And Indeed There Will Be Time

Strobes sent shafts of light across the mirrors and dividers that offered slight hints of secrecy. Smiles spread across faces as bodies leaned closer to hear one another over the pulses of bass. Bottles flowed with bubbling champagne amid chants and cheers. Those lucky enough to make it through the doors of Eden were now the most envied nightlife attendees in Tokyo. Lines wrapped around the buildings as young women prayed to every deity they knew that they might be so lucky as to spend an evening in the presence of these beautiful young men.

Sales had increased along with the attention. News segments had made the club the most sought-after destination for young women looking for connection or entertainment. Rushed orders of backup drinks were placed mid-week after the usual weekly volume was consumed in three business days. Revenue hit all-time highs. And through it all, Shuhei rose from being Tokyo’s knight to being its king.

To the humor of everyone in the club, the reveal of his and Kaho’s intimate moments had only made women like him more. Suddenly, he was truly gentle and sincere, capable of being vulnerable and soft with that cute, deaf girl. If that’s what he was truly like when he was outside of the club, then being in his illusory affection for a night felt even closer to the real thing.

He’d long been known as a gentleman, which was part of what had helped his ascension. After the early days of success as a playboy character with charm and good looks, he had changed several years ago to become protective, cautious, and endearing. It worked. He no longer slept with clients for extra money after the club doors closed, as so many others did. He no longer agreed to turn a blind eye to girls spending tens of thousands of yen on drinks until they were blacked out drunk. He had never allowed any of his clients to be drugged. Word spread that the tall, tired-eyed boy with silver-blonde hair was almost a good person, and that was worth the overpriced drinks.

That was how Shuhei had been for years, but now, he was something even more, and to his relief, his revenue numbers were ahead of his goal, even with Reiji’s new splits. Within days of his and Kaho’s date going viral, he had a wait list of weeks.

For Kaho, she did her best to obey her father’s order. She and Shuhei only met in quiet, secluded places like far-off ikebana classes, low-lit cafes on the outskirts of major hubs, and wide open parks that dotted the metro.

When she wasn’t with Shuhei, she was continuing her ikebana lessons. The school she’d visited with Shuhei ended up being a perfect fit, far from the attention of hubs like Shinjuku, Ginza, and Asakusa. Even better, it was a Sogetsu school, so the themes and interpretations of arrangement theory and creative freedom remained the same. Kaho found herself attending twice a week.

Bit by bit, the pressures of the new attention faded into normalcy. Every day, she would feel the eyes of strangers on her, and it no longer seemed to be related to her deafness. A new form of othering had taken over, but at least this version would hopefully be temporary. If growing up around politics her whole life had taught Kaho anything, it was that people were often quick to move on. That was what she told herself on the train that day when her own face appeared in her social media timeline.

Kaho stopped scrolling to see the video. To her wonder, one of the girls speaking was signing.

The three young women were currently analyzing Kaho’s outfit from the ‘date’ with Tokyo’s Knight.

“Is this what you need to wear to get your own Shuhei?” asked one of the girls.

“If so, I love it. Look at her. She looks posh and elegant, but she looks comfortable.”

“Agreed! Look at those layers. It feels cozy and functional. And her hair and makeup. Nothing intense. Understated yet intentional. We love this. It shows that just a few core things are all you need.”

Kaho found herself almost smiling.

“I just threw on my usual skirt and a sweater…” she thought to herself.

The Deaf girl began to speak.

“Nozaki Kaho, if you’re out there, you have three fans here. You’re gorgeous. You’re elegant. You have the sexiest man in Tokyo going to cafes with you.”

Then the girl paused and bit her lip. Once more, Kaho felt her eyes burn.

“And I see myself in you. Which I’m sure you know, we don’t get to see that very often. So, thank you, simply for existing as you are. I think you looked absolutely lovely. And of course, Shuhei did as well!” she laughed as she finished signing and wiped her eyes.

A single tear fell onto her screen, and Kaho realized she was crying as well. It was all too much. But in that instant, it felt okay. Myriad new emotions burned through her veins and left her confused yet at peace as she contemplated the notion that sometimes a bit of spotlight was okay.

When she reached her ikebana class, her eyes were red from processing her emotions. The instructor was older and didn’t have a cellphone, but she spoke slowly enough for Kaho to generally be able to read her lips.

“Are. You. Okay?” she asked in a paused cadence.

“Just an afternoon cry,” Kaho typed.

The instructor let out an empathetic chuckle.

“Those. Are. Good. For. You. Sometimes.”

Kaho nodded, then reached into her bag to retrieve her newest container.

Curved green ceramic lines rose from a simple base. High gloss glazing caused the light to glisten on its edges. Kaho smiled as she held it up for approval.

“Oh wow! Beautiful!” the instructor replied.

Memories of Shuhei calling her beautiful that night flickered in her thoughts, causing her to blush and then nod.

“It is. I’m excited,” Kaho replied.

A half-hour train ride away, Shuhei was arriving at Eden to begin preparing for another night. Ace and Tatsuo were already in the dressing room, lying on the couch together. Tatsuo’s large, muscular build threatened to spill over the cushions as he played with Ace’s bangs.

“Good afternoon, you two,” Shuhei said as he entered the room and patted them both on the head.

“Hello, darling,” Ace replied.

Tatsuo held up a fist for Shuhei to bump as he moved to the closet.

“I opened that high-interest savings account like you mentioned!” Tatsuo called out.

