest, I feel relieved and bold." The employee named Sayama seemed very happy to find a colleague who had the same interests as him.Mio asked Sayama to take him to Roppongi. Based on the knowledge provided by Sayama, Mio decided to start the investigation from the discotheque "Metisa" where young people in their 20s are most concentrated.It happened to be a Friday night, and there was almost nothing going on in "Metisa."As soon as the elevator door opened, the deafening sound of rock and roll music hit the face. Many people waited in line after getting off the elevator, and the inside was already overcrowded, so they couldn't come in as they came.When they finally could go in, an attendant with a pen-type flashlight led them to their seats. Red, yellow, blue and other colorful light balls are constantly rolling and flashing, and countless men and women are dancing and dancing in the ballroom with ecstasy and intoxication.Hawaiian shirts and jeans, baggy trousers, crew-neck vests, surfwear, military-style clothing, punk-style clothing... everything is here, and this is a collection of the customs of modern young people.They churned the heat with their bodies in the vortex of loudspeakers at full volume, all sweating profusely.In such a steaming sea of ​​people, the effect of air-conditioning is completely useless.However, Sanwei still bravely rushed into the steaming heat wave. The seats were also full, some people sat down exhausted from dancing, some men and women hugged and remained motionless, some men stared at women maliciously like wolves, some sat on chairs and played music Rhythm twists and turns, some people are already drunk, and there are many foreigners.However, in Sanwei's eyes, all the people gathered here have no nationality. Sanwei hardly has any "immunity" to the city, and the scene in front of him is simply a picture of "Dancing Demons".He suddenly felt that he had strayed into the alien group, confused and disturbed.As far as clothing is concerned, he was wearing a suit and tie, neat and tidy. He really felt that he was in the wrong place. Sanwei was completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the ballroom at first, timid and fearful.Fukuo Sayama is a veteran of disco, he saw through Mio's timid and uneasy mood at a glance, and said: "People who come here for the first time will be shocked, but they will get used to it immediately. Here, you don't need to care about what others think of you. Everyone can dance as they like. After a while, we will dance too." "I can't jump." "There is no prescribed form for disco, as long as you twist your body and dance according to the rhythm of the music, or seem to follow the rhythm. It doesn't matter if you dance Awa dance or catch loach dance." Having said that, Sanwei saw that the dancing people still had to step on a certain tempo, and their movements appeared to be disorderly, but in fact, every movement and gesture had to be in harmony with the atmosphere of the music.If I suddenly danced Awa Odori, others would feel strange. "Let's dance too. It would be foolish not to dance at the disco." Sayama stood up.Although Sanwei's goal is not to dance, but in order to find Eiko's trace, he must contact those dance hall regulars.You can't get close to them just by sitting in your seat.Sanwei walked into the dancing crowd with the sacrifice spirit of a non-swimmer jumping into the water. Mio searched all over Roppongi's discos to inquire about Eiko's situation, but to no avail.It was impossible to talk on the loud speakers like a flood, and the results were all in vain. It has been heard that young people in discotheques can speed-date or form a small group overnight and develop rapidly.In reality, this is not the case. Indeed, many people know each other through dancing and have a close relationship.In fact, they are usually friends for one night, and the next morning, we break up and we are strangers to each other.To become close friends, certain procedures are required, first of all, the feeling of dancing must be in tune. In the small dance hall, so many people crowded together and danced chaotically, just like the tram during working hours. Although it is extremely crowded, everyone is independent and does not interfere with each other.All the people came here with the loneliness of urban life, but they couldn't get together.If everyone's moods could blend easily, there might be no need to go to the disco. In order to protect themselves from harm in urban life, everyone builds a wall around themselves.When you are bored with the wall, go to the disco to tear down the wall and have fun.However, the walls collide with each other in the dance and become an obstacle to communication. It is difficult for people who come alone to squeeze into small groups or couples of men and women. Even if they squeeze in, they will be squeezed out at critical times.Men generally come with ulterior motives towards women, but are often knocked back by self-enclosed walls. Only a very small number of brave, or lucky men are accepted into their own walls by women, but almost all of them end up at the end of the dance, and once the dance is over, they become strangers again. Mio also approached several women, but they all refused.The more veterans in the most fashionable and popular disco costumes, the more resolutely they refuse.They belong to a certain "race", and within the "race", even if they show off the most cutting-edge and cutting-edge customs of the times, they close the door to people outside the "race".Perhaps this is the "commandment" of "race". What they all have in common is a sense of burnout.At a young age, he exudes a feeling of languor and indolence in the nothingness of life.I am tired of men and all the pleasures of the world.Everything is nothingness.Because I had nothing to do, I went to the disco to kill time.Of course, even though they knew they were just putting on a show, they still looked very authentic. Under the temptation of the strong dynamic rhythm and the raging melody, Sanwei couldn't help joining the whirlpool of the dance, but at the same time he deeply felt that he couldn't integrate with them.A city is a sea of ​​people.However, no matter how dense people are, there is an infinite distance between people just like the nebula in the universe, and each person contains his own lonely space. For some reason, Mio felt that they were dancing "the dance of the dead".They came to this city in pursuit of opportunities for success, but they found nothing in the end, so they had to indulge in this monkey dance intoxicated, and temporarily anesthetized the pain of frustration. On the surface, they were intoxicated by the sound and melted into a hot fire, but deep down there was a cold emptiness.Is this the eccentricity of an alien who cannot assimilate?If we talk about the meaning of aliens, isn't this the place where all aliens gather? No one knew about Yingzi.Maybe her footprints have stayed here, but like foam on the waves, they disappeared without a trace after a night of feasting. After Mio walked around the discotheques in the Roppongi area, he went back to the "Medissa" which was the most popular among young people.The ceiling here is lower than other dance halls, and the acoustics are extremely strong, as if directly penetrating the depths of the heart.The crowded and noisy like bees just formed the indispensable fever of disco. Since it was Friday, it was more crowded than usual.And there are especially many beauty hunters on weekends.It was already full around 11:00 p.m., which was unprecedented.Due to frequent discotheques during this period of time, Sanwei no longer has the same timidity as the first time.Although I don't know the name and identity of the other party, I remember the faces of some regular customers. Recently, in addition to the basic purpose of finding Eiko's trace, Mio has also begun to understand the excitement and joy of disco itself.So he is quite experienced in this kind of place now, and he is familiar with the road.He recognized that disco had all the power to captivate young people. Even if the walls are not demolished, you can get an instant intoxication of forgetting yourself in the sound and rhythm.The heat of disco does have the effect of numbing frustration and forgetting loneliness.If there is no desire to pursue a higher level, it is completely possible to eliminate the unpleasant feeling in the disco melody and obtain the assimilation with the dance moves. The women who had initially rejected them harshly now seemed to accept them kindly and gently.Instead of working hard to tear down each other's walls, when everyone dances on the walls, they can really enjoy the fun of disco. It seems that everyone uses all their strength to embody this joy. When Sanwei was comprehending this feeling, the lights suddenly dimmed, the music became extremely slow, and another world appeared in an instant.The ecstasy of "whole body exercise" just now accompanied by the intense rhythmic sound is suddenly transformed into a secular hunting ground for men and women. Discos are generally more male than female.In order not to get nothing, the men took aim before the lights dimmed and rushed straight for the target once the music switched to slow.This is like the "Hundred People One Poetry" card game. As soon as the sentence in the Waka is read, the card must be taken immediately. If it is a little slower, the competitor will snatch it away.If you wait until the music changes to find a partner, it will be too late. The hunter's wrist is really superb. At the moment when the rhythm of the music changes, he has skillfully stood in the position closest to the target.The men who didn't catch the target naturally didn't stop there, still wandering around the dance floor, looking for women who didn't have a partner.If you still can't find it, turn your eyes to the women in the seat and talk to them.And the male and female partners who caught the target on the dance floor began to dance intimately.This makes the men who are empty-handed very anxious. The obscene atmosphere and restless emotions collided and sparked in the ballroom. Sanwei was a loser, of course because of lack of experience.When he returned to his seat dejectedly, someone stretched out a snow-white arm to him in the darkness.A young girl in baggy trousers and a round, shaggy hairstyle smiled at him with her white teeth. "Can you dance with me?" Even in discotheques, it is rare for a woman to invite a man to dance. "If you think I can." Mitsuo was so flattered that even his voice changed. "I can be with anyone." The girl looked chic, and she put her two arms around Sanwei's neck generously, and pressed her cheek against it. "Do you come here often?" Sanwei whispered in the girl's ear. "Almost every Friday night." Her voice is surprisingly cute, but with a strong personality. "Is it a student?" "Well...you can say so." "Do you keep jumping until morning every time?" "Sunday mornings are mostly coffee in Roppongi. Uncle, are you a company employee?" "Don't call me uncle. I don't think our ages are much different." "For men you don't know, everyone calls you uncle. Maybe I'm older than him. Have you found the person you're looking for?" "Oh? Do you know I'm looking for someone?" Sanwei moved away from her cheek and looked at her face.In the darkness, they only saw the other party's shining white eyes and teeth.Probably because of the hairstyle, he looks old, but he seems to be under 20 years old. "Every time you come, you always ask around. Who is uncle looking for?" "A friend. He came to Tokyo after graduating from high school in the countryside, and recently disappeared. All I know is that he used to frequent discotheques in this area." "Looks like it's my uncle's high school girlfriend who is trying so hard to find her. Ah, it's like I'm being searched for by others." "I'm 21 years old and I have a picture of her with me. If you come every Friday, you might get an impression." "Ask me and I don't know. I'm not interested in women." "I asked other men too." "Pictures alone won't do. Are you sure she's been in the store?" "I just heard, I don't know." "Maybe the place has changed. Shinjuku is amazing." "What's going on?" "Roppongi is honest. Most people come to dance, not fish." "Yu Se...does that mean a man?" "Women are also attractive. The