Working in Sanzu-no-Kawa

To keep the teahouse run smoothly and clean, daily cleaning around the estate must proceed. With Uzuki's guidance Wakumi takes floor cleaning for the first job, from hallways to corridors she mops the floor. Although this task seems easy but takes a lot of energy to do so.

"I am done, Uzuki-senpai." Wakumi patting after her job.

Looking from the sight, the floor is cleaned beautifully and Uzuki is impressed. "You did well today," she said.

Wakumi smiles happily with the result as Uzuki points at an area of the floor in front of them, it's bright and reflecting much like a mirror.

"I forgot to tell you that if you polish too much, the floor will be like a mirror and very slippery," Uzuki states.

The moment Wakumi tries to step on the shiny floor panel, she slips her foot with her butt falls onto the floor in pain. Uzuki tries not to laugh and help her up, as standing back on her feet, Kanagawa is walking far from the corridor and Uzuki tells Wakumi to stand aside next to her. As footsteps close in, Wakumi is in sweat like she senses a dark aurora coming to her.

They bow slightly as Kanagawa walks past them, her facial expression emits cold-hearted energy to the surroundings which make Wakumi shiver. Looking at her shaking status, Kanagawa let out a small humph as she looked at her, what she doesn't know is that she is walking towards the slippery panel.

Before Uzuki and Wakumi warn her, Kanagawa has already stepped on the panel and flips herself into the air and hits the floor with her butt. Screaming from the pain, Wakumi rushes to her.

"Are...Are you alright?" Wakumi asked as she held up Kanagawa's back.

Sensing something horrified as Kanagawa slowly looks into her eyes, she grabs Wakumi's neck and shakes her violently.

"You want a death wish don't you?!" Screaming with anger, Uzuki manages to separate them as Wakumi hides behind her.

"We are sorry Kanagawa-sama, actually we didn't warn you earlier in the first place, and Wakumi just getting used to the working environment," while apologies, Uzuki bows with regret and so Wakumi.

As shaking as a tiny mouse, Wakumi gives her apology with a trembling soft voice, "Kanagawa Nee-san, please forgive me..."

Back on her feet, Kanagawa tidies up her kimono and slaps Wakumi's hand away, "Don't dare touch me your filth! You are just low life who work here for your debts on Okaa-san's kindness, there is no place here for you to stay!"

With these words, Wakumi is very furious and stands up herself in front of Kanagawa, Uzuki tries to stop her but it is no use.

"You said I have a useless low life?" Wakumi shouted, "If Okaa-san didn't show up I would die on the street already! All she did was give me this opportunity to make a new life myself!"

"Wakumi! Don't shout at Kanagawa-sama like that!" Uzuki insisted.

Kanagawa is even angrier and raises her hand palm in the air and tries to slap Wakumi, but is stopped by Kongiku.

"Onee-sama?!" Kanagawa is very surprised by Kongiku's sudden appearance, her hand is blocked by her kiseru.

The moment Kanagawa put down her hand, Kongiku looked into her eyes in a dark expression, closer and much closer, "If you dare insult my dearest treasured girl, I will make you pay for what you did!"

"I get it Onee-sama..." Kanagawa almost gets chills in her bones and walks away.

Looking back at her servants, Kongiku asked Uzuki, "So, did Wakumi stand herself up in front of Kanagawa?"

To prevent lying, Uzuki said the truth, "Yes, she did."

Wakumi feels sweat trembling along her forehead. This is very bad, I have gone into another mistake! I am going to be scolded, she thought. Kongiku isn't going to punish her but praises her. She pats Wakumi's head and smiles.

"You are very brave, I am surprised you stand against Kanagawa for your dignity," Kongiku said.

Praised by her Tayu, Wakumi let out a warm smile.

