Chapter 2, Page 02...
In the end, Azhi couldn't refuse. Holding the exquisite wooden box containing the hairpin, she walked out of Koi Natsu's room.
As she strolled slowly along the corridor, she couldn't help but recall Li Xia's gentle yet slightly mysterious smile and those words that left her completely baffled.
She said with a smile, "I want to wear it so Mr. Tomioka can see if it looks pretty."
Why should Yiyong be the one to judge whether a hairpin is beautiful?
Azhi was puzzled. Someone like Yiyong, whose mind was entirely focused on swordsmanship and missions, probably rarely even looked closely at these girls' ornaments, let alone appreciated them.
She could almost picture the blank stare and bewilderment that would appear on Giyu Tomioka's usually expressionless face when faced with this question.
As she was lost in thought, a clear and unexpected electronic voice suddenly rang in her mind.
【What are you doing? 】
The voice didn't sound real; it had a distinctly mechanical quality, yet there was a subtle hint of accusation in its tone.
This clashes with the surrounding wooden buildings and tranquil atmosphere, creating a strange sense of disconnect.
If this voice, appearing out of nowhere, happened to an ordinary person, they would probably be terrified, thinking they had been possessed by an evil spirit.
Azhi was indeed startled, and the wooden box in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.
She blinked, paused for a moment, and then tentatively replied in her mind: "[000? Weren't you... in hibernation mode?]"
The mechanical voice in my mind seemed to pause for a moment before softly saying, "[Hibernation paused. I'll check on you.]"
This statement makes it hard for Azhi not to feel that it's there to "supervise" the project.
She subconsciously furrowed her delicate eyebrows, and somewhat hesitantly defended herself: "Um, I... I didn't slack off."
[...]
In A-Zhi's view, this meaningful silence fully expressed 000's distrust.
"I've been trying really hard to complete the task," she muttered, a hint of grievance in her voice. Her bright face dimmed slightly, her thoughts written all over her face. "But the task progress is still stuck."
As she spoke, she gestured a very short distance with her slender fingers and sighed softly.
The girl said, "I can't help it!"
000: [...]
As a seasoned system, 000 felt a sense of near-exhaustion at this moment—if it possessed such an emotion module.
Recalling when it was assigned this task at the system center, as an experienced old system, it was entrusted with the task of leading the new host, A-Zhi, to fulfill the wish of "conquering" the world's core figures.
At first, it was quite satisfied with Azhi, who had a simple personality and seemed obedient, and thought that this would be a smooth cooperation.
However, it was too early to feel at ease.
The bizarre reality is that A-Zhi has been in this world for many years, but the progress of the mission is stuck in a quagmire, completely stagnant...
To some extent, this is understandable, since the task itself is quite challenging for a new host.
A series of thoughts flashed through her mind, and 000 felt speechless, almost defeated by this cruel reality, feeling a sense of helplessness and despair: "Since you have nothing better to do, think more about the mission."
Of course, you don't have to think about it, since the progress won't be much faster anyway.
Azhi slowly replied in her mind: 【Okay.】
The opportunity will come soon.
The mission objective is [Tomioka Giyuu], who is also the Mr. Tomioka who is about to return, as mentioned by Koika-nee.
Aori needs to learn from Giyu Tomioka what his deepest desire is and help him achieve it.
It sounds simple, but you only realize how difficult it is when you actually do it.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The landlady suddenly came to Azhi's room in person. When she opened the door, she saw the girl lying on her back on the bed, idly bothering 000.
She dangled her legs over the edge of the bed, the wide hem of her kimono slipping slightly with the movement, revealing a slender ankle and a patch of exceptionally fair and delicate skin.
Like the finest mutton fat jade, its luster is clearly the result of years of careful nurturing.
The proprietress paused, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, before urging, "Don't lie there, get up and put on your makeup."
After she finished speaking, she did not leave immediately. Instead, she found a place in the room to kneel down and wait quietly, her brows seemingly furrowed in thought.
Seeing that the landlady had come to urge them on, Ah Zhi, though puzzled, dared not delay and quickly got out of bed.
Somewhat bewildered, she wiped her cheeks clean with a damp cloth, then sat in front of the mirror, lowered her eyes, and awkwardly began to draw her eyebrows and eyeliner, finally applying rouge to her lips.
Her technique was far from skillful; in fact, it was somewhat clumsy.
However, illuminated by the warm candlelight, her already exquisite features, even with just a touch of makeup, instantly became radiant and captivating.
If she so desired, given time, she could certainly become the most famous courtesan in Yoshiwara, bringing immeasurable wealth to the Tokitoya.
only……
The proprietress sighed inwardly. Precisely because she knew the inside story and saw things too clearly, she felt even more regretful at this moment.
“Ah Zhi,” the landlady composed herself, her voice low and clearly troubled, “Although we had an agreement before, right now… there really isn’t a better way.”
"We can no longer refuse Lord Takahashi."
Azhi stopped her somewhat clumsy makeup routine and turned to look at the proprietress in a daze.
She still doesn't know what this "Master Takahashi"'s full name is.
From the landlady's repeated conversations, one could vaguely sense that the other party was a person of extremely high status, perhaps even more distinguished than the patron who provided her with protection.
This high-ranking and powerful man, Mr. Takahashi, has recently sent many valuable gifts.
In the past, when encountering overly enthusiastic customers, as long as one dealt with them with a clear and cold attitude a few times, they would usually give up. After all, Yoshiwara has never lacked beautiful courtesans.
However, this time the situation is different.
From the moment I first received the gift and tried to return it, their attitude was unusually firm. After several attempts to refuse, the matter reached a stalemate.
