"Lost contact?"
Tosu Hideo sprang up from the sofa, his face paling with alarm.
"Since when? Have you called the police?"
"Sir, sir! Please calm down!"
The hostess was startled by Tosu Hideo's intense reaction.
"Perhaps I worded that poorly. Mako skipped her shift yesterday, and we haven't been able to reach her since. She only missed work yesterday."
"That's no small matter either. What if something happened to her?"
Tosu Hideo paced like an ant on a hot griddle. The first time Karei Tosu had stayed out all night, on the evening of her high school graduation, he had nearly rushed to the police station to report her missing.
"Sir, there's a lot of turnover in our line of work. Besides, we sleep during the day and work at night. Working straight through the night is commonplace, so it's perfectly normal not to hear from someone for a day or two," the hostess reassured him.
"That's right, Moribe, my friend. Maybe Mako had something to take care of at home. She might be back at work in a couple of days," Muto chimed in casually.
No, impossible!
Moribe Mamiya ran away from home, and I'd only just left the Moribe house. That adulterous pair had no idea where she was now.
"No, I need to see your club's madam."
Seeing Tosu Hideo about to barge into the club, both the hostess and Muto felt a headache coming on and hurried forward to stop him.
"You can't. The madam will be angry."
"Moribe, calm down!"
Just then, a young beauty in a burgundy evening gown walked in through the club's entrance.
"Sir! Look, isn't that Mako now?" the hostess said delightedly.
Tosu Hideo stopped in his tracks and stared.
The girl's long black hair was tied into a bun behind