-^-^-^-

Referring to the landscape, Sanzu-no-Kawa is the largest building in Shinkatsu, a three-story building high with an area of a total of twelve normal townhouses. Workers in the teahouse usually walk up and down the whole building from rooms to rooms. With one big dining hall, several suites and cabins, it looks like a palace in the middle of a merchant town with some foreign architecture. The point of "foreign architecture" is a mystery, how did this end up in the Edo period? This has to go back 300 years ago.

In the late 16th century which is the late Azuchi–Momoyama period, the Tokugawa clan seized Edo and began the Tokugawa Bafuku (Tokugawa Shogunate). With the threat of rising Christianity in Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu issued the Sakoku (closed country, isolationist foreign policy) to prevent Western Traders and Religionists from entering Japan.

However, a clan which has been in touch with the Portuguese for 50 years arose to oppose the policy, which led to a massive civil war in the history ever known, the Demon War.

The clan which faced such massive forces of Tokugawa was the Otomo Clan, led by Otomo Yoshimune, eldest son of Otomo Sorin and Daimyo of the clan escaped from prison in Edo from the previous war against Tokugawa, Battle of Sekigahara. He reorganized a new campaign and pushed in full force with the remains of Oda Clan.

With numerous Otomo victories, Ieyasu was getting feared by Yoshimune. Without any choice, he visited the demon temple and made a pact with the demons in return of a strong army. But this didn't last long.

Most of the demons or demon lords opposed the request of Ieyasu joined the Otomo side, which made this war even worse but brought an upper hand to Otomo. The moment Yoshimune's army entered Edo, the far-right demons were banished along with the Tokugawa's supporters. The day Yoshimune claimed to be the new Shogun, Ieyasu was executed.

Under the Otomo rule, Japan was opened to the world and foreign goods, technologies, ideologies were flooded into Japan. Towns and villages were no longer poor or hungry with new foreign agriculture, education was open-minded, Westerners were fond to trade and strengthen the local economies.

After the war to prevent Tokugawa return, demons who saved Japan with Otomo were scattered in the nation as they lived in normal human forms, they hold an individual force to maintain peace in every corner of Japan as a promise to Yoshimune, demons and humans shall live in harmony but in secret. Shinkatsu is one of the towns with demons.

Back to the old rumours of Sanzu-no-Kawa, the teahouse was built by a demon lord as a hidden place for her kinds.

-^-^-^-

It is almost dawn, the yukaku in the town are opening for business as the streets are full of visitors.

"This teahouse certainly has the best beauties of Japan!"

"Is that true? I heard that lots of merchants almost end up bankrupt there."

"Wow, their beauty costs a fortune of trillions!!"

The visitors' words mix into the crowd as Kongiku can hear them from the third floor of Sanzu-no-Kawa, her bedroom. While smoking by the balcony, she is in her proper Tayu kimono with her tidied hair full of ornaments. As looking from the window, Wakumi enters the room with a small tray of sake and a small dish, she sits near her Tayu and puts the tray down.

Looking from the sight, Wakumi said, "Onee-sama, Okaa-san told me to bring you these to make sure you got something to fill in before the display with others."

Turning from her sight, Kongiku replied, "Wakumi, come here. Let me show you something."

With no hesitation, Wakumi moves closer to Kongiku as she points outside the balcony, a vast view of Shinkatsu from the horizon glitters her eyes for the first time. Amazed by the view, Kongiku creases her hair as they watch. Crowds of people flooded the night streets with a variety of yukaku houses, Wakumi doesn't know what word can describe such a scene. But something caught her attention.

From the opposite building in front of Sanzu-no-Kawa, an oiran in wide black kimono gazes at Kongiku and Wakumi from the window, jealousy grows in her eyes.

"So Kongiku got a new pet for herself," the girl said with her licking lips. "One day your pet shall be mine."

"Onee-sama, who is that lady in front of our house?" Wakumi asked as she pointed at the girl.

"Oh, you mean her? She is another oiran of the other house, her name is Oboro." Kongiku replied.

Before Wakumi can ask for more information, a small knock from the door and Kongiku puts her finger on Wakumi's lips.

