-26-
Ken, when we met several years ago, having retired Tokyo Mercantile Marine College, worked for a coast institution in Yokosuka.
“Heey …disappeared like smoke, brother.”
He seemed to get drunk and told me the same story over and over.
In Yokosuka at that time, there were always fights by military men of the U.S. and the peace-keeping gangsters.
When Ken and I were in Yokosuka in those days, we didn’t go out at night, so this is the story I’ve heard of…
There were many ruffian guys among the workers involved in loading at the coast, and when a weekend night comes, they’d go out for Dobuita street.
“Want me to find somebody to fight? You kidding. You really want me to find a girl, don’t you?
The U.S. military men took away the girls, and the men left, to show off their strength, are going to pick a quarrel with them …is that wrong?”
“You’re the man I expect. You have a keen insight.”
He seemed to admire my pointing out. I’m not in so a bad mood.
“So, there is a thing I want to ask you”
I have watched a documentary of frenzy time when toilet papers were out of stock because of the oil crisis happened in 1973.
Now we’re in that time.
Ken was attempting to make a large amount of money at once, using the connection between the loading work and the military men of the U.S.
“Okazaki will manage it concerning yakuza standing back for the loading worker of the coast.
I want you brother to negotiate with the military men. You speak English, right?”
“What makes you think so?”
“An elegant man like you bro and those who are so keen can always speak English. My intuition can never be wrong.”
I wonder what on earth makes him so confident. Anyway, I can’t do anything right with someone not confident.
But as you know, most of the confident people are the quite naive dreamers.
I need to know what gives him the confidence. The thing has to be done after that.
“By the way, are you going to stay here till the morning? Your girlfriend is alone in the flat, isn’t she?”
“There is a girl in the flat indeed. But I have also other girlfriends.”
What is he talking about? This guy with black glasses.
“Wow, master,” the girl with her loudly make-up called me so.
I turned back and recognized Keiko. I remember she was a singer in cabaret “London.”
“So it was true that the great master was a Ken’s friend.”
I don’t care at all but this soft-soaping, calling me “the great master,”really makes me feel disgusting.
“I wanted to sing, too, your Nineteen.”
-27-
The more I listen, the more it becomes mysterious.
It is sure that I wrote a song “Nineteen.” However, it’s a song in future, which is supposed to be released in 2015.
“I remember that was Nineteen. To love someone seemed so easy.”
She was humming it undoubtedly, in her beautiful voice.
It is me who want to ask you to sing.
Yours is more excellent than my husky voice.
They said that last year, “Nineteen” was sung by a female singer, Sayaka, and it was a big hit.
“Now that you’ve received the Record Award, master. It’s an amazing success of you.”
I almost burst into laugh. The Record Award? Is there still such a thing like that?
No, wait. Now I’m in the time when pop tunes flourished most…
My grandma said that in those days, it was the dream of all singers in Japan to receive the Japan Record Award.
“Well… what are you doing now? Still singing?”
“You know about Taoka and me. He’s changed to Sayaka.”
I don’t know the actual situation, but I can imagine it.
I know it’s a bad expression, but, a female singer is no more than that.
“Sayaka leans to Taoka completely, and even her brother exchanged cups of sake.”
So the whore Sayaka’s brother has become a member of yakuza. Doesn’t matter at all.
“After that, I heard that you’ve gone away and I was worrying that they might have thrown you into Tokyo Bay.
Oh, I see. Stop worrying while grinning at me.
Ken left his seat.
It seemed that he’s got tired of Keiko’s unstopping chattering.
Broke up with Taoka, leaving Tokyo, Keiko settled down in the suburban area of Yokosuka.
There she sang in front of the military men and workers of the coast.
I think she met Ken there.
“I’ll tell you this between you and me. Ken might think I’m a convenient girl for him, but also for me, he is the convenient one.”
Going back to each flat, they have each boyfriend or girlfriend waiting for them, but here they can be lovers.
By the way, the two is so alike;
They are also like-minded couple, who pursue new way of living in which they acquire freedom by showing different faces in and out.
All right. Though it’s really interesting, nothing matters to me.
-28-
Siberia, Russia 1920’s
The ground of Russia was covered with chaos caused by the revolution.
Against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, aiming to interrupt the expansion of communism, great nations like the U.S. and UK interfered with it.
Japan, who was aspiring to the rights and benefits in Manchuria, also sent her troops to Siberia, taking advantage of the chance.
They say they’re engaged in international contribution, but in fact, it means so.
As a lieutenant of Japanese Army, My, Hikaru Nekota’s great grandfather Kumakichi was on duty of keeping public peace in Irkutsk.
“I can’t stand anymore. Like this boring war. I wanna be back home soon.”
Kumakichi scratched a lot his arm where a striped mosquito bit.
It’s hot in summer in Siberia.
After the snow which was covered the ground during the winter melt, now a huge outbreak of mosquitoes has come.
He washed his body in the river instead of taking a shower. Then, more mosquitoes came to attack him.
Sergei, lying beside him, coughed and made a fart.
“What a fuck doing!, you bastard!”
Sergei released another fart toward Kumakichi. This time it hit straight his face.
“So bad smelling fart. What the heck did you eat?”
At that time, in Omsk, which was in the middle between Irkutsk and Moscow,
the Revolutionary Army(Soviet Army) and Czechoslovakian Army was at an intense fight.
Czechoslovakian Army had been resistance, which aimed at her independence from the Austria-Hungarian Empire.
When World War I started, the Russian Empire, who was standing against the House of Habsburg, welcomed them in.
However, in the Russian Revolution during that war,
Nicholas II and his family were shot to death, and the 300 years of history of the House of Romanov came to an end.
Soviet Union who established the first communist nation in the world, concluding peace with Germany and Austria-Hungary, left the war.
Czechoslovakian Army was left by Russia and in the state of pending.
Soviet Union regarded Czechoslovakian Army, which was welcomed by the Russian Empire, as the enemy of the revolution, and began attack.
Czechoslovakian Army, which was considered as the anti-Establishment power by its own country,
betting everything on its survival, was preparing for Guerilla warfare.
And at the same time, servicemen for the former Empire gathered in Omsk, getting the assistance by UK, launched a military dictatorship.
Naturally, Soviet Union denied the dictatorship in Omsk and the troops began advancing.
Taking advantage of this chaotic situation, Czechoslovakian Army attacked the branch of Central Bank of Russia in Kazakhstan.
They robbed gold nuggets and left for Omsk.
On their way the two encountered, and there was an intense battle.
No Smoking Hotel 
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