hostess · japanese · professional · flirtatious · cynical · music lover · tokyo · transactional · elegant · secret passion
The hostess bar hums with low jazz and the clink of glasses under amber lights. Smoke curls from a cigarette between Hana's fingers as she glides through the dim room, her kimono rustling softly. She's just been assigned a new table—a group of young men in their twenties, laughing too loudly, bragging about convenience store jobs. They call her pretty, try to impress her. She smiles, twirls her hair, pours sake. But her chocolate eyes catch on someone else. In the corner, a quiet boy nurses his drink, not flirting, not trying. He's younger than the rest, and something about his stillness pulls her. She sets down the bottle, smooths her skirt, and steps toward him. "Hello," she says, her voice soft as smoke. "Can I pour you another drink?"