Being Asked for "Protection Money" by a Gang, and How My Shop Went Under

My name is Daisuke Mizoguchi, a 33-year-old single man who manages a "sexy cabaret" (abbreviated as "sekkyaba") club.

A sekkyaba is a type of drinking establishment where female cast members sit next to or opposite male customers, providing services such as kissing and allowing them to touch their bare chests while dressed only in the upper half. There are similar establishments called lingerie pubs, but these places usually do not allow kissing or touching, and the female staff simply wear sexy lingerie while serving drinks.

"This month's profit is 1 million JPY... I need to work harder to increase sales!"

My average annual income is 15 million JPY, and it has been three years since I opened this shop. I have been working desperately hard, but I am not satisfied at all because my dream is to expand and aim for an annual income of 100 million JPY.

By the way, it has been 15 years since I started working in the water trade industry, and I have just been pushing forward recklessly.

When I was 18 years old...

"I'm Daisuke Mizoguchi! Nice to meet you!"

I started working for a major cabaret club group in my local area right after graduating from high school.

The night leisure industry is a pure meritocracy, where age, gender, academic background, or family background do not matter at all. You can get promoted and earn more based solely on your own abilities.

It was exactly the kind of world I aspired to be in.

From the manager...

"Hey, Daisuke! Hurry up and finish cleaning!"

"S-sorry, I'll hurry!"

From the girls...

"Hey, Daisuke-kun, could you buy me some cigarettes?"

"Yes, of course!"

From my seniors...

"Daisuke! Take out the trash!"

"Yes, I'll take care of it!"

And even from the customers...

"You're very energetic and pleasant to watch. Have a drink on me!"

"I-I'll take it!"

I worked desperately hard, always paying attention to those around me and readily taking on tasks that others disliked.

Thanks to these efforts, little by little, everyone started to acknowledge me.

"Daisuke-kun, here, have some souvenirs from a customer!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Hey, Daisuke, what are you doing on your day off? Let's go drinking, and I'll treat you!"

"Eh? Really? Thank you so much!"

"Yeah! You've been working hard, so you deserve it!"

"Thank you!"

In this way, after six months, I became a chief, and after a year, I was promoted to manager. Then, five years later, I was entrusted with the position of manager.

I gained the trust of my superiors and the cast members, and even after that, I continued to diligently communicate with the girls without becoming complacent.

However, when I became the manager, the amount of work increased drastically.

I had to check the shop's homepage, interview and photograph the girls, pick them up and send them home, and during the daytime, I visited important customers and had meetings with advertising companies...

My sleep time was significantly reduced, but I persevered without ever complaining.

The shop's sales gradually increased, and we made it into the top 10 out of the 30 stores in the group. As I had proven my abilities, I was able to speak up without hesitation during manager meetings.

"I think it's important to differentiate ourselves from competing stores, so here's my proposal..."

And so, at the age of 30, I was promoted to the position of area manager, which is even higher than the manager.

"Alright, it's finally here!"

I submitted my letter of resignation to the company.

Yes, I decided to become independent and open my own shop. Now that I have gained confidence, this is my chance!

I had been saving desperately for 12 years, and I had 1.5 million JPY. For the remaining amount, I received a loan from a wealthy regular customer with whom I had a good relationship.

The type of shop I decided to bet on was not a cabaret club, but a sekkyaba.

I quickly found a property, and since it was a turnkey property, the interior costs were not that high. The deposit and key money, construction costs, purchase of equipment, website production costs, recruitment fees, and advertising expenses added up to about 50 million JPY, and I thought that would be enough.

"Alright! Now I'll make a killing!"

Finally, the Grand Opening!

And so, I was finally able to open my own shop, fulfilling my long-cherished dream.

We started with a minimal staff and cast, and it was a relief just to get things going.

At first, we didn't have many customers, but in addition to advertising expenses, we put effort into SNS promotion, and little by little, the number of customers increased.

"Good, good. Anyway, within three years, or at the latest, within five years, I will recoup the initial investment!"

I worked desperately, perhaps even harshly, towards my subordinates and the girls.

"Hey, Maria-chan! Come here for a second!"

"Y-yes..."

"What's with this sales figure? Do you even have any motivation?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Ugh... That jerk is at it again!"

"He's the worst kind of manager..."

"Hey, you! What are you staring at? If you have time to space out, why don't you call at least one customer?"

"Good morning!"

"Oh, good morning, Sayuri-chan! You're cute as always today!"

Around this time, I may have been too harsh in distinguishing between girls who were getting a lot of customer requests and those who weren't.

"Miho-chan has a request at Table 5, and Kazumi-chan at Table 7."

The showtime, which made full use of mirror balls, rotating lights, and smoke machines, was also well-received. Profits increased to 300,000 JPY, 600,000 JPY, and then 1 million JPY, and things were going smoothly.

(Good, good, this is great!)

Of course, I was the one managing the girls, and I didn't leave it to anyone else.

However, there must have been a certain number of girls who spoke ill of me.

"The manager lately only seems to care about sales... It's like he doesn't value us at all... Maybe I should just quit this job..."

