A Host's Agony: Drowning in Debt

My name is Shuji Sasaki, and I'm 20 years old.

I was born and raised in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. After graduating from high school, I attended a vocational school to become a hairdresser.

However, due to our financial situation as a single-mother household, I could no longer afford the tuition fees and had to drop out in my second year.

After that, I worked part-time at a local restaurant for a while.

One day, I received a phone call from my senior, Morita, whom I hadn't heard from in a long time.

"Hey, Shuji, how are you doing?"

"Oh, Senior Morita, long time no see!"

"Are you interested in being a host?"

"Huh? A host?"

"Yeah, I'm currently working as a host in Kabukicho, Tokyo, and I'm making good money! So, I thought you might be interested."

"Huh? Can you really make money as a host?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you can make a killing!"

My answer was, of course, yes!

I wanted to become rich, so I left my mother behind and headed to Tokyo, where my senior was.

Arrival in Tokyo

"Hey! Over here!"

"Oh, Senior Morita, long time no see!"

My senior came to pick me up at the airport.

I was taken straight to the host club where he worked and was about to be interviewed, still carrying my luggage.

By the way, the view of Tokyo on the way was amazing.

The towering skyscrapers, the bustling crowds, the wide roads, and the abundance of trendy cafes and restaurants—it was a stark contrast to Nagasaki.

It really hit me that this was the capital.

After a while, we arrived at the club.

The owner, Mr. Takada, was there, and he immediately interviewed me.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shuji Sasaki. Please take care of me today."

"Yes, Morita-kun has told me about you."

"Thank you very much."

"So, when can you start?"

"Anytime is fine with me."

"Then come tomorrow. For now, put your luggage in the dormitory and take a rest today."

"Oh, okay. Thank you very much."

"Okay, Morita-kun, please show him to the dormitory."

"Yes!"

And just like that, I was hired on the spot and taken to the dormitory.

The dormitory was an apartment building.

It was about a 5-minute walk away, but it was quite dirty.

When I entered the room with the key, there were three seniors there, so I greeted them first.

"Hello, I'm Shuji Sasaki. Nice to meet you. I'll be in your care from today."

"Oh, uh..."

"Uh, yes..."

"Hey there!"

Their hair was messy, but they all seemed to be hosts.

The room was a studio apartment with only about 6 tatami mats of space and two bunk beds. A total of four people were supposed to live together in this small room.

(This room is so tiny... Once I start making good money, I'll move out and live on my own...)

That's what I thought, but for now, I decided to endure it.

By the way, the dormitory fee seemed to be 20,000 JPY per month, including water, electricity, and gas.

After showing me the place, Senior Morita left.

"See you tomorrow, Shuji..."

"Yes, thank you very much."

Apparently, there were some things to do before the shift started.

After a while, the three seniors also got ready and left for work.

I took a quick shower and decided to go sightseeing in Tokyo since I was already there. I locked the room and headed out.

The sheer number of people and restaurants in Kabukicho was astonishing. There were also countless foreigners in Golden Gai, even though it was a weekday. I was amazed by the number of tourists.

After wandering around for a while, I had some ramen and went back to the room. I decided to take a bath early and go to bed.

The futon felt a bit damp, but I decided to bear with it.

Alright, let's do my best from tomorrow onwards!

I vowed to make it big in the glamorous city of Kabukicho and become rich!

That was the promise I made to myself that night.

First Day at Work

Finally, it was my first day of work!

When I arrived at the club, Senior Morita taught me how to clean the place.

I made sure every corner of the club was spotless, and even picked up trash outside on the street in front of the club.

Then, the senior hosts started arriving for their shifts.

I greeted each of them politely.

Soon, the morning meeting began.

"Good morning! Please take care of me from today onwards!"

I greeted everyone enthusiastically during the meeting, where all the hosts had gathered.

"So, this is Shuji-kun, who will be working with us from today. This is his first time as a host, so please take care of him."

"Yes, understood."

I felt relieved as the owner properly introduced me. Now, it was time to start the shift.

I studied the manual to learn how to make water-splashed drinks and how to greet customers properly.

There were certainly a variety of customers.

There were sex workers, cabaret club hostesses, office ladies, wealthy madams, and even a person with a physical disability certificate.

