Part 1
“Hanketsu” Yuki Sembommatsu, edited by Louie
After three years living in Tokyo Kevin had finally mastered the art of walking down crowded streets without bumping into anybody. He was still not used to the unbearable summer heat and humidity.
Kevin spotted Luna’s crazy outfit the moment he entered the trendy cafe where they usually met. She was wearing a gaudy, and obviously very expensive haute couture. Her father always indulged her in these things.
Inside the air was freezing cold but his body, as automatically as breathing, adjusted to the temperature difference.
“Luna, what new obsession are you into these days?”, he asked the moment his coffee arrived.
“What makes you ask that?” she said with a playful look in her eyes as she stirred her iced cappuccino with her straw.
Kevin knew all about her weird obsessions. That last one he remembered was the “tuxedo fetish”, as he called it. Any guy who wanted to sleep with her had to wear a tuxedo, which she would remove in bed to become aroused – the arousal heightening, he imagined, with each item of clothing removed.
Luna giggled and said, “Lately I’m obsessed with ‘hanketsu’ of young guys”
Kevin knew the word ‘hanketsu’ meant ‘judgment’ in Japanese so he was confused when he put the two together and came up with ‘a young guy’s judgment.’ Her giggling got louder as she watched the puzzled look appear on his face.
“Oh Kevin you’re such an expat.”
Luna was Japanese but she grew up in Southern California and was a native English speaker. She was herself an expat and called Kevin when she missed speaking English.
Kevin’s Japanese was good, but it was the “textbook Japanese” he was learning at college and he wasn’t familiar with the latest slang.
According to Luna “hanketsu” meant literally “half-ass” which was not equivalent to the English slang “half-ass” but meant the top part of the ass that is shown when a some is wearing a bikini bottom that is too small or pants that are sliding down on the hips – basically the equivalent of “ass crack” in English slang. He understood the slang immediately when he realized that “han” was “half” and “ketsu” was “ass.”
Rather than being embarrassed by this he was fascinated by her seemingly unlimited capacity for sexual fetishes. Luna’s lovers would now have to retire their tuxedos and wear bikini bottoms that displayed their ‘hanketsu’ for her.
“How on earth did you discover you had an attraction to ‘hanketsu?’”, he asked her.
She showed Kevin a video on YouTube. Six men were dancing and singing in different costumes. She pointed out the one in the middle who was wearing a stereotypical Native American costume.
“Look,” she said, “when he shakes his ass you’ll see the cutest little ’hanketsu.’”
He was wearing only a bikini bottom under a skimpy loincloth.
“This ‘hanketsu’ guy’s name is Felipe Rose and he was with the 70s pop group ‘Village People’ who were famous for their disco hit ‘YMCA’”, she explained excitedly.
“His hanketsu really turns me on!”, she exclaimed.
“So now your boyfriends have to find a bikini like that?”
“Of course! And I’ve sent them this video so they’ll be prepared.”, she explained.
“By the way Kevin, could you buy me a copy of their movie? I’ll treat you to a coffee.”, she asked.
“I didn’t know they were in a movie. Well a movie’s gonna be more expensive than coffee, but I’ll get it for you anyway. The entertainment I’ve gotten from this conversation is more than worth it.”, Kevin replied.
Being gay he felt glad that he would never be a candidate for any of her sexual fetishes.
