8:32 PM – Backstage
The room still smelled like makeup, sweat, and that one cheap perfume that had sunk into every inch of the furniture. Lyra sat on the padded bench in front of the mirror, tapping her fingernails against the wood. Her outfit was almost ready, just the bunny ears missing.
The music from the club was nothing but a dull throb bleeding through the door.
Hana wasn't there.
Lyra had shown up early. Maybe hoping to catch her first. Maybe thinking she could get a few words out before the noise started up again. Before the makeup swallowed the last traces of their faces.
But Hana kept her waiting.
Lyra glanced up at the clock above the door. 8:33.
Way too late to just be "late."
She bit the inside of her cheek. Stupid habit, never really gone.
Hana, where the hell are you?
Her eyes kept darting to the door. No one. Then back down to her lap.
That one sentence was still stuck in her head.
"Satsu would have…"
The one Hana had tried to say in the park.
The one Lyra hadn't let her finish.
She'd strangled it in her throat.
And Hana along with it.
I'll apologize. Tonight.
Lyra stared into the mirror. Her reflection looked determined. The girl staring back didn't. No makeup could hide that.
The door fell open rather than being opened.
Hana clung to the frame, her whole weight hanging there. Her legs trembled like they were seconds from giving out. The makeup wasn't just smudged. It had melted. Black mascara streamed down her puffy cheeks. The tights were ripped at both knees. Her hair stuck to her forehead in sweaty strands.
Her eyes stared straight ahead but weren't really seeing anything. Her pupils responded sluggishly to the harsh neon glare.. Her lips moved with effort, mumbling out broken syllables.
"L… ly…" The word snapped in half.
The stench of alcohol was gross. Not just one kind, but a biting mix of spirits that seemed to ooze from her pores. Blending with the stale tang of cold sweat.
"Hana…?", Lyra's breath caught.
Hana slowly slid down the doorframe. Her legs wouldn't hold here anymore. She crashed to her knees, one hand groping for anything to hold on to.
But before Lyra could even move, Rudi was there.
Out of nowhere. Like always.
"Well lookit here, my sweet little bunny."
His voice was sugar, his grip iron. He clamped onto Hana's arm and yanked her up.
"Your VIP's already waitin', bunny. Asked for you by name. So pull yourself together."
Hana lagged behind, like her brain was on delay. A weak nod. A slurred mutter.
"Y… yes… b-boss…" The words came out chopped up, like she had to dig up every single letter one by one.
"I… I'm… here…"
She tried to stand on her own, but her knees buckled instantly. Only Rudi's grip kept her from falling again.
"Rudi, stop", Lyra cut in, stepping toward them.
"She can't work like this."
Rudi turned halfway to her but didn't let go of Hana.
"She's awake and movin'. That's all the customers pay for."
"She's drunk."
Lyra's voice sharpened.
"So what is new?", Rudi shrugged.
Hana staggered a few steps, her free hand reaching into empty air. A choking sound rattled out of her throat.
"Not like that", Lyra hissed, biting her cheek again. "Are you stupid? She's gonna collapse."
"I'll handle it", Lyra blurted out. "I'll take the customer, or explain it to him. But she can't work."
Rudi's eyes narrowed, then he frowned.
"You got any idea how much he's payin'? He wants Hana. Nobody else."
Lyra took another step closer.
"If you shove her in there like this, she'll probably puke in his lap. You really wanna risk that?"
Rudi's face stayed stone cold as he answered:
"Then he'll just take her from behind."
He shoved Lyra aside.
Her cheeks burned. Fear, shame, maybe both. Each heartbeat pounded hot up her throat, feeding the fire of guilt and the desperate scramble for some way out.
Then, a thought. Instantly thrown out loud.
"Fine. Then I'll go with her. Pretty sure he won't complain about an extra bunny.
Rudi paused, then shook his head.
"You got your own clients, girl. Forget it."
"And what if I satisfy mine first? Then I could come over and…", she gagged a little on the words, "…help out? At least the tip would make up for babysitting her.."
