Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Salesman Style Night

A few days later, Yukiko took Katsuhiko to the P. Steward clothing store in Ginza.Headquartered in New York, the store is a premier apparel store for gentlemen.Men's accessories such as stylish suits, pants, leather shoes, and suitcases are displayed in the spacious store.The employees of the clothing store really lived up to their reputation, strictly guarding the products in the store all the time.The guests and employees are all men, and the only woman is Yukiko who brought Katsuhiko. First of all, Katsuhiko accepted Yukiko's suggestion and bought a coat (jacket) and a sweatshirt to match the season according to the season.Then choose a green backpack to match the coat, and then add loose trousers and leather shoes.

Since Katsuhiko himself doesn't know how to match the clothes, he will buy them as Yukiko and the shop assistant say.Just buying these, the total is 143,700 yen.Ke Yan's surprise was truly extraordinary.The selling price of the merchandise was three times higher than the clothes he used to wear on his body.Still, Yukiko said it was a bargain for designer clothes. "These things are specially bought, you can just wear them on your body." Yukiko coaxed. "Yes! Yes!" The clerk also booed. When Ke Yan entered the store wearing a Simple Life hunting suit, paired with a pair of short suit pants, a dark brown shirt inside the hunting suit, and dragging a pair of old casual shoes that had been deformed on his feet, the shop assistants all thought Suspicious and wary eyes stared at him.Indeed, none of the customers in the shop wore clothes like Ke Yan's.

Although Katsuhiko was very reluctant, but under Yukiko's enthusiastic persuasion, and felt that it was a special product, he decided to wear it on the spot. "You look great in that outfit!" Yukiko praised Katsuhiko who changed his attire. "Really? Will it look like you're deliberately pretending to be a young man?" Ke Yan looked in the mirror and felt unconfident.He slightly rolled up the sleeves of his green jacket, revealing a gorgeous sweater, and he wore brown calfskin buckleless shoes, feeling that the person in the mirror was not himself. "That's the way to match you! The clothes I wore before are really unbearable!" Yukiko said mercilessly.

A good-looking girl like Yukiko, who used to endure the "really unbearable" Katsuhiko, was also because of her deep love for him.Katsuhiko and Yukiko wandered around Ginza wearing new clothes and "partially changing" their old trousers, since changing the length of their trousers took several days. "You don't look like the original you when you dress like this." Yukiko said happily. Katsuhiko, who changed his costume, was hanging out with her in Ginza, which seemed to make her very happy.Green shoots sprout from the sidewalks of Ginza.It is inexplicably exciting to see the change of seasons in the lack of greenery in downtown Tokyo.Just because there are few natural landscapes, the magnificence created artificially in harmony with the seasons is more vivid.

In the season of taking off the heavy clothes worn in the season of shadows and bringing out the natural beauty of women to the fullest, Katsuhiko feels a sense of happiness when he can change his attire and take a walk with Yukiko in Ginza, the most fashionable street in Japan. Feel. "It doesn't matter if you go home later today." Yukiko said, holding Katsuhiko's arm, and she usually had to be home by ten o'clock. "Why can I go home later today?" "My mother isn't here." "But your father is here!" "My dad doesn't talk like my mom."

"Then, can you spend the night outside today?" Ke Yan became presumptuous. "Can't stay overnight. My dad will be worried!" "Oh!" No matter how late it is, Ayuko will definitely go home that night. "However, it doesn't matter if I come home at two o'clock in the morning." "Huh! Really?" On the one hand, Ke Yan was very happy, but on the other hand, he felt uneasy about his physical strength. "Let's have fun tonight! I want to dine at a fancy restaurant we've never been to." "I agree." Ke Yan also felt a little hungry.

"There's a restaurant I've wanted to go with you for a long time." "Then let's go there! Where is that restaurant?" "In Shiba, it's just opposite the Tokyo Prince Hotel." The place the two took a taxi to was a restaurant named "Crescent House" located in an alley from Hibiya Street to the sea, facing Shiba Park.In front of the entrance of the quiet and generous red brick Western-style building, there are several stairs. When you go up the stairs and push the door, the amber sunlight in the afternoon falls on the classically decorated interior. A male waiter in a black suit respectfully led them up to the second floor.

