No Longer Human ( PDFDrive )

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began to insist that we continue our drinking somewhere
else. We had already run out of money, but
he kept badgering me.
Finally—and this was because I was drunker and
bolder than usual—I said, "All right. I'll take you
to the land of dreams. Don't be surprised at what you
see. Wine, women and song . . ."
"You mean a cafe?"
"I do."
"Let's go!" It happened just as simply as that.
The two of us got on a streetcar. Horiki said in high
spirits, "I'm starved for a woman tonight. Is it all
right to kiss the hostess?"
I was not particularly fond of Horiki when he
played the drunk that way. Horiki knew it, and he
deliberately labored the point. "All right? I'm going
to kiss her. I'm going to kiss whichever hostess sits
next to me. All right?"
"It won't make any difference, I suppose."
"Thanks! I'm starved for a woman."
We got off at the Ginza and walked into the cafe
of "wine, women and song." I was virtually without
a penny, and my only hope was Tsuneko. Horiki and
I sat down at a vacant booth facing each other.
Tsuneko and another hostess immediately hurried
over. The other girl sat next to me, and Tsuneko
plopped herself down beside Horiki. I was taken