Chapter 11 10

"Sirius" is located on the ninth floor of this old building.There are no particularly conspicuous signs outside the building.As soon as you get to the elevator, you will see a board that says "Sirius is on the ninth floor".No one knows why Sirius is written in Chinese characters on the board.Even the boss Ejima said, "I forgot the reason."However, Shinsuke believes that this is due to Enoshima's desire to choose customers.In fact, "Sirius" has been a store that has been supported by regular customers for a long time. Shinsuke took the elevator upstairs, and the speed of the elevator was as slow as before.After reaching the ninth floor, there is a dimly lit corridor.It's been a long time since he walked this corridor like this.While Shinsuke feels nostalgic, he also feels anxious because his memory of this place has become incomplete.

There is a wooden door at the end of the corridor.There is a board on the door that says "Sirius" in English.The voices of the customers chatting in the store came out.Shinsuke felt a little nervous when he opened the doorknob. After the door opened, Okabe Yoshiyuki who was standing at the bar was the first to see Shinsuke.The commercial smile at work suddenly turned into a slightly surprised expression, but then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and he nodded to Shinsuke.His smile and gestures gave Shinsuke a sense of peace of mind. There are fifteen high chairs in front of the bar, with appropriate spacing between the chairs, and there are currently eight customers in the store.Shinsuke saw that there were two adjacent empty seats, so he chose one of the high chairs and sat down.

Okabe stared straight at Shinsuke.He asked Shinsuke what he wanted with his eyes.Okabe is thinner than before, and his chin looks sharper than before, adding a sense of leanness. "Give me the 'needle'." Shinsuke said.Okabe nodded slightly with a concentrated expression. Shinsuke tried not to attract the attention of other customers, and looked around the store as if nothing had happened.The tables and chairs in this shop are especially valuable.The seating area consists of leather armchairs and sofas that can seat four or five people comfortably.Since the table top is spacious enough, it won't feel too crowded even if there are a lot of dishes, so there are eight sets of tables and chairs in total.Wine bottles from all over the world are displayed on the walls.There is a grand piano in the corner, and Ejima's old friend pianist occasionally plays nostalgic jazz.A previous customer once said: "Staying in this store reminds me of a Nikkatsu movie".Although Shinsuke has never seen Kobayashi Xu and Shidojo on the big screen, he always feels that he can understand the guest's thoughts.

One-third of the seats in the store were filled.A quartet of older men, two middle-aged men with two hotel girls, and a couple who look like they have a secret.The voice of the foursome is slightly louder, but not to the extent that it spoils the atmosphere in the store. It was close to two o'clock in the morning.Shen Jie thought to himself that there are still so many customers in the store at this time, which is really not easy. Okabe started shaking the shaker.His movements are very flexible and will not use unnecessary brute force.The act of pouring the liquor from the shaker into the glass is also technically superb.

He put the wine glass in front of Shinsuke.The wine in the glass is shining with an indescribable amber luster. Shinsuke lightly raised his glass to Okabe, taking a sip of the cocktail in his mouth.The hot taste of white mint violently stimulated the taste buds on his tongue.This is also the reason why the name of the wine is called thorn needle. Shinsuke nodded slightly to Okabe.Okabe shrugged. "Is it okay where you work today?" he asked. "Probably no guests will come, so we close early." "Yes. But there will be those days. So, are you here to spy on the old lair?"

"Exactly." Shinsuke brought the wine glass to his mouth.He was wondering if the wine was to the woman's taste. Although it is true that "Minghe" has no customers tonight, the store did not close early.Shinsuke told Chitoko that he had an appointment with someone, and left early by himself. In fact, Shinsuke doesn't really have an appointment with someone.His purpose is just to taste a few orthodox cocktails at "Sirius". He hasn't had any orthodox cocktails recently, and feels that his taste buds have become dull and numb.Also, another purpose was to study what kind of cocktail could be prepared for that woman.

Although he only met twice, Shinsuke cared about that woman very much.Whether he was cleaning wine glasses in the store or listening to the complaints of drunken customers, his eyes were fixed on the entrance.Shinsuke thought that she might enter the store quietly like the previous nights. "The next time I come, can you make me another cocktail?" She said to Shinsuke.When is the next time?The ingredients must be prepared before she comes, and the sensitivity of the taste buds to wine must be recovered before that. "Where did Mr. Ejima go today?" Shinsuke asked Okabe.

"He went to Akasaka to discuss the game. It's about time he came back." When Okabe said that, there was a sound of opening the door.Okabe looked in the direction of the door, and said with a smile, "Welcome!" Shinsuke also looked over reflexively. The guest who came in was a woman Shinsuke had seen before.The slightly drooping corners of the eyes, coupled with plump lips, are impressive.Shinsuke remembered that her name was Yuka.She handed her thin white coat to the waiter.She was wearing a blue dress under the coat, showing her curvaceous body. "Xinkou Martini." She said to Okabe after sitting down at the corner seat at the bar.She didn't even glance at the other guests, and of course she didn't notice Shinsuke's presence.However, the way she raised her feet leisurely clearly showed that she was aware of the gazes around her.

Shinsuke doesn't know which store Yuka works in.But from her hairstyle, you can know that it is a first-class shop.Because if she is not handed over to a professional hairdresser to take care of her hair every day, it will be difficult to maintain her hairstyle. Since Shinsuke was still working at "Sirius", she often comes here to drink.Most of them come alone, and rarely come with guests.She usually has a cocktail or two by herself, chats with the bartender about stocks and music, and then goes home. "There are all kinds of hotel ladies, and some people use this method to relieve stress." Jiang Dao once said with admiration.

