The Seven Deadly Sins IV

Koji Shiina was somewhat troubled. Five million yen was indeed a significant sum, but it was still far from enough.

A single young person in Tokyo spent about 120,000 yen a month, and a starting salary was around 200,000 yen. On the surface, it seemed that life was secure and everything transitioned smoothly toward the future. But the moment one thought of marriage and children, housing became an issue every responsible man had to consider, and the average price per square meter in Tokyo was 516,000 yen.

Five million yen could only stave off immediate worries. After sending two million yen to his grandmother, he found a job as a supermarket clerk.

Dealing with customers every day, watching people pour goods from their baskets before him, Koji Shiina resigned after just a week. He couldn't stand living like that any longer. His young heart feared a job where he could already see himself, twenty years down the line, still repeating the same thing.

When the phone rang, Chihane Igarashi waited in silence for a moment, answering only at the final ring before the automatic disconnect.

“I need a job.”

“My pleasure.”

When Koji Shiina appeared before Chihane Igarashi, their eyes met and both instantly understood what would follow.

Chihane Igarashi couldn’t even be bothered to make up an excuse. “I need you to go to a host club for me.”

The first time Yua Hoshino met Naoto Shintani was in no memorable place. For these professional women, romance seemed too distant. They yearned for sweet love but hesitated, unwilling to simply become housewives.

So the host club became their favorite haunt, a place to fulfill all their fantasies.

It was Yua Hoshino’s first time in such a place. Had her colleagues not gotten drunk and dragged her along, she might have always remained curious but distant.

Gentle music, handsome young men, an air thick with alcohol—that was the first time Yua Hoshino had ever been so close to a man.

Since childhood, she had always been “someone else’s child” in her parents’ eyes, studying hard, even the flutterings of youthful infatuation passing her by. Her looks were unremarkable, and in her brief twenty-three years, she had only received a single love letter in junior high.

Facing her was Naoto Shintani, who, thanks to his exceptional looks, had always been the talk of girls after class. One beautiful girlfriend followed another, but the more women he knew, the lonelier he felt. His beautiful shell masked a shallow soul.

So he dropped out of college and came to Tokyo, working at this host club under the pseudonym “Mountain Wind.”

Legend said Mountain Wind was a creature living deep in the mountains, covered in quills like a porcupine. In winter, when they huddled for warmth, they would wound each other with their spines; when they separated, the cold would drive them back together, repeating the cycle of hurting and departing.

He immediately spotted Yua Hoshino sitting alone. He had seen so many women like her. No one knows exactly when it happens, but one day they cease to be carefree girls. Young as they are, they suddenly face monstrous pressures—work, family, career—and compared to what came before, anxiety inevitably surges. To relieve stress they cannot express, they spend lavishly; these glamorous urban women are walking embodiments of Fukuzawa Yukichi in host and pachinko parlors.

Yua Hoshino, who had never been pursued by a man, was no match for Naoto Shintani. After only a few exchanges, he had her ordering several bottles of wine worth a month’s salary.

“Miss Hoshino, is this your first time here?” Naoto Shintani was curious. Usually, aside from older regulars, few women were so easily swept up by a stranger’s sweet talk.

“Yes—oh, no.” Caught off guard, Yua Hoshino regretted ordering such expensive wine and tried desperately to hide her lack of dating experience. She didn’t want him to look down on her—at twenty-three, never having been in a relationship, anyone would think her lacking in charm.

Naoto Shintani’s curiosity grew. It was his first time entertaining a woman with no romantic experience; host clubs usually catered to women nursing heartbreak or midlife emptiness.

He had seen office ladies, faces streaked with tears, drinking as if every man were an ex-boyfriend. He had seen women, no amount of skincare able to resist time’s marks, collapse in his arms, sobbing about husbands taking mistresses young enough to be their daughters. He’d seen women spend their last bank balance in wild revelry, eyes misty as they confessed they’d soon marry a man they’d never loved.

He kept to the code, never intervening in their lives, treating every customer equally.

Naoto Shintani watched the girl before him, trying to hide her nervousness behind her glass. She wore plain black-rimmed glasses, clothes that could only be described as “fitting,” her hair pulled back into a ponytail for work’s convenience. She was nothing like the women he’d served before. Even women who would jump in front of a train after a night of drinking would dress to the nines—they all claimed a place in this flashy society, but Naoto Shintani always felt they were missing something.

Upon seeing Yua Hoshino, he finally understood—they lacked authenticity. However stunning, in his eyes, they all wore a mask they could never remove.

“Miss Hoshino, let me buy these bottles for you,” Naoto Shintani said, looking at her anxious face, and for the first time in ages, smiled sincerely. She was just a slightly older girl, not yet a mature woman.