“Good! What yield?” Shuhei replied as he removed his t-shirt and looked through his suit jackets.

“Four point two. And only a ten-thousand yen minimum deposit, so it wasn’t bad.”

Ace rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Ugggggh, you two are talking about finance when Shuhei has yet to tell us anything about that absolutely delicious girl from the other night. You two are the talk of the town, yet I know nothing about her. I feel oppressed. Dejected. Distraught. I’m out of vocabulary words.”

Shuhei chuckled.

“You know I’m keeping that close to the chest. That’s how you know it’s sincere. But her name is Nozaki Kaho. We met a few months ago. I didn’t know her father was a high-ranking politician. We’re trying to keep things hidden, even if all of social media and the tabloids want to follow us.”

“I want to see her again. She was radiant,” Tatsuo said as Ace turned over and laid his chin onto Tatsuo’s chest.

“Pleeeeeeease,” Ace added.

Behind them, Airu, the flamboyant blonde host, entered. Only now he was in all black, with a metal band t-shirt cropped to reveal tattoos on his arms.

“Hell yeah, if we’re talking about the Kaho, I want to see her again. And Keiko wants to meet her, of course. She thought you’d never actually be interested in someone.”

Shuhei smirked as he hugged his protege, whose natural demeanor was a far cry from the flitting bird he would soon transform into.

Ace couldn’t help himself.

“So, have you seen them yet?” he asked as he poked Tatsuo’s pecks.

Airu removed his shirt and threw it at Ace.

“Don’t be disrespectful to the lady.”

“I truly adore that you are the boyfriend of a stripper and you care so much about the objectification of women. I truly love that, my dear,” Ace laughed as he stood and returned the shirt to Airu.

Within the closet, Shuhei had finished buttoning his dress shirt and had decided on a smoke gray suit for the evening with brown shoes and a matching watch. He’d only partially been listening to the young hosts’ jokes and inquiries, which was a daily routine for him as the most senior and most successful host in the club.

Their final comrade entered, still in vibrant clothes, but quiet, with one earphone in.

“It’s about consent, dipshit. Strippers can be objectified in their workplace because that’s what they consented to. A random girl walking down the street doesn’t consent to it just because she’s got huge boobs. They are huge by the way,” said the young man.

“Yutaka’s here!” Tatsuo cheered as he flexed his arms.

Yutaka smirked and raised his own arm to tense his biceps for inspection.

“I tried your new circuit. I’m on fire. I hate you. If you all see me dropping bottles tonight, it’s Tatsuo’s fault so he should get expensed for the loss.”

A buzz from his phone pulled Shuhei’s focus back to himself. When he looked down to read, he saw it was Kaho, and an involuntary smile appeared. The younger boys noticed.

“Oh! Ooooohhhh!!! Is it her?!” Tatsuo asked as the four of them rushed to Shuhei.

“Back off, you scavengers,” Shuhei laughed.

“Tell her we miss her and we’re sorry for scaring her,” Ace pleaded.

Shuhei continued to ignore them and opened her message. It was a photo of her new container, with the beginnings of a green arrangement of lilies and tulips.

“Aw, pretty,” Airu said.

“Stop reading my messages!” Shuhei sighed as he kicked them away.

“It’s great. And the new vase is perfect. Great work!” Shuhei typed.

“I miss you,” she replied.

“I miss you, too. Can I see you tonight?” Shuhei asked.

“I’d like that.”

“Want me to meet you after my clients leave? Or is that too late?”

Kaho read and debated. She was already south and would be near Shinjuku on her way back home. Knowing what she knew now, Eden no longer felt as intimidating. As strange as it was, it also offered them a chance at privacy. If there was one place where phones and cameras were forbidden from taking unwanted snapshots, it was there. So a strange idea popped into her head.

“I can come to Eden if your boss isn’t there. I can wait for you to be done. It won’t be weird for me. I can just sit with one of the young boys again. You’ll know I’m safe if that’s the case.”

“OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!” Ace cheered from over Shuhei’s shoulder, which elicited a growling sigh from Shuhei.

“You can sneak me in the back, and no one will know. I won’t be jealous or weird, I promise.”

It was true that Reiji would not be there since it was the middle of the week and a low-priority night. If she only stayed with the four youngest boys, he knew she’d be okay. And he was still on good terms with security and knew he could pay them a little more under the table to guarantee no one bothered her. As much as it terrified him to admit, it wasn’t a bad idea.

“Are you sure? You won’t be uncomfortable? The smells and everything?” he asked.

“I’ll be okay. It’ll only be for a little while, and I know what to expect now. I can come after I eat dinner and go to the bookstore.”

Shuhei inhaled and glanced at the eager boys.

“I hate you all,” he exhaled.

They understood and all let out cheers of excitement.

“Kaho! Kaho! Kaho!” they cheered.

“Yutaka, I want you to meet her at the station and bring her in through the back. I’ll cover the fee for whatever sales you miss, and since I’m asking you to do this, there won’t be a late charge. If Reiji tries to do that to you, just let me know, and I’ll deal with it.”

“Understood,” Yutaka agreed.

“Now you all shut up and get dressed and get in character. You’re hosting someone truly amazing tonight, so I want you to do your best,” Shuhei said as he fixed his tie knot into position.

"Roger!" they shouted in unison as they began to undress and prepare.

“Well, this is going to be… interesting…” Shuhei muttered to himself.