Rudi shoved the office door open without knocking. Nozomi sat at the desk, numbers glowing on her screen.
"Nozomi, Hana's a total mess. But the VIP's payin' a hundred thousand yen."
Nozomi looked up, her smile vanishing.
"What do you mean, 'total mess'?"
"Can barely stand. Talkin' nonsense", Rudi scratched his gut. "But the client—"
"No." Her voice was sharp as glass. "Forget it."
"But—"
"Rudi." She pushed herself up, her eyes burning with a dangerous spark. "I was out there myself. I know where the line is. And if a girl can't even stand—"
"He's payin' a hundred—"
"Fuck the money!" Nozomi slammed her hand on the desk. "You want cops storming the whole place?"
Rudi shut his mouth.
"Bring her home. Now."
She stepped closer, placing a hand on his cheek.
"I know the money's tempting. But if Hana collapses, she won't be making us anything anymore"
"Damn it…", he muttered.
Nozomi's fingers slid into his, her voice soft as her touch.
"Baby… it's just one night."
Rudi froze, letting it sink in, then nodded.
"You're right, babe."
He brushed his thumb over her hand once more before heading out.
⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯
Minutes dragged by, Lyra's nerves winding tighter with each. What the hell was going on? Rudi was never the patient type, always the one to push. And now…?
Footsteps echoed down the hall. Rudi returned, irritation written all over his face,, heading straight for them.
"C'mon, bunny." He grabbed Hana's arm. She barely reacted, legs almost folding under her as he tugged her off the wall.
Lyra stared. Where the hell is he taking her?
She grabbed Hana's other wrist.
"Wait– what are you doing?"
In that moment, Hana slowly lifted her head. Her eyes struggled to focus, her mouth opening with effort. "Ly… ly…" The words came stuttered, broken. "In the park… wanted to say…"
A hiccup cut her off.
Then, barely a whisper:
"…Satsu never wanted… us to end up like this."
For a heartbeat, time froze. The red in Lyra's iris shrank.
Her mouth stayed open.
Rudi jerked Hana's arm sharply. "You two gone fuckin' stupid or what?", he growled, his voice a deep rumble that shook through Hana into Lyra.But Lyra didn't let go. She stood there, stiff as stone. Her once shaky hands locked like cuffs around Hana's wrist.
Rudi snapped. He released Hana and pulled back his right hand, ready to slap Lyra back into reality.
Lyra's body moved on instinct.
She spun with Hana in a half-turn, like a twisted dance, and Rudi's slap hit nothing but air.
No pause, no triumph. Just momentum. She broke off Hana, shifted her weight, and swung her right leg up.
Her heel brutally crunched his balls.
Rudi's scream tore the hallway apart, pain tearing through his throat and making his beady eyes tremble.
"YOU FUCKIN' LITTLE BITCH!!", he snarled through a whine, rolling and twisting on the sticky floor, his expensive leather jacket getting smeared in it.
His scream snapped Lyra back to reality. Her pupils widened.
And she saw what she'd done.
The chaos she'd just dropped herself and Hana into.
What am I doing?
But none of that mattered. Not right now.
There was only one important thing right now.
Run.
She grabbed for Hana's wrist again, she was standing exactly as Lyra had left her. Hana hadn't noticed a thing Lyra just did.
Better that way, Lyra thought.
She sucked in a breath, like she might hold it forever. Then moved.
"Come on!", she barked.
Hana mumbled nonsense in return. Almost sounded like agreement.
"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, YOU FUCKIN' WHORES!!" Rudi's curses trailed after the sound of their heels in the corridor, like a poisoned echo.
Lyra pushed the steel door open.
Outside, the light hit her hard. After the dark hallway, it was so bright she had to squint.
She coughed, too. A sharp smell of smoke hung in the air.
By the back entrance, Serena leaned against the wall. One of the Bunnygirls, nowadays getting paid more to work security than to fuck clients.
"Well, well… if it isn't the club's flagship bunnies."
She had a cigarette in one hand and used the other to sweep her blonde hair aside, sizing them up with those mismatched eyes. One blue, one red, like a damn 3D glasses set.
