Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Vorarephilia:
March 2nd, 2010.
7:30 p.m.
After the wedding, Tsuzuki and Anna returned to the guest
house. He took her to the downstairs restaurant. Not many people out tonight,
just a few elderly people and a couple of business men. The newlyweds sat in a
booth near the big window. Tsuzuki gave his bride a calm smile.
"I'll get us a special dinner,"
he said. "Wait here."
Tsuzuki patted her on the head before going up
to the counter. The chef and his wife looked up.
"Yes," the former asked. Tsuzuki grinned and leaned in
towards the older couple.
"You see that young lady sitting by the window over
there?" he asked pointing at Anna as she looked at the rain still pouring
outside. "It's our wedding night tonight." The chef's wife's eyes lit up.
"Oh!" she said in a low voice.
"Yes," Tsuzuki said. "So, I was thinking, do you have
something with an aphrodisiac?" The older couple smiled.
"Wait there," the chef told him. "I have just the thing."
He reached over for the menu. Tsuzuki glanced over at Anna and winked as he
waited. She smiled when she saw him.
----------
April 12th, 2010.
-Charlotte-
The news about the "Cupid Killer" has spread all over
Kabukicho. Everywhere I go, everyone is always talking about it.
"The Cupid Killer stuck again last night."
"He kills couples in his apartment and poses them at
Shinto shrines."
"Scary!"
"It's what happened to Fukie-chan and her boyfriend!"
Even at Red Rose Club, the rumours won't stop flying for
a second. The customers won't stop talking about that damn case.
"I heard he targets pretty girls and their boyfriends,"
one man said.
"Scary!" I heard one of the newbies coo.
"Then what about those two lesbians they found two days
ago?" another hostess asked. Everyone switched their focus on her with their
jaws dropped. I nearly dropped a glass from my tray.
"No way!" another customer said, gasping. The gossip
hound hostess nodded.
"Same MO and everything," she said.
"But why?" another newbie asked. The gossip hound
shrugged, shaking her head.
"Maybe he wanted some girl-on-girl?" she suggested.
"Oh! So he's a murderer and a pervert?" a third customer
asked.
"Now that's scary!" the first newbie said. I rolled my
eyes and walked outside. It didn't take long for me to hear footsteps behind me.
I paused in the hallway, shaking my head.
"What is it, Mariko-senpai?" I asked. The footsteps
walked up next to me.
"What's the matter, Char-chan?" I heard my mentor ask. I
turned my head to my left. Despite being thirty-eight, Mariko-senpai still
looked lovely, elegant almost. Her long plum hair always looked perfect no
matter what the condition was. Even the laugh lines and crow's-feet added to her
unique elegance. I shook my head.
"It's nothing," I brushed off. Her soft green eyes didn't
believe me.
"Char-chan," she said. "I don't like seeing you all
stressed out. Is it school again?" I sighed and turned to her.
"I'm sick of hearing about the stupid 'Cupid Killer'," I
complained. Mariko-senpai gave me a sympathetic smile.
"Care to walk outside with me?" she offered. I sighed,
dropping back my head.
"Fine," I said.
"Let's go," she murmured. We turned and headed out the
back way.
---------
In the alley, Mariko-senpai lit up a cigarette. She
offered me one, but I turned her down. She shrugged her small shoulders.
"Alright," she said. I envy her in a way; she even makes
smoking look classy. My mentor turned with the cigarette between her plump lips.
"You need an outlet, Char-chan," she said. I tilted my
head, frowning.
"Huh?" I asked.
"You're single, yeah?" she asked.
"Yes�" I said, uncertain where exactly she was taking
this. My mentor clapped her hands together.
"Then you need a release," she summed up. I quickly
understood what she was saying. I shook my head.
"No way!" I shot her down. Mariko-senpai raised an
eyebrow at me.
"What?" she asked. She flicked the ashes out over the
stair railing.
"Don't hook me up with any creepy perverts here!" I said
in a loud voice. My mentor gave me a gentle smile.
"Would I ever do something like that to you?" she asked.
"Well� no�" I muttered. Mariko-senpai took another smoke.
"Besides," she said. "I already found you someone." I
blinked at her.
"Who?" I asked. She leaned in close to my ear. Already, I
had the feeling that I wouldn't like where this could go.
"That yummy roommate of yours," she whispered. The color
drained from my face as I whipped around to her.
"What?!" I cried.
"Why not?" Mariko-senpai said. "You've known each other
for five years now, yeah?"
"That's not the point!" I yelled, shaking my head. "No,
just no!"
"And tell me why?"
"He and I are just friends, it would be just too weird!"
"Oh come on, Char-chan! He's gorgeous and really hot! You
should at least give it one shot!"
My eyes widened. "He's still a virgin!"
"Perfect! You should take the time to 'teach' him."
"But he's blind!"
Mariko-senpai put her arm around my shoulders.
"Char-chan, blind people can have sex just like everyone else. They just use
their other senses instead."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "And how do you know all of
this?"
"I had some blind lovers in my twenties." My mentor took
another smoke before crushing the butt on the side of the building and going
back inside. I looked down at my feet.
"Oh�" I mumbled. Seducing my blind angel roommate just sounds so wrong in so many ways, but yet� I shook my head. No, I can't do that to Takashi. I just can't! However, my curiosity just won't let the idea go for some reason