Yes, he does.

Rather than driving directly to The Sun, the nightclub where Black Cherry’s concert was being held, Shuichi took his new friend’s Rantaro’s advice and dropped his convertible off in a parking garage a few blocks away. He then hopped on the first bus to the red light district, sitting down nervously among of group of sex workers in skimpy outfits who were clearly off to work. He hoped that they would just leave him alone and go about their business, but more than a few of them winked or tried to flirt with him once they got a look of his face for some reason. Fortunately for him, though, the bus ride was not very long and he was able to get out in front of the club before his pants became too uncomfortable.

The moment he stepped off the bus, he spotted the nightclub almost instantly. Not only did it have a large group of people gathered in front of it - some of whom were even wearing normal clothes - but it also had a bright yellow neon sign above the entrance that was impossible to miss against the evening sky. It also did a good job of illuminating the surrounding area as well, so he was able to spot Rantaro relatively quickly too.

Rantaro himself was wearing an outfit pretty similar to the one he was wearing when Shuichi first met him, but with the addition of black fingerless gloves - and behind him were four women that Shuichi quickly realized must have been his sisters.

To the left, leaning against a streetlamp and checking her phone, was an eighteen-year-old girl with green hair, half-up pigtails, light green eyes, what looked like a rather expensive white jacket, a black skirt studded with some oddly-realistic fake diamonds in the shape of snowflakes, white thigh-high socks, and blue high heels. Next to her was another young woman who seemed identical to the first except for her clothes and hairstyle, which were chest length bang hair and a vibrant warm raspberry pink sweater over a white button down shirt with tight red pants and brown boot heels.

On the other side of Rantaro was another girl who looked remarkably similar to the first two, but she still stood out the most with the way she was dressed. She had shoulder-length green hair and light freckles, and was wearing a long blue skirt, practical black running shoes, a tiny blue beret, and what looked to be a small red backpack over a white shirt. She was in the middle of talking to the fourth girl, who was the only one who’s face and body didn’t match the other three sisters, but her distinctive green hair and eyes let him know that she was still related to Rantaro. She had a long ponytail, and she was clearly much older than the other girls, around twenty five, or twenty six. She was also much taller and curvier than the other sisters, with hip and chest proportions straight out of a fashion magazine. She was wearing a sleeveless halter top blouse, a modest purple pencil skirt, and black pumps that looked both stylish and easy to move around in. Though the taller girl seemed to be responding to her younger sister, she was much more focused on taking pictures on whatever she saw with her bright pink phone, much to the annoyance of passing sex workers.

“Ah, there you are, Shuichi! Nice to see that you aren’t late,” Rantaro greeted with a wave as Shuichi walked over to him. “So, are you ready to have your concert cherry popped?”

“Uh, I guess I am,” Shuichi replied, hoping this wouldn’t be as big of a deal as Rantaro seemed to imply it was. “So, are these your sisters?”

“So you could tell, eh? I guess the family resemblance is still strong after all,” Rantaro replied with a laugh. “Let me introduce you. The one over by the pole is Jurika, the one next to her is Junoa, and the one with the backpack is Juria. And yes, before you ask, they are all triplets. They’re the youngest of my sisters.”

“So, you’re the guy who got Destiny’s ticket, huh?” Jurika looked Shuichi up and down briefly. “Can’t say I’m impressed so far.”

“Well, I’m happy to see him; it’s always great to hear that Rantaro’s made a new friend,” Junoa interjected energetically. “Nice to meet you Mr… Shuichi, was it?”

“Y-yeah, that’s me.” Shuichi shook the girl’s hand.

“Oh, you have a really good grip on your handshake!” Junoa replied as they touched. “I can already tell we’re going to be great friends!”

“S-so quickly?” Shuichi thought silently to himself in surprise.

“Junoa, how many times do I have to tell you that kind of stuff doesn’t have any scientific basis?” Juria complained.

“Well, have I been wrong once so far?” Junoa countered.

