“He’s not coming….” I hear in a soft sing-song.
I look back at Emiko, who has a self-satisfied look on her face. “You know -nothing- girl, of men, of my life. You act like some sort of expert!”
“I’m not, Emiko-san. I’m here to help.” I tell her, evenly. She’s right I don’t -know- her life, but I’m known enough other women like her. I’ll never know the terrors they went through, the violations.
“Help,” she scoffs. “To what, find us jobs as maids? Factory workers?” Her voice is bitter. “Well, missy, at least at this you know where you stand. I’d rather be the queen of the whores than an underpaid drudge getting ‘handled’ by the boss!”
I sigh, “you’re not going to be queen of these whores, sad to say. This is coming down tonight, with or without you.” She’s stubborn. This is all she knows… but I won’t get anywhere by arguing with her.
“Emiko-san, if you were free of this, what is your dream?” She doesn’t say anything. So I wait. After all, Shindou-san seems to be taking -his- time… and despite what everyone thinks about me, I -can- be patient!
“Dance, it was what I used to be good at,” she says, quietly. Her eyes glance up at me, and I see anger flash. “Go ahead and make fun of that!”
“I won’t,” I say, seriously. I am a ninja in the Meiji era, after all, something that everyone would say hasn’t existed since the Warring States times.
“But there’s not many places left to do it, and since I’ve been… this…” she says, hesitantly, “I could never be at those places.”
She’s not wrong, but… “I have a connection to the proprietress of the Yuri house.” She is, of course, one of Gramps’s old flames. What a player he used to be! “It’s not Kiku or Sakura house, which are more prestigious and get to entertain foreigners, and you can’t be on stage, but there’s something for you.” Former known prostitutes have limits by new laws, but if it’s a matter of an old arrest record… well, I’ll see what I can do about -that-, too.
Emiko goes quiet again. “I don’t believe you. But you can take care of the others, too? If I’m their queen…” her smile is bitter. I nod.
“This isn’t our first time.” But maybe if Saitou can get this last snake, for now, maybe this will be the end of these large groups for a -while-. “You’re a good queen,” I tell her.
Emiko shrugs. “Okay, I’m tired now, I’m going to rest until dinner comes. If the guy shows up.” Her look to me is pointed, before she turns away from me,
“I don’t know this one very well, but I do -entirely- trust his boss, who sent him to help me.” I smile, but peek outside of the “pen”. I could go ahead and move, but should I?