A scene revived in Shinsuke's mind.It was the night of more than a year ago, that is, the night of the car accident a few hours later. Yuka also drank alone that night.It should be a drink - a spicy martini.She also ordered this that night.The cocktail was made by Shinsuke. But that's not all she drank.She then ordered other cocktails and drank one after another.The way he drinks is menacing. "Give me stronger wine!" Shinsuke remembered she had said to him.Of course, instead, he gradually lowered the alcohol concentration, and in the end the drink she drank was almost equivalent to fruit juice.

Even so, she was still drunk.Perhaps her original purpose was to get drunk.There was definitely something that upset her, but she didn't talk about it even when she was drunk.Shinsuke thought it was because she was a very professional worker. Yuka lay motionless on the bar counter that night—that was the only part that remained vividly in Shinsuke's memory. The problem is after that.As far as the results are concerned, Shinsuke sent Yuka home and had a car accident on his way back, but his memory of the details is extremely vague.For example, since he was taking her home, of course there were only two people in the car, but there was no picture in his memory, and he couldn't picture Yuka sitting in the passenger seat in his mind.Shinsuke doesn't think it's just his simple forgetting. After all, compared with the memory before sending Yuka home, the gap between the vividness of the memory between the two is too great. Shinsuke said to Okabe. "Can you help me tune the lute and bitters?" Okabe nodded silently.He might misunderstand Shinsuke, thinking that Shinsuke is just showing off his extensive knowledge of cocktails.But Shinsuke just wanted to use the bitter taste to stimulate his brain cells. Okabe twirled the slender sweet wine glass with one hand, and smeared the fragrant bitter juice on the inside of the glass with the other hand.When finished, discard the excess and pour over cooled gin.From the viscous state of the wine, it can be seen that the gin has been sufficiently cooled. Shinsuke picked up the wine glass, adjusted his breath and drank it all in one gulp.The moderate bitterness spreads slowly in the mouth, and the cells of the whole body wake up accordingly. "That's good." Shinsuke said.Okabe smiled with one corner of his mouth raised. Shinsuke temporarily put his glass on the bar and got off the high chair.He approached Yuka. It is impossible for Yuka not to notice someone standing beside her, but she still faces forward and smokes, expressing her refusal for men to strike up a conversation at will. "Long time no see." Shinsuke said. Yuka held the cigarette between her fingers and turned her head impatiently.Faces Shinsuke with a Noh face that she doesn't show up at work. But when her eyes caught Shinsuke's face, a face like a Noh mask suddenly showed expression.Her lips parted slightly, her eyes widened. "you……" "I'm Yucun. Thank you for your patronage earlier." Shen Jie bowed lightly. "Haven't you already resigned?" "It's just a temporary resignation. I came here to play today." "Ok……" "Can I sit here?" Shinsuke pointed to the empty seat beside Yuka. "Yes..." "Then I'll excuse you." He took the wine glass from his seat and sat down beside Yuka. "Actually, I want to ask Miss Yuka something." "It's about that night." Shinsuke looked around to make sure no one was listening. "It was the night I had the car accident." "I do not know anything." "But, did I send Yuka-san home that night? Then, there was a car accident right after that. Is that right?" Yuka didn't say a word, but stared back at Shinsuke with a ferocious face. "Sorry. I don't think Miss Yuka knows. I had a little accident recently and lost part of my memory as a result. That's why I ask different things to different people like now." Yuka frowned slightly. "I basically heard Mr. Ejima talk about this...have you forgotten everything about the car accident?" "It's not so clean. How should I put it, I'm very vague on the details. Mr. Ejima advised me not to force myself to recall unhappy things. But for me, there are always knots in my heart." "It's meaningless to ask me. Like you said just now, I was just driven home by you." Yuka looked away from Shinsuke. "I understand this. So I just hope Miss Yuka can tell me what happened when I sent you back to the building." "what do you want me to say?" "Anything is fine. Did I chat with you while driving, or did you have any impression of the ride at that time..." Yuka drank her spicy martini in one gulp, and turned to face Shinsuke. "I was pretty drunk by then? That's why you sent me home. Could a man like this remember what happened when he was sent home?" "That's right, but don't you even have a memory of one thing?" "No, I don't remember anything." Yuka turned to the inside of the bar again and shook her head. "Then it's okay to think about it the next day. For example, because I had a car accident, Ms. Yuka would be involved in what happened that night, and the police should ask you. Do you remember what you said to the police?" "I don't remember. I just remember having a terrible headache the next day, and falling asleep without taking off my make-up or changing my clothes. I'm very sorry that you got into a car accident because you were taking me home, but otherwise I'm I really can't say anything." "So--" "I'm sorry, I have an appointment with a customer." Yuka suddenly reached for the bag, got off the high chair, and thanked Okabe at the bar for the hospitality. Yuka didn't leave any time for Shinsuke to keep her. After paying the bill, she immediately asked the waiter to hand over her coat, and left without even putting it on. Shinsuke could only watch her leave in a daze.Okabe asked Shinsuke. "Did you make her angry?" "I don't know. I just asked her to tell me about the night of the accident." "The night of the car accident?" "Ah, it's okay. It's nothing." Shinsuke waved his hand.He decided not to mention his memory impairment to anyone he didn't care about as much as possible. The qin bitters became warmer.Shinsuke drank the wine in one gulp, feeling that the bitter taste was stronger.