Winter Flower

🌸 |Chapter 4

Days have passed since the young lord's last visit. If the Winter Flower was going to be honest, she liked the short peace of the days that went by. She was going to admit that seeing her typical and regular customers were somewhat relieving, especially because they were only interested in her looks - not her emotions.

It was kind of scary for her, for that young lord to touch her emotions despite meeting the first time. She did not yet know what is the young lord's goal, besides getting her as his mistress - she did not even want to be his mistress in the first place. Perhaps it was quite wishful for her to actually say that she can get out of this brothel by her lone effort, but it was better than trusting a shady lord. Besides, she refused to bow down and let the young lord use her body for his pleasure.

It was already around the *Hour of the Pig when someone suddenly requested her. She immediately fixed herself by applying her make-up and *kanzashi, even securing her *obi and haori so she can look presentable in front of the client. She then waited for the customer to come in her room, patiently and still like a flower silently dancing along with the winds. The room was awfully quiet and the noise that the yuujo could only hear was the banquets being held in the common room. The music and cheers of the samurai were loud as ever, but the yuujo only closed her eyes and did not even bother to mind the loud noises.

She finally felt a presence near her, and as the shoji doors slid open, she opened her eyes and looked at the man who bought her for tonight.

Shoto decided to come and visit the brothel for the time being. His kunoichi and *shinobi, Jirou and Kaminari had yet to come for the investigations. Although the day is approaching, he wanted to visit the yuujo himself and hopefully gather more information from the subject itself.

As he approached the counter, the head of the brothel saw him and bowed with an enticing smile.

"Good evening, my lord. What can I do for you?" Nemuri asked and slightly cocked her head to the side.

"I want the Winter Flower."

As soon as the name came out of his lips, Nemuri's smile turned upside down and she immediately tore her gaze from the young lord. "About that..." She sighed and gave the young lord an apologetic smile before bowing once again. "I apologize but someone already bought her for the night."

The Winter Flower stared at her customer before slightly bowing. "Nice to see you again, my lord."

The man clicked his tongue in irritation before sitting down across her, placing his katana on his side. "I said no honorifics, damn it, (Y/N)."

The yuujo nodded as the man crossed his arms while huffing in annoyance. "Well then, let me start over again. Nice to see you again, Katsuki. How are you?"

This man's name is Katsuki Bakugo. He is currently working as the *bakufu's retainer, or *bakushin to be precise. Indeed, he is quite young to be someone who works beside the bakufu himself, but he is carrying the title of his father's dojo that is famous in the city of *Kyoto. Although he originally came from Kyoto, he is working here in Edo because of his work.

"I'm damn fine. Ya' really got it hard huh? Workin' in this cramped space just to give...pleasure to those samurai assholes." (Y/N) could tell that Katsuki was both annoyed and humiliated - not for her, but for himself. (Y/N) had known Katsuki since they were little, and they were so close that he treated the yuujo as his own little sister. But since she went into this hell, Katsuki could only see her by buying her for the night, and it crushed him.

"It is fine. I am fine. In fact, I am holding up quite well in this situation of mine. Sooner or later, I might become the *Oiran of this brothel, and if I succeeded, I will immediately inform you."