Perhaps it was because it was still early and no other guests could be seen.Katsuhiko followed Yukiko to the restaurant because he wanted to enjoy eating with Yukiko, but he was not actually hungry. After drying their throats with sherry, they ordered soup and seafood, and ordered a white Bourgogne.Outside the window is a piece of green Shiba Park.The afterglow of the setting sun irradiated through the doors dyes the interior with bright colors. "I think this restaurant seems to be booked by us." Yukiko whispered. This culturally rich restaurant is now exclusively occupied by Katsuhiko and Yukiko.Soon, the dishes were served, and even Yukiko, who was particular about gourmet food, ate with relish and was full of praise.

Halfway through the meal, the two exchanged plates.It was a habit the two of them had when they dined together recently.In addition to plates, even knives and forks are also exchanged.There is no gap between the two. As the sun went down behind Shiba Park, the waiter lit the candles on the table.At this time, guests can already be seen at other tables.After they ate milk jelly, drank Italian espresso coffee, and finished the exquisite dinner, when they stood up from the table, the restaurant was almost full. After a short break at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, the two headed to the "Maharajah" disco in Azabu.Since Yukiko had made an appointment in advance, she was immediately led to the box.Because it is not a weekend, there are not many customers.

The male waiters in Indian costumes are all handsome and polite to customers.Their facial features were well defined, so Katsuhiko observed them carefully and found that they were all wearing makeup.Ke Yan felt that this was not so much a disco, but a nightclub with a disco.Compared with the dance halls around Roppongi that target young people and are purely dancers, most of the guests here are sipping wine and dancing on the dance floor when they feel the whim.At this time, Katsuhiko found that Kentaro Shimizu (editor's note: a famous writer) was sitting next to him. Beside them stood a nice male waiter, about twenty years younger, who looked innocent and seemed not yet caught up in the peculiar habits of the industry.Katsuhiko looked at this male waiter who could be called a boy, and thought of Nanjo Nanjo's famous book "Lampstand Ghost".This book describes a tragic story: a young man crossed the sea to the Tang Dynasty in China as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty, but was killed by an assassin there and his whereabouts are unknown.Twenty-seven years later, his son served as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty. When he went to China, he searched for his father's whereabouts.However, no matter how I searched, I couldn't find it.At the farewell banquet when he was about to return home, he found his father who had become a lampstand ghost (a slave with his fingers and tongue cut off and a lamp on his head).When the father who could not speak saw his son, he vomited blood and wanted to tell his son that he was his father.

