Hostess

By Kenneth Guthrie

Kyo has inherited a hostess club. Unfortunately, the club won't be fully hers until she pays the inheritance tax on it. Paying won't be easy with the Yakuza 'encouraging' her to sell and her local rivals circling to steal what little customers the club has left. Through both personal and business struggles, it is going to take everything Kyo has to finally be able to say, "This is mine."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lunatic Ink Publishing
• Release date: Mar 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005613778

Kenneth Guthrie

Kenneth Guthrie is a writer of sci-fi, fantasy and crime novels.Profile image credit: Vincent Gerbouin at Pexels.com

Book preview

HOSTESS

Kenneth Guthrie

Copyright 2021 Lunatic Ink Publishing

Find more stories at Kenneth Guthrie’s Book List.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Inheriting A Hostess Club

Chapter 2: Management Issues

Chapter 3: The Legend Next Door

Chapter 4: Top Rated Club?

Chapter 5: Ex-Boyfriends, Recruitment & Mafia Problems

Chapter 6: Meet The Satos

Chapter 7: What It Means To Be First

Chapter 8: High Rollers And Big Dreams

Chapter 9: Epilogue

CHAPTER 1: INHERITING A HOSTESS CLUB

The official looking letter lay on the club’s counter before her. Printed across the top was Kyoto Inheritance Tax Department and in the contents section below was a table with an amount of tax due that had far more zeros than she’d expected.

Kyo flipped the letter over and read the instructions on the back. She’d need to make an appearance with her half-brother, Minato. Whether he’d come was uncertain simply because he wanted nothing to do with the club and had stated that its future was her problem alone.

She laid the letter down, leaned back and let her eyes run over the interior for a good minute. That the property had such a high valuation was hard to believe. The Golden Carriage was a very average club in a popular area of Kyoto and embodied both the times it was created in and where it had gone since then. The decor was stylish once but now old-fashioned and little had changed to keep up with the trends of the last 20 years. This in itself was mainly because there hadn’t been the cash flow to do so. Again, it had always been a very average club.

The entrance doors swung open and her gaze ran that way. Aya strolled in and saw Kyo sitting there at the bar and smiled.

Stop thinking about him.

I’m not.

You are.

I’m really not.

Aya dumped her large leather handbag on the bar and glanced at the letter.

The tax office?

Her friend picked it up, skimmed through the contents and then clicked her tongue off her teeth loudly.

Expensive.

No kidding.

Aya put the letter down.

Do you want something to drink?

No.

Her friend went around the bar and slid out the stock take clipboard from behind the register.

When you see Minato, tell him I wasn’t thinking about him.

You weren’t?

I was but he’ll understand.

For some time Kyo stared at her friend and wondered exactly what she intended Minato to think on receiving the message. Then she went back to the letter and decided that there was no better day than today to visit the tax office. The staff would be coming back from lunch at this time and there was still a few hours before the club needed to be opened.

Kyo grabbed her handbag and told Aya where she’d be. On the way out she called her brother. Minato was in the area and surprisingly was willing to accompany her. On the way to the bus stop her phone rang. The number on the screen was one she didn’t want to deal with but knew better than to ignore. The Yakuza could be pretty insistent when they felt someone was ignoring them and Endo knew where she lived and wasn’t shy about coming over and visiting at a time early enough to make her wish for an early death.

Endo.

Ms. Nakamura.

Neither said anything. Kyo stared down at the little river that ran along Kiyamachi Street. There were a few tourists hovering near the bridge that led into restaurant area, but aside from that it was quiet and there was no one about.

I’m not selling, she said when it eventually became clear he had no intention to speak.

It’s a good price.

I know and I’m still not selling.

Endo sighed loudly as if to say her response only served to make things more difficult for everyone. The man had always been a bit overly dramatic and she knew it was mostly to hide his true nature. In reality he was completely comfortable throwing someone over the coals if they didn’t do what he and his group wanted. Because she knew that, Kyo had never underestimated him and he somewhat respected her for it.

Are you going to the tax office?

Kyo glanced around. There he was by the host club on the corner of the side street that led into into the depths of Kiyamachi and all the nighttime delights of the area. He was wearing a blue golf shirt and brown slacks and looked like what he was: A 50 something old man trying to look 10 years younger who just so happened to be a gangster.

She didn’t bother to wave back and kept on towards the bridge along the line of cherry blossom trees that were just starting to bud.

I’m sure it will be fine, he offered.

Kyo had nothing more to say and so she said goodbye and hung up. Maybe it would be okay and maybe it wouldn’t. She’d only know when she got there.

*****

Minato ambled over with no obvious sign of concern at being 30 minutes late.

Been busy?

Her brother shrugged and provided a smile that would have appeased most women who weren’t related to him.

Do you know how much the inheritance tax is?

No. How much?

She showed him the letter. Minato didn’t look surprised.

Can we talk about how we are going to pay this?

"We?"

"Yes, we."

I’m not involved in this.

He stood there with an impassive look on his face.

Our father left the club to both of us.

And?

Aren’t you going to help?

I’m here, aren’t I?

She said nothing. Her stupid half-brother wasn’t going to budge.

Let’s go inside.

Minato followed her in. Inside the tax office it was busy. People were hurrying about with forms clutched in their hands and converging in lines that looked like they had been there for quite some time.

Excuse me, where can I go to talk about this?

Kyo showed the letter to the information officer. The woman pointed towards the staircase nearby.

2nd floor. The department is way down the end of the building.

Thanks.

They went up.

Aya said she’s not thinking about you, Kyo mentioned as they waited in line.

She’s not?

Seems so.