"At least... go see him in person. It might be more effective to talk things out face-to-face," the landlady advised.
The expensive gifts that kept arriving could neither be returned nor easily accepted. Shi Renwu really didn't want to offend such noble officials, and dragging it out was definitely not a good idea.
In her experience, most of these nobles were proud and arrogant, and if she politely declined them to their faces with appropriate reasons, they usually wouldn't lower themselves to continue pestering her.
Moreover, I've heard that this Lord Takahashi is kind and generous, respectful to scholars, and has a good reputation for benevolence. I doubt he would be so angry and embarrassed by being rejected that he would do anything inappropriate.
Perhaps the other party just wants a clear answer in person.
Azhi turned around, and her long, black hair, piled up on her shoulders and neck, slid down like silk.
The proprietress got up and walked over, gently tucking her hair up.
This wasn't an unreasonable request, but... tonight was the time she had arranged to meet with Yiyong.
Azhi bit her lip lightly in distress, a clear look of struggle appearing between her brows and eyes.
In the end, she nodded in agreement.
After carefully inquiring about the specific time, she learned that the meeting would not take too long.
It'll only take a little while, it shouldn't... affect my later appointment with Giyu, right?
Ah Zhi thought to herself.
"Talk to the guests politely and don't offend them." Seeing that she agreed, the proprietress's expression softened considerably. She gently patted the girl's hand and gave her some advice.
She was fairly confident in Azhi's personality, knowing that she wouldn't cause trouble.
Azhi didn't take it to heart. After thinking for a moment, she opened the wooden box and carefully inserted the hairpin that Lixia had given her into her newly styled hair bun.
She looked at herself in the mirror, then tilted her head up to face the proprietress and obediently replied, "I understand."
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The meeting was actually somewhat different from what Azhi had expected.
It seems that Mr. Takahashi's main purpose today was not to see her specifically, but to discuss important matters with his colleagues, and that seeing her was just a side note.
Perhaps because she was used to being rejected, Azhi's sudden agreement caught the other party off guard, and they didn't make any special arrangements.
In the small tea room, three well-dressed and distinguished guests sat together, enjoying the music and chatting over sake.
Each of them had a dedicated courtesan to accompany them. Azhi, carrying her zither, quietly entered the room and sat down near the end, trying to minimize her presence.
As she sat down, she vaguely felt a gaze fall upon her, which made her unconsciously straighten her previously somewhat relaxed back and perk up a bit.
The guests were talking about something related to the "railway," which sounded like a very important matter.
At first, the atmosphere was relatively peaceful, but for some reason, a disagreement arose, and the words gradually became more heated, with the argument growing louder and more intense.
Azhi frowned slightly, noticing that the woman playing the shamisen next to her had stopped playing, so she also stopped playing.
He thought to himself that if this could end this unexpected meeting sooner, it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
However, during that brief moment of distraction, an unexpected event occurred!
With a "whoosh," the guest facing her slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, the wine glass flying out of his hand and shattering on the floor in front of Azhi!
Splattered porcelain shards and wine liquid scattered everywhere.
Startled by this sudden turn of events, Azhi shuddered, her lips parted slightly, and her fingers frantically plucked the strings, producing a sharp, discordant sound.
Immediately afterwards, I heard the terrified screams of the escort girls.
The guests' argument quickly escalated, with loud insults and shoving erupting one after another, turning the scene into chaos.
The musicians and courtesans who were closer to the entrance scrambled to escape in a panic.
In the chaos, someone casually closed the door behind them.
Ah Zhi was really unlucky; she was in the furthest spot from the door and didn't have time to leave before it closed.
She had never experienced such a chaotic scene before. Her eyes widened as she stared at the farce unfolding before her, somewhat bewildered.
It wasn't until she felt the hem of her dress soaked with spilled wine, sticking uncomfortably to her calves, that she belatedly realized she wanted to find a corner to hide in.
But as soon as she stood up, she tripped over something in the chaos, lost her balance, and fell back to her original spot.
My knee slammed into the hard floor, and a burning pain shot through me instantly.
"Ugh..." Azhi supported herself, her brows furrowed, and a suppressed cry of pain escaped from her nose.
Mr. Takahashi was so preoccupied with trying to stop the two arguing parties that he had no time to pay attention to her "little accident" in the corner.
And amidst this chaos—
"--Bang!"
With a loud crash, the closed wooden door seemed to have been hit by a tremendous force, violently detaching from the door frame and slamming to the ground, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Amidst the swirling dust, a tall and slender figure stepped inside.
The newcomer was dressed in dark casual clothes, with his black hair tied up at the back of his head, revealing a face with distinct features but no expression.
He exuded a sharp aura befitting a swordsman, and his deep blue eyes swept across the room, the chill in his gaze almost freezing the air.
The noisy tea room fell silent almost instantly, as if the tense atmosphere had been paused.
Azhi lowered her eyes, looking at her bruised knee with a frustrated expression. She couldn't see the details through her clothes, but the dull pain made it difficult for her to stand up. She was completely immersed in her own little world.
—Until a clear, shocked gasp reached my ears.
She felt the light above her head being completely blocked by a figure, and she was enveloped in the shadow cast by the newcomer.
Are you alright?
A deep, familiar voice came from above, accompanied by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Then, a large hand with calloused skin from years of wielding a sword reached out in front of her.
Azhi subconsciously shrank her leg, which felt sticky and uncomfortable, while one hand still held the piano beside her, her slender, white fingers dangling on the strings.
She raised her eyes and looked over, her bright eyes seemingly veiled with moisture, appearing exceptionally clear and captivating in the flickering candlelight.
—It is Giyu Tomioka.
A note from the author:
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