The employees of discotheques are probably not as miserable as the lampstand ghosts, but Ke Yan believes that they will see a large number of male and female guests who gather late at night every day, and they will inevitably glimpse a world beyond the imagination of the writer, or have their own unique set of ghosts. philosophy.He was eager to ask the waiter this question. Come to the disco with Yukiko to have fun, see the boy standing next to the guests, think of Katsuhiko from "Lampstand Demon", can't he become a slave of love? The lights were dimmed, and the slow music melody was rippling in the ballroom. "What dance do you start with?" Ke Yan asked. "Now is the time to stick your face!" Yukiko replied. "I want to dance cheek to cheek with you." "There are very few people who dance face-to-face! If we dance, it will be very eye-catching." Yukiko said. "Isn't that nice? Does our dancing bother you?" "how come?" "Then let's go dance!" Katsuhiko took Yukiko's hand and walked down the dance floor.As Yukiko said, there were significantly fewer people on the dance floor, and the two entered the center of the dance floor.The dance floor was paved with marble and decorated with golden pillars. Under the dim light, the silhouettes of men and women embracing barely moved.The female singer's sexy singing made the atmosphere uplifting, and the decorative lights hanging from the ceiling swirled above the dimly lit head, casting tiny beams of light on Yukiko's eyes from time to time, shining brightly. When Katsuhiko's cheeks were pressed against Yukiko's, he smelled Yukiko's hair.Yukiko's thick hair forms a screen that separates the eyes of the surrounding people, creating a small universe that only belongs to him and her.Katsuhiko discovered for the first time that women's long hair has this effect. The screen formed by Yukiko's hair swayed from time to time, and a sentence flowed from her trembling lips: "I love you." Words completely cover it up. Disco light dance music played by the computer, coupled with the noise of commercials spoiled the whole atmosphere.Disco, which originated in Kansai, still has a rough side in the spirit of business enthusiasm. Katsuhiko and Yukiko left the "Maharajah" discotheque and came to the "Area" discotheque in Roppongi, which is most popular with modern young people. The two stores are collectively called Mahaare, and are very popular among Roppongi and Nishi Azabu people. The customer base of the "Area" disco is much younger than that of the "Maharajah" disco. "Maharajah" disco has the feeling of dancing while drinking.In contrast, the "Area" disco has an atmosphere dedicated to dancing. The "Area" discotheque has a dress code when entering the venue, and the waiters will not let guests in who do not match the costumes of the discotheque. Katsuhiko was among the first to be rejected, but because he was going with Kitazawa Yukiko, the waiter reluctantly let him in.The dress code for entry is not so much a matter of style (there's no such thing as a discotheque) but rather the pretentiousness of the dance hall operators. The dance floor was crowded, the enthusiasm of the young people was boiling, and the music also had exciting power. The deafening light disco dance music, as well as the colorful lights streaming down from the ceiling, dyed the dancers on the dance floor with brilliant colors. "Now there are many beauties gathered here!" Kitazawa Yukiko said softly. On the seats on and around the dance floor, there are gorgeous girls everywhere.If it was in the past, when Ke Yan saw a beautiful woman, he would feel at a loss and didn't know where to put his eyes?Now with Yu Huanzi's company, even if he is surrounded by a group of beauties, Ke Yan will feel as if nothing happened and act naturally. "Would you like to dance?" Stimulated by the surrounding atmosphere, Ke Yan became ecstatic.However, Yukiko didn't want to move.Ke Yan asked her why.After asking, she found out that her classmates and school girls were also dancing on the dance floor. "Does it make you feel ashamed to be seen with me?" "How could it be? Because they and I both know what kind of men the other party has been with, so I don't want to meet them." "Why care about this kind of thing! The past is the past, and the present is the present." "That's right." Yukiko changed her mood and walked off the dance floor. The clientele here is slightly more classy and lively than the 'Maharajah' disco, but the atmosphere is unnerving.I don't know if it's because there are too many young people. The original sense of restlessness and anxiety of young people is stirred by the strong rhythm of rock music, and the high ceiling magnifies this sense of restlessness.Perhaps because of his age, Ke Yan felt a strong sense of unrest in the ballroom. "There's a nice bar in Nishi Azabu." Yukiko seemed to see that Katsuhiko was tired from dancing, so she said softly. The two walked out of the "Area" discotheque, took a taxi, and went straight to the bar that Yukiko said "feels good".Although it is late at night, when the car drives to the "Hobson Ice Cream" at the intersection of Nishi Azabu, there are still many older people (including men) standing in a long queue to buy ice cream.From this ice cream parlor, famous phrases such as "Why the queue?" and "Because there is a queue!" were born. The taxi continued to drive in the direction of "Mediterranean Pass".Not long after the car turned left, Katsuhiko and Yukiko got out of the car. The "Lu Club" bar is located in the basement of a building not far from the road. Unfortunately, the "Lu Club" is already full, and some guests are still standing at the door