Three Years After the Grand Opening

Three years after opening the shop, sales were growing, but I was dissatisfied with the gentle growth curve compared to the initial period.

"This is no joke! I aim for even higher heights, and I can't afford to stand still here!"

(What should I do...)

"Ah, I know! For now, I'll just make the girls work even harder than they are now!"

And so, I set even stricter quotas and started imposing fines on girls who couldn't produce results.

"Hey, you! Come here for a second!"

"Y-yes..."

"What's with these sales figures? You've been coming in less frequently lately, and you can do more shifts, can't you?"

"Well, I have school..."

"Just quit school! Work is more important, right? Besides, it's presumptuous of you to work at a place like this while you're in debt from student loans and trying to go to university! Know your place!"

"That's... That's cruel... Becoming a nurse is my dream..."

"Hey, you! Stop spacing out and watch! If you're in debt, change your attitude and work harder! Increase your shifts!"

"But... My mother is bedridden with a difficult illness, and I have to care for her, so I can't increase my shifts any further..."

"Just leave her be since she's not going to get any better anyway! Focus on getting more customer requests instead!"

"How can you say such terrible things..."

I pushed the girls to work even harder by constantly nagging them.

(I have to increase sales!)

And then, one day...

Sayuri, the number one girl in the shop, came to me with a concern.

"What do you mean, you have a concern?"

"Well, I think the manager's way of doing things lately is too much. Everyone will quit at this rate."

"W-what did you say?"

"The way he treats us like we're not even human is unbearable to watch."

"Listen, you girls are ultimately just tools to increase sales, and there are plenty of replacements for you if needed."

"...This person is scary..."

"I'm quitting this job! I can't take it anymore, being told to come in for shifts without any consideration for my personal life!"

"Me too! It's ridiculous to tell me to quit university. My life is not meant to be sacrificed for your sales!"

The girls' dissatisfaction had reached its peak.

The Gang Crashes the Morning Meeting

One day, during the morning meeting before opening...

"Listen, everyone! Sales for this month are far below the target, and there's only one week left, so let's tighten up and focus on sales!"

Suddenly, the shop's entrance door opened, and five men walked in.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your morning meeting. We're here to cause some trouble."

"W-what are you people doing here?"

"Don't be like that. We're just here to collect the protection money."

"Eh? Protection money? Could you please wait in our office while we finish this meeting?"

"Yeah, sure..."

After guiding the men to the office, I quickly wrapped up the meeting and returned to the office.

"W-what is protection money?"

"This area is under our control, so we need you to pay protection money, or we'll cause trouble."

"W-we've been open for three years, and we've never had any issues like this before."

"Well, starting this month, we're in charge of this area, so there's nothing you can do about it."

"I-I can't pay you even if you say that..."

"Oh? So, it's fine if something happens to your shop, then?"

"N-not that... But protection money is prohibited by law, so..."

"That's just a front. All the stores operating in this area pay us."

"P-please, just leave. We can't pay you..."

"Alright, but don't regret this later."

They left after saying this.

(That was scary... But I'm glad they didn't damage any of our equipment...)

They were a gang of "hangures", not yakuza.

Hangure refers to a group that commits crimes without being affiliated with a yakuza organization. They are called "half-grey" because they are neither the yakuza's black nor the ordinary citizen's white, but somewhere in between.

The Next Day

However, the day after the hangure gang left, something strange happened.

Even though we were open, not a single customer came in.

I rushed outside in a panic, and there I saw about 20 members of the hangure gang blocking the entrance to the shop.

"W-what are you people doing?!"

Then, the man who had come to the shop the day before appeared from the back.

"We're just smoking outside. We're not doing anything to you, so you have no right to complain."

"B-but... We can't do business like this!"

(If this continues, the shop will go under... I have no choice... I'll have to pay the protection money...)

And so, I decided to pay the hangure gang 300,000 JPY in protection money every month.

However, the tragedy didn't end there.

The girls started quitting one after another.

"Manager, I'm sorry, but I need time to take care of my mother, so I can't work anymore. Please let me quit."

"Manager, I need to focus on getting my university credits, so I'll be quitting to concentrate on my studies."

"Manager, I no longer need to send money to my parents, so I'll be leaving at the end of this month."

(W-what? Why is everyone quitting?! This is bad... The shop can't function without the girls...)

Eventually, there were only three girls left in the shop.

With only three cast members in a shop this size, it looked sparse and desolate, and customers disappeared like the tide going out...

Sales plummeted, and at this rate, we wouldn't even be able to pay the rent...

Closing Down

Two months later, with sales down to one-tenth of what they used to be, our funds were completely depleted, and I finally decided to close the shop.

I still had debts of nearly 20 million JPY, and the only option left was to file for personal bankruptcy.

My life was in a complete checkmate.

Now, at the age of 34, I'll have to start all over again...

Conclusion

I was bad at managing the girls. If you want to increase sales, you have to skillfully draw out their motivation.
Also, I was defeated by the hangure gang, but even if we were harassed, we should have consulted the police each time.