Chapter 19 In the Karaoke Box

I was on a show on public television.The program content of this documentary is very special, mainly three teenage boys and girls interviewed by me.What I saw were the cram school students, the otaku high school students in Akihabara, and the freelance girls who appeared in this story.At first, as it appeared in the story, I met the last girl in a karaoke shop.In fact, she was dressed more differently that day than in the stories.Moreover, the young girl said with a nonchalant smile that she hadn't showered for several days.That night was her third day in Tokyo.If I write it like this, it may make everyone think she is sloppy.Yet there is an uncanny sense of cleanliness about her.That is the sense of cleanliness held by people who are looking for a way of life that is true to themselves.Although you will fall into pain and confusion, this process is tantamount to moving forward bravely.At the time, she made such a strong impression on me.We tend to judge people by their appearance.Even people who claim not to judge people by their appearance, two-thirds of their impressions come from appearance and clothing.I think we should also be like her, no longer constrained by appearance and age.

"Sound designer, is it okay? Yes, the camera has started shooting. Okay, 5, 4, 3,..." During the last two seconds of silent countdown, the director made a GO gesture.The location is a dimly lit karaoke shop in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.Across from me sat a girl with pink sandy ribbons tied around her hands.There is a camera in front of me, which shoots my face obliquely to her bare shoulders.The other was taking a close-up of her face covered in white concealer from my right.The filming of the TV documentary has officially started. "I don't have anything special to say, I just think why adults treat young people differently when they see young people dressed differently."

I watched her dress.Her hair was dyed a brilliant pink, with silver extensions that looked like silver onions wrapped around a Christmas tree, contrasting with the long bangs that fell unevenly across her forehead.It was already the cold winter season, she was wearing a small off-shoulder dress, and the lace hem barely covered her panties.When she turned her feet up, you could see the white buttocks deep in her thighs.In the karaoke box illuminated by the black light tube, it was so white that it seemed to emit a bluish lingering light. I don't quite understand what she means by the difference.

"Have you ever had a bad experience because of this outfit?" "Yeah, it's really hot. Listen to me, listen to me!" She clapped her hands excitedly and said: "I was walking in Kabukicho, and an older adult in a suit pointed at me and said loudly: 'Look, Japan is doomed because of this kind of monsters. I was really angry, so I chased him all the way to the JR ticket gate, and asked him: "Did I provoke you? You kind of look me in the eye, say it again." However, that kind of Oji Sang, in such a situation, I would be too scared to speak." She is only in her teens.Indeed, no matter who dresses up, it is not a danger to society or a hindrance to that man.People have the freedom to choose clothing.

"Wow, you are so brave." "I won't lose to anyone. No matter what happens, I'm not afraid. Anyway, this kind of thing won't kill me. So, I'm daring." She laughed and touched the necklace around her neck.There are countless necklaces hanging around her neck, it's like a jewelry store.The mini mic clips onto one of them. "How many times do you come to Shinjuku every week?" Her hometown is not far from the junction of Gunma County and Saitama County, and it should be quite a distance from Shinjuku. "Well, maybe two or three times a week."

"So, it's not very frequent." She shook her pink nails and said: "That's not the case. Because it's inconvenient for me to come once, I stay for two or three days at a time. In other words, I stay in Kabukicho six days a week. Because it's troublesome to go back and forth, it takes three Hours." I noticed somewhere that her pink nail polish had peeled off.Upon closer inspection, her fingertips were also thick.The lighting on the right side was so intense it was making half of my body hot. "How long have you been in Shinjuku this time?" She touched her cheek, not knowing how it felt.She looked at her fingertips and said:

"On the third day." I asked in surprise: "During this time, where do you live? How do you take a shower?" "I haven't taken a shower this time. I spend most of my nights in nightclubs. In the morning, I go to McDonald's or a comic shop until noon. Then I go to nightclubs after the evening. Ah, some comic shops also have shower facilities. I will go there in summer." There." I didn't take a bath for three days, and played all night every day.I feel like Shinjuku has turned into a primeval forest, and she is just one of the wild tribes living in the primeval forest.