waiting for vacant seats.Ke Yan didn't want to wait in line for a drink.Yukiko seemed to be waiting, but under his urging, the two walked out of the bar. "I don't know if it's because I have experience in war. Whenever I line up for food, I feel like waiting for 'rationing'. I feel miserable in my heart!" Katsuhiko told Yukiko the reason, but She doesn't seem to understand what "rationing" means. Turned away by the Lou Club, they decide to head to another bar.When I came to Mediterranean Pass again, when I opened the door of a certain building, there was a dark space like a cellar in the city, and there were two parallel counters lined up in the space.There is no music, only men and women whispering. The number of guests is also appropriate, the width of the counter, lighting and chairs, and the feeling of sitting is very comfortable. Ke Yan thinks this should also be "a bar with a good feeling".Generally speaking, the guests are men and women in pairs, each locked in the "two-person world", and will not express unnecessary concern for other couples.The couple at the next table tapped the small plates and sang the same song, presumably their relationship is getting stronger and stronger.Jazz songs with harmonious melodies bring a warm atmosphere to the store. After Katsuhiko and Yukiko drank a few glasses of mixed drinks mixed with lemon soda and gin here, they became happier. "I think there should be vacancies in the Lou Club now." Although she felt very happy here, Yukiko still insisted on going to the Lou Club.After leaving this "Ipigueri" bar and returning to "Lu Club", the waiter said that there were still seats for "standing and drinking".Katsuhiko was very surprised that this tavern turned out to be a "good bar" in Nishi Azabu.They believed the waiter's words that "there will be empty seats soon" and were taken to the place where they stood and drank. There is a shelf nailed to the wall, which looks a bit like a Shinkansen dining room, and the wine glasses are placed on the shelf for guests to drink.From the window of the Shinkansen, you can look at the scenery outside the car, but here you can only look at the wall. If it weren't for being with Yukiko, Ke Yan felt that standing here drinking would be like a fool, and there was really no way to continue drinking. Fortunately, it didn't take long for a seat to become available.The customer seating is a group of tables and stools in an L-shape that surrounds the counter. The lighting, the intervals between the customer seating, and the height of the ceiling are impeccable.There are all kinds of alcohol in the world behind the counter, and the quantity is very complete.The decoration and furnishings in the bar are all popular styles nowadays.Although the door is surrounded by a screen, even if you are brought to this place suddenly, you can guess what kind of furnishings are inside.However, this has the paradoxical effect of making the bar look rustic. The drinking guests deliberately put on the style of urbanites, but lacked a sense of reality. Fakes look so much like the real thing that it's pretty ridiculous. In this place, there are many people wearing strange clothes: flat leather shoes, rough blouses as black as crow feathers, and women's handbags like postmen delivering letters on their shoulders. This is the so-called house mannequin style clothing. Mannequin refers to a model for display, and house mannequin is Japanese English, which means a salesperson who has high professional knowledge in clothing sales and can provide customers with reference opinions, wears the products of the store and acts as a model.This is the most desirable career for modern young girls. Modern young girls regard living in Nishi Azabu or Aoyama as a symbol of identity and status.They spend almost all of their salaries on rent and clothing.And those who cannot live near here also show the "Nishi Azabu Resident Style".They are a group of people who gather in the trendy coffee bars in this area at night and feel supremely happy.They think that life itself is fashion, and mistakenly think that only the pursuit of fashion can be accepted by Tokyo.Compared with the residents of Harajuku and Roppongi who were born in Saichibalagi, prefectural cities or remote cities, the residents of Nishi Azabu have a strong sense of Tokyo origin.If you go back two or three generations, the residents here are all from the countryside.Despite this, the residents here have a very strong sense of superiority towards people from remote countryside. While many people in Tokyo do not know where Nishi Azabu is located, the residents of Nishi Azabu hilariously pretend that they are from Tokyo. There was a manager who looked a bit like entertainer Tian Mori, and came to say hello to Yukiko.He exudes the air of being accustomed to the night life.When Yukiko told him that he had only seen him in Kyoto a few days ago, he flattered her tactfully and thoughtfully.His eyes are still looking around the whole store with sparkling eyes in his alert and smooth smiling face.While talking with Yukiko, he completely ignored Katsuhiko's existence. Ke Yan was surprised that the bills at the "Ippigeli" bar and "Lu Club" were very cheap. If Yukiko were to read it, it would not be unusual for any tavern to be hyped up by the mass media to such an extent that hipsters would be reluctant to visit again.However, under the introduction of the mass media, when the hipsters flocked, the hipsters who were really ahead of the times had already "evacuated" to other places.By the time the mass media introduced them, those pubs were already outdated.And when the hipsters stay away, the trailblazers