"Didn't nobody ask you for that", Rudi shot back.
Still, he hesitated.
He'd smelled money.
One could almost hear the rusty gears grinding in his skull. His nostrils flared as he stared down at his golden Rolex, like he was squinting at some fine print.
"Your next client's at ten."
He shrugged, knocking Hana's head on his shoulder forward against her jaw.
"Ow…", her sound was barely more than a groan, but Rudi ignored it and kept his eyes on Lyra.
"If you're done faster, I don't care."
Lyra exhaled and lowered her gaze. Relief flickered but then got chased off by the sight of Rudi's yellow toenails poking through his worn down leather sandals.
"Careful, princess. I'll ask the client afterwards how he liked it." His voice dropped lower, rougher. A tone she didn't hear from him very often.
"If he didn't, you'll fuck him two more rounds. Did I make myself clear?" His outstretched sausage finger cast a threatening shadow across her face.
"And don't think you're getting a cent more than the tip."
One last hard stare, then he let Hana go and left the room.
⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯
Five minutes earlier.
Asaki walked down the narrow alley toward the club, clutching the small gift box in her hands. "Happy Sugar Life". She'd wrapped the manga carefully in tissue paper.
Tonight, she would finally do it. Give Hana the gift and tell her the truth. Who she really was. The gray little girl from the clinic, the one Hana had saved every single day. With every word, every smile, every tiny spark of hope.
She rounded the corner to the back entrance. And froze.
There was Hana. Leaning against the wall by the door, one hand pressed to the bricks, head hanging forward. Her whole body swayed. Even from a distance Asaki could see how hard she was struggling to stay upright.
No… no, please.
Asaki ducked behind a parked delivery van, watching as Hana pushed off the wall. She barely managed two steps before collapsing again, her hand clawing for something to hold onto. Her legs buckled again and again. When she reached the door, her trembling fingers kept sliding off the handle. It took a few attempts before she finally managed to drag herself into the building.
That wasn't the strong, sparkling Hana from the clinic. Not even the tired but fighting Hana Asaki saw here every day.
This was someone who had given up.
Asaki followed at a safe distance through the back entrance, clutching the gift tight. The hallway to the dressing rooms was dim. Perfect for staying unseen.
She reached the doorway just as Rudi's voice cut through the room. From the crack in the door, she saw everything: Hana collapsing. Rudi treating her like meat. Lyra for once showing something human, even if she usually was all ice.
But why did it have to be her? Why did Lyra get to hold Hana, to steady her, as if she had the right? The same girl who tortured Hana every day.
Asaki's breath caught. She had never wanted to see Hana like this. Not the person who once gave her hope. The one who helped everyone who needed her.
Not you, Asaki thought, tears sliding down her carefully made-up cheeks. Not the person I love. You don't deserve any of this.
She stepped back, into the shadows of the hallway. Her manicured nails dug into the giftwrap.
Back then I was weak. Useless. But now…
She thought of the months of hard work. The money she'd poured in. The connections she'd built. All for Hana.
Now I'm strong enough for both of us.
Hold on, Hana.I'll give everything. I'll knock Lyra off her vain throne.
And then… when I'm at your side… I'll save you.
Just like you once saved me.
Clutching the manga to her chest, she slipped back into the dark.
⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯
Now.
Hana swayed in Lyra's arms, her legs giving out.
"What… what the hell's gotten into you?!", Lyra barked.
Hana's head lolled sideways. Her lips moved, but only gibberish slipped out. Her booze-soaked breath, hitting Lyra like a slap.".
She twisted her face in disgust.. "You're just…" Lyra stopped short. "Fucking gross" almost slipped out but jammed in her throat.
She lowered Hana onto the bench and dragged a shaky hand through her own hair.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
Lyra had to help her into the bunny outfit, because Hana sure as hell couldn't do it herself. Like some nursing home caretaker. Humiliating. But no time for pride now. Her thoughts spun in messy fragments, none of them clicking into a plan.
