The heavy clouds had been hanging over Osaka all day, swallowing the last traces of color until only the gray of the towering office buildings remained.
In between, the usual chaos of rush hour crawled along, as sluggish as an overcooked steak, but tolerable for a Friday afternoon.
Amid the stream of taxis, buses, and compact cars, one vehicle stood out.
A dark red Cadillac Escalade, moving with surprising agility for its massive frame, like it had forgotten how heavy it really was.
Or maybe it just had a very skilled driver.
"HOLY SHIIIIIIT!" Rudi roared against the windshield.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT IDIOT DOIN'?!"
His fingers clenched tight around the steering wheel, ready to rip it off and throw it between the spokes of the e-bike ahead of him. A vein pulsed on his red-tinted forehead, thick and angry.
"FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!!"
He'd already given his horn several rounds of CPR, but the biker in front didn't budge.
Then, spotting a gap to the right, Rudi jerked the wheel with the reflexes of a tiger, squeezing through a few cars until he reclaimed the lead of the column — gunning the engine as he sped straight toward the next red light.
Beside him sat Nozomi, completely unfazed by his Tourette-like performance. She was lost on her phone, and already well to damn used to Rudi's driving habits.
On the screen, a stream of chat messages lit up:
Momo: "Yeah and then she just kicked him right in the balls 😂😂"
Nacktascha: " I heard Rudi's scream all the way to the entrance LMAO"
Riri: "R I P to Rudi 🫶😔 But Lyra is sooo SLAY!! 💪🥹"
Cherry: "Goats do have horns, after all."
Lyra: "Shut up, Cherry. You're next."
It was the Bunnygirls' group chat. A colorful mix of gossip, polls, and work updates. Nozomi had originally started it to keep the girls connected, but lately, it served more as a barometer for the club's atmosphere.
"What're ya always starin' at that damn phone for?" Rudi snapped, jerking her attention back to reality, punctuated by the car lurching to a stop at the red light.
"Oh, well…" She brushed a blue strand of hair from her face, choosing her words carefully.
"That little incident from… yesterday… it's been going around the chat."
Rudi's fingers strangled the steering wheel tighter, almost kinky, but his voice stayed calm. He'd expected this.
"Bunch of whores. Can't keep their damn mouths shut for one fuckin' day."
Nozomi hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"How did you handle things with Lyra?"
"She swallowed it too," Rudi said dryly, though he had to swallow himself right after.
Nozomi mustn't know about his little game with Lyra.
It was risky, but he knew Lyra was too proud to tell anyone.
"Very Good," Nozomi smiled faintly and gave him a kiss on the cheek that felt wrong the moment it touched his skin.
"Some girls can only be tamed by big boss," she added softly, trailing a finger across his chest. There was something sly in her tone. "So, how'd you win her over?"
"The knife didn't really impress her, but I showed her the pics with the clients instead." Rudi grinned. "This bitch really cares about her image, hahaha!"
His belly shook with laughter, a grotesque rhythm of self-satisfaction. "I read her like a damn porno mag, hahaha!"
When the traffic light turned green, the Cadillac roared back to life. The red beast shot forward, leaving the other cars behind, fueled by his arrogance.
Then, when the engine noise finally gave room for words again, Nozomi's voice cut sharply through his laughter.
"Rudi, those recordings are illegal… you do know that, right?" Her hand gripped his sleeve.
Rudi noticed the nervous tremor against his shirt and stopped laughing. He placed his hand briefly over hers, then let it slide down to her thigh. His calm spread over her like a drug.
"It's fine, bunny. I got everythin' under control."
His voice was suddenly heavy, certain, like the weight of his touch.
"The cameras are from before they passed that stupid law," he explained with a grin. "Officially they're shut down, but Shinkin hacked 'em so I can toggle them off with one click. Like they're not even there. Hahaha."
Nozomi's lips twitched, resisting, then finally curling into a reluctant smile. She laid her hand on his and toyed with his fingers.
Joe would've never allowed something like this.
A sharp stab of guilt hit her chest, but she didn't dare say it aloud.
"You're clever... no one could trace it back to us," she murmured, half-to reassure herself.
"Hahaha yeah, Shinkin's a genius, not only when it comes to recruitin'," Rudi smirked. "He didn't want any money, just a few pics of Asaki at work."
Then he shrugged. "Could've let him fuck her too, but that guy apparently rather jerks off, hahaha!"
"Even better," Nozomi giggled, still looking down at the footwell. "Means she can work more… or train."
After the laughter faded, an odd silence settled between them.
Maybe it was just because Rudi was focused on the speedway, speeding toward the city center.
Toward the restaurant.
"So!" He slapped his own thigh. "Enough business talk. Time to eat like kings!"
Nozomi lifted her chin again, the remark felt like a tiny rescue from her own doubts.
