Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「26」

It was a bit embarra.s.sing to show other people my sketchbook full of messy sketches and original yuzen drawings.

I took out one of my drawings and presented it to Maki.

“Maki-san, here it is.”

“…… Is this a camellia?”

A single camellia flower was drawn on the piece of paper I held out.

“It's a taro camellia. Maki-san, you said you wanted to have a kimono made last winter, remember? This is something I've been working on.”

The camellia was a common motif a.s.sociated with geishas.

The kanji of Maki's geisha name could also be rearranged to say camellia.

“Oh, I think it looks gorgeous.”

“The price can be reduced if you ask a younger artist to handle the coloring. Grandmother still has some fabrics left over from the cherry-blossom viewing celebration.”

As a yuzen designer, the Sagara family divided my works into sales categories.

One category was the drawings themselves.

Because I couldn't draw that much, the rarity of the drawing meant they sold for a high price.

I protested when I learned about the prices, but my grandmother struck my complaints down, saying my original artistry and coloring warranted the price.

It was true that I used unique techniques and tools.

Because my drawing arm never fully recovered I had difficulties with coloring, thanks to that hindrance I remembered a specific idiom and decided to give it a try.

A wise man once said, “Toothpicks were a versatile tool.”

It turned out toothpicks really did have multiple uses.

Indeed, they were perfect for detailed-oriented work.

However toothpicks were fragile, so I trimmed bamboo shoots down into pointed sticks and used those.

After a bit of trial and error, altering the thickness of the shoots and tip, I found a balance that allowed me to perform intricate line work in my pieces. Somehow, my unusual method has become highly praised by critics.

I a.s.sumed that other people used it as well, but it was an incredibly unorthodox drawing method.

People are even treating it as a trade secret.

Apart from that, I drew yuzen pieces several times a year and sent them to less established artists to do the coloring.

After I sent the design to the color artist, I could commission a kimono with the image to be made.

Since it'd be the work of a newcomer, the price will be reduced to a reasonable amount.

Aspiring yuzen artists had very few opportunities to get their work out into the world.

There was no shortage of people whose careers fell apart before they caught their breakthrough.

Even if they manage to enter an atelier, they spend more time drawing traditional pieces than their original work.

Grandmother created a system were, with enough luck and skill, the artists that colored my pieces could land themselves an official sponsor.

I still didn't like the specifics of the deal.

Grandmother says it because my main focus should be my studies.

Since I couldn't work full time and maintain my academic standings, I entrusted those things to the adults.

Sometimes I did the final review of the work.

The brand name was Hanami Moon. Apparently, it was created from the kanji in my name.

“It'll take some time to finish the design, so the kimono may not be ready in time for winter.”

“Certainly. You're still a student after all.”

“Yes. Studying is my top priority as a student, it's nearly impossible to work on a deadline on top of that.”

Maki looked a bit puzzled when I nodded along with her.

“I just don't want to deal with adult issues while I'm studying.”

“Ahahahaha. But, if you don't study the blame rests on other people, not me. Well, I can wait till the next cherry blossom viewing to wear a new kimono.”

“Is that so. Would you wait that long? There were a few other things I wanted to show you, but I didn't have enough time to prepare them.

A new geisha would be making their debut at Maki's place this winter.

Maki would be taking the new girl under her wing.

Apparently, learning by observing seniors was a common practice in the industry.

As an aside, geishas were forbidden from entering an okiya (geisha boardinghouse) on the behest of a private sponsor.

In my previous life, I heard that people sometimes needed sponsors to get a foot in the door, but that seemed to be prohibited here.

Apparently, it was put in place because children used to be taken advantage of by their sponsors quite frequently.

That was why okiyas a.s.signed professional sponsors to new geishas.

The master of an okiya placed the decision of sponsors.h.i.+p duties based on a geisha's experience.

The okiya covered apprentices.h.i.+p costs, such as kimono purchases and music lessons, and the geisha's had to pay the acc.u.mulated debt back.

A part of the geisha's salary was allotted for repayment, and they'd be considered legitimate once the debt was paid.

From what I've heard, senior geishas gift their juniors kimonos to help them keep their debt as small as possible.

There was sentimental value attached to a geisha's first kimono because of that practice.

That's why kimono designers went out of their way to make their pieces memorable.

Maki seemed to like that tradition.

It was nice.

That was why I made the camellia design for her.

“Wait! What's this?!”

Maki's expression suddenly changed as she flipped through the sketchbook.

“That is for you, Maki-san.”

It was another taro camellia drawing, but it was considerably more unique than the previous one.

Yuzen was often made with soft hues, but that piece was created with bright shades.

I did my best work when I had a grasp of what a client liked and disliked.

“What do you mean?”

“The design from before is for the kimono you're buying for your junior. But this design is for the kimono only Maki-san can wear.”