Another puff of smoke right into Lyra's face.
"Looks like I just saw something I shouldn't have." Her tone was easy. Her stare was sharp as the smoke. "What are you two up to?"
"You bitc—"
Lyra coughed again. No time for insults. Nor for explanations.
"You didn't see us."
Her red eyes locked onto Serena's, almost drilling through.
"Got it?"
Serena crushed the cigarette against the wall, unfazed. A soft crackle, followed by a soft laugh. She trailed one finger down Lyra's cheek.
"Oh… I didn't?", her grin stretched wider than Lyra liked.
No time to play.
Just as fast as she'd kicked Rudi in the balls, she grabbed Serena's arm, closing in on her. Her grip was so tight the joint cracked."No idea what YOU saw. But WE don't have time for your bullshit mind games."
Her voice was calm, yet every word from Lyra seemed to crawl right under Serena's skin. With her other hand, Lyra rummaged through her purse.
With Lyra's grip gone, Hana slowly tipped backward, caught by the wall as her body sagged into itself.
Lyra's gaze was still locked on Serena's when she finally pulled a 10.000 yen bill from her purse, shoving it roughly under Serena's blazer, the one she always wore over her bunny suit.
"You. Didn't. See. Us.", Lyra repeated.
"Hey, hey, hey! It's fine!", Serena raised her hands like Lyra had a gun on her.
"Easy, kitty… no need to show the claws just yet."
Her words stayed playful, but the bead of sweat on her cheek betrayed her. "I didn't see a thing."
"Good." Lyra let her go and grabbed Hana again.
"Mmh..?", Hana groaned as Lyra hauled her off the wall.
"No time. Move."
With one last, piercing look at Serena, Lyra pushed past her, dragging Hana along, who stumbled after her in a wavering step.
Once they were gone, Serena slumped back against the wall. This time, her laugh wasn't playful or fake.
"Cute."
She pulled the bills out, pocketed them, fished out her cigarettes, just to lit another one. Just as the click of the lighter sparked the glow, the metal door swung open again. This time, it wasn't sweet Bunnygirls stepping through, but a broad figure built more like a mountain than a man.
Manji Nakamura — better known as Manni.
One of Rudi's muscle.
His sunken eyes locked on Serena.
"Two chicks just walk outta here?"
Serena took a long drag, like she had to think about it. Then shrugged. "Nope. Not that I noticed."
"Okay…", Manni grumbled, staring at her a little too long.
"What? Something on my face?", Serena tilted her head.
"Uh… nah." The heavy rumble of his voice followed the door slamming shut again.
Was there some blush in the big guy's cheeks? Serena paused for a moment, then blew the question away with a shrug. The smoke drifted off, fading into the warm evening sun.
"Must've been my imagination…"
When Lyra dragged Hana and herself out of the filthy alleys of the red-light district, she didn't stop. They had to keep moving.
Further away. She didn't know where, just away.
The streets of Osaka were already sinking into the shadows of the tall buildings. Only a few fleeting, dreamy rays of sunlight still clung to the outer walls. They'd already left a bunch of apartment blocks behind. Rudi couldn't reach them for now.
Lyra paused by a dumpster and gave Hana a quick once-over. That's when she noticed Hana had lost one of her heels. Probably somewhere on the stairs by the back exit. Seeing her limp gave Lyra an idea.
She pulled the remaining shoe off Hana's foot. It had been crushing her toes into a shape they were never meant for anyway. Then she slipped off her own pair and tossed all of them straight into the trash.
The sharp gravel bit into her bare feet, pain shooting through her with every step. But it felt good, like the sting was the first real feeling in forever.
Lyra took a deep breath, then glanced at Hana again.
What if she doesn't even want this?
She'd been running from that thought the whole time, now it had caught up. Lyra searched Hana's face for an answer but only found another worry.
Hana had gone pale. Chalk-white.
Not this too…
It wasn't hard to guess what that meant. Nausea. Any second, Hana would vomit out the cocktail of booze she'd drowned herself in.
