The new PV just came out! And character designs for Tanimoto-san and s.h.i.+momura (who actually makes his debut in this chapter, just not for this part I'm posting.

How should I describe the discomfort of your stomach from a hangover?

Painful. Heavy. It felt like a gloomy demon was possessing you. It seemed unbelievable that it was just naturally inside your body for all this time. You wanted to open the door to your chest, only grab your stomach and lay it out in the sun to dry for a while. Maybe if you took it back when it dried and returned it to its place, the bitter taste and deposits and sick feeling would have been melted by the sun.

On Sat.u.r.day morning, I entered the Ginza store while groaning and was greeted by Richard's dangerous gaze.

“Good morning. How are you in such a state?”

“There was a drinking party with my seminar yesterday…”

“Did you shower after you returned home?”

“…I went straight to bed.”

“I see.”

Richard stood, took out his wallet from his breast pocket, and thrust a thousand-yen bill at me.

“There is a coin shower, laundromat and convenience store in front of s.h.i.+mbas.h.i.+ Station. Please take a shower, wash your clothes, chew some mint gum, and return in fifty minutes.”

“This isn't a host club…”

“I feel a sense of cleanliness is far more important in a jewelry store than in a host club, but how do you think?”

I found no refuge in those blue eyes. There was already no use in saying anything.

“I will treat it as late if fifty minutes are exceeded. On your marks, get set…”

“Okay, okay!”

“Go. Be sure to return the change to me.”

I yelled that I was going and went down the stairs with a great deal of effort. Recently, Richard was harsh on me. Ever since the ruby incident, I felt like he wasn't going easy on me. It wasn't like I started my job because I especially wanted to be treated like a customer, so I was honestly a little relieved, but I felt like he was overdoing it this time.

I thought that, but once I pushed my nose against my shoulder and took a deep breath, my thinking changed. I was the one in the wrong. This was a hundred percent my fault. Was this what they meant by “nose-wrinkling stench”?

I took a shower starting with my face alongside salarymen and the homeless, pulled out my clothes that were spinning around the was.h.i.+ng machine and slipped my limbs through them, meticulously chewed the gum I bought at the convenience store and spat it out into the paper, and then returned to the store. To my surprise, there was a customer.

It was a man.

“Oh, coming to work late like an executive? You'd get sent flying if this was my store, Mr. Employee.”

The man who flippantly greeted me with a “h.e.l.lo” was wearing a wrinkled black suit and a wine-red open-necked s.h.i.+rt. Richard, who was sitting face-to-face to him, checked his watch. It was still forty-eight minutes. I'm safe, I'm still safe, I gestured to him with baseball-style hand signs, and Richard prompted me to serve tea. His tone was polite. I seemed to be safe.

“Eh? No response? Where's the ‘With pleasure'?”

“I have said this many times, but this is a jewelry store.”

“Sorry, it's a habit.”

Speak of the devil and so on. It looked like a real host had come to the store.

The customer winked at me with a “Thanks, man” as I brought royal milk tea with plenty of ice. He had hair with a color gradation from gold to light brown, tanned skin that was a bit rough, and a loud voice. He looked to be in his late twenties. The man introduced himself as Takatsuki Satos.h.i.+. It seemed a bit plain for a professional name, so it was probably his real name.

“Mmm, I want a stone that'll get the customers talking. Women love pretty things. Something reasonable, if possible. I heard about this store. You guys are pretty cheap, right?”

“It is because we enjoy the patronage of many different types of customers.”

“You talk like a true j.a.panese! Does one of your parents have j.a.panese ancestry?”

“That is not the case.”

“You probably get any chick you chat up in this country, right? I think you might have picked the wrong career.”

“Sir, what type of snack would you like with your tea? We have sweet and salty snacks.”

“I love sweets. Do you charge extra?”

“No, it is merely hospitality…”

“That's Ginza for ya! So generous!”