Almost clingy, she wrapped both arms around his right arm.
"You're right, darling!" she chimed, pressing against him.
"You're blockin' me from shiftin', babe!" he grumbled.
"Oops, sorry!" She loosened her grip slowly, almost reluctantly.
Rudi let out an annoyed grunt, though there was a trace of amusement beneath it.
Nozomi glanced toward the back seat, where a blue dress lay neatly folded in a clear plastic cover.
"The dress you picked for me is beautiful," she said, her cheeks taking on a faint rosy tone.
"Well, we're goin' someplace fancy, gotta look the part, eh?" he grinned, slowing for the next red light.
"Oh? So without the dress I'm not beautiful enough?"
"Course you are, babe, course you are."
"Hmph." She turned away with a pout, but Rudi reached over and turned her face back toward him.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," he said, looking straight into her eyes.
His rough, stubbled cheeks flushed a little. Nozomi blinked, part surprised, part flattered.
For a few seconds, that rare honesty hung between them. Then Nozomi broke it, pulling him into a deep kiss.
"Nozo—" Rudi started to protest, but then gave in, his hand gripping her hip, pulling her closer. Something in his conscience stung, but he drowned it out by kissing her harder.
Nozomi kissed back just as fiercely, like she too wanted to forget something. For a moment, they lost themselves in their hunger.
HOOOOONK!!
A blaring horn snapped them both back to reality, breaking them apart.
The traffic light was green.
Rudi missed the gas pedal once, twice — then slammed it down again. Within seconds, he closed the gap to the other cars.
"I didn't know I could be that distracting," Nozomi said with a small, genuine smile.
Rudi cleared his throat to shake off the awkward feeling, then laughed too. "Hahaha, what can I say? You're my good old slut," he winked.
They laughed together, almost in sync. The air inside the flashy SUV felt a little lighter now, though still far from clean.
"So," Nozomi said after a moment, "are we going to your place or mine after dinner?"
Rudi hesitated for a second, then leaned back comfortably in his seat.
"Up to you, babe. Don't matter to me where I get to take that dress off."
Nozomi's glossy lips parted, but she paused briefly before answering. "Alright, then your place. We're always at mine."
Rudi nodded, maybe a bit too quickly.
"Fine by me. My place it is."
⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯
Lyra's face hung over the sink.
Not over the toilet bowl like Hana's the night before. Though she probably would've preferred that right now.
"FUCKING BASTARD," she hissed, pouring a bright green liquid into her mouth.
It was the third round of soap-and-water she'd gargled. The taste was burning, chemical, vile, but it had to be done. Her fingers still trembled as she braced herself against the sink with both hands. Then she spat it out.
The liquid left a stinging numbness in her throat and mouth, but that didn't matter. As long as it drowned out the rancid taste of Rudi's goodbye gift.
Her arms stayed pressed to the porcelain, barely keeping her upright.
Black streaks of ruined makeup traced her red cheeks. She wanted to look in the mirror, but then—
*WYAHOOO~*
Lyra flinched and slipped, hitting the cold tile floor, just like the other night. The phone landed on the edge of the sink above her, glowing with a different kind of energy this time.
She'd gone up against Rudi not only for herself, but for Hana too. Hoping to change something.
But the only thing she'd changed was her pay, and the number of clients she had to take each day.
Lyra sat there for a while, staring blankly at the black floor tiles.
As if she was waiting for the black to swallow her whole. Only the slow drip of the faucet filled the heavy silence.
She pulled herself up by the edge of the sink, barely managing to stay on her feet. Her gaze fell to the phone.
Hana…
A weak pulse beat in her chest. Before it could grow, she snatched the phone and flicked the screen on.
Hana: "was with rudi. told him it was all my fault. he gave me a punishment but i kept you out of it."
Hana: "about this morning... sorry. shouldn't have run off like that."
Lyra stared at the message.
No sarcasm. No sharp edge.
Just… honesty?
She'd written regret.
Not even wrapped in irony.
Before Lyra could figure out how to respond, another message came in.
Hana: "btw we've got a VIP tonight TOGETHER at 8:15. rudi's orders 🙃 just in case you didn't know yet."
Yeah. That sounded more like her.
Lyra shook her head slightly.
As if the earlier messages had just been a slip.
Another ping.
Hana: "sorry for the emotional crap earlier. must be the hangover 😳 just ignore it."
Lyra rubbed her face.
Of course. Of course she blamed it on the hangover. And still… there'd been something in those first messages. And as much as Lyra wanted to push it away, a small part of her wanted to keep that fragment.
Lyra: "was with him too. he's trying to pit us against each other. nothing's settled. .-."
After sending it, she stared at the screen for a second, then kept typing.
Lyra: "he said you ratted me out. that i was stopping you from working, going completely off the rails."
The reply came fast.
