Chapter 11 - First Customers

"Oohh… Cozy…" A beautiful and energetic young lady, around 22 years of age, dressed casually in t-shirt and jeans, storms in Muscle Master Clinic.

Red who is busy reading at the reception desk, cannot help but look up at the commotion.

"Hey! *huff* *huff* *huff* Arina-chan! *huff* *huff*" Another lady, around 30 years of age, dressed in pant suits soon follows inside.

"Don't say my name in public! You said it yourself!" Arina reprimands her companion.

"It's fine. We lost them." The pantsuit lady catches her breath.

"But next time. Give me a heads-up! I'm a *thinker* unlike you." she adds.

"Oh. Sorry…" Arina feels bad looking at her ragged friend.

"Good afternoon. What's going on downstairs?" Red asks the two, feeling the commotion in the street downstairs with his spiritual sense.

"It's my fans." Arina says.

"Hi! Excuse me, mister. Are you the owner of this place?" The pantsuit lady asks, seeing Red's body language and his expensive looking brown yukata.

"Yes, I am. What can I do for you two?" Red asks.

The pantsuit walks over to Red, introduces her self, "I'm her manager. If you would close your shop for a moment before her fans disperse?", and hands him a business card.

"…" Red then takes a look at the card, before pushing it back to the lady.

"Uhh. Miss Konno? Why would I do that?" Red asks.

"…" Miss Konno realizes that Red does not recognize who Arina is.

"We'll pay you of course. How much does your shop earn?" Miss Konno says.

"Hmmm. There's the uh…" Red points at the chalkboard behind him.

"40,000 for 30 minutes… are you crazy?" Miss Konno's jaw drops at the price.

"Well. You can just wait for one of your fans to come up. I can hear a lot of them downstairs." Red says, just for his own amusement.

*murmur* *murmur* Arina and Miss Konno can hear all sorts of unintelligible male voices downstairs through the clinic's window.

"This is extortion.." Miss Konno can only say.

"Hey! Hey. Stop it. You're embarrassing me. Owner! We'll pay!" Arina intervenes.

"Just because we can afford it doesn't mean we can be ripped off!" Miss Konno says.

This makes Red smirk.

"Miss Konno. This place is a legitimate business and the price is reasonable. Had there been other customers around, it will be grounds for a libel suit." He says.

"… Y-you!" Miss Konno and Arina are speechless.

Red meanwhile, gets an idea.

'Fans… So she's some sort of a celebrity… I need her for my shop's exposure.'

It has been three days since Red officially opened his clinic but no one asked for a massage yet; the potential customers were all scared off by the price of the massage.

"Young miss. You said you'll pay to close my shop for a time, right? Why not I treat you guys to a massage so your money doesn't go to waste." Red says.

"Wow! You're really shameless, mister. You know that, right?" Miss Konno says.

"What? I'm talking to your boss." Red says.

"…" Miss Konno is speechless.

"*giggle*" Arina, meanwhile is ticked that Miss Konno, who is usually stoic, is getting her buttons pressed.

"Fine… Rika nee-chan, I'll treat you to a massage. But owner-san, if the price does not match the service, I'll report you. And. I'll even destroy the reputation of your store in social media." Arina delivers a threat with a smile..

Miss Konno, meanwhile, is satisfied by Arina's threats, and does not feel the need to argue with Red anymore.

"Of course, Arina-san." Red nods and returns a smile; he would have been intimidated by the young lady had he been an average mortal and if he runs an ordinary business.

"Okay. Who'll be doing the massage?" Miss Konno asks.

Red organizes the reception table before standing up. "I will." He says as he unwrinkles his yukata.

"…" The two ladies are dumbfounded at Red's answer.

"Y-you… don't have female massage therapists?" Miss Konno asks, feeling great hesitation.

"I don't. If you're feeling shy. Your boss can accompany you. And, I'm not a superiori anyways, so you don't have to worry." Red says.

Miss Konno looks at Arina for support, and Arina hesitatingly nods.

"Alright. Please proceed to the locker room and change to a robe. Then, proceed to the massage room, right next door from the locker room. I will join you there shortly." Red says as he proceeds to the storage room to get his concoctions.

