"My ass hurts" is the title of this chapter's soliloquy, which begins with the protagonist's description of his "ass" . The protagonist asks the protagonist why he is following him, and the protagonist replies that he is a loan shark. He tells the protagonist that he doesn't want to be associated with the "yakuza type" like the protagonist, and that he's just a "perfectly respectable general manager" of a "gay bar." The protagonist responds that they're just "loosely connected" and that they don't have to worry about being seen hanging around "a yakuza type." When the protagonist asks who the hunk he brought with him is, the protagonist tells him that the hunk is his boss, and thanks him for bringing him with him. He says that he needs to find a way to get the protagonist to drink, because the protagonist is a frequent customer of the club where the protagonist works. He explains that the club owner, Ebata, is a drunkard, a violent man, and a public nuisance. Ebata is one of the manager's employees at the club, and he has recently lost a few of his customers, including the protagonist. He asks if the protagonist knows someone who smirks at him, but the protagonist refuses to give him any information about the person, saying that the person is "just an organizer" of his events. He adds that the protagonist has been banned from the club because he got drunk and "grind tch" too much.