It was around ten when Nobu and Saori left Sho’s. Kyoko had opted to hang around for another drink and some conversation with Sho, but Saori said she wanted to get back to her apartment and curl up with a book before going to bed.
Nobu would have loved to do the same, but he wasn’t off the clock yet. The nightlife in Osaka didn’t really start until after ten and he had plans to get some information out of his contact.
Saori shared an apartment near the university, which meant she had at least a thirty-minute train ride before she’d make it home. Nobu walked with her through the streets of Namba to the subway station. Although it was a weeknight, Namba was still a popular destination and there were plenty of people on the streets, patronizing shops, or heading to bars or restaurants.
“You’re not really big on this case, are you?” asked Saori.
Nobu gave Saori a side-glance. “Why do you say that?”
“Seems like you’re trying to poke holes in the boss’ theories.”
Nobu smirked. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “That’s just kinda my way. Boss says I help her look at all the possibilities by questioning things. My mom used to say I ask too many questions.”
“Your mom…”
Nobu felt Saori’s eyes on him. He kept his mouth closed in fear of saying something else to trigger his young colleague’s curiosity.
“You don’t talk much about your family, do you?” she asked.
There it was. “Not much to say.”
“I’ve been working with you guys for about a year now. I know about Kyoko’s family. I’ve told you tons of stories about mine. And about my roommate. But you never talk about your family unless I ask. And even then, you always change the subject.”
Nobu sighed, fixing his gaze on the distance. How long before they reached the subway? He was half-tempted to just dart off into the crowd.
“You hungry?” he asked. “I know a great takoyaki stand nearby.”
Saori scoffed. “There you go again…
“What?” Nobu held his arms out to the side. “Deep-fried octopus balls, what’s not to like?”
She chuckled. “Fine, keep your secrets. I think I’ll head the rest of the way on my own. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Saori left him standing alone in the street. She would take the Midosuji Line from the subway station, which was the same line he planned on taking to Shinsekai. But now, he figured he’d take the Nankai-Koya Line from the station attached to the Namba City shopping mall.
When he arrived at the mall, he went for the station. He took out his phone, the case holding a rail card for easy payment and tapped the case against the scanner at the platform entrance. It beeped and the small doors opened, allowing him to pass through and step onto the platform.
Nobu boarded a train. The ride took just under twenty minutes before he arrived at Imamiyaebisu Station. From there, he walked down the streets, entering one of the entertainment districts.
The lighted signs illuminated the otherwise-drab buildings along the streets. Some of them were like plazas with a whole arrangement of clubs, bars, and restaurants being advertised. Hostesses in scant, frilly dresses and young men in freshly pressed white shirts and ties stood on the street, calling out to the men who walked by, attempting to entice them into their establishments.
Nobu took his phone from his pocket and sent a message on the Line app to his contact. A few moments went by and then he got a response: “On my way.”
He closed the app and brought up the photograph Kyoko had sent him. Zooming in on a photo of Akane, he walked over to one of the girls.
“Excuse me,” he said.
She turned and smiled, bowing to him. “Hi!” Her voice was high-pitched, almost babyish. Many of the girls who worked at these clubs would intentionally speak that way to appeal to customers. “Why don’t you come upstairs?”
“Actually, I was wondering if you’d seen this girl.” He showed her the picture on his phone.
The girl studied it for a few moments, then shook her head. “Sorry, haven’t seen her. But if you’re looking for some company, we’ve got some great girls upst—”
“Thanks, maybe another time.”
Nobu moved from her and went up to a few more people. The responses were almost all the same. No one recognized Akane’s photograph. Which Nobu found somewhat strange in its own right. Even if Akane hadn’t been working at any of these places, you would think they’d recognize a former idol.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Nobu took it out and saw a message from his contact: “I’m here.”
Nobu looked around the crowded street and saw a young guy walking towards him. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a t-shirt, with shaggy hair swept across his forehead and a bad goatee.
“What’s up, Tsuji?” he asked with a smile as he approached. “Haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Hey Jun,” said Nobu, greeting the man.
Jun Yamazawa had been in and out of trouble with the police since he was a kid. Growing up here in Osaka, he’d been a delinquent and a bully, eventually joining a bosozoku motorcycle gang once he dropped out of high school. Now in his mid-twenties, he’d grown beyond the bosozoku and apparently was a small-time player in the local drug scene.
“So what’s up?” asked Jun. “Why’d you wanna meet here?”
“Thought we could get a drink.” Nobu nodded towards one of the buildings advertising hostess clubs.
Jun glanced over his shoulder then looked back at Nobu, raising an eyebrow. “Really? You can’t get a girl on your own?”
“What, you got a better idea?”
Jun smirked. “Follow me.”
Nobu had wanted to check out some of the hostess bars, see if maybe he could get an inkling of where Akane had worked. But in this area, there were so many that he’d probably have to spend less than ten minutes in each in order to check them all. Not to mention the money it would cost and the questions it would raise. He already wondered if he’d asked too many questions around here.
Besides, if Jun had a bar in mind where he felt comfortable, it might be better for all involved. Perhaps he’d be more willing to talk business in a place like that. Most of the hostess clubs were yakuza-owned and Jun probably didn’t want to draw the attention of rivals.
So Nobu followed his old friend. Jun took him to a basement bar off the beaten path. Once inside, Nobu saw that calling it small was a bit of an understatement. As soon as you walked in, there was a bar counter to the right with a row of stools. The walkway behind the stools was extremely narrow. Past the counter was an open area with two dartboards hanging on the far wall.