With Red gone, the two ladies are left in an awkward state. "Ari-chan. What if he's a pervert?" Miss Konno asks. "Nee-chan. Don't worry. I'll blind him with my glitters if he does something perverse." Arina promises. "*sigh* Okay." Miss Konno complies and they head to the massage room.

"Ooohhh…" After dropping their things at the locker room, the two ladies stare in awe as they step into the simple, but immaculately designed traditional Japanese set-up of the massage room.

"It really looks legit." Arina nods.

"Looks like it, but is he legit?..." Miss Konno says but in contrast with her words, she strips her bath robe and lies on the massage table, compelled by the atmosphere of the room.

Even though Miss Konno is wearing her underwear, Arina still covers her ass with a towel.

"The smell of the wood itself is calming." Miss Konno notes, smelling the scent of the wood the massage table is built with.

"Hey… have you noticed how clean and shiny everything is?" Arina asks.

"Isn't that a given, though? Considering the price?" Miss Konno scoffs.

"Sure… But this looked like an old and shabby building from outside. Look at the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the furniture. Even I don't clean my place this obsessively. You know how I am." Arina says.

"Oh…" Miss Konno knows that Arina cannot help but to be obsessed with cleanliness because of how messy Arina's "glitter dust" ability is.

*knock**Knock* The two's talk is interrupted by Red knocking on the door.

"Come in" Arina says and Red, carrying a tray containing towels and his solutions, enters the massage room.

"You look more than ready, Miss Konno?" Red says, seeing that Miss Konno is already lying comfortable on the table.

He then lights up a stick of his self-made incense, and let it stand near the massage table.

"Uhn… I'm ready." Miss Konno says, relaxing even further after smelling the smoke from the incense.

"You've changed clothes?" Arina asks, noticing that Red changed from his brown yukata to a light, sky blue one.

"Uhn." Red simply nods before walking to the massage table. He then stands before Miss Konno and *clap* puts his palms together in front of his face and closes his eyes, disguising his spiritual sense scan.

"…" Arina, looking at Red's actions, and how pure he looks with his light sky blue yukata, is getting more assured of Red's credibility. She feels as though Red is performing an old ritual instead of preparing for a massage.

"I'll start." Red says and he opens his eyes.

He then pours his oil-like concoction on Miss Konno's back and he spreads them evenly. The next moment, he starts kneading the lady's shoulders.

"*ahhh*" Miss Konno moans in pleasure as her tense muscles are being forcefully unknotted.

"…" Arina meanwhile cannot help but blush out of embarrassment hearing her manager's noises.

She looks at Red's face, expecting at least a face of amusement or embarrassment, but Red looks like he did not even hear anything. Miss Konno too realizes what she had done, but is feeling fortunate that she cannot see the faces of the other two and they cannot see hers.

"Miss Konno. I wonder what makes you so stressed out?" As if saving her from embarrassment, Red starts small talk.

"*ighhh..* Being a manager for an idol, for one?" Konno says.

"Hmmm. I don't know much about idols. But I can feel from your back muscles that you always keep your guard up. For years at that." Red says.

"Hehe. *ahh* You're right. *ugh* Not only against others, but Arina herself. I kept down my guard today and because of that, she ran away to here to make trouble. *mmhhmm*" Miss Konno says in between moans and grunts.

"Nee-chan! It was just bad luck! It's not like this is the first time I did it." Arina says in defense, but she is feeling guilty making her manager look for her.

"Huh… weird. I don't usually complain in front of her." Miss Konno notices.

"What did you do to me?" She asks Red apprehensively.

"Ah… You have your guard up once again. Relax, Miss Konno." Red says, not wanting to explain.

"*sigh* Maybe because this feels good." Miss Konno comes up with a reason.

"…" Arina, meanwhile, is weirded out by how openly her manager is talking.

Five minutes later, "*mmpphhh*" another moan comes out of Miss Konno as Red reaches her lower back.

Arina is already getting used to the noises, but the moan hit different this time and "Puhup… H-h-h-h-h." she starts giggling.

"…" Miss Konno meanwhile is not even embarrassed after how understanding and accommodating Red have been to her reactions.

A minute or two later, "*sigh* Arina-san care to give me a hand?" Red suddenly asks.

"What do you need?" Arina asks and she steps up beside Red.

"What do you know about massages?" Red asks.