Time passed. As usual Minato didn’t look keen to make conversation, so she pulled out her phone and fiddled with a mobile game until they reached the counter where an elderly clerk took the letter and read through it.

You need to see Mr. Takeda at the end of the hall. You can head down. He doesn’t have anyone waiting.

They strolled down the hallway that the clerk had pointed to. On the office door was the man’s name and that he was head inspector.

Are you going to be helpful in here? she asked.

Probably not.

Kyo knocked. A loud voice instructed them to enter. Near the single window was a desk that was dominated by a large aging computer and pile of documents weighted down by a big red coffee cup. Behind the desk was a very old man with a face so stern that he could have used it to hammer in nails.

Hello. How may I help you?

We have some questions about this.

Kyo slid the letter down on the desk. The man took a glance at it then gestured for them to sit.

Minato and Kyo Nakamura?

Yes.

What is your relationship to the deceased?

Son and daughter.

I see.

He poked a finger at the total sum at the end of the table.

Do you have enough to pay this amount?

Not right now. The business hasn’t been doing that well.

I see.

There was silence. The man’s eyebrows crinkled together.

Procedure gives you a year to pay or sell. If you do neither then you will be fined. The fines for a property valued at this amount are considerable. Hence, given you have told me the venue is unprofitable, I assume you’ll be selling.

We have had offers.

A good thing.

The head inspector tapped a finger against his thin lips as he reviewed the letter. Takeda took his coffee cup and sipped noisily. He laid the cup back on top of the documents where a brown ring formed as he finished reading.

In cases like this I seriously recommend finding a buyer. The number of available properties for sale on Kiyamachi Street has always been quite limited. It wouldn’t be difficult to get a very reasonable price given the demand.

Takeda looked them over. He didn’t seem impressed.

You have your whole lives ahead of you. Best to play it smart.

This was supposed to be sagely advice, but it came off condescending because his eyes had that ‘you young idiots are way in over your heads’ look that people his age sometimes had.

We will consider it.

He handed back the letter and sipped his coffee again. When he looked up, Takeda seemed surprised that they were still there.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

No. Not right now. Can we call you if we have any problems?

My door is always open.

Kyo waited for a business card, but none was forthcoming. She glanced at her brother and then headed to the door. Not long after they were out on the street.

You could help with this, Kyo said.

It’s not my problem and helping is not my thing.

This was the most honesty he’d expressed in awhile, so she decided to leave it at that. Kyo waved and started in the opposite direction. Later she’d have to double back because the bus stop wasn’t this way, but at least she wouldn’t have to spend more time than needed with her idiot brother.

Say hi to Aya.

Kyo turned.

You could just come by.

Minato shook his head.

That would say too much.

He turned and she stared after him. Men... Minato was about as bad as her now ex-boyfriend. She stomped off and her phone rang. It was Aya.

Minato says hi.

Is he coming to visit?

No, he said that would be too much.

There was a short silence. Kyo wondered what Aya was thinking, but knew better than to ask because her friend would never tell.

I’m coming back to the club. Are we good to open?

Yeah. I’m getting dressed now.

Good. See you soon.

Kyo hung up. This evening would be her first time back at the club since her father passed away. Being an owner was going to be very different from being a hostess. She hoped that she was up to the task.

CHAPTER 2: MANAGEMENT ISSUES

At 8:00pm she noted things were slow and by 10:00pm she was wondering if someone wasn’t standing outside blocking entry to the customers. At 11:00pm she realized things weren’t right with the club and by midnight they were closed.

Kyo was perched at the end of the bar with a mean look on her face that had the hostesses heading out for their usual after hours drinking with their regulars giving her concerned looks.

We’re lucky that we are two down tonight, Kyo grumbled.

Aya was still in her hostess dress and was helping one of the suits polish glasses behind the bar.

Maybe, was all she offered in reply.

Kyo took a long slurp of her vodka on ice and felt the liquid burn the back of her throat.

How long has it been like this?

Since your father went into hospital.

And you didn’t deem it wise to tell me about it?

You were stressed.

I would be less stressed right now if I’d been warned that the club was in this kind of shape.

Aya’s mouth creased into a thin line.

This is how things are.

Her friend put down the glass she was polishing and took one of Kyo’s hands and patted it.

Listen. Your father being hospitalized so suddenly left the club without any kind of management. We had hostesses wanting to leave and the suits unable to run things by themselves. What more do you expect in a situation like that?

They needed me then.

Yes and your father needed you more. If you hadn’t spent those three months by his bed then you’d be sitting here regretting something much more painful than a single bad night.

I suppose you’re right.

Kyo reached over the counter, took the bottle of vodka she’d been working on glass-by-glass throughout the evening and topped herself up.

What are we going to do? Tonight was pretty bad.

It was, her friend agreed. However, you can do this.

What if I can’t?

Well, you aren’t the best judge of yourself and you know that. This can work, but you have to want it. Running a business is no small thing and your father knew that when he decided to hand the club on to you and Minato. He believed in you. Now it’s your job to believe in yourself.

Kyo sat in silence for a time.

When did you get so wise?

I’ve always been this way. You just don’t notice.

After a long slug of vodka she drew over tonight’s paperwork. For a time Kyo stared off into the distance. Would she give up and sell or stick it out and see where things went? There was no telling which she’d choose, but one thing was for sure: No one else was going to do this for her. This was all on her.

*****

It was too early in the morning for this kind of racket. That was her first thought when the phone started ringing and her head with it.

Give me a break.

Kyo rolled over and yanked the covers up over her head. The number was Endo’s and she wasn’t interested in a sermon on the benefits of selling right now. The man knew that no hostess woke up before midday. His purpose in calling this early was to get a rise out of her and humoring his attempts to persuade her that