“Eh?”

“That's what I thought as I drew it. This is only for you, Maki-san. I didn't draw it for anyone else. It's my present to you.”

Maki was left dumbstruck.

Perhaps…

The price of the kimono must've been overwhelming for someone with common sense.

“What are you saying!? There's no way I can accept something like that!!”

“It's not something I can give you right now… I don't know how long it will take to complete it, but please be patient.”

“Do you know how much something like that is gonna cost!? It'll cost a fortune given the circ.u.mstances!”

“Mmm…… What about a session, then?  If I'm not mistaken, this type of payment is acceptable, isn't it?”

You didn't have to pay for a geisha's services with just money.

There are stories of people paying for services with the bill's equivalent in jewelry, kanzas.h.i.+, or stock shares.

It stands to reason that kimonos and other articles of clothing were acceptable.

“Wait a minute! How many sessions are you planning to have?”

“Mmm…… I won't know until it's all accounted for, but if I can hear Maki singing and playing the shamisen, a kimono is a low price to pay.”

“I knew that I could never understand the values of the upper crust, but I didn't think it was this bad.”

Maki had a distraught expression on her face.

“Oya? Komaki's singing and shamisen playing, the pride of her okiya, aren't worth a single kimono? She's also saying that she can't wear a stylish kimono either?”

“I've said no such thing! No matter how popular the new faces get, they can't compare to Komaki when she adorns her best kimono!”

Yes, it was a promise!

An exchange of insults was a way of negotiation.

“Then, it's settled. The kimono is yours.”

Maki's confident smile faded away, and she began to tremble when she realized that she'd been played.

“You cheeky little girrrrrrrrrrl!!”

“Ahahahaha. You're the only one that treats me like a little girl.”

Being called a little girl by Maki was never unpleasant.

Typically, we would belong to two separate generations and her treating me like a child would be normal.

As Tachibana's mother, most expected her to be in her forties, but Maki was actually around thirty.

Even though they were childhood friends, none of the people from the story were the same age.

Maki was the youngest.

Tachibana's adoptive mother, Yumi, is seven years older than her.

She was a proud woman in her forties.

For some reason, the game's scriptwriter was really invested in Tachibana's backstory and went into great detail about his parents' circ.u.mstances.

Some of those details were carried over to this world.

According to the settings, Yumi's illness prevented her from regularly attending high school and Maki was one of her home tutors.

Yet, somehow, they spent a great deal of time practicing geisha skills.

I still didn't know how such a setting came about.

As expected of the creator of the disappointing hero, even the backstories were absurd.

It was all improbable. ‘Tachibana senior, you craddle robber!!' I would never voice such thoughts.

It was pointless to compare the love affair of the game settings and the reality of this world.

Yes. I didn't want to stick my nose into other peoples' love lives after all.

After that, I spent a bit more time talking to Maki.

She wanted to hear about the daily life of a high-schooler.

Various topics came up as I answered her questions.

To tell the truth, it was Maki how figured out that Suwa didn't love s.h.i.+ori romantically.

Maki said as much when I told her about a conversation I overheard while I'd been in middle school.

Since I couldn't attend physical education cla.s.ses, I pa.s.sed the time staying in the cla.s.sroom. One particular day, Suwa and a group of boys were joking around as they made their way back from the gym.

I'm telling you, the entire cla.s.s knew that I'd be there.

Even so, through no fault of my own, they somehow forgot about me and carelessly talked among themselves.

Back then, I was only able to move slowly, so there was no way I could leave just because they'd arrived.

I was stuck there no matter what I heard.

For the time being, I couldn't bring myself to recount the whole story.

That's because they spoke about topics that well-off boys their age would talk about.

Maki and I discussed several topics for a bit of time.

There was a knock before the door was opened.

“Oh, a visitor came? Excuse me.”

A man in white scrubs had entered the room.

“Dr. Higaki

He was the hospital's chief physician.

My sister Mari was the was the vice-chief physician.

So, why did she take a job as a school nurse?

“Oya, a doctor? Then I'll come back later.”

Maki stood up.

“Ah, yes. Thanks for today, Maki-san.”

“No. Didn't I tell you already? I just wanted someone to talk to. Well then, see ya.”

Maki gave the doctor a charming smile before she left.

“……Quite the beauty.”

I was surprised to hear the doctor utter that about Maki.

“Doctor, you do know she has a son my age?”

“Eeh!? She doesn't look that old.”

“I can a.s.sure you that her age is different from what you imagine doctor.”

“Well, I'll never know the truth then. Ms. Sagara, would you like me to go over your current treatment schedule?”

He must've gotten consent from my parents already.

Right now, he was just explaining things to the patient.

It would've been simpler to tell us everything together, but he must've adjusted the explanation my parents heard.

“Yes, please.”

I nodded once and made my way to the bed.