Nik waved goodbye to the students as they hurried out of class for the weekend. The only ones who stayed behind were those on cleanup duty. The classroom was large but packed to the brim with tables. There was just enough room to walk between and around the desks, and that was it.
"Oh, Knight-san, do you have plans for the weekend?" an older gentlemen asked, stuffing away papers in his bag.
"Meeting some people. Nothing too fancy. Getting my feet wet in the city," Nik replied.
"Tokyo is a beautiful city. Enjoy the nightlife. It'll do you good. You work too hard."
"Nah, I just follow your lead, Mr. Yamaguchi. You make it easy for me in class."
The man nodded his head, not saying a word to remain humble.
"Enjoy the free time. You're young. Now is the time to get all the adventuring out of your system. You'll need to find a wife soon."
"You're right," Nik commented uneasily. "I'm far too young for marriage."
Mr. Yamaguchi nodded his head again in agreement.
"But don't wait too long. No one will marry you after thirty."
"Huh?"
"You don't want an old maid, or have to marry a Philippine. Gold diggers."
"Uh, sure."
Nik didn't know how to take the conversation. It started off pleasant and normal but suddenly turned a bit too personal. They had only been working together for a couple months, but Nik felt like Mr. Yamaguchi was taking the mentor role too seriously, especially since he was a gaijin.
Mr. Yamaguchi slapped Nik on the shoulder as he walked past.
"Trust me. You're not the first English teacher I've been paired up with. Young men get their blood pumping and make stupid decisions that ruin their future. Young women swoon over a pretty boy and get suicidal from a broken heart. Folly of youth."
He patted Nik's shoulder one more time and left. Nik stared out the class window wondering why the sudden life lesson. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his phone to double-check the time. The offer was still fresh. Something new, something adventurous as Mr. Yamaguchi would put it. But it was a different beast than modeling. Bag over his shoulder, he waved at the remaining students before departing on his adventure.
X
"Welcome to Club Starlight. We're booked full currently. Would you mind waiting, ma'am?" Nik asked, bowing gracefully at the older Japanese lady.
She replied positively in broken English, allowing Nik to escort her to the waiting area. The club was full, unusual for a Thursday night. He was two hours into his shift and he already had to put on the charm to keep some of the regulars happy.
It had been a few weeks since the photoshoot. Someone contacted the agent after seeing the images in a subway car, asking if he was interested in making some easy money. Teaching paid okay but he didn't turn down the chance to line his pockets some more. This was his second shift waiting on the door of the host club.
The owner wanted a new look at the gate, and having a tall, handsome, white gaijin would bring in more customers looking for an international flavor. If only to gawk at him from afar, the owner didn't care so long as Nik's appearance brought in fresh blood.
"Kid, you ready for the limelight?" a slim Japanese man asked with a grizzled tone.
"Limelight?"
"We got a request for you. Some cougar. Fresh meat. Just sit and talk. Compliment her, make her feel like a queen, and always try to get her to order more booze."
"I don't..."
The manager gave Nik a firm back pat, like a coach sending a player into the big game. He tried to think of it like any typical date as he walked over to the corner table. The woman was indeed a cougar. Not ugly but not drop dead gorgeous. Just average. Although, any guy smitten with yellow fever would surly add a couple points onto the tally.
He bowed gracefully to the woman who dressed in an expensive one-piece dress. A slit went all the way to her thigh, and her cleavage was anything but classy. Nik wore a fancy tuxedo provided by the club. It felt painted on, leaving nothing to the imagination for the customers. It still allowed him to remain classy, even though he was put on display for his looks. Firm muscles bulged out of the jacket sleeve, and tree trunk legs could barely be contained by tight pants. Sitting down, he kept smiling.
"Thank you for requesting me. I'm Nik."
"June. My, you look so much more handsome up close and live than on a billboard."
"Oh, you saw my picture. Thanks, that's too kind of you. I just got the pictures taken. I don't know where they got put up. More than subway ceilings I guess."
"You're on a giant billboard outside my office window. I get to stare at you all day long, big boy," she flirted.
Truth be told, Nik wasn't fully on board with being a host. He sealed the deal with Anri and wanted that romance to build and ignite, not flame out in controversy. But student loans, and the fact this was just a conversation, kept his prudish morality in check.
"So do you come here often? I just began working here."