Seichō Matsumoto - Points And Lines

1970

Translated by Makiko Yamamoto and Paul C. Blum

ON THE evening of January 13, Tatsuo Yasuda had a guest to dinner at the Koyuki, a Japanese-style restaurant in the Aka-saka quarter of Tokyo. The guest was a division chief in one of the government ministries.

Tatsuo Yasuda was president of the Yasuda Co., a precision tool and machinery firm that had grown considerably in recent years and seemed to be prospering. It did a great deal of business with certain government agencies, and there were those who said that this was the reason for the rapid expansion. It was these government contacts that Yasuda often entertained at the Koyuki.

This restaurant was by no means one of the best in the Akasaka district. Perhaps, for this very reason, guests found the atmosphere friendly and informal. Moreover, the waitresses who served in the private rooms were exceptionally competent. Yasuda was looked upon as one of their good customers. He was, of course, a liberal spender; money was his stock-in-trade, he was quick to admit. And the men he entertained were the sort that could be influenced by money. However, no matter how friendly he was with the waitresses, he never told them more than was necessary about his guests.

The previous fall a scandal had come to light, centering in a certain ministry. Several companies doing business with this government department were said to be involved. Although suspicion had not spread beyond a few minor officials, the press predicted that by spring it would reach into the higher ranks.

As a consequence, Yasuda was more discreet than usual when introducing his guests at the Koyuki. Still, there were some he invited as many as seven or eight times, and these the waitresses came to address familiarly by the first syllable of their names. It was always "Mr. Ko," or "Mr. Yu," although they never got to know anything personal about them. They were aware, however, that most of Yasuda's guests were government officials.

But never mind about the other guests. Yasuda was the guest who spent the money. He was the one who mattered at the Koyuki.

Tatsuo Yasuda was in his midthirties. Of slightly dark complexion, he had a broad forehead, a fleshy well-rounded face and a rather pointed nose. His eyes were bright and looked at one kindly from under brows so thick they appeared to be drawn in ink. Although he had the self-assured manner of the successful businessman and the waitresses liked him, he never seemed to take advantage of his popularity; he was friendly to all.

Since she happened to be assigned to the first party he gave, Otoki was always the one to wait on him when he came to the Koyuki. But their relations, while very friendly, were not known to extend beyond the restaurant.

Otoki was twenty-six but her clear white skin and pretty features made her look at least four years younger. Her customers would often comment on her big black eyes. They found her very becoming when she would look up at them quickly, a smile in her glance. She was well aware of the effect this had on men. She had an oval face, and the line between lips and chin gave her a delicate profile.

Little wonder some customers had tried to seduce her. All the waitresses lived at home and came daily to work. They arrived at four in the afternoon and left a little after eleven at night. There were guests who would wait for them sometimes as they came out of the restaurant and who would ask them to meet them later under the railway bridge near Shimbashi Station. The girls could not curtly refuse since these were good customers; they usually consented and then would stand them up, three or four times in a row. By then a man should have understood, the girls would say.

"Some men are stupid and get angry. The other evening one of them pinched me hard." Otoki opened the folds of her kimono and bared her knee. The skin was marked by a dark bruise.

"You're a foolish girl. You encourage them," said Yasuda, smiling over his cup of sake. It was evident he was on very friendly terms with the girls.

"Come to think of it, Mr. Ya has never tried to seduce us," said Yaeko, one of the waitresses.

"No use trying. I'm on to you girls."

"Just listen to him. I know his type," said Kaneko playfully.

"Don't say that."

"It's no use, Kaneko," Otoki interjected. "Everyone here is in love with Mr. Ya and he doesn't so much as look at us. You had better give him up, and quickly."

Kaneko laughed. "Maybe you're right," she said.

It was a fact, as Otoki had stated, that the waitresses at the Koyuki were interested in Yasuda. Had he tried to become intimate with any one of them he would have been taken seriously. His appearance and personality were attractive to women.

That evening, after bidding good night to the government official at the door of the restaurant, Yasuda returned to his private dining room to drink and relax. Otoki had left the room; Yaeko and Tomiko were still clearing the table. "How about letting me treat you girls to an early dinner tomorrow?" he asked.

They accepted at once, with obvious delight. "Where is Otoki? She doesn't seem to be around. Please include her," Tokiko suggested.

"No, just the two of you will be fine. I'll invite Otoki some other time. It won't do to have so many of you late for work."

It was true. The waitresses were required to be at the restaurant by four in the afternoon. If they had dinner out, they would not be on time. It would not be right to have three of them report late to work.

"Be at the Levante in Yraku-ch at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon," Yasuda said, smiling at the girls.

At 3:30 the following afternoon when Tomiko arrived at the Levante, Yasuda was already seated at a table in the rear, drinking coffee.

"Hello!" Yasuda greeted her and pointed to the seat facing him.

It was exciting to meet a customer outside one's place of work. Tomiko's face was slightly flushed as she sat down. "Hasn't Yaeko come yet?"

"She'll be here soon." Yasuda ordered a cup of coffee for her. A few minutes later Yaeko appeared, looking a little shy. The other guests in the coffee shop were all young couples and the two girls looked conspicuous, their profession obvious from the kimono they were wearing.

"What would you girls like this evening? Western food? Chinese? How about tempura or eels?"

"Western food," the girls answered simultaneously. A change was welcome from the Japanese dishes they had to serve every day at the Koyuki.

They left the Levante and walked in the direction of the Ginza. The streets were not crowded at this hour of the day, and though a cold wind was blowing, the weather was fine. They walked slowly, crossing from the corner of Owari-ch to the Matsuzakaya Department Store. The Ginza was quite deserted, so different from the year-end scenes two weeks before.

"Wasn't it a sight on Christmas Eve!" one of the girls commented as they strolled directly behind Yasuda.

Yasuda mounted the steps of the Coq d'Or Restaurant. It, too, was quite empty.

"Please order whatever you like," he said as they sat down at a table.

"Just anything will do," Yaeko and Tomiko replied at first, but presently they studied the menu and consulted each other. It took them a while to decide.

Yasuda was looking stealthily at his watch. Yaeko was quick to notice and asked, "Are you busy, Mr. Ya?"

"No, not busy, but I have to go to Kamakura later this afternoon." He crossed his hands on the table.