Publicity (Junjou Romantica, Usami/Misaki and Asahina/Isaka)

The entrance to the club was hidden down an alley between a ramen bar and a bookstore. Isaka followed Usami, still skeptical that the younger man knew where they were going. About halfway down the alleyway stood a door, sunken below the street with a short cement stairwell leading down to it. There was no sign on the door. Usami confidently descended down the stairs and knocked on the door, rapping his hand twice on the door, pausing, then knocking once more.

There was a faint grating sound and then the door pulled open, revealing a dimly lit hallway painted in a deep purplish red. A burly, bald man blocked their way. Usami smiled easily at the man and handed him a card. Isaka watched the entire exchange curiously, wondering, not for the first time, how he’d let Usami talk him into this. After a short moment the bald man grunted slightly and stepped aside. He followed Usami in.

A thin man leaned over a counter ahead of them, smiling at them as they approached. He took their coats without a word, then wished them a pleasant visit as they ventured further into the building. The hall opened into a large room. He noticed the furniture first – a few small tables set around the edge of the room, a handful of chairs, and a number of couches, some with backs, most without. All of the furniture followed a theme, plump red leather for the seating, dark wood for the surfaces.

Then he noticed the peopled. The room was littered with men, not heavily crowded but still amply full. Some were dressed like they were in business casual dress. Others were dressed as if they were hitting the clubs, with tight shirts and tighter pants and not a whole lot of fabric between. The rest, the majority, wore considerably less and were rather distracted, tangled up intimately with another patron, sometimes several patrons.