"I will tell you later on," Kongiku replied and faced the door, "Come in."

The door slides open and to Wakumi's shock, there sits a small girl bowing from the entrance. The girl looks like at the age of 6, cute eyes and her hairdo looks like a... garlic bulb?

The girl raised her head and spoke, "Kongiku nee-sama, Okaa-san has given her word to me to take Wakumi-nee to her."

Kongiku pats Wakumi's head and smiles, "Now, you have to go, I will meet you soon."

Saying farewell to her Tayu, Wakumi follows the little girl to a room where Okaa-san's doing her paperwork. Upon arrival, they enter the room as she is waiting for them.

"So Wakumi, how is your first day?" She asked Wakumi.

Then she replied, "I won't say it is too bad, but actually fine besides..."

With a small pause, Okaa-san asked, "Besides?"

Wakumi continues, "Besides, I almost got into a fight with Kanagawa nee-san."

While hearing for her, Okaa-san lets out an expression of understanding, "It is alright, Kana herself is always cold-hearted."

Then she enters the main point, "The reason I call you here is I have assigned you into night service tonight along with Ninniku."

The little girl turns to Wakumi and introduces herself, "Nice you to meet you Wakumi Onee-chan, I am Ninniku."

"Too you too Ninniku-chan," Wakumi replied.

"Tonight you both will serve three cabins, one dining hall, and do customer services," Okaa-san stated. "The following roles I will talk to you both shortly."

Before she continues, she pulls out a small golden flower crest pin from a wardrobe and snitches it on Wakumi's obi.

"Here is a gift for your first arrival, welcome to this family," Okaa-san kisses Wakumi's forehead.

With such a gift, Wakumi said, "Thank you Okaa-san, I will do my best."

-^-^-^-

The evening night is busier than Wakumi's thought. Taking care of customers, running from floor to floor, and serving food is a lot of work to do. Although she is working magnificently good, she is overwhelmed by the jobs and her head starts to spin. To top it off, she was completely overwhelmed by the red-light district at night.

The prostitutes would whisper words of love into their customers' ears and sell their bodies to them, just like my mother... Oww I have to slap out of it, thought Wakumi. The moment she arrives in front of a sliding door, she puts down the trays she is carrying, sits down and takes a deep breath.

"Okura-sama, I have brought your meal." She said and then heard the reply of the customer.

"Perfect, bring it in please."

The moment she opens the door, she sees Kumiko is cuddling the male customer with a bottle of sake in her hand. As Wakumi enters with a tray and puts it in front of the guest, he is caught by the new face of her.

"Kumiko, is she a new girl?" The customer asked.

While pouring sake, Kumiko replied, "Yes, she just came here yesterday. A charming little girl."

After serving the meal, Wakumi walks out the room and bows to them with politeness, "Please excuse me and enjoy your meal."

It's almost midnight, while Wakumi is refilling an oil lamp with an oil bucket, her gaze gets caught by an opened cabin and there is Kongiku having pleasure with her customer.

"Nooo...Aaah!"

But Kongiku sees her and whispers to her guest, "Huhu, if you do it like that I will be set ablaze."

Coming back to her senses, Wakumi almost overfilled the lamp and stopped, "Uaah! Oh crap!"

Looking from far, Kongiku chuckles.

-^-^-^-

After a long night, Wakumi is exhausted after all the services she did. While washing herself, Ninniku is scrubbing her back.

"So Wakumi Onee-chan, how is your work?" Ninniku asked.

"Not too shabby but fine, I am starting to get used of them," Wakumi replied.

Then, Ninniku notices something between her legs and gazes at it. Wakumi feels something terrible.

"Umm...Ninniku-chan?"

While Ninniku is gazing, she asks, "Onee-chan, why do you have a chi-"

The moment she said that word, Wakumi muffled Ninniku's mouth with both hands and begged her, "Don't tell this to anyone please, ok?"

As Ninniku nodded her head, Wakumi let out a sigh of relief.