Lyra's apartment was just one street away. She knew what had to be done, even if she hated it.
She rushed Hana to the building, digging frantically through her purse at the front door. The keys were buried somewhere between her wallet and an empty blister. She missed the lock three times before it finally clicked.
Slowly, she pushed the door open, poking her head in first, listening.
Nothing. Just the low drone of the air vent.
The sweat on her face had turned cold. Step by step, like walking on eggshells, she pulled Hana inside with her. Hana was concerningly quiet now.
Don't you dare, Hana… don't you dare.
The stairwell floor was as cold as the metal railing she clung to while hauling herself and Hana upward.
Every single step felt like a fight.
Five floors.
Thinking about running into someone in these outfits made it feel like climbing Everest. But maybe the morning run-in with Mrs. Ishimori had bought her some cosmic karma. Because they made it.
Finally, in front of Lyra's door.
She fumbled the keys again, got it open, and tugged Hana inside. The door clicked shut behind them, and Lyra let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Home. Finally."
She propped Hana against the wall and leaned herself against the door. The grooves in the cheap faux-wood steadied her a little. She sank halfway down before forcing herself to look at Hana again.
Still slumped. Still quiet. But in the wrong way. Her hip jutted away, her head hanging low, her eyes almost slipping into a dazed cross.
Not good. Not good at all.
Lyra grabbed Hana's hand. The cold fingers nearly made her flinch. She hauled her into the bathroom, straight to the toilet.
"On your knees! Like you're used to with the guys. Go!" The words came out too flat to actually sound sarcastic, but they worked.
Hana sank to the rug in front of the bowl, propping herself weakly on her forearms over the seat.
"Good girl. Now get it out."
Lyra knelt beside her, patting her back with the flat of her hand, more rough than gentle.
A last hiccup tore through Hana's body.
Then it all came out.
She gagged. Her whole frame convulsed.
Lyra jerked her head away. "Ugh, what the fuck!"
The stench hit instantly, burning her eyes.
"Jesus, that's assault", she groaned, clamping a hand over her mouth and nose while thumping Hana's back with the other. "Come on… all of it. Get it out."
It took a while. Hana retched again and again, while Lyra tried to breathe shallowly through her mouth, fighting not to puke herself. Between bouts, she handed Hana water.
Glass after glass.
By the fifth one, a sound of relief finally slipped from Hana's throat.
"Thank God…" Lyra muttered, drained.
No reaction. Hana's head hung heavy over the toilet, eyes half shut.
They ended up sliding down to the bathroom wall, just sitting there. Hana somewhere between numb and gone, Lyra letting herself rest, closing her eyes for a second.
Not to think. Not yet. That could wait till tomorrow.
Tomorrow she'd have to explain what happened at the club.
Tomorrow she'd have to explain how she'd put both their jobs on the line.
And tomorrow she'd have to face the worst part. Something she couldn't even explain to herself.
Why she did it.
A glance at the little digital clock on the sink: 10:04 PM. Her VIP session with the client would've been ending right about now. A weak smile crept onto her face as she looked at Hana, already dozing off. Probably still better than having the customer…
The thought calmed her.
Some time later, she stood up, gently pulled Hana up with her. Hana stumbled along half-asleep. Lyra switched off the bathroom light, only the hall lamp lit the apartment now.
Hana's hand still rested weakly in hers, but warmer than before. You idiot, Lyra thought, but smiled.
Her gaze dropped. The warm hallway light made the latex bunny suit look different. Still wrong. Still tied to the job. But not quite as filthy as it did under neon.
Whatever. She pushed the thought away.
You'll have to sleep in it.
Lyra nudged Hana onto the left side of the bed, then slipped back into the bathroom. When she returned in her black pajamas, Hana had already cocooned herself in the whole blanket.
"I didn't save your fat ass just for you to hog the whole damn thing…" Lyra muttered. But Hana was already sleeping.
With a groan, Lyra crawled in beside her, yanked some of the blanket back, and turned off the light.
Darkness. Silence. Peace.
For now.
A last whisper, meant for no one.
"Good night."
And then she fell asleep too.