women who come here are also anxious to be watched by men." "Then why are you all pretending to be cold?" "You can't show an expression of yearning for a man. Half of the face-to-face dancers know each other here. Almost all the women come here to dance the face-to-face dance." It is unknown whether Sanwei's dance partner specializes in face-to-face dancing.But it is conceivable that if Yingzi is obsessed with disco, it is by no means just looking for happiness from music and dancing. Thinking of going to the disco in Shinjuku to investigate, Mio felt apprehensive.With just such a little clue, looking for Eiko from the vast crowd in Tokyo is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. "Would you like to introduce my leader to you? He is the boss of the disco in this area, and he may have met your girlfriend." "Your boss?" "We used to belong to the flying team, but now we are disbanded. Speaking of 'Fengshen', we are still relatively well-known." "It turns out that the flying team transferred to Disco?" "For those who were forced to disband, there was no other place to go. Only the sound of rock music and the sound of a motorcycle exhaust." "Be sure to introduce me to your boss." The slow dance is finally over.People who were waiting in their seats walked off the dance floor. The dance partner dragged Sanwei to the seat at the back, where there were seven or eight people, both men and women, squatting in whatever position they wanted.This is the so-called "coiled snake" shape.There is another strange atmosphere here. The men are all bald, with blue-shaven heads, wearing purple T-shirts, red baggy trousers, and bamboo clogs with cowhide soles and iron-covered heels.Like the dancing partner, the woman wears loose trousers and has a round and fluffy hairstyle.This attire is probably their "uniform". Others are also afraid of them like this, and dare not approach them.In the boisterous and noisy dance hall, only this place is unusually peaceful.When Sanwei came last time, he also saw a group of young men with shaved heads, which scared him away. They stared at Sanwei indifferently, their gazes were neither kind nor malicious, just a kind of inorganic coldness.It seems that they are all under 20 years old, but their eyes are sober as if they can see through everything in the world, and they are expressionless. "Ashan, what's the matter with this guy?" A young man with thin cheeks and small eyes asked his partner.It seemed that he was the oldest, twenty-two or three-year-old. He is the leader of "Fengshen".Mio's dance partner appears to be named "Osugi". "He said he was looking for a woman. I thought maybe the chief would know one, so I brought him." "Looking for a woman?" The head's eyes flickered brightly.Ashan briefly told him about Sanwei's search for someone. "A Shan is also nosy. What does this matter have to do with us?" The boss tilted his cheeks, showing a creepy and cruel expression. "It's all right. But he said he's hanging out at discotheques every night to find his girlfriend. I think it's better to take care of it." "His woman is lost, how do I know?" "Don't be so callous. He said he was a high school classmate who broke up 3 years ago." "What happened 3 years ago." The boss's indifferent expression eased slightly. "Yes. That woman came to Tokyo three years ago after graduating from high school. Isn't it touching to look for her now?" "What kind of woman?" The boss finally became interested. "It's her. This is a photo from high school, and it may be different now." Mio handed over the photo of Eiko in high school uniform.All the minions focused their attention on the photo in the leader's hand. "It's a pretty girl." Some young men whistled.But the head remained calm and did not respond.Just when Sanwei felt that the glimmer of hope was about to be shattered, suddenly a young man said: "I'm not sure, but I think it's a bit like the woman with 'Roller Jekichi'." "Who is Roller Ball Jekichi?" "I specialize in finding girls for drinking. Walking around in this area, as long as I see a prettier girl, I will go up and lure her into this job. Send it to a nightclub in Ginza. I heard that I have been with 'erotic bathing' recently." Hooked up." "Where can I find this ball Jeongyoshi?" "I used to come here often, but I haven't seen it recently. I probably think that the women here are all ugly and can't do business." "What nonsense are you talking about?!" A Shan and the other women raised their eyebrows. "So what?" "Would you find women without these ugliness?" The conversation turned to their internal quarrel.Sanwei hurriedly saluted, and was about to leave when the leader stopped him: "Wait a minute." Sanwei hurriedly stopped in horror. "What are you going to do after you find this woman?" The head's gaze came straight through.Three Tails was terrified, but still tried his best to keep calm. "I don't have any plans, just want to know if she is safe." "If that's the case, it's better not to look for it." "Why?" Sanwei felt that there was something in his words. "Even if I find her, I won't come back to you." "I see." "No, you don't understand. The woman has been in Tokyo for three years, so it is impossible to leave the house empty and not go back. It's strange that the luggage and things are intact and people don't come back." "That's why I'm looking." "Maybe it's a dead body." "Ok?!" "Maybe she's dead." "No, it's impossible!" Toutou bluntly expressed the ominous premonition that Sanwei had hidden deep in his heart. "She gave up all her belongings and ran away without telling her family. Is this necessary? Women are obsessed with money. No matter where they go, they always take their belongings and money with them. I think she must have been killed." "Don't say such unlucky words." "There are people everywhere. Even if someone is stabbed here, the culprit can't be found. One or two women are gone, and no one takes it seriously. You go to the 'Whale Doro' coffee shop in Yotsuya 3-chome. .” "Whale gong?" "Perhaps the Roller Ball Zhenji is there. Just say that I told you, and I can probably find out something." After the boss finished speaking, his expressionless face turned to the side.