red light blues | haikyū! captains

lapse in judgement

[note: this chapter contains sexual content. read at your own discretion.]

...

"Here."

You glanced up at the most beautiful woman in Yoshiwara before cutting to the object she tossed on the floor. It was an eggplant of considerable size—almost looking fresh from a harvest. The stem was a healthy shade of green and its skin beheld a sleek violet finish. Was she asking you to cook it? Though, with that in mind, your curiosity slowly morphed into confusion. Your mother hated eggplants.

Nonetheless, you asked, "Taiyou-sama, is this what you want for lunch?"

Saeko, who had been sitting by the foyer with you, snickered into her palm, as if harboring some knowledge that you didn't. The frown on your face only deepened. What was so funny?

"You're nearly of age," the Sun sighed, wisps of smoke curling from her lips as she took a drag from her pipe. "It's only a matter of time before the owner lets you please his clients. If your first patron thinks you're no good, then what would that say about me?"

Though she'd made a good point, what did that have to do with an eggplant? Your face twisted further, not really understanding what she was trying to say until your eyes drifted to the chunk of produce before you. It was only a matter of time before you could please customers, she said...

Oh.

The Sun simpered at the way your cheeks heated up, taking another whiff before saying, "Good to know you're not as slow to pick things up today." She turned around, the golden pins in her hair jiggling with the movement. You thought that marked the end of the conversation, until your mother threw an unreadable look over her shoulder.

"The only one who knows your body best is you," she said, with much more sincerity than what you were used to. "You can't dream of pleasing another if you don't even know how to please yourself. Keep that in mind and maybe you'll stand a chance at succeeding me."

With that, she made her exit.

Head craned over your shoulder, Saeko scooted closer to inspect the eggplant you were scrutinizing warily. "Someone's in a good mood," she remarked, and you couldn't agree more. Your eyes were trained on the door your mother had slid behind her, as if you could see through the shoji. Words of encouragement from the Sun were rare, and being on the receiving end had always...spooked you.

When you glanced back at Saeko, though, a taunting smile still rested atop her lips. You knew she wouldn't let you live this down.

"I saw some of the older sisters practicing on that, too," she spoke as casually as if she'd been speaking of the weather, pointing at the object in your grasp. "They say it helps you to get used to forceful patrons, given the right pace. But it's for that reason everybody dislikes eating them."

Your stomach churned, and you could almost see yourself turning pale at the notion she'd planted in your head. Of course, you'd heard of the...alternatives that other ladies in the house resorted to, but to learn that it was a vegetable of all things—

"This one has a ridiculous girth to it though," Saeko whistled, snatching up the eggplant as she examined it with wonder. "No man in Edo has a cock this big."

"S-Saeko," you stammered, fingers catching the air as your companion evaded your attempts to retrieve the offending object. "You shouldn't fool around."

She merely brushed aside, making obscene gestures with the vegetable by pumping her fingers across its length—holding it in front of your face to fluster you even further. "Take this as your first lesson! See, when you grip a man's shaft, you shouldn't be too forceful or else it'll hurt—"