“Oh, you can’t do that! My seniors told me to order drinks—your salary depends on commissions. I’m the customer; how can I let you pay, Mountain Wind?” Yua Hoshino clenched her fist, thinking, I’m no kid—I’m a mature woman coming to a host club.

“It’s all right—I’d be happy to treat you,” Naoto Shintani replied, downing a glass of blue-tinged liquor.

“But why?” Yua Hoshino struggled to understand.

“Because I like you, Miss Hoshino.” He smiled gently as she stared in shock.

“That’s nonsense—we’ve only just met!” she stammered.

“What do you do for work, Miss Hoshino?” Naoto Shintani didn’t press, instead steering the conversation elsewhere.

The dim lighting seemed to encourage something, and Yua Hoshino unconsciously fell into the web of his conversation.

She was not crushed by life, so there weren’t many dramatic topics to discuss.

For the first time, Naoto Shintani found himself with nothing to say, so he let Yua Hoshino take the initiative.

“Do you have any hobbies, Miss Hoshino?”

“I’ve always been fascinated by astronomy since childhood.”

Her eyes lit up, and Naoto Shintani took a sip of his drink. “Would you tell me about it?”

They talked late into the night. For the first time, Naoto Shintani realized that not all conversations had to be about the mundane world—some people chose to gaze at the brilliant stars above.

Many loves begin for no reason at all; many relationships start without anyone noticing.

Yua Hoshino never minded overtime; aside from the extra pay, she was at a loss for things to do at home. But since meeting Naoto Shintani, she found herself yearning for something even she thought unrealistic.

After work, she would always stop by the host club, order a drink within her budget, and spend the night talking with Naoto Shintani—about the universe, the soul, religion, art, death. Usually she spoke, he listened, and something ineffable flowed between them on those endless nights.

She knew this was an unrealistic fantasy, yet she couldn’t help returning to see that gently smiling, handsome face.

This continued for half a year until one day Yua Hoshino finally mustered the courage, “Naoto, will you go out with me?”

Naoto Shintani feigned surprise. “Aren’t we already dating?” He smiled. “You don’t really think I’m worth just a single drink each night, do you?”

“Won’t you quit this job, please?” Yua Hoshino gazed into his eyes, full of fervent hope.

“My contract has three months left,” Naoto replied, pausing. “But I could pay the penalty and leave early.”

“All right. How much? I can help with some of it.” The love in her eyes was almost overflowing.

“Ten million.”

Yua Hoshino was at a loss, and as she hesitated, Naoto Shintani leaned in. “I’m not as reckless with money as you are, Yua. I have tens of millions in savings.”

“Ten million—that’s too much,” she said, troubled. In the end, she gritted her teeth. “Then I’ll wait three more months.”

Naoto noticed her worry, “You can come here every day to keep an eye on me.”

Before Yua could reply, his lips pressed gently to hers—a soft touch, skin against skin, the scent of a man, his hands entwining with hers, a kiss deep enough to take her last breath, dizzying her mind until all that was left was the deep voice of love within.

“Yua, are you really dating Mountain Wind from the host club?”

“He’s just a host. It’s all for fun, don’t take it seriously.”

“I’ve seen women get hopelessly hooked. The moment you can’t spend money on them, they won’t even look at you.”

Yua Hoshino only smiled and kept working. She knew there wasn’t much in this world that was truly real, but she never doubted that the man who looked at her so tenderly could be a liar.

Everything was heading toward a fairytale ending—if only that strange customer hadn’t appeared in the host club that night.

A single man in such a place was indeed odd. Yua Hoshino glanced at him, curious, and asked Naoto if hosts ever served male customers.

After a polite “We only serve women,” Chihane Igarashi quietly left. He wasn’t embarrassed; as he left, he had already chosen his target.

Three days later, Koji Shiina mustered his courage and knocked on a door, “Excuse me, is this Miss Hoshino?”

Yua Hoshino opened the door halfway, hiding behind it and peering at the stranger. “Who are you?”

“Miss Hoshino, I’m a detective. I’ve come here at my client’s request.” Koji Shiina stepped back to show he meant no harm.

“What is it about?” Yua was puzzled—why would a detective come to her? On TV, didn’t they only help police solve crimes?

“Do you know Mr. Naoto Shintani?”

Her heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly opened the door. “Did something happen to him?”

“No, no, nothing’s happened to Mr. Shintani. In fact, he’s getting married next month. That’s why I’m here.” Koji Shiina lied smoothly, following Chihane Igarashi’s plan.

“What?!” Yua Hoshino was even more shocked. “You must have the wrong person. Naoto’s dating me—how could he be getting married next month?”

Koji Shiina shook his head. “My client is his fiancée, Miss Airi Furuotani. I’m here for a simple reason: please don’t contact Mr. Shintani anymore.”