Richard gave a courteous bow and stood from his seat. He was probably going to bring out the goods from the safe in the back. “Quite the looker, ain't he,” Takatsuki-san said in admiration and seeking my agreement, so I forced a smile and evaded the question. When this person was holding it, the cup looked more like a sake gla.s.s. I felt like my heartburn was returning.

Certainly, Richard was the prettiest human I knew, but recently I didn't try to express that even if I thought that. I couldn't endure it if I received that counterattack again. Calling someone “pretty” didn't especially mean “Please go out with me.” Such a precious and important thing was only said to your most important person at the most critical moment. No, but in the first place, I wouldn't tell my angel Tanimoto-san such a forward thing. Or rather, I couldn't.

Wait.

So then, when would I tell her I want to go out with her?

I texted with Tanimoto-san from time to time. The topic was mainly stones—that is to say, only stones. She showed pictures of her favorite specimens and landscapes with pretty unusual stones. Like the strata at Cape Inubo where there was a ma.s.sive number of round holes in the cliffs, or a beach in Ireland where strangely shaped gray rocks were lined up side-by-side. If I never met her, I didn't think I would have ever known places like that existed on Earth. When Tanimoto-san was completely absorbed in the world of stones, she was more pa.s.sionate than “cute”, like a dandy. And her replies were extremely fast.

But at the end of our conversations, I always felt depressed.

After a conversation that went on a bit longer, she would add “Show me your sportscar next time!” to the end. It gradually became something like her signing off message. Even though it was a mistake, having answered with “Got it!” with all my strength, I always answered her with “One of these days” like an idiot.

I was very jealous of our customer, who enjoyed love as a business rather than being toyed with by it. Takatsuki-san grinned broadly at me.

“What's the matter, young man? Love troubles?”

“Wha…are you an esper?”

“There are two kinds of looks when a man looks at a host: ‘Disgusted' and ‘Jealous.' Those who are in love have ‘jealous' faces. I'm right, aren't I?”

“This is embarra.s.sing. Hosts really are incredible.”

“Frankness is also a talent. I think you'd also make a good host.”

“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

Richard placed a black velvet box on the table. It was about the size of an ochugen somen box*, and I named it Uras.h.i.+ma's casket. Similar to a common jewelry box, it was the type of box where the lid was connected to main box at the back, and it looked like a crocodile at the zoo when the lid was open.

(TN: Ochugen is a custom in j.a.pan where people give gifts to each other to show thanks. This usually takes place in July, during midsummer.)

When Uras.h.i.+ma's casket was slowly opened, Takatsuki-san's eyes and mouth widened. Everyone who came to this store had that same reaction.

A procession of jewels on four rows of black cus.h.i.+ons. They were not attached to any metal fixtures, the stones displayed as they were. Red, green, purple and pink. You name it, it was there. The colorful gems were like pre-emptive jabs. Takatsuki-san, with his eyes still wide, laughed for a while, and then sighed deeply.

“I got a bit emotional! I'm sure there are countless people out there who want to be shown gems in this way just for even once in their life. I'm gonna advertise this to all my friends.”

“I am much obliged to you.”

“But what will you do if I was a robber? If I just grabbed and ran?”

“We have security cameras, and my employee here is a black-belt martial artist.”

“Ahahaha, just kidding around. You're pretty level-headed. But these all look expensive.”

It is said that it is for times like these that one would study in j.a.pan, Richard said with a shrewd smile. You're a good businessman, Takatsuki-san laughed, and leaned forward over the box.

“Regardless of which stone you choose, each gemstone hides a rich story. There is no shortage of stories, is there not?”

“Rich stories, huh. But honestly, to me it's just ‘red stone' and ‘yellow stone' and ‘purple stone'.”

“Customers who want something excellent have a wide and cloudless eye for the beautiful. Please take any in your hand and take a look.”

“…I still really feel like you chose the wrong career.”

Richard never let his cool, unruffled face break. Because of that, I was the one who got annoyed instead. Who went to someone else's store and tell them “You chose the wrong career”? Takatsuki-san lightly shrugged and pointed to an adequate stone like he just remembered.

