red light blues | haikyū! captains

false promises on a silver platter

Following the events that had transpired in Nekoma, life in Karasuno had more or less gone back to normal.

The endless chores were a well-received greeting upon your arrival. In your stay at the Shinsengumi compound, the lack of any housework only served to bore you out of your wits. You'd never thought airing out futons and washing your housemates' clothes would grant you a sense of relief in the past.

Evenings in Yoshiwara were business as usual, too. Regular patrons mingled with some new faces in the streets—intent on splurging their hard-earned wages for a night of sensual pleasures. Karasuno was all too willing to accommodate their desires, and nearly every woman Ukai had under his care had been booked for the night. To your surprise (and mild horror), Yachi had also been added to the regular roster during your absence.

"Lord Ukai always makes sure to assign me to patrons that aren't...um, harsh?" the poor girl informed you, face heated with embarrassment. "Y-You don't have to worry about me, though, Taiyou-sama! I can do my job just fine."

And just like that, you realized that there weren't many drastic changes that took place. One of the few aberrations to the brothel's routine was probably the fact that you wouldn't be accepting any customers for a while. It was just until the investigation bears more results, but you received the news with a crippling sense of relief. After everything that happened as of late, you weren't sure if you could make good on the money your regulars would pay. You didn't really wish to run Ukai's reputation in the muck simply because of possible underperformance.

Another one of these so-called aberrations, however, came in the hulking form of the warlord, Ushijima Wakatoshi.

The commander's presence was certainly as comical as it was terrifying. His temporary quarters were situated in the first floor of the building, and more often than not, patrons would run into him while he was on the way out to bathe. Ushijima usually didn't interact with them outside of an acknowledging nod, but that alone was enough to drive lesser men out to the streets altogether. After some much-needed intervention from Ukai, the owner managed to salvage the brothel's revenue by imploring Ushijima not to show himself to civilians, given that his presence here was also being kept secret from the public.

However, even after a week into settling with your current reality, Kita's orders honestly still didn't make sense to you. Sure, these were difficult times but was it necessary to have a warlord stand guard in Karasuno as a representative of the Bakufu? They already visited Yoshiwara on the daily for the sake of putting together the mystery behind the murders. If you were in Ushijima's shoes, you'd definitely think this was too much.

But, turns out, the man in question didn't seem to mind.

"Lord Ushijima, I hope you aren't bored of your stay," Ukai remarked.

Ushijima, who'd always joined you and Ukai for breakfast (along with Saeko and Sawamura), set aside his bowl and chopsticks atop the short-legged table. "The lack of active responsibility does provide ample time for meditation."

You frowned. How he could meditate amidst all the sounds of debauchery was beyond you, but you opted not to ask altogether. Instead, you humored his response with one of your own.

"Yes, there isn't much to do in a brothel, is there?" you chuckled.

Saeko snorted from your side, already taking a drag from her pipe. "There is one thing." Sawamura, ever the first to do damage control, nudged her with an elbow—a reprimanding look on his face that only went unnoticed. However, Ushijima spoke again before the captain could verbally call her out.

"My retainers have brought up the aspect of lovemaking a few times," the warlord acquiesced, curiosity making itself known on his face. "They even suggested that I partake in Yoshiwara's services so that I may know what to do once an heir is required of me."