Chapter 9

At that time, several of the women in the house "ran away," which made the landlady very angry, and she threw a huge tantrum.

In addition, there are rumors that Koika, the courtesan, is to be redeemed and leave the Tokitoya.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense.

………

Azhi didn't sleep much. Early in the morning, she heard Peitong gossiping a lot. Peitong was one of the more active people in the room at the time. They were probably feeling stifled lately, so they were talking to Azhi, who never scolded them.

After listening, Azhi took out an unopened snack from the drawer, blinked, and coaxed a child like, "Go play."

The children hesitated only for a moment, then cheered and left.

To be honest, Azhi learned this trick from her older sister, Koika. However, Koika's gentleness came from the bottom of her heart, while Azhi had other motives.

With just a little bit of snacks, you can bribe kids to get the information you want, and you can often slack off without being reported—a win-win situation!

Ah Zhi is already very skilled at it.

Once the room had quieted down, Azhi propped her chin on her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the table, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "[Sister Koika is leaving? When did that happen?]"

Am I actually dreaming right now?

This news is so sudden!

[...]000 hasn't been dormant lately, and has been replying to Azhi more often. Hearing this, I paused for a moment, then said, "It's true, that person is quite nice to Koi Natsu, the courtesan."

Knowing Azhi's inner worries, 000 showed a rare moment of consideration, but it was only brief. It immediately urged Azhi: "[You can leave now; there's no point in staying here.]"

Like the whispers of a demon.

Caught off guard, Azhi frowned, as if she had been bullied, and said accusingly, "How can you talk like that, Commander?"

She gritted her teeth and threatened, "[You'd better watch out, I'm your host, I can file a complaint against you.]"

【…………】

When Azhi feels bored, she will always take the opportunity to bother the system, or when she encounters something she doesn't understand, she will reflexively ask the system, regardless of whether 000 knows or not.

Just like unconsciously acting cute towards close friends, Azhi also likes to play pranks on people she knows well. She herself is unaware of it, but the system gradually picks it up.

In general, if you ignore it, there won't be any follow-up. However, if you respond with a comment, then things can get complicated.

000: I shouldn't have started the conversation.

Then you can show off your power in front of it.

000 stopped talking. Azhi stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought. Finally, she decided to go find Koi Natsu to play.

However, the injury to her leg still affected her movement. Although it wasn't as painful as before, it still made her frown, slowed her pace, and even made her walk somewhat unnatural.

Li Xia was unaware of the real reason behind it, so when she saw Azhi's appearance, she immediately misunderstood.

The girl had faint dark circles under her eyes, and there were still traces of redness and swelling on her thin eyelids, which were quite noticeable on her fair face. It looked like she had been crying for a long time last night.

Her current listless appearance and the slight trembling of her legs, barely noticeable unless you look closely, both indicate that she must have had a rough night.

— He looked like he had been thoroughly ravaged and bullied.

Through this lens, Li Xia felt that there seemed to be an indescribable sense of restraint flowing between Azhi's brows and eyes.

Although this kind of forbearance is different from that kind of forbearance.

Why don't you get some rest?

From Aori's description, it's easy to guess that Mr. Tomioka is a serious and earnest person. It's unexpected that such a person would be so rude in this kind of matter.

As Li Xia thought this, she pulled out a soft futon from the side and handed it over, her brown eyes filled with concern and pity.

The daytime is for the prostitutes to rest, and the nighttime is when they work. Azhi was so...tired last night, yet she still has the energy to come out today.

Azhi took the cushion with a confused look on her face, and at Lixia's suggestion, she placed it under her seat and then gently sat down on it—and to be honest, it was actually quite comfortable.

She shifted her body to find the most comfortable position and said softly, "I'm bored."

The girl acted the same as always, looking clueless and oblivious, seemingly showing no difference because of Giyu Tomioka.

This is a good thing, but for some reason, Li Xia felt that things were a little too peaceful.

"I heard some guests caused trouble last night?"

In the past, there were quite a few people who would get drunk and cause trouble in the streets. After such an incident, no shop in Yoshiwara would welcome such a customer again. With this unspoken rule, Yoshiwara became much calmer.

This rare occurrence was unfortunately witnessed by A-Zhi. Fortunately, Koi-ka was relieved to hear that nothing had happened, but upon seeing A-Zhi, she couldn't help but worry about her.

"Um."

Azhi nodded. Seeing that Koi Natsu seemed very interested in the matter, she hesitated, observing Koi Natsu's expression, before simply describing what had happened.

She was still a little scared about how Tomioka Giyuu and Sabito seemed like completely different people after hearing the story last night.

But Sister Koi would never do that.

"I see."

All of Koika's doubts disappeared. She understood why Giyu Tomioka, who had accompanied Aori selflessly for so many years, acted as if he had been through some kind of trauma last night.

So you were angry.

In Koika's view, over the past few years, Tomioka Giyuu has been the only person Aori has ever been intimate with in Yoshiwara. To maintain such a relationship for so long, Tomioka Giyuu must really like Aori.

When a man finds that the woman he loves is being coveted by someone else, and the woman is unaware of the seriousness of the situation, he may do things that are completely out of character.

Koi Natsu looked at A-Zhi with a complicated expression.

Ah Zhi was confused and felt like she was being unfairly blamed.

However, that's not the point. The reason she said this was because...

