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woman says. “Yeah, I know, you’re thinking, ‘How did this big hunk of a woman get a pretty little name like that?’ But I’ve been Kaoru ever since I was born.”
    “Glad to meet you,” Mari says.
    “Sorry for dragging you out like this. Bet I threw you for a loop.”
    Mari doesn’t know how to respond, and so she says nothing.
    “Want me to carry your bag? Looks heavy,” Kaoru says.
    “I’m okay.”
    “What’s in there?”
    “Books, a change of clothes…”
    “You’re not a runaway, are you?”
    “No, I’m not,” says Mari.
    “Okay. Good.”
    The two keep walking. From the brightly lighted avenue they turn into a narrow lane and head uphill. Kaoru walks quickly and Mari hurries to keep pace with her. They climb a gloomy, deserted stairway and come out to a different street. The stairs seem to be a shortcut between the two streets. Several snack bars on this street still have their signs lighted, but none of them suggests a human presence.
    “It’s that love ho over there.”
    “Love ho?”
    “Love hotel. For couples. By the hour. See the neon sign, ‘Alphaville’? That’s it.”
    When she hears the name, Mari can’t help staring at Kaoru. “Alphaville?”
    “Don’t worry. It’s okay. I’m the manager.”
    “The injured woman is in there?”
    Walking on, Kaoru turns and says, “Uh-huh. It’s kinda hard to explain.”
    “Is Takahashi in there, too?”
    “No, he’s in another building near here. In the basement. His band’s practicing all night. Students have it easy.”
    The two walk in through the front door of the Alphaville. Guests at this hotel choose their room from large photos on display in the foyer, press the corresponding numbered button, receive their key, and take the elevator straight to the room. No need to meet or talk to anyone. Room charges come in two types: “rest” and “overnight.” Gloomy blue illumination. Mari takes in all these new sights. Kaoru says a quiet hello to the woman at the reception desk in back.
    Then she says to Mari, “You’ve probably never been in a place like this before.”
    “No, this is the first time for me.”
    “Oh, well, there are lots of different businesses in the world.”
    Kaoru and Mari take the elevator to the top floor. Down a short, narrow corridor they come to a door numbered 404. Kaoru gives two soft knocks and the door opens instantly inward. A young woman with hair dyed a bright red nervously pokes her head out. She is thin and pale. She wears an oversize pink T-shirt and jeans with holes. Large earrings hang from her pierced ears.
    “Oh, cool, it’s you, Kaoru!” says the red-haired young woman. “Took you long enough. I was going crazy.”
    “How’s she doing?”
    “Same old same old.”
    “The bleeding stop?”
    “Pretty much. I used a ton of paper towels, though.”
    Kaoru lets Mari in and closes the door. Besides the red-haired woman there is another employee in the room, a small woman who wears her hair up and is mopping the floor. Kaoru does a quick introduction.
    “This is Mari. The one who can speak Chinese. The redhead here is Komugi. Yeah, I
know
it sounds like ‘Wheat,’ but it’s the name her parents gave her, so what’re ya gonna do? She’s been working for me forever.”
    Komugi produces a nice smile for Mari and says, “Glad to meet ya.”
    “Glad to meet you,” says Mari.
    “The other one over there is Korogi. Now, that’s
not
her real name. You’ll have to ask her why she wants to be known as ‘Cricket.’”
    “Sorry about that,” says Korogi in the soft tones of the Kansai region around Osaka. “I got rid of my real name.” Korogi looks a few years older than Komugi.
    “Glad to meet you,” says Mari.
    The room is windowless and stuffy and all but filled with the oversize bed and TV. Crouching on the floor in one corner is a naked woman in a bath towel. She hides her face in her hands and cries soundlessly. Blood-soaked towels lie on the floor. The bedsheets are also