murakami, haruki - Norwegian wood

Eventually a waiter came and took our orders. After choosing hors
d'oeuvres and soup, Nagasawa ordered duck, and Hatsumi and I
ordered sea bass. The food arrived at a leisurely pace, which allowed
us to enjoy the wine and conversation. Nagasawa spoke first of the
Foreign Ministry exam. Most of the examinees were scum who might
just as well be thrown into a bottomless pit, he said, though he
supposed there were a few decent ones in the bunch. I asked if he
thought the ratio of good ones to scum was higher or lower than in
society at large.
"It's the same," he said. "Of course." It was the same everywhere, he
added: an immutable law.
Nagasawa ordered a second bottle of wine and a double Scotch for
himself.
Hatsumi then began talking about a girl she wanted to fix me up with.
This was a perpetual topic between us. She was always telling me
about some "cute girl in my club", and I was always running away.
"She's really nice, though, and really cute. I'll bring her along next
time. You ought to talk to her. I'm sure you'll like her."
"It's a waste of time, Hatsumi," I said. "I'm too poor to go out with
girls from your university. I can't talk to them."
"Don't be silly," she said. "This girl is simple and natural and
unaffected."
"Come on, Watanabe," said Nagasawa. "Just meet her. You don't have
to screw her."
"I should say not!" said Hatsumi. "She's a virgin."
"Like you used to be," said Nagasawa.
"Exactly," said Hatsumi with a bright smile. "Like I used to be. But
really," she said to me, "don't give me that stuff about being "too
poor'. It's got nothing to do with it. Sure, there are a few super-stuckup
girls in every year, but the rest of us are just ordinary. We all eat
lunch in the school cafeteria for ? 250 - "
"Now wait just a minute, Hatsumi," I said, interrupting her. "In my
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