The sight of Ootsuka dancing onstage was truly spectacular—like a whirlwind. Coming onstage with comical movements like a joking clown, she quickly stirred up the audience with her facial expressions and gestures as she danced back and forth on the stage.
But then suddenly her movements grew sharp and intense, her hips shaking this way and that.
Inspired by Ootsuka’s movements, the audience bobbed their heads and shook their bodies, all of them immersed in the world she was creating.
“Like a conductor…”
I heard a small whisper beside me and looked down.
I could see Shiika’s profile, her face rapt as she admired Ootsuka’s performance.
Slowly, she removed her sunglasses.
“Oh, hey, are you sure you want to do that?”
“Tatsu is a conductor,” Shiika muttered again, without responding to my question. “The performers are the audience. With Tatsu, the audience is united.”
“Are their colors aligned?”
“Yes. All the colors are in harmony now. I don’t need the sunglasses.”
Reassured, I returned my attention to the stage.
True, beforehand the crowd had been moving with excitement, with body-shaking heat, but it had been discordant. There was no unity there.
But now, an enchanting dancer in the middle of the stage—Ootsuka—had brought together a large crowd of spectators, and the entire space seemed to be in beautiful harmony, as if it were a painting drawn by an old master.
Perhaps it was the grown-up atmosphere?
At school, Ootsuka had a fresh and youthful vibe to her, but now, if you agree not to misconstrue my words, I would say her movements were somewhat…erotic. It wasn’t that she was lewd, but that she radiated a faint sexuality. Even though her dancing wasn’t outright intended to titillate, it had that effect.
“Is this your first time seeing Ryuzetsuran dance at a club?”
“Oh… Yeah.”
The club’s owner, the ex-military member (I’m assuming) with a shaved head, spoke to me unexpectedly, and I couldn’t stop myself from sitting up straight in mild alarm.
“She’s sexy, huh?”
“I thought this club was supposed to be aboveboard.”
“This is freedom of artistic expression. That unique sex appeal is part of her talent. It’s inimitable.”
“Because she’s pretty, right? It’s all about the face. Or maybe it’s because of her body.”
“No, no, it’s her face.”
I was a little disappointed that the owner didn’t try to deny it.
But it made sense. Talent only matters so far as the face, whether it’s ugly or beautiful. Having that cynical worldview confirmed so… Cynically, I was left with an empty feeling inside.
“Clubs and dancing are both symbols of…dark and underworld things, wouldn’t ya say?”
“Huh? Well. I’m not sure about that.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Don’t hold back your opinions just ’cause I’m the club owner. I’m talking about the impression held by the general public.”
“Well, to be honest, you might be right.”
“Actually, in clubs in previous times, it was much more common than it is today to just pretend to dance while getting physical, ya know? Find someone of the opposite sex, see if there’s chemistry, and have a one-night stand with them. Or even find a lady of the night to hire. Although dance has become one of the most respected subcultures around today, I really don’t think it’d be an exaggeration to say it was originally about the simulation of sex. And unfortunately, that reputation pervades to this day, and some clubs still operate like that and continue to perpetuate the old stereotypes. Although with the changing of the times, their numbers have certainly dwindled.”
“Right… But Ootsuka doesn’t seem to be dancing with any of that in mind.”
“Right. She’s dancing for the pure enjoyment of it. And she loves this club atmosphere. You can see it in her image, in the face she wears as an entertainer as well. She’s not thinking about looking sexy to either guys or gals, no; that image is all about the pure joy of dancing. Even though that face of hers has enough erotic firepower behind it that you’d think this place was a den of sin, dripping with voyeuristic intent.”
“So you’re saying that’s the key to Ootsuka’s sexiness—I mean, her sensual movements?”
“Yeah. A flower that blooms proud and healthy in the mud… That’s one of the lewdest creatures that exists in this world.”
A lot of the male clubbers were watching Ryuzetsuran dance with hungry looks in their eyes. Their gazes traveled all over Ootsuka’s exposed skin, her belly, her thighs. But she didn’t even seem to be aware of them. She devoted herself only to her artistic expression. And that eternal performer mindset seemed, to me, to be the crux of Ootsuka’s charm.
“We’ve just met; why are you telling me all this?”
The owner guy narrowed his eyes sadly.
“Because I want you to stay Ryuzetsuran—to stay Tatsuki’s friend.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been clashing with some of her peers in the dance scene these days.”
“Right… Like with the Gokokuji girl.”
“It’s not just Haruka. She’s being targeted by those who don’t want the local scene to change, who don’t want it altered. Those who want it to stay the way it is.”
“You mean people want to keep its seedy image of drugs and prostitution? Who’d want to preserve an image like that? And to what end?”
“It’s not about what they stand to gain. It’s about havin’ a place to belong. It’s about their identity. Threaten someone’s identity, and they’ll retaliate. It’s human nature, ain’t it?”
“I think I get it.”
I was like that myself, after all. Desperate to protect the space that Shiika and I occupied for ourselves.
“There’s a lower barrier to entry now to Ryuzetsuran’s hip-hop world, thanks to the influence of manga and anime. But it originally came about as a way for those without means to have fun without spending a lot of money. Those who didn’t have the cash to go to real clubs. It’s got ties to gang activity, of course, and some of the general public think of it as a scary, deviant sort of culture—one connected to seedy places. And that prejudice…well, it’s half-right. Some in the subculture belong to the bad sort or are in gangs. The ones who fall through the cracks of society. Kind of an anachronism, no?”
“You mean guys like Ryan Sengoku.”
“Oh, you know Sengoku, too? Well, good. That saves time on explaining.”
“Well, there’s been some stuff going down lately.”
My only info came from Akiba, really, so it wasn’t like I had cause to be smug.
A problem kid expelled due to his gang connections. Even though he was the most talented of the BRAVE school students. I’d only heard rumors, but judging from the club owner’s reaction, it must have all been true.
“Haruka’s a lot like Sengoku. If she hadn’t gotten involved and fallen for him, she never would have gone down the wrong path… Whoops. I think I just said too much.”