Read "1Q84 Book 1: April - June" by Haruki Murakami online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
After finishing her job and exiting the hotel, Aomame walked a short distance before catching a cab to yet another hotel, in the Akasaka District. She needed to calm her nerves with alcohol before going home to bed. After all, she had just sent a man to the other side. True, he was a loathsome rat who had no right to complain about being killed, but he was, ultimately, a human being. Her hands still retained the sensation of the life draining out of him. He had expelled his last breath, and the spirit had left his body. Aomame had been to the bar in this Akasaka hotel any number of times. It was the top floor of a high-rise building, had a great view, and a comfortable counter.
She entered the bar a little after seven. A young piano and guitar duo were playing "Sweet Lorraine. " Their version was a copy of an old Nat King Cole record, but they weren't bad. As always, she sat at the bar and ordered a gin and tonic and a plate of pistachios. The place was still not crowded-a young couple drinking cocktails as they took in the view, four men in suits who seemed to be discussing a business deal, a middle-aged foreign couple holding martini glasses. She took her time drinking the gin and tonic. She didn't want the alcohol to take effect too quickly. The night ahead was long.