The kid still seemed embarrassed, but kids nowadays could fake just about anything once they had their mind on it. He was seriously starting to reevaulate his reasons for getting out of bed in the first place, but it was too late for that kind of thinking; Hijikata really didn't have the time to go with some teenager to meet some yankee buddy of his, but something about the way the boy said "sinister" triggered alarm bells deep inside the part of his head labeled "DEMON VICE COMMANDER," and whatever Hijikata was, he was not the sort of man who betrayed his own instincts.
"...fine," Hijikata said, giving up on finding his cigarettes.
"But on one condition."
He turned a bit to the side, starting to walk in the direction the boy'd been traveling in, trusting Keman would follow. It was as much a test as a simple gesture; if the boy attacked Hijikata now, while the man had his back to him, then the "friend" they were going to meet probably wasn't worth seeing.
"A love hotel isn't a brothel, kid. And the women in brothels are far from cheap. The worthless kinds of people you find at love hotels are more like the middle-aged teacher that secretly brings the college student she's been admiring for months, or the married salaryman who goes to forget the demotion and that useless kid of his who just got a 17 out of 100 on his math test in the arms of a stranger. It's a place to go to shirk responsibilities and solitude for those who can barely pay child support, never mind the money needed for the 'professional help' you're thinking about."
He paused.
"You'll learn more about these things when you're older. In the meantime, forget it. Your friend, as well, if he's under twenty."
no subject
"...fine," Hijikata said, giving up on finding his cigarettes.
"But on one condition."
He turned a bit to the side, starting to walk in the direction the boy'd been traveling in, trusting Keman would follow. It was as much a test as a simple gesture; if the boy attacked Hijikata now, while the man had his back to him, then the "friend" they were going to meet probably wasn't worth seeing.
"A love hotel isn't a brothel, kid. And the women in brothels are far from cheap. The worthless kinds of people you find at love hotels are more like the middle-aged teacher that secretly brings the college student she's been admiring for months, or the married salaryman who goes to forget the demotion and that useless kid of his who just got a 17 out of 100 on his math test in the arms of a stranger. It's a place to go to shirk responsibilities and solitude for those who can barely pay child support, never mind the money needed for the 'professional help' you're thinking about."
He paused.
"You'll learn more about these things when you're older. In the meantime, forget it. Your friend, as well, if he's under twenty."