The host club where I started working was dazzling. Everything was fresh and new, and it truly lived up to the reputation of Shinjuku.

I was glad I came here from the countryside!

"Yes, a bottle of champagne, coming in!"

A loud call rang out in the club, and a champagne call was made.

Many people are probably familiar with this, but a champagne call costs more than 30,000 JPY. When it reaches 300,000 JPY, it becomes an all-call, and the entire club joins in the call.

After an all-call, there's even an interview!

"Princess! May I have a word?"

"This month, I will definitely make my prince, Yuuya, the number one!"

"Yay! You're amazing, Princess!"

The atmosphere gets hyped up like this.

However, the reality behind the scenes is quite harsh. This is because, while the host who is favored by the customer is supposed to drink the champagne from the call, if there's any left over, the newcomers have to finish it.

This was quite tough...

Of course, it's challenging to drink it all, so sometimes I would secretly let the carbonation out without the customer noticing and then drink it.

Three Months Later

Almost every day, I would stand on the street and hand out half-price tickets for first-time customers while calling out to girls, but I wasn't able to attract many new customers.

Even three months after starting work, I wasn't able to increase my sales at all.

Then, one day...

"Hey, Shuji, you didn't get any favors yesterday, did you? Don't sit down until the store opens!"

The owner, who had been kind at first, gradually began to show his true colors. He started to reveal his chilling, hidden side.

"Wh-What...? But we still have about two hours until opening..."

"Don't talk back to me! There's a rule that hosts who don't get any favors are not allowed to sit down!"

"Oh, okay... Then I'll go back outside and hand out flyers."

"Yeah, go quickly and get some customers!"

"Yes..."

Many host clubs offer discounted prices for first-time customers to attract them. However, there are also customers who take advantage of these offers, only coming in at the discounted rate and making unreasonable demands of the hosts.

I once had to down a bottle of cheap whiskey that was meant for in-store consumption all by myself.

I thought I was going to die at that time.

However, it's frustrating to only receive a daily wage of around 6,000 JPY even after working so hard. In the host business, you don't get a commission unless you get favors and increase your sales.

This is one of the reasons why it's said that 80% of hosts don't make much money.

The salary is paid in cash, but in reality, 10% is deducted from the total amount as income tax, and another 10% is taken as a welfare fee, which seems like a vague concept.

I didn't agree with it, but there was nothing I could do.

I needed to work harder to start earning commissions...

By the way, the commission seems to be distributed based on a percentage of the individual's monthly sales.

Additionally, if you have a managerial position, you also get a percentage of the store's total sales.

Sigh...

With such a low salary, I even felt reluctant to spend money on styling my hair. But since it was mandatory to do my hair and makeup at my own expense according to the club's rules, I had no choice.

"Shuji, anyway, you need to do whatever it takes to increase your sales. I'm counting on you!"

"Yes, I understand..."

In the host business, sales are everything, so it's inevitable to get scolded. The hosts who aren't doing well, like me, have to clean the club before opening.

It's a tough world.

By the way, according to what I learned from my seniors, there are three types of host services: tomo-ei (friend-like service), iro-ei (romantic service), and hon-ei (girlfriend-like service). Apparently, the club doesn't care how the hosts entertain their customers as long as they bring in sales.

None of these types of customers applied to me at the moment, though...

Our club had a two-shift system, with the first shift running from evening to midnight and the second shift from sunrise to noon.

Previously, many clubs operated with a three-shift system, but the laws changed, and the main late-night shift was prohibited.

However, the further you go from the city center, the looser the regulations become, and there are many clubs that still operate in violation of the Adult Entertainment Law.

Unlike cabaret clubs, hosts don't have a send-off service, so it's quite cold walking home in the winter. But since the dormitory is only a 5-minute walk away, it's bearable...

Oh, and even though I don't get many favors from customers, I've been working hard on customer acquisition not only by handing out flyers on the street but also by using SNS.

Of course, it hasn't been extremely effective, but I have no other choice but to keep trying.

I have to be careful not to break any rules and get fined, though.

Speaking of fines, there are four types of fines for hosts.

The first one is for "tardiness."

The purpose of imposing a fine for tardiness is to improve the attendance of hosts and ensure smooth club operations.

