Surprise!! A new fic!! Shocked? *Hee hee* This fic is kinda outta there so I hope it sits well. Tell me what you think after reading. Can you guess who the 2 unusually named characters and the host are? Oh and I apologize to JFC for leaving his name out in the "Guardian Angel" update
Special mention goes to Sukoshi for being such a sweet person and nominating my fic for this month. This is also a belated birthday prezzie for KonaKaga
Glass SlipperChapter 1: C/C Cinderella Concoction“That will be 5400 yen please.”
From the rearview mirror, the cab driver discreetly eyed the three young females huddled closely in the back seat. They had given him strict instructions to send them to Tokyo’s Kabukicho district as soon as they got into the vehicle. While the area was hardly the place for innocent girls like them to be hanging around at, he chose to remain silent as his role as a driver didn’t allow him the liberty of questioning the actions of his customers. He could only pray in his heart that these ladies knew what they were getting themselves into by venturing to an area also known by its other, more infamous tag - the “sex district” of town.
”What are we doing here?”
One of the three women asked in a rather frightened manner, her voice quivering as she noticed the groups of shady looking men wandering about. A passing group of middle-aged men walked passed the girls and unashamedly studied them from head to toe, no doubt undressing the attractive girls in their minds. A place where few good men roam but sleazebags abound was no place Eri wanted to be in and her rigid thinking wasn’t led by her own morals alone. If her traditional cum authoritarian family discovered she wasn’t hard at work studying in the university library, she would surely be punished severely and grounded for a month or more.
“De-stressing.”
The shortest of the lot said with an easy smile.
“If I study anymore my brain’s gonna explode!”
She made short and swift actions of moving her hands away from her head to illustrate how bits of her gray matter would fly if her brain were to really explode.
“We could go shopping or catch a movie or, or, something somewhere. But not here!”
“There’s nothing wrong with trying out new things once in a while. Besides, Reina’s paying.”
Pulling on her BFF’s wrist, Sayumi led the way into one of the buildings in the vicinity where a recent mushrooming of clubs had occurred.
-----
"Wait, WAIT!"
The elevator doors slid open noiselessly and Eri saw at once down the hallway, the brightly lit doorway of what she presumed was the club her friends were taking her to. Clamping their hands onto their victim’s arms, the duo ushered the kicking and screaming girl towards the glittering entrance like a pair of unyielding bodyguards.
"Let's
not do this."
Her desperate plea fell on deaf ears as her strikingly stunning companions didn’t falter in their long strides ahead. They were determined to break their friend out of her usual comfort zone. After all, when the most daring thing she has done in all her twenty years of age is to catch a midnight movie, desperate measures must be carried out.
"You need a little excitement in your life. I promise you'll be thanking us for bringing you here before the night is over."
The girl with the long black hair guaranteed confidently as her big round eyes shined with dazzling radiance. This was going to be an experience for her as much as it was for her timid friend.
"Yeah, it'll be fun. Come on, the host is right ahead."
-----
"I think this is a mistake. We could get into
real trouble."
Looking around the darkened surroundings warily, the unwilling party of the group crossed her arms across her chest and clasped both hands on her limbs as if to protect herself from an invisible force.
"The only trouble we might get into is if Reina’s dad found out we were patronizing a place other than one of those her family owns."
Pointing at the young woman currently lounging directly opposite on the cushy orange couch made to resemble a pumpkin carriage, Sayumi leaned back and sank her slender frame further into the soft cushions.
“I’ll just tell daddy I was checking out the competition.”
With an impish smile, Reina picked up the leather bound book sitting on the low table. The gold wordings glistened rhythmically with every change of the club’s flashing lights.
"Getting into an upright position when she saw Reina pouring assiduously over the menu, the dark-haired maiden asked in a low voice.
“Any good?”
Passing over the menu above the table to Sayumi’s outstretched hands, the petite girl sitting nearest to the entry of the cozy booth replied.
“Hmmmm, yummy.”
"Are you two done with that yet? I'm feeling a little hungry. I guess I could do with some food."
"Food?"
The disbelief was followed closely by the uninhibited shrieks of laughter that both girls emitted.
"Oh my god, Eri! I knew you were innocent but this, THIS is too much!"
Reina clutched at her stomach and bent over until her head was almost buried in those knobby knees of hers.
"Huh?"
Blinking at Reina, Eri didn’t understand what she had meant. What was so innocent about asking for food? This place did serve food right? What else was a menu for?
"Eririn, the menu, is for picking out who you want to accompany you for the night. For example, if you happened to take a fancy to the host who showed us in, you could pick him. He was rather cute. That Chinese accent was kinda sexy."
"Accompany me? Why would I want to be accompanied? Wait…don’t tell me, this is what I think it is?!"