“What's this red stone? It's not a ruby, right?”

“It is a garnet, or zakuro-is.h.i.+. You have a good eye, Takatsuki-sama.”

“Nah, I just saw rubies at another store. Rubies are red, a brighter red, I think. What about this green one?”

“This might surprise you, but that is also a garnet.”

Takatsuki-san pointed at the two stones and asked if they were the same, and Richard nodded.

“Red garnets were very popular in Europe in the nineteenth century, so in j.a.pan it was given the name of zakuro-is.h.i.+,* but the color of garnets is not just limited to red. This green one is called a demantoid garnet, which comes from Russia. The ‘blue garnet' that appears in detective novels is fictional, but garnets exist in just about any color other than blue.”

(TN: Zakuro-is.h.i.+ is the j.a.panese name for garnet. It literally means “pomegranate rock”.)

“…Um, what's the name again?”

“The green stone? Demantoid garnet.”

“No, I mean your name, Mr. Shopkeeper.”

There was a beat. Richard's courteous smile never wavered.

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, I am Richard Ranas.h.i.+nha de Vulpian. Garnet is the birthstone for January, but are you interested in garnets, Takatsuki-sama?”

“Hey Richard-san, I'm serious, have you ever thought about changing careers?”

“Sir, would you like some sweets? We have mizu yokan.”

“Wait, wait, Mr. Employee, read the room. I wanna scout your boss.”

That's why I'm trying to give you a lifeline, I thought, and grimacing so that only Richard could see. The store owner, whose clear smile never broke, closed his eyes and bowed.

“Just like how you have your own calling, Takatsuki-sama, I also have my own chosen path.”

“The world of the night is gorgeous and brilliant. I think if you love gemstones, you'll definitely like it as well. Roppongi's been insane recently. There are mediocre-looking foreign hosts earning millions in a night just by speaking j.a.panese.”

“The brilliance of the human world may last for a century, but this garnet is an ancient thing that took more than a hundred million years to be formed underground. The life of a stone is long-lasting, and it gently nestles up close to the lives of humans.”

“Look! I want a host like this in my club!”

Takatsuki-san looked at me again. I understood what he wanted to say, but this was a total loss of Richard's sales talk. I gave him a bit of a nasty look, and Takatsuki-san opened his mouth to the side and smiled brilliantly at Richard.

“I don't really care about age. You have an ageless face. Doesn't it sound great to run this store while trying out being a host? You'll have some pocket money, and the number of customers who want jewels will increase.”

“I will wholeheartedly devote myself to guide customers who are seeking for stones, but I myself am not a commodity, so I will not be able to comply with your request.”

“Then, should I try to persuade your employee here?”

When the smile slipped off of Richard's face all of sudden, Takatsuki-san, seemingly embarra.s.sed, raised his hands.

“Sorry, sorry. What stone is this purple one? All these all garnets?”

“…This one is an amethyst. It is a quartz, or suishou.”

“Amethyst! Even I know that name! It's pretty.”

“Please feel free to take it in your hand and have a look.”

Don't mind if I do, Takatsuki-san said, then picked up the amethyst with his fingertips. It was about the size of the nail of a little fingernail. It was more than double the size of my pink sapphire.

Richard told him that he could look at the gem from different angles if he placed it between two fingers, and then he demonstrated by closely putting his left hand's index and middle finger together. Takatsuki-san then placed the stone between his fingers. He finally smiled.

“What beautiful pointing. Doesn't the amethyst have some kind of story?”

“That is correct, the amethyst is a stone that has a very old a.s.sociation with humans. If you unravel its history, you will find records that show it had been excavated as grave goods from prehistoric ruins, and that n.o.bles in Ancient Egypt used them as seals. Because it is not as hard as diamond, ruby, and sapphire, it seems that it was useful for important aspects of everyday life. It is the birthstone of February, and said to foster a rich amount of susceptibility and affection in a heart.”

“Where did you learn all these things? Is there a school?”