Being late has various negative impacts on those around you.

The fine for tardiness is 5,000 JPY.

The second one is for "absence."

Unlike being late, an absence means there's one less person for the day, so it's punished more severely.

The fine is double the daily wage.

Furthermore, if it's an unauthorized absence, the fine is triple the daily wage.

Even if you suddenly disappear, it's pointless. In most cases, the club will identify your home or your parents' house and demand the fine later.

The third fine is for "detrimental behavior."

Detrimental behavior refers to actions that negatively impact the club's sales or credibility, and it comes with a hefty fine of 1 million JPY.

Specifically, detrimental behavior includes the following:

- Directly contacting another host's customer or going on an off-site date with them
- Leaking personal information about other hosts or customers
- Engaging in violent behavior, such as fighting

If you commit any of these actions, you may not only be fined but also fired.

And finally, the fourth fine is for "failing to meet your quota."

If you don't meet your quota, you'll be fined.

There are quotas for events like birthdays and Christmas.

Each host is given a quota for the number of customers they need to bring in, and if they don't meet it, they're fined half their daily wage.

Six Months Later

I tried various methods to attract customers, from calling out to girls on the street and using SNS to going to brothels and cabaret clubs on my days off and trying to drum up business.

After six months of working at the club, I finally started to gain some regular customers.

One of my most frequent customers recently has been Mina-chan, whom I met through SNS.

She works as a delivery health worker, and while the amount she spends varies, she even spent 1 million JPY on my birthday event the other day.

I was truly grateful.

However, lately, Mina-chan has been racking up quite a bit of debt.

"Hey, Shuji, can I put it on a tab again today? Things have been tight lately..."

"Oh, uh... Sure..."

"Thank you! I'll pay you by the end of the month."

By the way, when a customer runs a tab, it's called "kake-bari."

When a customer wants to do this, they need to provide a photo ID and a copy of the receipt.

The payment deadline for kake-bari is the end of the following month after the month of purchase, and if the customer doesn't pay, the amount is deducted from the host's salary.

According to what I heard from my senior, there have been cases where hosts were left with the bill after the customer disappeared.

Apparently, this is called "kake-tobi," where the customer doesn't pay and vanishes.

I'm worried that she might not pay me back... The amount is already over 2 million JPY...

If she does a kake-tobi, it'll be difficult to find her and get the money back...

Well, I guess I shouldn't worry too much.

After all, I've finally started to get some favors, even if it's just a little bit.

I need to keep trying...

Mina-chan Doesn't Show Up

However, even after a month, Mina-chan didn't come to the club.

She didn't answer my calls or reply to my emails.

(Oh no... This is bad... When I calculated it, the amount she put on a tab was 2.3 million JPY... What am I going to do about this money...?)

I went to the address on her driver's license, but no one lived there...

There was a bag hanging on the doorknob containing pamphlets about electricity and water for the next tenant.

If a host's regular customer disappears, it's the host's responsibility to find them.

But I didn't have the money to hire a detective, and as an amateur, my options for finding her were limited. In the end, she got away.

I later found out that Mina-chan was apparently well-known for doing kake-bari and then disappearing.

She had done this to several hosts at other clubs as well.

I honestly told the owner about what happened.

"I'm sorry, Owner. Mina-chan left with a tab of 2.3 million JPY..."

"Hmm? Oh, I see... Don't worry about it."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it'll just be deducted from your salary."

"Huh? You mean...?"

"I'll definitely get that 2.3 million JPY back from you. Until you pay it off, you'll be working for free."

"Wh-What...? How am I supposed to eat from now on?"

"Don't worry, we'll deduct the proper income tax, and you can eat the leftover food from the club, so you won't starve. Just work hard for now!"

"Huh?!?"

"Also, even if the customer disappears, we will always know where you are, so don't even think about running away..."

"Yes..."

My dream was shattered in an instant.

Well, maybe it's still possible to rise from the ashes, but honestly, I don't think I can do it.

After working for more than half a year, I realized...

I don't have the talent or the sense to be a host...

I wonder how long it will take to pay off this debt and leave this club, or if they'll even deduct the amount properly. What if they're lying and I end up working for free forever...?

Ugh... I want to go back to Nagasaki. Tokyo is a scary place…