"That's pretty much how it is. In short, over the past few decades, dozens of courtesans have gone missing. Some say they were redeemed by wealthy men and are living good lives now, while others claim they might have been sold off by unscrupulous madams to continue earning money elsewhere.
However, the sisters believe those courtesans might have fallen victim to a curse. Because our fate as prostitutes is inherently fragile, if we're fortunate enough to become courtesans, we exhaust what little luck we have. And when we grow old, we suffer from an unspeakable curse."
In the brightly lit room, the young girl Higashino Kiyoko recounted to Shinichi a popular legend among the geishas—the curse of the courtesans—with a somewhat somber mood.
The gist of it was that most courtesans in the red-light district of Yoshiwara, after a few years of glory, would suddenly vanish without a trace as their fame waned due to age or the rise of new courtesans.
Combined with Higashino Kiyoko's talk of the "fate of prostitutes," it carried an inexplicable sense of sorrow.
In truth, this could be seen as the tragedy of their profession—even at the pinnacle of the geisha world, they couldn't escape such a fate.
After hearing this rumor, Shinichi frowned slightly and set down his empty teacup.
In fact, he had read about this very legend in the letters written by Tengen's wives.
Tengen's wives had also investigated this rumor and concluded that while some of the missing courtesans had indeed been secretly purchased by powerful figures or wealthy merchants and taken away from Yoshiwara, a few had redeemed themselves and left the district.
However, more than half of the courtesans have genuinely disappeared without a trace.
And it's not just the courtesans—over the years, dozens of brothels, large and small, in the Yoshiwara red-light district have reported missing young men and women, all of whom were exceptionally handsome or beautiful.
This is quite eerie, but perhaps due to the nature of the red-light district itself, the disappearances haven't drawn much attention.
"Courtesans, young, beautiful... Hmm, it makes sense," Shinichi mused, stroking his chin.
If an Upper Rank Demon was indeed hiding in the red-light district, its preference was obvious—it preyed on young, attractive humans.
The pattern of disappearances over the years could provide some clues.
Tengen's wives had been investigating this very angle and had made significant progress, narrowing down a few highly suspicious brothels.
At this thought, Shinichi suddenly turned to Higashino Kiyoko and asked.
"Which courtesans are the most famous in Yoshiwara right now?"
"Current courtesans? Without a doubt, it's Koinatsu of Tokiwaya and Warabihime of Kyogokuya!" Kiyoko's excitement was palpable.
Despite the ominous rumors surrounding courtesans, for geishas like her, becoming one was still the ultimate dream.
Thus, courtesans were practically their idols.
"Koinatsu, Warabihime?" Shinichi pondered.
When he and Tengen had first entered the district, they had coincidentally encountered a courtesan's procession—likely one of these two.
However, he hadn't paid much attention at the time, only vaguely recalling an exceptionally beautiful woman.
"How much do you know about these two?"
"Well, I haven't personally interacted with them, but I often hear the other girls talk about them. In terms of skill and beauty, Warabihime is unmatched. They say no man in the district can resist her charm—heck, some even joke that even eunuchs would be revitalized by her presence!"
"But despite her breathtaking beauty, Warabihime is rumored to have a terrible temper. Very few guests earn her favor. In contrast, Koinatsu is incredibly popular—gentle, graceful, and kind to everyone, even the lowliest maids."
Shinichi nodded.
In that case, the one he'd seen that day must have been Koinatsu.
"Then, if I wanted to... buy them—no, that sounds wrong—redeem them. Would it be possible to redeem these two courtesans?" A sudden idea struck him.
"What?!" Kiyoko, who had just stood up to refill Shinichi's empty teacup with wisteria tea, nearly dropped the pot in shock.
Had she heard him correctly?
This young officer was talking about redeeming two of the most renowned courtesans?
He didn't seem drunk, so why was he suddenly spouting such nonsense?
Though she thought so, Higashino Kiyoko was just a young girl who had recently become a geisha.
She had no idea how to answer such a question, so Shinichi directly summoned the Madam of Tokihei House.
Yet even the Madam was shocked by Shinichi's words.
"Officer Moriki, you must be joking! Leaving aside whether the Madams of Toki House and Kyogoku House would even consider releasing them, even if they were willing, the price to redeem two Courtesans could only be described as astronomical!" the Madam exclaimed.
Earlier, the few hundred yen Shinichi had boldly pulled out could have rented out her Tokihei House entirely.
But now, this amount might barely be enough to even meet those two courtesans.
(Regarding currency issues, I've researched extensively but it's still quite confusing. For those interested in the value of yen during the Taisho era, feel free to look it up. However, for ease of understanding here, let's assume one yen equals one US dollar.)
"Is it really that expensive?" Shinichi raised his eyebrows.
Though he had mentally prepared himself, he still froze for a moment when the Madam quoted an approximate figure.
His fingers lightly tapped the wooden table as Shinichi pondered.
Soon, he made his decision.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I'll return in a few days. Oh, and you can start preparing."
The Madam looked at Shinichi in confusion as he stood up.
"Officer Moriki, what did you say? Prepare for what?"
Thud!!
Bundle after bundle of crisp new bills were thrown onto the table in front of the Madam by Shinichi.
The amount was so staggering that her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
She didn't even notice where Shinichi had pulled the money from.
"I'm buying Tokihei House. Take this money. If it's not enough, I'll be back soon. Prepare yourselves—renovate the place nicely, but don't expand. Just focus on one thing: prepare to welcome the courtesans," Shinichi said seriously to the Madam, who was gulping nervously.
"W-welcome who?"
Finally tearing her gaze away from the money, the Madam heard words that nearly stopped her heart.
"Courtesans Koinatsu and Warabihime from Yoshiwara's red-light district. I'm redeeming them, and they'll be staying at Tokihei House for the time being."
"Oh my god—" The Madam of Tokihei House almost fainted on the spot.
Just who was this young officer?
Where did he get such confidence and wealth?
Could he be a member of the imperial family traveling incognito?
Shinichi had no intention of explaining himself.
With his plan in place, he didn't want to waste time and was ready to act immediately—though he needed a little help first.
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