Chapter 17: Feast on the Flesh
In the days that followed that night of unexpected and stimulating experience, a subtle but obvious change took place in the small apartment in Nakano. The silence was no longer awkward, but a tense space where the unspoken words carried more weight than a thousand words. Troc became quieter, avoiding looking directly into Linh’s eyes as if afraid of seeing in them a reflection of the very depravity he had participated in. Linh, on the other hand, exuded a calmness that was frightening. She was no longer the little sister who needed to be protected. In her eyes now was the determination of someone who had seen her path, even if that path was paved with thorns and humiliation.
One evening, when Troc had just returned from the construction site and was sitting on the sofa, Linh placed a cup of hot tea in front of him. She sat down opposite him and without any hesitation went straight to the point.
“Please invite boss Sato and boss Suzuki to your house for a meal.”
Troc was so startled that he almost spilled his tea. He looked at her like she was crazy. “What are you saying? No! Absolutely not!”
“Why not?” Linh asked again, her voice flat, without any emotion.
“Why?” Troc almost shouted, the pent-up tension of the past few days bursting. “Don’t you remember what they did to you at the bar? Didn’t you see the look in their eyes? I can’t let you see them again, especially at home. I can’t let that happen again!” He gave reasons of honor, of protection, but deep inside was the fear of facing that awkward situation again, and the disgust with himself for not being able to do more.
Linh was not shaken by his anger. She looked straight into Troc’s bloodshot eyes, her voice calm but each word was as sharp as a dagger, stabbing straight at his weakness.
“I’m not crazy. I know exactly what I’m doing. I saw your face that night. I heard your drunken words.” She paused for a beat to let the words sink in. “I’m doing this for your future. And…” she tilted her head slightly, a mysterious smile flickering across her lips, “…for myself too. I’ve found joy in these games. I’ve made up my mind. All you have to do is invite them, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Troc was completely overwhelmed. Linh’s iron determination and chilling calm made all his protests meaningless. He realized that his little sister was no more, replaced by a woman with a plan he could not understand, but could not resist. He looked into her eyes, searching for a hint of hesitation, a hint of fear, but there was nothing. Only determination. After a moment of internal struggle, he lowered his head, nodding helplessly. He had officially accepted the role of an accomplice, a spectator in the play directed by his own sister.
The date was set. While Troc was at work, Linh began her plan. Thanks to her good English, she had no trouble searching online for “unique event planning” or “high-end Japanese culinary art” services. She found an artist who specialized in Nyotaimori – the art of displaying sushi on the human body. She did not choose cheap services, but contacted a reputable artist who guaranteed professionalism, cleanliness and absolute discretion.
She communicated with them via email in English, requesting a full service: prepare the finest sushi and sashimi, plate them, and most importantly, instruct her on how to do it. She emphasized that she would be the “table.”
That afternoon, a middle-aged Japanese woman dressed in a formal kimono came to the apartment. She did not ask any personal questions, just quietly went about her business with surprising professionalism. She instructed Linh to take a bath with special herbs to remove body odor and make her skin smoother.
After her bath, Linh emerged completely naked. She felt no shame. Under the expert gaze of the artist, her body was no longer that of a woman, but a blank canvas, a work of art about to be completed. She lay on her back on a low table that had been cleared, covered with lush green leaves and other decorative foliage.
The artist began to arrange. She instructed Linh how to place her hands, how to stretch her legs, how to keep her body in a position that was both sexy and convenient for picking up food. Then she began to place the fresh sushi and sashimi on her body. The shiny orange salmon pieces were placed on her stomach, the dark red tuna pieces on her chest, the small sushi rolls were arranged along her long, slender thighs. The sauces, pink ginger, wasabi were placed on small leaves, nestled into the curves of her body. Her private area was artfully covered by a large maple leaf and a few small orchids.
“Now, breathe deeply,” the artist said in slow English. “Think of your body as a mountain. Still. Steadfast. Your mind must be completely empty.”
Linh did as she was told. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was no longer Linh. She was a table. An offering.
When everything was perfect, the artist stepped back to admire her work, nodding in satisfaction. She took the money, bowed, and quietly left. Before the door closed, she took out her phone and called Troc, following Linh’s instructions: “Everything is ready. You can go home.”
Bald returned home with Sato-san and Suzuki-san in a rather cheerful atmosphere. Bald had to lie that his friend was a talented chef and wanted to show off his cooking skills to treat the bosses. He opened the door, still smiling and saying, “Please come in, my friend has been preparing this all afternoon…”
And then, he was speechless.
The three men stood frozen in the doorway, all sound muted. Before them, in the warm yellow light of the room, was a scene both surreal and terrifyingly naked. Linh lay there, motionless, her naked body transformed into a living banquet, a work of flesh and food.