The lights were low and cast a blue hue over the entire establishment. The man behind the bar was big with a thick mustache and intense eyes, which he focused on Nobu.
“What’s up, Dayu?” asked Jun, sitting on one of the stools. Nobu sat beside him and Dayu—the bartender—continued to stare at him. Jun seemed to notice because he chimed in. “Easy, buddy. This is my man, Tsuji.” He slapped Nobu’s shoulder. “Back in the day, we used to ride together. He’s good people.”
“I don’t like ’im,” said Dayu.
“I’m used to it, so I won’t take offense,” said Nobu.
“Just chill, man,” said Jun.
Dayu folded his arms across his chest. “Fine. What do you want?”
“Gimme a highball.” Jun turned to Nobu. “How ’bout you?”
“The same,” said Nobu.
While Dayu prepared the drinks, Jun lit up a cigarette, setting the pack between him and Nobu on the counter. “Help yourself.”
“Y’know I’m not here to drink cheap whiskey or smoke, don’t you?”
Jun opened his mouth and blew two smoke rings. The remainder of the smoke in his mouth ebbed out as he spoke. “So you mean to tell me that when a guy I haven’t spoken to in years calls me outta the blue, he’s got some kind of agenda in mind?”
Dayu set the two highballs in front of them. He turned to the side and walked into a storeroom hidden behind the bar. Nobu watched him leave with a bit of a surprise.
“Don’t worry, he knows what he’s doin’.” Jun rested the cigarette in the ashtray to take the first sip of his highball. “So lemme be clear about something, man. I’m not gonna give you any kind of old friend discount, okay? You want what I got, you’re gonna have to pay the price I tell you.”
“I’m not here to buy any drugs from you, Yamazawa.” Nobu took out his phone and brought up the picture. He set it on the counter in front of Jun and pointed at Akane’s face. “You know her?”
Jun glanced down at the camera, then looked at Nobu. “The hell’s this about, Tsuji?”
“Answer the question—do you know her?”
“’Course I know her, that’s Akane Suzuki.”
Nobu pivoted on his stool so his body faced his old friend. “She one of your customers?”
“What?”
Nobu blinked. “You just said you know her. You mentioned her by name.”
“Yeah, ’cause I am—or was—a Koibito fan.”
That response stopped Nobu in his tracks. He hadn’t expected a former member of a biker gang and a drug dealer to be a fan of a bubbly pop idol group. But then again, it did make sense. A lot of fans of these groups were men after all, so it wasn’t outside the realm of reason. Still, the thought of Jun Yamazawa bopping his head to pop music while he went about his criminal activities was strangely amusing to Nobu.
“So you’ve never met her?” asked Nobu.
“Well, wouldn’t say that.”
Jun took out his own phone and brought up the pictures. He navigated to one that showed him standing with Akane, as well as Ayano Kuroki and the other three members of Koibito. The girls were all dressed in matching clothes resembling a highly sexualized schoolgirl uniform. The girls and Jun all held up their fingers in the peace sign.
“I went to one of those events, paid to get a picture taken with them.”
Nobu stared at the photo for a few moments, doing nothing more than trying to suppress laughter.
“Why would you think Akane Suzuki was one of my customers?” asked Jun.
“So you heard about her?”
Jun gave a solemn nod and took a drag off his cigarette. He washed it down with the highball. “Oh yeah, I heard. I was pissed when she got fired. Who gives a shit if she had a boyfriend?”
“Actually, about that…” Nobu scrolled across the photo of Akane’s wall, before stopping on a picture of Yuki Ichikawa. “You know that guy?”
Jun picked up the phone and studied Yuki’s features while slowly smoking his cigarette. He was silent for several moments, moments that felt like an eternity for Nobu. Finally, he set the phone back down.
“I dunno, man. He looks kinda familiar.”
“But you don’t know for sure?”
Jun shrugged. “I sell to a lot of people.”
Nobu sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. He leaned against the counter and sipped his drink.
“Why you so interested anyway? You’re not a…” Jun jumped off his stool. “Holy shit, you’re not a cop, are you?”
Nobu gave his old friend a sideways glance. “Sit your ass back on the stool and stop talking nonsense. Of course I’m not a cop.”
“Oh…” Jun sat back down and relaxed a little bit, but Nobu could tell he was still a bit tense. He took a sip of his drink to calm down slightly. “So what are you?”
“I work for a private detective. Suzuki’s parents hired us to look into her death.”
“You think this dude was involved?”
“Maybe. We’re trying to locate him.”
Jun went quiet and finished his highball. He stood on the stool and leaned over the counter, looking towards the back room as best he could. “Yo! Dayu!” Once he returned to his seat, he glanced at Nobu. “Want another?”
“I’m good. Think I’ll just finish this one and head home.”
“C’mon, man.”
Nobu sighed. He had a feeling he would regret this tomorrow, but he nodded anyway.
Dayu came back and Jun pointed to his empty glass. The large bartender nodded and made a fresh drink, still giving Nobu the side-eye the entire time.
Jun took a sip of the new highball and sighed. “Look man, why don’t you send me that dude’s picture? I’ll ask around, see if anyone’s seen ’im.”
“And why would you get mixed up in this?”
Jun shrugged. “Like I said, I was a fan.”