Chapter 120: Ren Leaves the Kyogoku House at Midnight
Ren left the Kyogoku House late at night.
After putting the money into his pocket, Ren raised his head and said, "Didn't you tell the mistress downstairs that you wanted to play a song? You looked pretty busy, so I took care of it for you."
Hearing this, Hinatsuru looked slightly embarrassed. With a hint of shyness, she said, "My lord, you didn't have to do it yourself. You're a Hashira! How could I possibly trouble you with such a trivial matter?"
There was one thing Hinatsuru didn't say.
You can't even play the guzheng. Aren't you afraid the mistress will beat you to death?
"It's fine," Ren said with a smile. "After all, I was the one who asked you for help. I can't keep accepting your favors without returning the favor, can I?"
A smile bloomed across Ren's face. The gentle curve of his lips was like the warm sunlight of March, pleasing to the eye.
Hinatsuru froze.
She had never seen such a gentle Hashira before.
He was completely different from Tengen.
Tengen gave her a sense of security, while Ren gave her the strength that came from the bonds between comrades.
The Dragon Hashira really does make you think of your companions without even realizing it.
At that thought, Hinatsuru was completely convinced.
No wonder Tengen likes him so much…
Wait.
Something seemed wrong.
Hinatsuru suddenly remembered something.
"My lord, do you mean that this money is what you earned by playing the guzheng downstairs?"
"Yes." Ren paused for a moment. "Is something wrong?"
Hinatsuru was rendered speechless.
She thought she must have heard him wrong.
Now she understood exactly what Ren meant.
He had gone downstairs to play the guzheng for her—and had casually earned a huge sum of money.
But the problem was…
Even when she played downstairs, she had never earned this much money.
Seeing the solemn expression on Hinatsuru's face, Ren became flustered. Thinking that he might have done something wrong, he asked seriously, "Did I mess up your plans? Or were you supposed to go downstairs and play yourself?"
Hinatsuru awkwardly sniffed.
Looks like I need to work harder at honing my talents from now on.
She couldn't exactly tell Ren that his help had been a mistake, could she?
So Hinatsuru put on a gentle smile.
"It's nothing."
Knock, knock, knock—
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
The mistress's voice came from outside.
"Little Tsuru, are you ready? The guests downstairs are still waiting for you to play the guzheng."
The two people in the room were startled at the same time.
Ren asked in confusion, "Didn't I already play a song just now? Why do I need to play another one?"
The mistress sounded somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, that's because the young master's skill was simply too good! The guests weren't satisfied after hearing him. They thought that if the young master's skills were already so exquisite, then surely the oiran's skills must be even more impressive. So they're all waiting downstairs now."
Hearing this, Hinatsuru thought,
Then why did they specifically ask for me?
Ren answered the mistress for her.
"Uh… It's like this. When I went downstairs to play earlier, I was afraid the mistress wouldn't know I was playing for you, so I told her I was your disciple and that I was playing for my master."
Hinatsuru: "…"
Hinatsuru hurriedly walked over to the window and looked down.
Oh my god!
There were people everywhere. Guests were streaming in without end!
When did everyone suddenly become so interested in listening to music?!
Hinatsuru finally understood what had happened.
Ren's performance downstairs had been exceptionally good, completely capturing the guests' interest.
Unable to withstand the pressure from the customers, the mistress had come to ask her to go downstairs and show off her own skills.
But the key question was—
How was she supposed to show off her skills?!
She was a ninja!
She was very good at using shuriken, but playing the guzheng?
You've got to be kidding me!
Her guzheng skills were only about as good as those of the ordinary geisha downstairs.
How was she supposed to play?!
Ren followed behind Hinatsuru and seemed to realize the problem as well.
He asked awkwardly, "Miss Tsuru, is this going to be too difficult?"
The corner of Hinatsuru's mouth twitched.
What else could she say?
She was helpless too!
Ren was sometimes simply too enthusiastic.
Hinatsuru might be facing the greatest challenge of her entire career as an oiran.
The oiran of the Kyogoku House pressed her lips tightly together. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye seemed almost alive, twitching uncontrollably.
She forced a smile.
"It's fine. It's fine. Haha."
But inside, she was screaming with excitement.
Waaah~! There are so many people! It's so lively!
How many more years am I going to have to practice the guzheng?!
It was hard to imagine that, without even meaning to, Ren had somehow made Hinatsuru's personality as cheerful as Makio's.
The mistress urged her from outside.
"Little Tsuru, are you ready? There are so many guests tonight. Why don't we go downstairs together? You and me?"
At that moment, Ren also put away the map.
He hurried over to another window and glanced at Hinatsuru with a hint of concern.
"Miss Tsuru, thank you for the map. I'm leaving now. And as for helping you boost your popularity—don't mention it!"
Hinatsuru: "…"
Under Hinatsuru's helpless gaze, Ren pushed open the window.
As he was leaving, his eyes accidentally fell upon Hinatsuru's table.
A letter lay on it.
It was the letter Hinatsuru had just received.
Ren glanced at it only once before looking away.
He calmly turned his head and then swiftly jumped down from the windowsill.
In the night sky, Ren's clothes fluttered wildly in the wind as his figure gradually disappeared into the bustling streets below…
It was already late at night.
Apart from the central area, the rest of the Entertainment District had already closed down for the night.
Other than the chirping of cicadas, it seemed as though nothing remained.
Only the hazy moonlight lingered over the empty streets.
Tree shadows swayed in the wind, and a figure occasionally flashed past.
In a narrow corner of the street, three female ninjas dressed in striking outfits gathered together.
All three had tall, agile figures. Their thighs were respectively covered by fishnet stockings, black silk, and bare skin.
At that moment, the three exchanged glances, confirming each other's identities before slowly removing the black cloth covering their faces.
Makio burst into hearty laughter.
"Long time no see, Suma, Hinatsuru."
Hinatsuru absentmindedly replied, "Yeah. Haven't seen you in a while, Suma, Makio."
Suma nervously lowered her voice.
"Long time no see, Hinatsuru, Hinatsuru… Oh, no! Makio!"
Smack!
Makio immediately smacked Suma on the head.
"Honestly, Suma! How can you even get my name wrong?!"
Suma clutched her head with a wronged expression, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.
"Waaah~! Makio, you're bullying me again! I'm definitely going to tell Tengen! Waaah~!"
What?!
Makio became even angrier when she heard that.
Fortunately, Hinatsuru was a good person and stopped her.
Hinatsuru held something in her hand and pressed it against Makio's chest.
"Alright, Makio. Stop fooling around. We have more important things to deal with."
Makio had originally wanted to give Suma a proper scolding, but then she lowered her head and looked at what Hinatsuru was holding.
Her expression instantly became strange.
"Hinatsuru… why did you bring the guzheng here from the house?"