Azhi angrily slapped the ground with her palm, about to vividly recount how Tomioka Giyuu had ruthlessly frightened her, and how she had been forced to admit her mistakes because she was weak, pitiful, and helpless.

"He bullied me yesterday!" Ah Zhi started ranting and raving, but then she felt a little guilty and her eyes darted around as she whispered, trying to make amends, "Although... he was actually quite nice to me in the end."

The girl kept moving, her lips pouting.

Her delicate lips were like plump fruit, glistening with a crystalline sheen. Although one could not taste them, it was easy to imagine how soft they would be to touch, and how unforgettable they would be.

Every sentence leaves much to the imagination.

Li Xia looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly. She moved closer to the dressing table and coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment: "...There's no need to go into details about this."

Azhi: "?" Why don't we need to go into details?

Does no one care about her sadness and anger?

Azhi's face froze, her head full of question marks. She felt that things had developed beyond her comprehension, and she felt that she really needed to explain things clearly.

Seeing that the girl was about to continue talking about her private matters, Koika pretended not to see it and subtly changed the subject: "Ori, has Mr. Tomioka talked to you about... leaving?"

The courtesans of Yoshiwara have an inescapable fate, but Koika feels that Oori might be able to avoid some sad things.

Perhaps we can leave this place and find happiness before suffering arrives?

She took out a box of candy from her sleeve, slowly unwrapped it, and the crystal-clear candies looked delicious. She gently fed them to Azhi's mouth.

Azhi leaned forward slightly, took a big gulp, and a simple joy appeared in her eyes: "It's apple flavored."

She held a candy in her mouth, pondering the question Li Xia had just asked, and then suddenly remembered the rumors she had heard and the scene she had seen when she first entered the room.

The beautiful courtesan looked tenderly at the wooden hairpin in her hand. The hairpin itself was very simple, as if it were a product of unskilled craftsmanship, but the fact that it was carefully wrapped in a handkerchief was enough to show how much its owner cherished it.

It must have been carved by the person who gave it to you. Although it is a bit rough, the sentiment it conveys is precious.

"Is Koi-chan leaving?" Azhi tilted her head, her cheeks puffed out, and suddenly spoke with her mouth full of candy, her words unclear. She blinked her watery eyes and looked at Koi-chan, who seemed to have placed infinite hope in the candy in her hand.

"Mmm." Li Xia was a little shy. Her face flushed as she looked at the girl's fair and delicate face, and then paused.

Ah Zhi has grown up a bit more. Every part of her is perfectly proportioned. Even though she has been very low-key, little do people know that she is a ray of light in the darkness. No matter how much she tries to hide it, she will attract more and more attention in the future.

Koi Natsu was afraid that A-Zhi would attract the attention of some important people. A beautiful appearance is both a tool to gain favor and a source of trouble, especially when the beautiful owner does not have the ability to protect herself.

Even though nothing has happened yet, Koi-ka is still worried about the things she imagines.

She gently stroked Azhi's soft hair with pity, her voice soft: "Azhi, you should leave here as soon as possible. Although Mr. Tomioka seems cold, he is very kind to you."

"He must have been working hard for you all these years." In Koika's memory, Tomioka Giyuu must have been doing business all over the world and probably made a lot of money.

After Koi Natsu left, the proprietress will probably introduce a new courtesan to be the face of the business. If it's Aori, it sounds too tragic that so many twists and turns suddenly occur between two people who are in love.

It would be best to get away before something sad happens.

Her bright, moist eyes gazed at him, and the emotions they held were almost overwhelming.

Azhi stood there blankly, wondering why the topic had shifted to her. She thought for a moment, then nodded: "Yeah, I think I'll be leaving too."

Giyu Tomioka is very busy, busy slaying demons in all directions, which means that it is almost impossible for Ori, who is in the Tokitoya, to have frequent contact with him.

After their initial meeting at Fujikasayama, Aori had nowhere to go and no memory of what was happening, so she was temporarily placed in the Butterfly House.

Each child in the Butterfly Mansion has their own mission. Ori could have stayed there comfortably, waiting for Giyu Tomioka to come over when he was free, or to recuperate from an injury.

But she seems to hate waiting.

Azhi didn't know why she had this idea. She wanted to do something herself, and at that time, there was a shortage of people to go on patrol and lie in wait.

After consulting with 000, who was almost dormant at the time, Azhi volunteered and, with her pretty face, was honorably appointed to the position, where she remains to this day.

Unfortunately, it seems she hasn't accomplished anything significant as initially envisioned before her undercover mission comes to an end.

To be honest, Giyuu and Sabito have never really approved of her staying at the Tokitoya. After they left yesterday, 000 told her that it wasn't very safe there lately and suggested that she leave as soon as possible.

Azhi doesn't have much of a rebellious spirit; she will leave this place, but inevitably she will feel some regret.

Moreover, after parting ways here, it would be difficult to meet again, and Azhi felt inexplicably sad.

She straightened up, placed her hands on the ground and leaned closer, her clear black and white pupils filled with seriousness, making one feel that what she said would definitely come true: "Sister Lixia, you will definitely be happy."

The way Azhi knelt on the futon looked just like a lazy cat lounging in the sun. Koi couldn't help but reach out and touch her smooth cheek.

Koi Natsu chuckled: "A-Zhi too."

Aori complained, "...Sister Koika, I'm very serious!"

Li Xia calmly stroked her: "Me too."

A note from the author:

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[Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand][Chin resting on hand]