“I learn everyday. There are many opportunities to come in contact with information such as this for my work, and some of our customers are experts who are more knowledgeable in stones than I. ”

“What an interesting world. I wanna scout you as a host more and more. Now, how expensive is it?”

Five thousand yen, Richard said.*

(TN: Five thousand yen is about 46 dollars USD)

When he said that, Takatsuki-san and I both made strange faces.

“Mmm…? Isn't it one digit off?”

“It is not five hundred yen or fifty thousand yen. The price of goods, not just gemstones, depends on the balance between supply and demand. However, the supply of amethysts is stable, high-quality stones are obtained relatively cheaply. This stone is from Brazil, which is the world leader in the production of these stones, but it was also mined frequently in j.a.pan until several decades ago. The ones from Yamanas.h.i.+ are quite famous.”

Takatsuki-san, looking somewhat disappointed and regretful, said, “That's the place that's famous for grapes, eh.” Richard smiled.

“Beautiful stones being produced in a region which bears jewel-like fruit—that is some sort of strange coincidence.”

“Don't play favorites! Yamanas.h.i.+ isn't the only place with tasty grapes! Well, they are tasty, but…this got off-topic. Continue talking about stones.”

Richard bowed and then, like a talking doll, smoothly continued to talk.

Taxonomically speaking, “quartz” seemed to be like the “corundum” to ruby and sapphire. There were many other varieties such as yellow quartz, smoky quartz, and rose quartz, but they were almost the same stone chemically and they all had the same hardness. There were also many mineral enthusiasts who collected them. Care should be taken when storing them, as their colors would fade if they were exposed to the sun too much. In medieval Europe, they were loved by influential people in the Christian church, so they were prized as stones with spiritual powers. They were also used as pendulums for dowsing in fortune-telling. Et cetera, et cetera.

Richard continued to talk about the world of stones for a long time. If he was told to talk, he would probably be at it all day long. His p.r.o.nunciation, which was so perfect that you would think it could only be a j.a.panese person speaking if you closed your eyes and only listened to his voice, and his voice, which was not too high or low, had a strange gentleness to it that seemed to wrapped you up. However, if I were Takatsuki-san, I would probably tell him to stop in the middle of it, excuse myself and leave the store. It was too much for me. It was like forcing a beast in front of you to do acrobatics in its cage. It was too scary.

Taking the opportunity to refill the tea, I asked Takatsuki-san if he would be finished soon, and when I covertly snuck a peek at his face, but he was absorbed in Richard and didn't even look at me. He was intensely enthusiastic.

“…Are you gonna be out of ammo soon? You can still go?”

“It seems so. Takatsuki-sama, do you know what is the etymology of the name ‘amethyst'?”

“Of course…is what I'd like to say. What language? English?”

“It is Greek. ‘Amethustos'. It is equivalent to ‘not get drunk from wine.'”

In one moment, it felt like the atmosphere in the store changed. Takatsuki-san's turned a little serious. I wonder if Richard also noticed it.

“Oh, really. So it's a gem that prevents drunkenness. Is it like a power stone?”

“It is an ancient legend. Because this stone is a beautiful grape color, I suppose it became a.s.sociated with wine from there on. It is said that the G.o.d Bacchus, who is the patron of wine, will also bestow his divine protection to the owner of this stone.”

“‘Don't get drunk,' ‘Don't get drunk', eh…Oh, I see.”

Takatsuki-san added that last part with a forced, half-hearted tone, as though it was an excuse. I wondered if he was going to buy it. He briefly looked over the other stones, and then, as expected, returned to the amethyst.

“Do I buy it like this? Could I have it processed on a separate charge?”

“Do you mean this amethyst? We will work it into your preferred shape. Ring, tiepin, bracelet, anything else you prefer. The amount of time it will take and the cost estimate will vary depending on your specifications. You can also place an order with a designer to create a design picture.”

“Oh, it's fine, it's fine. I'm sure there's some kind of template order type of thing. I'm fine with that. Which one would be the quickest? Even a necklace or something is fine.”

Some more random thoughts I decided to put here: