Club Rainbow ④

“I told you not to move that platform!”

As soon as I stepped into the wings, I grabbed the collar of the man in black who was in charge of the sound system.

When the show ends, the club gets cluttered as customers rotate. But since some stay until closing, I lowered my voice and squeezed the words out.

“I’m sorry, Matilda. We were planning to use the runway lighting from the start, so...”

“Why was I even called in the first place? Someone else was supposed to be the headliner today, right?”

“Well, we couldn’t get a hold of her no matter how many times we called. Since the show’s structure works better with a diva as the headliner, Aguri told me to ask you, Matilda.”

Cast members being absent without notice wasn’t that unusual. If it was the owner’s instruction, I had no choice but to follow it, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go of his collar.

“I understand using the runway lighting. But I’ve always told you not to turn on the stage power, haven’t I? That stage is old, and if that had happened while I was dancing, the dancer might have fallen and gotten hurt, you know?”

“But it was wonderful, Matilda.”

Before I knew it, Aguri had come to the wings. It’s outrageous for a cast member to use violence against the staff, so I had no choice but to let go. Rui followed behind Aguri, and even after seeing me huffing and puffing with rage, he opened his mouth.

“That’s right, it was very beautiful. All the customers were captivated by you, Matilda... how should I put it, there was a sensuality in the way you sang.”

“It’s a waste not to use that stage. Why don’t you incorporate it into the production from next time on?”

The two of them seemed to have liked my show very much. They were desperate to appease me, but their voices remained high-pitched with excitement and wouldn’t settle down.

“In the first place, who turned on the stage power?”

There are many men in black who manage the club, but only a handful can handle sound and lighting. Was there anyone in this club who could operate the stage equipment that had been sealed off? The man in black, straightening his disheveled shirt, said with a pale expression.

“It was a part-timer, one you introduced, Matilda.”

My throat made a small sound at that.

Leaving Aguri, who was talking about her vision for a show using the rotating stage, I headed to the kitchen. The food served at the club is just simple snacks or dried goods, but the liquor glasses are never washed fast enough. I found the man in black who was washing dishes and grabbed his slender wrist.

“Satowa.”

The pet cat who spends all day indulging in lazy naps only regains her human form when she works at this club.

With her long hair tied back and her shirt buttons fastened to her neck, she had well-defined features even with light makeup. She was born with the long eyelashes and plump cheeks that we spend time and money trying to acquire.

Yet her expression never changed, like a Noh mask, and she didn’t even twitch an eyebrow when she saw me breathing hard.

“You were the one who messed with the stage, weren’t you?”

“...During the show, they told me to help out because they were short-handed.”

Her presence is an anomaly even in the club, and she rarely goes out onto the floor. Especially today, with the crowds, the staff were busy with customers, so it seems Satowa was roped in as a production assistant. It wouldn’t be strange for her to know how the stage works.

“Matilda, you don’t have to be so angry...”

Rui was a surprisingly persistent man. He bravely stepped through the kitchen door with his feet unsteady from drink. However, my bulk took up space in the narrow passage, and he had no choice but to talk to my back.

“If you coordinate the dance for the show in advance, there shouldn’t be any danger. If you’re worried, maybe you could ask a professional to perform maintenance.”

“It’s old, so there’s no one left who can fix it.”

Once upon a time, the women who danced on that stage were completely naked.

“This club used to be a strip theater. The stage moving is a remnant of those days.”

Currently, there are no strip theaters in the northern entertainment district. Due to the aging of facilities, theaters across the country have closed one after another, and no new ones have been built due to the Entertainment Business Act. The rotating pedestal—known in the industry as a 'bon'—should also be an endangered species.

When I turned around, Rui had a blank expression, as if he didn’t understand what I meant. After a moment, his face turned bright red and he began to panic. His innocent reaction was enough to make me feel embarrassed too.

“Promise me, Satowa. That you won’t move that stage again.”

“Understood.”

Satowa nodded obediently to my stern demand. To her, there probably wasn’t any deep meaning in moving that equipment. As she wiped her wet hands on her apron, she suddenly touched my arm.

“Let me through.”

At the touch of her cold fingertips, I realized she had been washing dishes with her bare hands. The kitchen facilities are old, and the water sometimes turns cold if the water heater is used continuously. My conscience pricked me, but Satowa didn’t notice and squeezed her body into the gap in the passage.

“...Who are you?”

Noticing the stranger, she frowned. Rui stepped back, saying he was sorry.

“Wait, Satowa.”

When I followed her retreating figure as she walked away briskly, she stopped. Whether she knew I was worried about her cold fingertips or not, Satowa reached out and touched my cheek.

It was as cold as ice. Just before I could place my hand over hers, she opened her lips.

“The stage earlier, you were imitating me, weren’t you?”

She knows. She knows how to use the stage equipment.

Satowa was one of the people who used to dance on that stage, just as she was born.