Perhaps, She Does

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A month had passed and the young lady had fully recovered. They made sure that all her wounds would not leave any scar on her body. She finally felt safe in Shinmachi. The young samurai has been paying her a visit everytime he wanted to and she was informed that he would be her first guest the time she started being a courtesan. Gia dressed her like a porcelain doll and she even applied cosmetics on her delicate face. It was her first time to use those kinds of products, so she was in awe when she saw her new self.

"I know how to play koto." She answered when she was asked what skills she could present when she has a guest. Makoto took the koto from the basement and then, she turned some of the strings first before playing a piece.

The young samurai just arrived and he witnessed her playing the koto. He smiled softly and stared at her. For him, she is like an angel sent from above. Thus, he thought that she would be someone who can stay by his side until then. He was sent by his father to Edo since he was staying in Kyushu for a long time already. That night was his first night in Edo and he didn't expect that he would have a fallen angel in his arms.

"Good evening, Yamasho-dono." She greeted him with her soft voice right after she finished playing a piece. She approached him and bowed her head. Then, he reached for her hand to leave a kiss on it.

"You can accompany your first guest in his room now, Fuyu." Makoto said and she nodded, taking the lead as she would be the one to bring her guest to the room. She excused themselves and they quietly paved the hallways.

The tea set was already there, so she asked him if he would want a cup and he nodded. She closed the doors and took her seat to serve him a cup of warm tea. He continued on staring at her and when she noticed this, she asked him if there was any problem. He shook his head and just smiled before taking a sip. She also poured tea in her cup and before she could have a sip, he reached for her hand once again.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Yamasho-dono?" She asked as she let him hold her hand for a while. He urged her to move closer and she obediently followed. He asked her if he could touch her but she shook her head.

"I apologize that you can't. Makoto-sama already said that no one should touch me since I'm still seventeen." She whispered and he nodded. He knew Makoto's rules for her. He asked her once again if he could kiss her and she hesitated. No one ever kissed her, especially men.

"N-no. I apologize." She answered and he assured her that she should not feel bad that she couldn't do anything about it. She asked him about things instead, about the trips he had before he could arrive in Shinmachi.

The night passed by without them doing anything aside from talking and having tea but he had one last request to her that night and it was to sleep with him. She accepted his request this time and after removing the accessories she was wearing, she laid down beside him. They looked like newlyweds that night and he held her hand the entire night while they were asleep. Somehow, he wished that he would be with her every night like that.

The next day, she woke up early to serve breakfast for her master. She fixed herself and went out of the room to get the tray of breakfast sitting on the dining table. When she went back, he was still asleep. She placed down the tray on the table and then, she walked closer to cover him properly with the blankets. She noticed a huge dragon inked on his left chest down to his abdomen. She blushed faintly while staring at it. It was her first time to see a tattooed man and she had the urge to trace it with her fingertip.

"You can touch it." He suddenly said and she turned redder. She moved away from him but he caught her hand and placed it on his naked chest. He started removing his yukata from his upper part of the body and it showed her his whole inked body.

"Yamasho-dono.." She whispered and he shook his head, telling her to call him 'Sho' instead. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. The whole place was quiet as most of the courtesans and their guests were still asleep.

"Sho.." She called his name with such a sweet voice and he couldn't help but to kiss her lips. She didn't protest against it though. He slowly laid her down on the futon as he moved on top of her. She already accepted her fate as a courtesan.

"I will not do it, don't worry." He assured her once more and she nodded before accepting his kisses. His lips touched the crook of her neck until his hands started to loosen the yukata she was wearing.

It was always like that within the past few months. The young samurai became her regular guest but there were also a few more guests that she entertained. Most of them are within the same age of the young samurai. Gia instructed her to learn a new skill and she chose writing haikus. With the education she had when she was still with her father, it was a piece of cake for her to learn how to write haikus.

She started to get worried when the young samurai didn't pay her a visit for two weeks. Makoto assured her that he only had things to do and it was very important. She smiled faintly and accepted the reason. She focused on other things and guests but her mind was wandering. One time, her master had made requests to her and one of them was doing a sexual thing. She refused, reminding him about the rules but he insisted. He offered a huge amount of money but she kept on refusing.

"It will only be this time." Her master insisted and she shook her head. He grabbed her hand and placed it between his legs and she pulled her hand away before leaving the room. She started crying silently and she accidentally bumped onto the young samurai.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" He asked and her current master followed her to bring her back to the room. She told him the truth and since he arrived there straight from his work, he was still carrying his katana. He unsheathed it and pointed it at the man's neck.

"You dared to force her? I couldn't even touch her and yet, you forced her? Don't you know how to respect a woman?" He gritted his teeth and the courtesans and guests around them started whispering and gossiping. He felt a hand around his arm and when he looked at it, it was her.

"I paid a lot to book her!" The man said and if she wasn't able to stop him, there would be a bloodshed. Makoto pulled the man away from the young samurai while Gia smacked his hand with her fan, resulting in him dropping it on the floor.

"Stop making a commotion here, Nakamura-dono. If you can't respect a woman's decision despite them being a courtesan, we will no longer welcome you in Shinmachi." Makoto said to the man and he left the brothel angrily.

"What are you looking at? Go back to your rooms." Makoto added while looking at everyone. The young lady slowly stopped from crying and they understood her since she is the youngest courtesan they have in Shinmachi. Things like those are intolerable because she is still a minor.