"Shouldn't you be playing alone all day?" "Yes. Usually in the evening, I will receive a call to discuss which nightclub to go to. As long as I go there, I will meet friends." I once wrote about teenage girls who run away from home in my novels.That's an unfortunate character.However, I feel a strong vitality from the smiling girl in front of me.Her smile is bright and charming. "Those friends shouldn't be from the horses, right?" "Yes, they are all people I met in nightclubs or on the road." I store the phrase "people I met on the road" on my internal hard drive.Borrowing this phrase in the Ikebukuro West Exit Park series another day.

"Did you hang out with these for three days? Don't you have a boyfriend?" She showed a shy expression. "Ah, I think I'm straight, but I haven't had a boyfriend in the past two years. Although my friends also have men, they all hang out with ordinary girls. Don't you think I'm straight?" As she spoke, she looked up at me.Her double false eyelashes seem to make the sound of feather flapping.I noticed a slight difference in the color of her two pupils. "Are you wearing colored contact lenses? Can you look in the direction of the light?" She turned her face toward the light, propping her eyes open with her pink nails.The right eye is a brilliant blue with a cat's eye split from the center.The left eye is yellow-green with a black pupil.

"Are you doing it for the love of beauty?" She clapped her hands again and laughed. "No, there were originally two pairs of contact lenses, one of which was broken, so we just made up a pair. Not bad." I can only smile wryly. However, the color of the left and right eyes is different, which feels really strange. "It's interesting. Maybe, the audience in front of the TV can't see clearly" She alternately looks at the camera through her chartreuse and blue glasses. Although the lights are on, in the dim karaoke room, it should be difficult to see clearly. Even with the naked eye, the different pupil shapes cannot be clearly seen.

"Did your family say anything?" "Not at all. My relationship with my family is very good. I call home every day and there are no arguments." "Is it okay even if you don't come home for three days?" "Yes, as long as they know that I am still alive, they will be relieved. There is no rule that I cannot go back to Shinjuku, nor did they ask me to go back. Maybe they think that after I have had enough fun, they will naturally go home." I wondered and asked: "I found that you have been very cheerful since just now, don't you have times of depression?" "Hahaha, of course there are times when I feel down." She clapped her hands and said, she always had a smile on her face.Three days without a shower is probably fine, but does she brush her teeth? "However, I won't be as depressed as before, let me show you." She turned up the pink tulle tied on her left hand, where there were several raised scars.The scars are different from normal skin texture, smooth as tape.She smiled so strongly that her gums could be seen. "In the past, I committed suicide several times. When I was studying at a school near my home, I was extremely depressed all day. However, after coming to Shinjuku, everything improved. Here, I can find friends and I am extremely happy." I was speechless, staring at her bruised wrist.She stroked the whitish scar with her fingertips and said: "When I had black hair, wore a uniform and black socks, and pretended to be a good boy, I committed suicide twice in three days, and lived every day without feeling like I was alive. In Kabukicho, I wore pink clothes, dyed my hair pink, my eyes turned blue, and my whole person changed. I found that I didn’t need to force myself to be like others, I could be free. I was in the country At that time, I was bullied all the time. So, now it is a long-term rehabilitation." I saw her dyed pink hair, pink dress, pink stockings and pink patent leather high heels in turn.This outfit must have been worn for three days.I suddenly felt very funny. "So, just by changing the way you dress, can you change your life?" Her blue cat eyes laughed. "Of course it can be changed. Although people's hearts are hard to change, it's easy to dress up. Moreover, it won't cause trouble for others. You can wear whatever you want." I am thinking very seriously. Starting tomorrow, I will also wear contact lenses of different colors in both eyes. It is best to have different shapes of pupils.Even an elderly novelist can wear whatever he wants.