Chapter 8

"Chrysanthemum, wash my back for me."

"Sure, Jūgi-sama."

Jūgi-sama's back is scrubbed vigorously with an old cloth.

This is the public bath of the Tengetsu Geisha House. It is roughly 2:30 AM.

"Next, I'll wash Chrysanthemum's head."

"Whoa!?"

My head is scrubbed roughly and very strongly.

It hurts, it hurts! It really hurts!

I'm going to go bald, I'm going to go bald!

The person who washes my head so boldly has short blue hair, blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. There are laugh lines at the corners of his eyes, and he is the tallest in the geisha house, possibly over 180 cm.

He has well-built muscles and is a very strong man.

His name is Jūgi, he is 32 years old, and he is a male courtesan.

32 years old!?

Is that possible!?

You might think it's impossible, but it is possible.

Think about it.

Women are praised for their youth and beauty, but as they age, they are often described as "withered" or "past their prime." If they are courtesans, they would be treated as old and discarded.

However, it's different for men.

Even as they age, they are not described as "withered" but rather as "having more flavor" or "more mature," and they can still be attractive.

In fact, many customers often request these mature male courtesans, and the retirement age for male courtesans in this world is 35.

Oiran (high-ranking courtesans) continue to be oiran until that age.

Even if they can leave the pleasure district, those who have no place to go and no work to do become skilled attendants or cooks and retire as male courtesans.

The other way to retire is to be bought out.

Incidentally, a skilled attendant is a man who guides and arranges for male courtesans. In simpler terms, a manager.

Therefore, many people spend their entire lives in this pleasure district.

"Jūgi-sama, ouch!"

"What? Speak louder."

The daily schedule of a male courtesan:

The regular business hours of the Tengetsu Geisha House are from 4 PM to 2 AM.

If a customer stays overnight, they leave at 5 AM.

They wake up late, around 11 AM.

I guess you could say it's already noon.

If there is a procession, it starts in the afternoon, so the main oiran, the new courtesans, and the attendants wake up early and prepare. The oiran never go to bed the night before a procession.

After waking up, they have breakfast and lunch, and after eating, they clean their rooms once a day.

If they slack off, the boss will immediately notice, so they never skip it.

He will notice. Why?

After that, they are free to learn their arts or spend time in their rooms until 4 PM.

At 4 PM, the "night market" begins, where ordinary male courtesans sit in a row in the lattice and wait for customers.

Here, customers from outside evaluate the men.

Then the work starts and ends at 2 AM.

"My head is going to go bald!"

"Oh? Sorry about that."

And that leads to the current bathing time.

I wonder if my scalp is okay.

I hope no blood is coming out of my pores.

"Jūgi-sama, I'll wash Chrysanthemum, so can you wash Rangiku thoroughly?"

"Sure, here I come!"

"Hey, Shūsui! ... Jūgi-sama, I'm fine... Ow, it hurts!"

Everyone at Tengetsu washes each other's backs.

Incidentally, I am among the men, completely naked.

My sense of shame was completely numbed after the first month.

Bathing is only allowed at certain times, so we have to bathe together.

Male courtesans who go to bed with customers and bathe in the morning are an exception, but otherwise, they bathe between 2 and 3:30 AM.

In this era, hot water cannot be prepared every hour.

At first, I tried to hide in a corner and not look at anyone, washing myself with the hot water provided by the fire tender.

"Hey, kid, come over here."

"Yeah, you're still small, so don't worry about it, okay?"

I was noticed by the other male courtesans and called over.

Even if they told me not to worry, I am a lady inside.

It's impossible.

Moreover, what I am worried about is not my own nakedness.

I know that a body with no curves, like a child's, wouldn't make anyone think anything.

My stomach is just a little round.

What I am worried about is seeing the naked bodies of men.

"Come here."

"Ah!"

I was lifted and moved to the bathtub where everyone was soaking.

The bath was unexpectedly deep, and my feet barely touched the bottom, so I was placed on Jūgi-sama's knee.

We are in direct contact.

No, no, no, no, no!!

Who is this person! What is this person! They are so nosy!

I didn't say it out loud.

I was shocked and froze.

"Ha-ha, Chrysanthemum, right? I'm Jūgi, nice to meet you."

"I'm Uji no, nice to meet you."

