Chapter 6

I was freed from Rōmon-sama's attack and went to have dinner.

As a young child who is a kato, I cannot sit in the zashiki. Therefore, when the others go up to the zashiki, the kato's work takes a break.

When the zashiki is over, the kato or the chonmage who helped prepare for the day will go to greet the others, take off their kimonos, and put away their accessories.

After that, they take a bath and go to sleep.

However, if the others spend the night with a guest, things are different.

I can't stay up all night waiting.

In such cases, I am told in advance, so I won't mistakenly wait all night or disturb them while they are enjoying themselves.

Just before the guest and the others enter the private room, I have to lay out the futon in a separate room, so I have to be careful about the timing.

It can't be too early or too late.

The futon must be fluffy, so if I lay it out too early, it will become flat.

Even if it is destined to become wrinkled later, I have to be careful.

If it's too late, I might run into the others and the guest just as they are about to enter the private room, so it mustn't be too late.

It's more troublesome to lay it out too early.

However, sometimes the separate room is in use until the last minute, so it's not always easy to lay it out.

I experienced this once.

It was about two months ago.

The day I started working under the oiran, Kiyomizu.

"Today is a private night, so can you lay out the futon in the Tsubaki room? It probably won't be free until the last minute, so be ready to lay it out as soon as it's free, Nogiku."

"Yes! Kiyomizu-sama."

I had been doing this futon-laying job once a week, so by the time I entered my fourth month, I was already used to it.

I was determined to do it quickly today.

But three hours later, I found myself in hell.

< "Ah... Kiyomizu-sama..." >

< "What is it?" >

< "Please... kiss me..." >

< "Yuki..." >

"......"

I was in the closet of the Tsubaki room where Kiyomizu-sama and the guest were literally "ah-han~ ufun."

I was holding my breath and covering my ears.

Why did I end up in this situation?

It was just five minutes ago.

The Tsubaki room was not free until the last minute, as Kiyomizu-sama had said before going to the zashiki, and it was about five minutes before the scheduled time.

The guest wasn't in the Tsubaki room, but the cleanup was taking a long time.

Oh no! What do I do!?

Five minutes? Lay it out in five minutes?!

No, no, it's not even five minutes in reality?!

My mind was filled with the number five, and I was panicking in front of the room when the door opened.

"Wild Chrysanthemum, the cleanup is done!"

"!"

"Sorry, it was a high-class guest, so it took a while to wrap things up. I hurried, but it ended up being this late. I wanted to help, but we still have work to do, so I can't. I'm really sorry."

"No! I'll prepare quickly!!"

Although he said it with an apologetic face, it wasn't the others' fault.

I was grateful for his consideration.

But, only about three minutes left.

I rushed to bring the futon to the Tsubaki room.

The futon was in a basket with rollers on the bottom, so I could bring it to the hallway and transport it without much trouble, even with my small body.

However, I had to lay out three futons on top of each other.

The high-class oiran used a three-layer futon, which was about 90 centimeters thick in total, with each layer being about 30 centimeters thick.

I was about 110 centimeters tall.

"Here goes!"

It was a matter of determination.

I completed the three-layer futon in about a minute, setting a personal best.

Then I took out the comforter and pillow from the closet and placed them in their designated spots, finishing the futon setup.

About one minute left.

I set up the portable lantern, which illuminates the floor, diagonally above the futon.

Okay, everything is ready.

But when I looked around, the basket with rollers had rolled into the open closet.

Oh, no!

The door is broken, Father!

I was a bit irritated as I rushed into the closet to roll the basket out.

< "This is the room for tonight... huh? The door is..." >

< "The Tsubaki room? Let's go in quickly, Kiyomizu-sama." >

Kiyomizu-sama and the guest's voices echoed near the open door.

...It seems I didn't make it in time.

I quietly closed the door of the closet I was in.

I had no choice but to stay here.

I didn't have the courage to go out now.

And that's how I ended up in that scene.

Inside the closet, separated by just one door, I could hear the vivid sounds and voices.

I covered my ears with my hands, but

< "Kiyomizu-sama..." >

it easily broke through my earplugs, making them meaningless.

Although I am an adult inside, this is really tough.

What kind of humiliation is this?

Moreover, it was chilly inside the closet, and my hands and feet were getting cold.

I rolled to the back of the closet and curled up.

< "Ah... I'm so happy..." >

I am in hell.

...Please, let it be morning soon.

The next morning.

"Where are you! Nogiku!!"

"Answer if you're there!"