The shock was too large for the protected homebody. She has never ventured into night spots or veered far from her usual routine of school, home and the occasional shopping trip.
"Bingo! This is a host club. Host clubs have been around for more than four decades, the first one reportedly opened in Tokyo in 1966."
Reina raised a finger to her chin as she recalled the correct known year of establishment for the culture that has spawn the appearance of numerous host clubs. However the rare show of knowledge by the dimmest bulb of the trio failed to impress Eri.
"A host club?"
Putting one hand on her forehead, Eri tried hard to make heads of what was going on. By now she had gotten a fairly good idea. She was just conned into coming to a host club, first formed in 1966, yeah she remembered what Reina had said, on a night where she should be studying fervently for a big test.
Clapping her hands enthusiastically as if to show off her smartness at getting the date for the male version of the Geisha correct, Reina calmed down soon after and patted Eri reassuringly on the leg.
"Don’t worry so much. We're here to enjoy ourselves so forget about everything else."
-----
With both hands stuck into his trousers pockets, one of the chosen princes leaned back against the shelf displaying endless rows of foreign liquor and waited as he watched the two other princes get ready the drinks which were to be served to the newest customers of the club.
“What are you getting her, Taka?”
“From my observation, she’s a feisty one. She could probably hold down some hard liquor. But where’s the fun in getting her smashed too quickly? I’ll start her off with red wine.”
Pulling open the wine fridge located below the preparation area. The prince with rather short hair and dressed in a dark jacket over a crisp white shirt replied, the silver tie dangling lazily from his neck.
“Champagne for me. She seems like a bubbly one.”
Rolling his eyes at the bad joke, the one with longish brown hair pulled into a low pony-tail pushed himself up from his half leaning position and grabbed a chilled cocktail glass off the rack. Swiftly mixing together lemon, orange and pineapple juices with ginger ale and finishing with a dash of grenadine, he garnished the elegant looking mock tail, aptly named Cinderella with pineapple and orange slices.
“You’re serving her non-alcoholic?”
Taka asked surprised at his buddy’s choice of beverage. It was one of the cheapest drinks on the drinks list and not nearly overpriced enough to land them a significant cut in commission for helping the club sell heavily marked-up alcohol to its clients.
“Yeah. That’s not gonna get you much earnings.”
The youngest of the three guys remarked. Named Prince Kuu, his nickname was derived from a play of his real name. The most childish yet tallest of the three, he hardly listened to others talk as it was mostly all about him.
“I don’t want her to get a hangover the next day. I can tell she’s a newbie.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Prince Taka slung an arm over his pal’s shoulder.
“Always looking out for the customers at your own expense. No wonder you and your sis lead such hard lives.”
-----
[Eri’s Point of View]
“Good evening ladies!"
We looked up to see three guys clad in sharp looking suits staring back at us, each of them holding a different drink in their hands. Even in the dim lighting, I could tell the princes were handsome. I would have even started smiling foolishly if not for the fact that all this was too much to take at one time. This was my first experience of visiting a club and now, not only have I done it without even knowing, I got myself a guy booked for the night.
I think I'm getting a headache. "Which of you lovely ladies called for me? The most fashionable of them asked with a seductive wink. He wore his tinted hair in a messy cut and flipped his silver tie between his fingers.
"I'm Prince Taka."
"Ooh me, me!"
Reina shot her hand up into the air immediately and beamed so wide she reminded me of a little girl who had just received her favorite candy bar. Scooting over to the middle of the couch where I sat, she squashed me slightly as she made space for the new arrival.
"And I'm Prince Kuu, also known as cool."
The joke was unbelievably lame but it managed to induce tickled giggles from Sayumi who patted the empty space next to her lap twice.
"I did, Mr. Cool."
Staring at my friends with my mouth agape, I wanted to disappear from the place or dig a six-foot deep hole and throw myself face first into it. Were these the same two people who have always claimed how popular they were with boys? Then why are they flirting so outrageously here?
The last of them came to sit down beside me and handed me the tall glass in his hand. The colors of the beverage swirled brilliantly and I gazed fascinated until his voice broke me out of my reverie.
“First time here?”
The low and husky voice sounded somewhat sexy, nevertheless I refused to fall into the trap so blatantly laid out by my supposed friends.
“I don’t have to answer your question. And, I wasn’t the one who chose you.”
I thought it was an excellent rebuttal on my part and I even acted a little standoffish to accompany my speech. Apparently he saw through my act straight away.
“Yep, first time here alright.”
He leaned forward and rested both elbows on his knees. His fringe fell in a hypnotizing motion and covered one of his eyes. Nodding to no one in particular, he subsequently turned to smile amusedly at me.
“Prince Gaki at your service, whether you were the one who chose me or not.”
Topic: More Than One Story...[111016 Loving You Forever] (Read 236724 times)