"I'm Shuwa."

"I'm... I'm..."

Everyone introduced themselves in the bath, but I only remembered the first three names.

Please don't call me heartless.

I want you to understand that my face was not red from the hot water.

I was looking in a completely different direction to avoid seeing what I didn't want to see, so I am not at fault.

After that, every time I went to the bath, someone would catch me.

I tried to run away three times, but each time I was caught within five seconds.

It was very painful, both physically and mentally.

"Here, get used to it, okay?"

"..."

I think I heard a voice saying, "It's important to know when to give up."

"Thanks, Shūsui."

"Would be a problem if you went bald."

Shūsui, who switched with Jūgi-sama, washes my head. There is no soap, so it's just with hot water.

I don't forget to thank Rangiku, who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you, Rangiku.

"Is Uji no-sama having a private night today? Rōmon-sama was just helped by Nagifu, so I don't think so."

"Yeah, I think Kiyokusa-sama and Kiyomizu-sama are."

"Yeah, they are with their regular customers, Yukino-sama and Kiyomizu-sama."

We call it a "private night" when a male courtesan spends the night with a customer.

If a male courtesan is not in the bath during bath time, it's usually a private night, so we know if they are not there, "Oh, it's a private night today."

The attendants talk about the male courtesans they are assigned to and discuss the customers.

I just listen.

By the way, the male courtesans we are assigned to are only oiran.

There are currently three oiran at the Tengetsu Geisha House:

Uji no, Rōmon, and Kiyomizu.

There was another oiran who was 30, but she recently retired after being bought out.

I remember she was very stylish.

Apparently, she had been in a relationship with the customer for ten years, and they were in love. This year, they finally had the money to buy her out and could be together.

It was touching to see such a happy ending.

Let's not talk about the part where the woman supports the man.

"Shall we soak in the bath? You can sit on my knee."

"Okay."

After washing my head, I am told to get into the bath by Shūsui.

Someone always puts me on their knee to prevent me from drowning in the bathtub.

"Wait a moment. This is my job, okay, kid?"

"..."

When Jūgi-sama is around, I am always placed on his lap.

This has not changed since the first time.

He caught me three times, and each time it was Jūgi-sama.

He must be a hunter!

One time, Jūgi-sama told me something.

"I used to have a little sister like Chrysanthemum. I think she's grown up now."

"?"

"I don't remember her face, but looking at you, I start to see her."

"You might find it annoying, but treat me like a cat, okay?"

"Okay, try swimming."

Jūgi-sama's hands support my chest and legs, and I am carried in a reverse princess carry, swaying in the water.

It's humiliating.

"Chrysanthemum doesn't like it."

"That's not true, Shūsui. The kid is having fun, right?"

"..."

"Ha-ha, right?"

"Chrysanthemum, you look good."

Shut up, Rangiku.

"Jūgi-sama,"

"What's wrong? Do you want to try it too?"

"No, Rangiku wants to try it too."

"Okay, here I come!"

"Hey, Shūsui! ... Jūgi-sama, I'm fine... Ow!"

I'm glad Rangiku is having fun.

She looks great.

"Chrysanthemum, come here."

"Okay."

I return to Shūsui's lap.

Shūsui seems to enjoy teasing Rangiku, and every time I see them together, Rangiku is raising her voice.

He seems to find it amusing to see Rangiku react so strongly.

Well, Rangiku is a tsundere.

But is it just me, or does Shūsui have a bit of an S side?

"Wow, you've grown, Rangiku, look, look."

Jūgi-sama looks very happy.

Seeing Jūgi-sama's smile, I wonder if he will swing me around again, deep down in my heart, and I am sure I don't dislike Jūgi-sama.

"Kids, grow bigger, okay?"

I really like him.

Ah, in a friendly way.

By the way, when Kiyomizu-sama is around:

"Come here, Chrysanthemum."

"Kiyomizu, this is my job, okay, Chrysanthemum?"

"Ah... Yes, Jūgi-san."

"What?"

"The boss said he has something to do and suggested leaving early."

"Really? Okay!"

Jūgi-sama quickly gets out of the bath.

"What's the appointment today?"

"Hmm? I wonder."

This exchange happens every time.

This was a detailed chapter.

I wanted to include more about the rules of going to bed and other explanations, but I'll leave it at this for now.