come back.The "Ippigeli" bar that Ke Yan and the others went to just now had this kind of atmosphere. Ke Yan smiled bitterly inwardly.Regardless of the former or the latter, at best, it is just a bar on the street, and there is no trend or retreat.But for house mannequin-style urbanites, it seems to be a very important issue to engage in a fierce confrontation with the latest fashion trends. When I came out of "Lu", it was past midnight.Katsuhiko was about to say that it was time to go back, but Yukiko said that she was hungry.The sign of the "Clubhouse" restaurant comes into view, which looks like a restaurant specializing in crab delicacies. When the two sat down in their seats, Ke Yan was greatly surprised by the scene in front of them.I saw Koji Ishisaka (editor's note: actor) sitting within arm's reach of them, accompanied by seven or eight women, who were having a meal happily.Katsuhiko was restless and wanted to ask him for his autograph, so he asked Yukiko for his opinion. "Forget it!" Yukiko reprimanded him in a gentle tone. Ishisaka Koji and his group left immediately after finishing their meal.He went to the counter to check out by himself. "As expected of Nishi Azabu! You can accidentally see Koji Ishisaka and Kentaro Shimizu sitting next to each other," Katsuhiko said. "It's not just these weekends, there are groups of actors and singers coming and going in Roppongi and this area." Yukiko said. "You mean, there are crowds of actors and singers here?" "That's right." "We must come and have a look next time." Ke Yan said excitedly. "You're very uncultured. But that's what I like about you." After the two walked out of the "Clubhouse" restaurant, Yukiko said coquettishly, "Shall we go to the Maharajah Disco again? I don't want to go home yet." "Huh? Anyway, it's already so late. And..." Ke Yan hesitated to speak. "And what's the matter?" "My funds are running out, and it is still a question of whether I have enough money for a taxi home." After shopping in Ginza, he went to discotheques and bars one after another, and Katsuhiko was already struggling. "Ah! It's okay! I still have some money with me." Yukiko said nonchalantly. "I can't ask you to pay." "why?" "Because you are a student and I am a decent social person." "You can pay me back later!" "I don't like borrowing money from you." "You don't like being with me anymore?" "Why? It's just that I don't like to worry about not having enough money while shopping." "It won't cost much to go to another house! It's hard to get this opportunity, let us play together until late, I don't want to go back so early, it's wasted." Not knowing if the alcoholic beverages she drank at "Lu Club" and "Ippigari" had an effect, Yukiko started to mess around.There is a delicate and charming atmosphere in the early summer night, and the drunk Yukiko is even more gorgeous. Under such circumstances, Katsuhiko was also very reluctant to say goodbye to Yukiko.He thought that if he kept her like this, he would be able to combine with Yukiko tonight.He hasn't checked out the room he reserved at the Tokyo Prince Hotel. He thinks that maybe he can sleep with Yukiko tonight. "Okay! Let's go!" "Wow! I'm so happy!" Yukiko didn't know Katsuhiko's plan, but was simply happy. Back at the "Maharajah" discotheque, the main store was closed and customers and staff moved towards the sister shop "Maharajah East" discotheque located nearby. The "Maharajah East" discotheque is similar to a nightclub with a discotheque. The dancing atmosphere is not as strong as the head office, and most of the guests come here to drink.Maybe it's because the time is late at night! After going to several bars and dance halls, she was indeed very tired, and Yukiko seemed a little sleepy.If she is allowed to fall asleep now, Katsuhiko's ambition will not succeed, so Shinna Katsuhiko feels a little worried. "Would you like to dance?" Shinna Katsuhiko asked half-heartedly. "You're in good spirits!" Yukiko said with a surprised expression. After a dance, the feeling of tiredness surges.When they returned to the guest seat to rest, the two quickly fell asleep.When Katsuhiko woke up suddenly, he found himself and Yukiko leaning against each other.Looking at the watch, it was almost four o'clock in the morning, even the figures in the guest seats were sparse, and the dance hall was about to close. As it would be embarrassing to be kicked out by the last piece of music playing in the disco, Yukiko wakes up just as the two leave the "Maharajah East" disco together. The fresh morning air felt very refreshing and seemed to cleanse the lungs of the continuous inhalation of cigarette-filled air in the dance hall.Time passed moment by moment, and the surrounding scene became brighter and brighter, so that the eyes that had hardly slept, rather than lack of sleep, could not open their eyes.I don't know if it's because of guilt, but the morning I greeted with Yukiko didn't have a trace of decadence.Have fun all night, so that the body and mind are full of refreshing feeling. In the urban area of ​​Tokyo, you can actually hear the chirping of birds at this time.Katsuhiko blurted out a haiku unconsciously: "The disco is over, and the chirping of chickens and sparrows is the first opportunity!" Although this is a poor haiku, it can aptly describe Katsuhiko's state of mind at the moment. "What are you talking about?" Yukiko said looking at Katsuhiko. "No." Although he missed another chance, Ke Yan didn't feel that he had anything to regret. "You're so weird!?" Yukiko's expression brightened as she said that. "Oh! I can't go home quickly!" Ke Yan returned to reality and began to look for empty taxis.