I woke up to those voices.

It seems I had fallen asleep at some point. Being a child, my body is honest with its instincts, which is a relief.

But I was definitely sleep-deprived. I could feel dark circles under my eyes, even without looking in a mirror.

But what time is it now?

Judging from the loud voices searching for me, it must be around noon.

Noon is the free time for the male entertainers, as there are no guests. They can practice, eat, or sleep as they like.

"Nogiku!"

It was Aki's voice.

I have to get out of here quickly.

Kiyomizu-sama and the guest must be gone by now.

As I was about to leave, the closet door opened.

"Nogiku... Nogiku!"

"...Ah"

It was Kiyomizu-sama who opened the door.

The others were also behind him.

"There you are!?"

"Father! Nogiku is here!"

"It seems to be the Tsubaki room!!"

The others called out one after another.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

"...Y-Yes"

As soon as I was pulled out of the closet by Kiyomizu-sama, he hugged me and asked.

I shuddered a bit, remembering last night.

Kiyomizu-sama noticed my trembling and smiled wryly.

"Your hands and feet are so cold... Nogiku, why were you here?"

"...Well, um..."

I explained the situation in a stammering manner.

While hugging me, he rubbed my back to warm me up, but his expression was troubled, and his brows were furrowed.

"...And you stayed in there... the whole time?"

"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Nogiku."

Even though it wasn't his fault, he apologized.

If anything, it was my fault for not completing my task properly.

The door was left open, and the result was far from satisfactory.

"Actually, it's my fault. Please don't apologize, Kiyomizu-sama."

"Oh, I really am sorry, Nogiku. You must have been scared. Such a... oh..."

He didn't seem to be listening.

A little later, I received a punch from Father, but he then gently patted my head, muttering, "We also need to consider the guest who was in the Tsubaki room until the last minute."

Apparently, Kiyomizu-sama had noticed my absence when the futon wasn't put away at noon, and Aki had asked everyone about me, as I hadn't returned to the room.

Ah, I really caused a commotion. I'm sorry.

For about a week after that, Kiyomizu-sama was extremely sweet to me.

He acted as if he had done something wrong.

"Here, have some sheep's stomach soup. Open up."

"You're so cute, Nogiku. Oh, here's a rice cake. Open your mouth."

"Let's sleep together tonight, Nogiku."

"Nogiku, Nogiku..."

"Kiyomizu-sama"

"What is it?"

"I respect Kiyomizu-sama, so I'm fine."

"..."

That was the moment I put an end to the week of sweetness.

Well, I never want to go through that again.

"Do you want a second bowl of miso soup?"

"I can't eat as much as Nagikaze, so I'm good."

While waiting for Rōmon-sama's zashiki to end, I was having a meal with Nagikaze, who was also at the dining area.

It seems our others' zashiki times overlapped.

"I'll bring the Go board to my room tonight, so have the stones ready."

"Will Ran come late?"

"Um, Ran? I guess so. Well, just wait and see."

Nagikaze is 8 years old.

He is a kato, three years older than me.

His hair is a shiny silver, and his eyes are gray. He has slightly droopy eyes and a healthy skin tone. He is a Go-loving handsome boy. He is the same age as Aki, but he is taller.

He entered this Tengetsu brothel a few days after Aki.

They are "classmates."

Nagikaze is known for eating a lot, but he isn't fat, which I envy.

It seems the food he eats contributes to his height.

"Still some time left. What do you want to do, Nogiku?"

About two hours until the zashiki ends.

Nagikaze asked after finishing his meal.

During the free time, we can do various things like sleeping, drinking tea, or playing, but I usually use this time to practice my arts.

Because I aim to be a proper male entertainer.

"If you want, let's play Go."

"Go? Sure. Let's go to my room."

We also play at night, but it is one of the arts I need to master.

Nagikaze is a great teacher, so I occasionally learn from him.

I might be spending my time efficiently.

I looked at the grid-patterned board and turned to the boy in front of me.

"By the way, repeating the same position is not allowed."

"Why?"

"If you repeat it, the game will never end. It won't be a proper match, so..."

"Ah, I see."

Nagikaze's teaching method is easy to understand.

For the past two hours, I have been learning the taboos of Go while playing, and it has been very clear and easy to remember.

Although I am a beginner, he seems to enjoy teaching me, and he is happy to do so.

Thank you, thank you.

"By the way, it's almost time."

"Ah, right. Thanks, Nagikaze."

"You're welcome. See you later!"

We parted ways and went to our respective destinations.