Troc’s first reaction was shock. Shock so much that his brain stopped working. He watched his sister’s body, the thing he both loved and desired, now exposed, turned into an object, a meal for other men. A surge of rage and humiliation surged up, but was immediately extinguished by an undeniable surge of sick excitement.
The two bosses were different. After a few seconds of utter surprise, their eyes quickly turned into undisguised delight and greed. Their pupils dilated, and their breathing became rapid. Sato-san burst out laughing, a wild, hearty laugh. “Sugoi! Wonderful! Bald-kun, your friend is truly special!”
Linh lay still, eyes closed like a living statue. There were only three cushions placed around the low table. Two on either side of her, and one at the end of the table, right at her feet. As if hypnotized, the two bosses came in and sat down on either side. Troc, unconsciously, sat in the remaining position, the position directly opposite the triangle area that was carelessly covered by a maple leaf.
The party began in an eerie silence. Bald, like a machine, began pouring sake for the bosses. He tried to talk about work, about his application for permanent residence, but his voice was broken. The two bosses just mumbled in response. Their attention was completely focused on the “party table”.
They began to pick up the first pieces of sushi. They deliberately let the cold tips of their chopsticks touch Linh’s hot skin. One lightly touched her stomach, one brushed across her thigh. Each touch sent a shiver through Linh’s body, an almost invisible shiver.
“Is it cold?” Suzuki-san suddenly asked in English, his voice low.
Linh did not open her eyes, just shook her head slightly.
They became more daring. They picked up the sashimi with their hands, their fingers “accidentally” brushing against her stomach and waist. Sato-san picked up a piece of tuna, dipped it in the bowl of soy sauce placed on Linh’s chest, and after eating, he calmly bent down, stuck out his tongue and licked the remaining soy sauce on her skin. His tongue was rough and hot.
“You have such beautiful, radiant skin!” he said, looking straight at Troc as if in defiance.
Bald was completely left out, literally an extra. He could only sit there, pour wine, and watch. Watch the two middle-aged men slowly explore and invade his sister’s body. He wanted to flip the table over, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the scene. His sick desire arose again, and the cock in his pants humiliatingly hardened.
The two old bosses began to take off their jackets, then their shirts, revealing their plump middle-aged bodies. While eating and drinking, they openly touched Linh’s body with their hands. Sato-san’s hands caressed her breasts, squeezing her erect nipples. Suzuki-san’s hands slid down, caressing her inner thighs.
Linh remained still, but her hands began to move. She gently reached down, one hand grasping Sato-san’s erect penis through his pants, the other hand finding Suzuki-san’s. She began to caress and stroke it lightly.
The two old bosses growled with delight. They were completely satisfied.
“She’s a good girl, isn’t she?” Sato-san said to Suzuki-san, and they both burst out laughing.
Bald couldn’t take it anymore. He felt like he was about to explode. He made an excuse to stand up, his voice cracking: “Excuse me, bosses, I’ll go out to take a call.”
He staggered out onto the balcony and pulled out his phone. The only person he could call right now was Duc Anh.
The phone rang twice and the other end picked up.
“What’s wrong, uncle?” Duc Anh’s voice rang out, strangely calm.
“Linh… she’s crazy! She’s…” Troc said, his voice panicked and broken.
Duc Anh was silent for a moment, then chuckled, a meaningful laugh. “Your wife is doing what needs to be done. Your sister has made her decision, so you and I should support her. You are watching a good show, right? A brother witnesses his sister sacrifice for his future. What a touching story. Enjoy it.”
Duc Anh’s words were like a poison, both soothing Troc’s guilt and pushing him deeper into the role of an accomplice. Yes, Linh is sacrificing. I must respect her sacrifice. That sick logic began to take root in Troc’s mind.
The call ended when Linh called from inside the house, her voice still calm but full of authority: “Mr. Troc, come here and help me a bit.”
Troc walked in. Linh was already sitting up. Her naked body was covered with traces of the party, a few traces of soy sauce still on her skin. She signaled to him: “Help me clean these things up. Then go out and buy me some fruit for dessert and some sake.”
It was an order. A polite dismissal. She wanted to be alone with her two bosses.
Troc looked at Linh, at the two nearly naked men beside her. He didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t refuse. He silently cleaned up the remaining dishes, then put on his coat and left the house. The door closed behind him like a slash, cutting him off from the world inside.
Linh heard the door close. She turned to look at the two old bosses who were looking at her with greedy eyes, then smiled a mysterious smile. She stood up, walked to close the door. Then she turned around, her naked body appeared proudly under the light. She spoke in English, her voice smooth and full of promise:
“The appetizer is over. Now, for the main course… I have a surprise for you gentlemen.”