You're G O L D|| Sugimoto Saichi x f!Reader x Ogata Hyakunosuke

江戸ガイ

In Yuubari, with the 7th division

Tsurumi read the sign to his left and politely knocked on the door.

'Edogai Taxidermy, these gloves, they have to belong to him.'

____

"Oh? Someone seems to be knocking, I wonder who that could be." His mother said.

He reached a hand out to her in reassurance, "No, I need to get up anyway. I'll go and see who it is." he said, standing up and pushing his chair back under the table, "I wonder who could be knocking this early in the morning..." he hummed.

It was early for some people, late for others. But honestly, it was just 9 am.

The brunette opened the door and peeked his head through cautiously, "Hello? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked.

"Good Morning!" Tsurumi smiled, "I'm here because I heard something about a taxidermist who deals with animal mounts! Would you happen to be Edogai Yasaku?"

Edogai's guarded expression softened up a bit, but he still hesitated to answer, "...Yes, that's correct. Oh! Would you like to come in? I've got plenty more inside than I do outside!"

Edogai opened the door wider and let Tsurumi inside with a soft smile.

"I'm looking for a mount to decorate the 7th division's reception hall. But I have to say, you're every bit talented as I heard you were! It's so hard to choose!" Tsurumi complemented. The man with missing brains sped walk over to a single polar bear mount and started rubbing all over its face. "Oh my, You even have a polar bear!"

"Well, only the pelt came from overseas, I made the mount myself," Edogai explained.

Tsurumi looked up at the many birds of various colors and sizes hung upside down from the ceiling, "Are these specimen still being worked on? Why are they hanging upside down?" he asked.

Edogai looked at the birds fondled while he answered, "Hanging them like this causes gravity to pull on the feathers, making them look full and soft in the end."

A cat sat on a stool and watched the two carefully. Edogai's eyes sparkled a bit with un refusable determination, "The ability to recreate an animal so that they are as vibrant and as lifelike as possible. That's the real test of a taxidermists skill."

Tsurumi continued to admire all the animals around him, "Pardon such a blunt question, but, is a taxidermy really high enough here in Yuubari to sustain a business?" Then he spotted the cat and walked up to it, examining its stillness.

Then, it yawned. Tsurumi's dark eyes filled with glee, "Woah! Neko-chan! NEKO-CHAN!" He practically screeched, excitement evident in his tone. The black and white spotted cat just sat there with a 'boi if you don't get yo head plate lookin' ass up out my goddamn face, you gon' be missing more than just brains in a minute' look.

Edogai shook his head, "No, in fact, most of my business comes from Europe and America. The wealthy clients over there want animals that can only be found in Japan." He then walked over to a mounted owl and fluffed the feathers a bit, "I was born in Nara, it's hot there and they have a rainy season. HEat and humidity is a taxidermists enemy. Once the meat starts to rot, there's no way to salvage anything and use it for mounting." Edogai looked back at his guest, "In my search of the right environment, I ended up moving to Hokkaido. The average temperature here is low, and it has a dry climate."

Since Edogai was telling his life story, Tsurumi decided to pry a bit, "... Do you live here alone?"

Edogai shook his head, "no, I live with my mum. Sadly, she has a bad hip, so she rests in one of the inner rooms."