A wave of dizziness swept over Yua Hoshino; her mind went blank. She leaned against the wall, struggling not to collapse, murmuring, “Impossible.”

“This is something Miss Furuotani asked me to give you.” Koji Shiina sighed inwardly, but his face remained impassive as he took a check from his pocket.

It was a check for ten million yen. Rumors replayed in her mind, over and over. Even though she’d always believed that the man who looked at her with such tenderness could never deceive her, she couldn’t help but wonder—what if? Her heart began to convulse.

When the detective produced a wedding invitation, any last hope in Yua Hoshino crumbled. She crouched to the floor, covering her face, sobbing, “It’s not true—Naoto said he’d love me forever.”

Koji Shiina hesitated, then drew a voice recorder from his pocket.

“That woman, Yua Hoshino—what’s going on with her?”

“She’s just a fling.”

“What?”

“Are you kidding? No one could actually love such an ordinary-looking woman. I was just curious, wanted a change of pace. Besides, how could she compare to you?”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“All right, all right, we’ll get married next month.”

“What about her?”

“It doesn’t matter even if she dies. I’ll dump her with some excuse. From now on, my heart will belong to you alone.”

Right then, the phone rang. Yua Hoshino didn’t answer, her heart spasming with pain so sharp she could hardly breathe.

The missed call went to voicemail, and the voice was almost identical to the one on the recorder.

“Yua, I have plans tonight, so don’t come to the club. I’ll…” The rest faded away. In Yua’s world, everything curled and peeled away, the false stage curtains falling, all turning to gray.

A faint voice inside Koji Shiina struggled, telling him it was all a fabrication and she shouldn’t be made a sacrifice. But the moment he glimpsed the check, that voice disappeared.

Koji Shiina bent down, whispering like a devil, “Miss Hoshino, do you want to see Naoto Shintani again? For a price, I can arrange a meeting tonight.”

“All right.” Yua Hoshino’s voice was flat, empty of emotion. Hearts might break, but they break and go on living.

Koji Shiina turned away, closed his eyes, and forced out the words he’d rehearsed so many times. “Don’t grieve over such a man. After all, this is his job—he never intended to love anyone seriously from the start.”

At the host club, Naoto Shintani thought about calling again, but in the end, he didn’t. He did feel a little guilty.

It was a huge job—an Osaka client had specifically requested his company. Though he refused several times, the client persisted, finally offering a staggering sum: ten million yen for a single night—with no other services required, and he was free to leave at any time.

Naoto Shintani couldn’t resist. In Tokyo, even a seventy-square-meter secondhand apartment cost sixty million, and after years as a top host, all he’d saved was fifty million yen.

Ten million was too much. The once aimless Naoto Shintani now had a weakness—Yua Hoshino. He wanted to give her a home, so he decided this would be his last job before retiring.

The high price made him lower his guard; even the usual “no outcall” rule was ignored. The client wanted him to meet her in a hotel’s presidential suite.

As the elevator numbers climbed, Naoto Shintani recalled his feelings upon first starting out—broken-hearted, disillusioned with women, convinced they were all shallow, obsessed with their looks and luxury, their empty souls incapable of purity.

“Yua,” he murmured, feeling she was years late in arriving, but grateful she came at all.

The room was at the end of the corridor. Naoto checked his appearance one last time—he didn’t want the last review of his career to be a bad one. Though he hadn’t spoken with any other clients in half a year, he was confident in his skills.

He used the card the client had left at booking to open the door, but the person inside surprised him.

“Yua—” Before he could finish, a sharp pain shot through his waist.

Yua Hoshino’s knife came down hard. Blood gushed forth, tracing exquisite patterns in the carpet’s design.

“Why—why—you promised me. I know you’ve seen many women better than me, but you promised!” Yua Hoshino’s unfocused eyes stared blankly at Naoto Shintani, who reached out a trembling hand, but she never received an answer—not ever again.

Half an hour later, beneath the dazzling city neon, an insignificant figure stumbled into the waters of the Edogawa. The splash was heard by a passing fisherman, who laughed, “I heard the fish jump!”

When Chihane Igarashi saw Yua Hoshino again, it was hard to say if it was the cold river or death that made her face so pale. This time, masked, Chihane Igarashi did not take out the statue as before—the Leviathan of “Envy” had long been crushed and slipped into the envelope Koji Shiina handed her.

“Why?” Koji Shiina finally couldn’t help but ask on the phone.

“I told you—these are their own choices. I just magnified the feelings in their hearts. Every decision was theirs.” Chihane Igarashi answered softly, then hung up.

The black flame rose again, and as he wished, Chihane Igarashi obtained “Envy.”