"uhhh.. Aside from getting them myself? Nothing." Arina says. .

"Ah. Never mind then... I'll move on to the legs." Red says.

"…" It takes Arina and Miss Konno a second to realize what he meant before they both blush.

"…" Arina can only step back.

"I- uhhh…" Miss Konno however has a different idea, only stopped by embarrassment from saying it.

"Yes, Miss Konno?" Red asks.

"C-an you massage my glutes too?" She asks.

Red then wipes his hands with a towel before taking out his phone out of his yukata's sash, and opens the voice recorder app.

"Thursday, September 10th 2020, 13:18. Miss Konno requests a glute massage as a part of a full body massage therapy from Iwai Kichirou, a male massage therapist. Miss Konno, for the record, please confirm." He starts recording.

"Puhup!"

"hahaha"

The two ladies are stunned at first at Red's actions before they start giggling out of relief and assurance from Red's attitude.

"*giggle* Yes. Please proceed." Miss Konno says.

A few minutes later.

"*zzz* *snore* oijgasj oihnofa…" Miss Konno is finally done with her massage and is now dozing off, and sleep talking.

"Hey… Hey. Nee-chan." Her peace however does not last long as Arina shakes her awake.

"**ssuup** What?" Miss Konno awakens, annoyed.

"Your massage is done." Arina says.

"Oh…" Miss Konno gets her bearings.

"You're awake, Miss? There's a shower next door. There will also be a fresh pair of bathrobes there." Red directs the two.

His directions are ignored however.

"How do you feel, nee-chan?" Arina asks.

"I… I don't know. I feel… perfect! And refreshed! I feel like I've slept for days." Miss Konno struggles to explain the feeling.

"Is… the price worth it?" Arina whispers.

"Yes. To be honest, it's a bargain. I've never felt this good even after a full day at the spa." Miss Kono whispers back.

"…" Red can only smirk in amusement as he leaves the massage room to dispose of the linens.

A minute later.

*knock* *knock* "Anyone there?" Red knocks on the massage room and announces himself.

"Come in." Arina, from inside, says.

As he steps in the room, Red is surprised to see Arina has changed into a bathrobe. Looking at her body language, he guesses that he has to do another massage.

"Ah. Miss Konno's in the shower? Arina-san, you can wait in the reception area." Red acts clueless as he replaces the sheets.

"Uhh. I'll get a massage too." Arina says, curious after seeing the effect of the massage to Miss Konno.

"Sure. I'll go prepare the stuff. Meanwhile, you can wait for Miss Konno to join u-"

"I'd like to start as soon as possible please." Arina says, eagerly.

"Okay." Red smiles, accommodatingly.

An hour later.

"*hmm* *hmm* *hmmm*~"

Fumio is in a good mood as he climbs the stairs leading up to the second floor where Muscle Master is.

"*hmm* *hmm* Huh? Why is it closed?" Fumio notices the door of the clinic is locked and the sign on the door flipped to 'Closed'.

"Is boss here?" He then takes out his keys and opens the door and steps in the clinic.

*shut* Right after he closes the door behind him, he sees Red seated at the reception area common table with two ladies, enjoying tea. Red is seated, facing the entrance, and the two ladies have their backs on the entrance.

"Oh. Boss. You're here? Hello customers!" Fumio bows to greet Red and the two ladies.

"Oh. Fumio. What are you doing here?" Red asks.

"I have something to report. I was gonna report at your house later, but I heard something interesting happen here earlier. Why's the door closed, by the way?" Fumio asks.

"I'm taking a break. Grab yourself a cup and join us." Red says.

"…" Fumio, who worked part time in the service industry, while finding it odd that the two customers are not even turning around to acknowledge him, is used to the treatment and not a bit offended.

Red's acknowledgement is enough for him.

"Thank you boss!" Fumio is even happier with the invitation.

"… Boss! Do you know Arina? The most popular in Musume48?" He says as he absentmindedly walks to the reception desk to grab a teacup.

"What the hell is Musume48?" Red asks, offending Arina and Miss Konno.

"A pop idol group made of superioris members!" Fumio says.

"I see … But I know Arina. I just learned about her today. She was in the neighborhood earlier." Red says.

"So I've heard. That's why I came here. Too bad I got here late.." Fumio says as he walks to the table to join Red and the two customers.