She knew her next client. Too well.
He loved inching closer, savoring every second of having full control over her body. And he hated it when she tried to take charge herself. What most guys were into seemed to turn this one off. And of all nights, he had to book her tonight. Tonight, when she needed it over with fast.
How am I supposed to pull this off?!
How? How? How?
Her thoughts jammed, same as the damn zipper on Hana's bunny suit. Lyra cursed, yanking hard to get it shut.
Meanwhile Hana mumbled nonsense.
"Girls!"
Rudi's voice tore through her tangled thoughts. He wasn't even at the door yet, but Lyra knew she sure as hell couldn't let it get that far.
Not tonight.
"On our waaaay! ~", she chirped, forcing a sugar-sweet tone while sliding the headband onto Hana's head. No reaction. Hana's eyes just stared into nothing.
Lyra hauled her up onto shaky legs and had to hold her up right away. Hana barely helped keeping herself from collapsing, leaning heavily against Lyra's shoulder.
Lyra's eyes dropped to Hana's tits. "At least he'll have something to stare at while you drool all over yourself."
Instead of an answer, a hiccup came, sending a twitch through Lyra's body. She bit back another curse. Not like it would help anyway.
"Okay, listen to me", she hissed in Hana's ear.
Hana's head lolled sideways, smiling in some warped version of her profile picture.
Lyra ignored it, sharp voice cutting on.
"You're just gonna try and get through it, alright? Just close your eyes and let him do his thing. So you don't puke the second you see him."
Hanas vacant smile barely twitched. Lyra kept talking. More words meant more chances some of it would sink in.
"I'll hurry and get him off quick. No problem." She tried to sound confident, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her."Then I'll come over and save your ass. Literally…"
She should've ended with an "okay?", but what was the point?
With her dead weight slung over one shoulder, Lyra moved. Her heels peeled off the sticky floor. She snatched the bunny ears from the table. Crumpled, but whatever. No time left for a final glance in the mirror.
Didn't matter tonight.
She didn't have to win.
But still, she had to give her everything.
Even if she didn't fully understand it herself.
Lyra stepped over the threshold of the dressing room with Hana, straight into the hall lined with VIP lounges. A portal to a dimension of booze, sweat, and choking perfume, lit by buzzing neon and walls stained with countless human stains.
At least we got some time until the cage dance, she told herself.
Before the performance, both girls had two VIP booking. By then, Hana needed to be either sober, which was very unlikely, or at least sent home. But Lyra knew Rudi had no mercy when it came to shows and clients. You should've just stayed home, idiot…
Lyra's heels clicked through the grimy corridor, softer than usual. Hana's shuffled beside her.
Two VIP doors stood open.
The noises spilled out hungry grunts, slick wet sounds.
Through it all came the faint rattle of Rudi's gold chain, in rhythm with his impatient foot tapping. Arms crossed, he stood by the last door, eyes already locked on them.
Lyra glanced at Hana one last time. Her head sagged weak on Lyra's shoulder, still mumbling broken words.
Yeah, she knew about Hana's drinking. But this? This was different. In a second, she'd have to leave Hana alone and just hope she survived.
But what if she didn't?
What if she passed out?
What if the guy did whatever the hell he wanted?
Photos?
Videos?
What if he—
"Yo, sugar tits!" Rudi's voice cut the worst case thought in half.
"Your room's up front. Now dump her already."
"Of course…", she obeyed.
She propped Hana against the wall. Hana's head hung sideways, eyes blank. Even Rudi noticed when he gave her a quick once-over. Nozomi's words from back then flashed through his mind.
He spun around. "Be right back. Watch her", he growled, vanishing into the dark hallway.
Lyra was left staring, confused, with Hana slumped beside her. What the hell was that? Why was he suddenly leaving her here?
She looked down at Hana, slumped against the wall and struggling for breath. Her eyes were shut, yet her whole body kept shaking.