“No, but still…” Juria trailed off. “Well, according to my scout handbook it’s always polite to greet new acquaintances fondly, so at least you got that right. Oh! By the way, it’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Saihara! I hope we both get along well!”

“And the one who’s taking snapshots of everything is my little sister, Marisa,” Rantaro continued as the fourth girl finally took notice of Shuichi.

“Oh my! Aren’t you a cutie? Such a shame that Destiny couldn’t make it tonight; you seem like you’re totally her type.” Marisa walked up to Shuichi, let her hair down, and struck a pose as she took a selfie of her standing next to him. “Yes! Perfect shot! My followers are going to love this!”

“Hey, you shouldn’t take pictures of people like that without asking permission first, you know,” Juria scolded her elder sister.

“Oh, relax, girl scout. I’m sure he’s fine with it,” Jurika commented as she stopped leaning against the street light. “Right, Shuichi?”

“Er, I guess you can post that photo if you want…” Shuichi replied tepidly, unable to bring himself to say ‘no’ to the enthusiastic girl.

“Alright, uploading and… yes! The likes already rolling in! I think they like you~” Marisa said with a wink.

“Oh, let me see!” Junoa said as she and the other triplets crowded around Marisa’s phone.

“You know, it would have been even more popular if I was in the picture too,” Jurika commented. “I’m wearing a new designer jacket, after all.”

“Alright, girls, that's enough hanging around out here,” Rantaro interrupted with a brotherly tone of voice. “Let’s head inside now before the concert starts, okay?”

The girls all nodded and headed towards the entrance of the night club, where they all showed a man by the door their tickets before heading inside. The Sun turned out to be a rather spacious night club, though the darkness and crowd of people made it seem a lot smaller than it was. Glowing colored lights that zigzagged across the club’s white walls, forming symbols and pictures as they went, were the main source of lighting and they seemed to give everything an almost otherworldly glow. Glancing up, Shuichi could see through a hole in the ceiling that there were other floors to the nightclub, but it seemed as though access was restricted to the ground at the moment. At the moment, there seemed to be roughly two hundred in the club, all crowded together and chatting with each other.

“So, what do you think of my sisters so far, Shuichi?” Rantaro asked as they all approached the crowd. “I hope they didn’t overwhelm you.”

“No, I’m fine; I appreciate how friendly they are,” Shuichi replied, not wanting to upset Rantaro. “I just… didn’t expect you to have so many of them.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Rantaro chuckled. “Believe it or not, though, you’re only seeing four out of twelve of the Anami sisters here with me.”

“T-twelve!?” Shuichi gasped. “Are you serious?!”

“Yep,” Rantaro replied casually. “Most of them are only half-sisters or adopted siblings, though. I guess that’s just what happens when you’ve got a dad like ours.”

“And, uh… who exactly is your father?” Shuichi asked, curious as to who would willingly have so many children.

“Ah, no one worth talking about,” Rantaro replied, waving his hand dismissively. “Say, we’ve got a few minutes before the first set starts. How about I show you around a little?”

“I guess we could, but wouldn’t this be a good time to go see Pitch?” Shuichi replied.

“Sorry, but I’d rather not sneak up on her right as she’s getting ready for a show. I don’t want to throw off her mojo, or accidentally set off an explosive,” Rantaro replied. “She should take a break after her first main set, though, and that’d be a perfect chance to hop backstage and say ‘hi’. Now, let me show you everything you’ll need to know.”

Rantaro led Shuichi and his sisters towards the back of the main room, where most of the people had gathered around a small stage. “This is the main dance floor. It’s pretty fun here if you’re not claustrophobic, but you need to be careful not to step on any feet.”

He then led them towards two small doors on the right side of the room. “Over here are the bathrooms, which I don’t think need explaining, but be careful when you’re inside. You never know when you’ll wind up slipping on something or have a surprise encounter with a needle.” He then turned around and pointed to a small booth someone had set up that was covered in T-shirts, records, and CDs. “And over here is the merchandise booth. It’s great if you want to support Black Cherry, but don’t put on any of those shirts here if you want to keep your dignity intact.”