Hana: "wtf"
Hana: "stfu rudi. as if i'd ever say that."
Something inside Lyra loosened, a small knot she hadn't even known was there.
Then another message came.
Hana: "had to lie on his floor this morning and lick gin off it. with glass shards. but hey, at least it wasn't cheap gin."
Lyra was about to type something when Hana messaged again.
Hana: "oh, nvm."
Hana: "sorry for oversharing."
Hana: "just thought... or hoped you didn't have to do anything too. if you did, it pisses me off even more."
Lyra's stomach tightened. In her mind she saw Rudi's disgusting face, his sweaty hands, felt his touch again, the one she couldn't wash off.
She started typing.
"He made me…"
Deleted.
"He forced me to go down and…"
Deleted.
Then she dodged, writing something that felt true, but wasn't fully the truth.
Lyra: "didn't have to do anything… but he threatened me. he's got photos of me at work. every pose, every client."
A few seconds passed. Then the typing dots appeared.
Hana typed. Deleted. Typed again.
Hana: "...fuck."
Hana: "so he probably has pics of all of us then."
And there it was, that knot.
The one that had been sitting in Lyra's throat since Rudi's office. It didn't disappear, but it got smaller. Rudi didn't know about Phelix. Or about Lyra's past with the pictures.
He'd just taken a shot—
and hit.
Hana: "you okay?"
Lyra pressed her fingers against her forehead.
I'm so fucking stupid…
Then she typed again.
Lyra: "yeah, i'm fine. btw… gotta take eight clients a night now for the same pay. you too?"
Hana: "yeah…"
Hana: "what do we do now?"
We?
The little word echoed in Lyra's head.
Not you. Not me.
We.
Lyra shook her head and typed:
Lyra: "rudi's planning something. tried to turn us against each other and now there's a client who wants us both. smells worse than your hangover."
A faint grin tugged at her lips, just for that jab.
Then she kept writing.
Lyra: "let's meet before work. talk things through."
Barely ten seconds later:
Hana: "as charming as always 💀"
…
Hana: "whatever"
Hana: "pick me up? my place's on the way anyway."
Pick her up?
Lyra: "okay. send me your address. i'll be there around 7:45. we'll figure something out."
She stared at the message she'd sent.
Between the lines, there was a promise. That there'd be an after, that they'd find a way.
Hana: "oki will do"
Hana: "oh, btw"
Hana: "thanks tho, for last night."
Hana: "and this morning too. appreciated 🫶"
A faint smile crossed Lyra's lips.
That clumsy apology was so unlike Hana
Lyra: "forget it. get your shit together. and don't puke all over my apartment again, okay?"
She shouldn't have written it like that. Not so blunt. But it was too late now. That was Lyra's way of showing she cared —
just in… Lyrish.
Hana: "sorry. i'll bring your hoodie back later."
Hana: "…btw it kinda smells like you 🫠"
Lyra blinked, staring at the screen.
Smells like me?
Her stomach tightened for no reason she could name.
She started typing.
Lyra: "keep it. it's too big for me anyway. stick figures like me can't fill it out. fits you better <-<"
The joke came automatically. She didn't want the conversation to drift anywhere soft, anywhere warm.
Hana: "wait really?"
Hana: "bet. looks better on me anyway :3"
Lyra stared at the messages, and something in her chest loosened. There she was again — the real Hana.
A grin tugged at Lyra's mouth, one she instantly hated herself for. God, that ego of hers… it's unbearable.
And yet, why did her face feel hot all of a sudden?
She typed again.
Lyra:"that hoodie makes you look wide. even wider. congrats."
She stopped.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Lyra: "keep dreaming, muffin top (¬_¬)"
That would do.
Hana: "see you later, stick girl 🖤"
Lyra: "later. be sober."
Lyra stared at her last message.
…was that too serious?
Whatever.
She stayed on the chat for a few more seconds,
as if looking at the words could make them mean more as if her plea might somehow reach Hana through the screen.
When she finally switched apps, three new Twitter DMs waited at the top of her notifications.
09:21 Kathy: "Gooood morniiiing! 💕"
10:51 Kathy: "Everything okay? Are you busy?"
12:41 Kathy: "I'm starting to worry about you, Lyra 😖"
Oh god… poor thing.
A faint breath escaped her. Half a sigh, half guilt. Then her thumbs started moving.
13:37 Lyra: "ahh fuck, sorry >-< had a rough morning .-."
13:37 Lyra: "but i'm okay now! don't worry!"
She set the phone down beside the sink and let out a long, quiet exhale. The silence in the room settled heavy around her again.
The thoughts of Rudi creeped back. There were so many things she could tell Kathy, but not this. Not about the Bunny Club.
Some things didn't belong there. Not in the chat with Kathy.
And definitely not in the life she lived online.
Those thoughts… she'd have to face alone.