“I-I know that!” Shuichi hastily replied. “It’s not like I’m a poser or anything like that.”

“Right, of course you’re not,” Jurika commented sarcastically as she kept looking at her phone.

“Don’t mind her; she’s just teasing you,” Rantaro said before leading them to a small bar on the other side of the room. “And over here is the main bar. It’s a great place to loosen yourself up a little before partying; just be careful not to drink too much, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t really enjoy drinking so that shouldn’t be a problem,” Shuichi replied.

“It’s also a pretty good place to make new friends!” Junoa optimistically added. “You should try it sometime, it’s a lot of fun!”

“And remember, what is the most important rule when it comes to drinking?” Rantaro asked, turning to his sisters now.”

“Augh, do we really have to go through with this?” Jurika rolled her eyes. “You and Marisa are the only ones old enough to actually drink here.”

“Yes, but it’s still good to know either way. When you’re out drinking, always...” Rantaro replied before giving his sisters a chance to respond.

“Keep an eye on your drink, and never accept drinks from strangers,” the girls all answered in unison, with Junoa and Juria both responding with the most enthusiasm.

“And what’s the other thing that the bar is important for?” Rantaro asked.

“Getting water to stay hydrated! Partying makes you sweat a lot, after all!” Juria answered before her siblings could speak. “But fortunately for us, I also make sure to carry plenty of water in my backpack at all times in case I unexpectedly get stranded in the desert. So, you can also come to me if you need a drink too! Oh, and I also prepared a special remedy for if anyone gets a hangover just in case!”

“Great, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Jurika said as she looked up from her phone long enough to notice a group of girls she knew from her high school. “Hey, I’m going to go hang out with some friends now if that’s okay. Catch you guys later.”

“Oooh, can I come with you?” Junoa asked, already following behind her sister.

“Fiiine,” Jurika sighed. “But you better not embarrass me or take all the attention, got it?”

“Hey, Juria, could you come help me take some pictures?” Marisa asked her half-sister. “There’s some really cool strobe lighting over here that I think my fans would go crazy for.”

“You got it!” Juria gave Marisa a salute. “By my camera shooting mastery badge, I promise to be the best photo-taking partner ever!”

“Alright, you girls stay safe out there, okay?” Rantaro shouted at his sisters as they left. “And remember, we’ll meet back at the entrance at 10 PM sharp, even if the concert isn’t over, to check in on each other.”

“Wow… you care about your sisters a lot, don’t you?” Shuichi observed as he and Rantaro stood next to the bar.

“Of course; those girls mean the world to me. I’d do anything to keep them safe,” Rantaro replied, his tone of voice switching from friendly to serious for a few moments. “Anyways, I’m going to go talk with security for a bit. I know them, but I just want to make sure I can get you to Pitch’s dressing room right after the first set. Is it okay if I leave you here alone for a little bit?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me,” Shuichi replied. “I could use a little soda to drink anyways.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back then.” Rantaro waved Shuichi goodbye and disappeared into the crowd, leaving the office worker by the bar surrounded by a crowd of women with dyed hair shining piercings in places that Shuichi had never considered before. Despite what he had just told Rantaro, Shuichi could feel himself start to sweat as he realized just how massively out of place he was, and that feeling of alienation only got worse when some of the women around him began side-eyeing him.

Realizing that his anxiety was starting to get the better of him, Shuichi took a deep breath and turned back towards the bar, where he planned on staying until Rantaro returned so he could try and pretend that the people around him didn’t exist.

“Hey there,” Shuichi greeted the bartender as he reached for his wallet. “I’ll have a diet Coke, please.”

“Make that two, please,” a voice said next to Shuichi as he paid for his drink. “I could use some extra caffeine right about now.”