fictional spring

"I'll be back."

Such words were left without misfortune.

After that, he did keep his promise. In addition to frequenting Kyogokuya, he also sent people to bring me gifts on weekdays.

I'm clearly just an unknown and ordinary geisha, but my miserably actions are enough to attract the attention of other people in the entire Kyogoku house.

The girl who lived in the room next to me was also a member of Kyogokuya at about the same time as me. In fact, we didn’t have any contact at first, but I don’t know when, I found that she came to talk to me more and more too much.

"How did Mutsuki make that adult like you?"

One day after Wu Mi had someone bring me a gift, she also came to my room and sat for a while.

There was a hint of envy in the tone: "That guest is really generous..."

I thought about it, but what I got was an answer that confused me: "Does he... like me?"

I have doubts about this claim.

There is no doubt that Wu Mi does spend a lot of money. During our relationship, I often feel that he is a very good person, but... there is never any performance that can show that he "likes" me.

After I raised such doubts, the girl next door laughed.

"What are you kidding?" She moved to my side and said to me: "If I don't like you, how could I spend so much money for you, and even went to tell the proprietress not to let you receive other guests."

Hearing such words, I was suddenly stunned, and subconsciously repeated: "Don't receive other guests?"

"Don't you know?" She opened her eyes wide and looked unbelievable: "So the guest didn't tell you?"

I shook my head.

She explained: "Although you have never had any outstanding talents, after all, you have been studying for so long. It is impossible for the proprietress to let you continue to study like this. When it is time to receive guests, you still have to receive them. Anyway Even if you sit there and don't perform anything, just talk to the guests, there will be people willing..."

I listened blankly to what she said.

"But that magnanimous adult just hired you...I'm afraid he will take you out of here soon."

When she said this, the smile on her face had completely receded, replaced by a slightly sad expression: "If only I could meet such a guest..."

As if remembering something, her voice stopped abruptly.

I didn't speak—but I knew what to say to her at this moment.

This kind of feeling is strange and strange, and it makes me feel that I am not like myself in a trance, but sometimes I feel that maybe this is the real me.

There are quite a few people in the shop who have the same thoughts as the girl in the adjacent room. Few people want to stay in this kind of place forever, but if you ask me what I think, there is only a blank in my mind.

I do not know either.

I don't know whether I want to leave or not, and I don't know how Wu Mi thinks of me. I only know that I shouldn't be the most watched person in Kyogoku House.

I realized that the frequency of my name being mentioned was even vaguely catching up with Waraji Oiran, or it was because the words of other people's whispered conversations fell into my ears.

They said that many guests recently asked to see me by name, but they were all politely rejected by the lady boss.

The reason is simple - because of Wu Mi.

I don't know how much money Wu Mi gave the proprietress Sanjin so that she could still smile kindly at me after refusing other money that came to her door.

Compared to Warabihime Oiran, she had a brighter smile when facing me.

At this time, I have to bring up another topic that has been discussed by everyone for a long time. Regarding the fact that I snatched the guest from the fern concubine oiran, even after several months, they still have to talk about it over and over again.

They are more guessing when I will be severely punished by the jealous Fern Princess Oiran.

But to everyone's surprise, even after such a long time, Fern Ji Huakui never took the initiative to trouble me. More importantly, even if we met in the store occasionally, she did not show anger, but From time to time, he would greet me as if he was reluctant to say hello.

Not only me, but even other people in the store couldn't see through her mind.

If it is said that Fern Ji Oiran suddenly changed her personality, but she still treats other people with the same attitude as usual, but her abnormality is also true when she faces me, so people can’t help but feel——I am the only one who is treated specially of.

The proprietress Mitsu also took the initiative to come to me and asked me if I had any relationship with Fern Ji Oiran, such as being a very good friend or something else. After I denied all of them, she frowned tightly, showing a pensive look look like.

The expression on that face seemed to be disappointed and dejected.

I comforted her for the first time.

It is not difficult for me to say such things now, and the proprietress Mitsu quickly reacted to my actions, she looked at me for a while, and suddenly said: "Muzuki, you and that What's the relationship with a guest?"

"It's the relationship that you're seeing."

I answered like this.

Hearing this, the landlady's expression became a little dazed. She looked at me complicatedly for a while, and then asked, "That guest...has he ever told you that he wants to take you away?"

I was silent for a moment and shook my head.

This is the second time I hear this topic.

Should I leave?

Or to put it another way, should I hope that Wushou will take me out of Kyogoku House?

This kind of confusion lingered in my heart, and when I visited Wu Mi again, I accidentally lost my mind.

"What are you thinking about?"

He asked me like this.

Kyogoku-ya is a traditional Japanese-style building. There are screens with complicated and colorful patterns in the room. The candlelight at night falls on the screen, and Wu Mi's face is also stained with the halo of candlelight.

He lowered his face slightly to look at me, his brows were half-dark, but his red plum-colored eyes became brighter and brighter in the dim candlelight.

I stared at those eyes for a moment, and suddenly felt that such a scene was too familiar.

Just like at other times, we have been so peacefully and intimately cuddled in the dim light.

It's a bit strange to say that Wu Mi is clearly my only guest, but he has never done anything excessive, and the closest contact between us was only that time when I touched his cheek on my own initiative.

Wu Mi never took the initiative to do anything to me.

When I realized this, I suddenly remembered what the girl in the next room had said to me before, Wu Mi likes me and so on.

Actually, I really wanted to ask him this question, but when I saw the gaze he cast on me—my face reflected in those eyes was full of paleness and sickness.

Is this look really good-looking?

When I had such doubts, I also asked other people in Kyogokuya.

"There should be a lot of customers who would like this kind of thing..." Someone once said to me: "A customer I received before mentioned you. He saw you in the store. The original words are Said that although it looks extremely weak, there is nothing picky about its appearance."

After hearing such an answer, my emotions didn't fluctuate much, which made me realize that other people's opinions don't seem to affect me much.

And the reason why I have such doubts and worries is only because of one person.

What I thought at the time was—since many people like it, what about Wu Mi?

Will Wu Mi like it?

Probably because I really cared about it, that's why when I saw him, I couldn't talk about this kind of problem at all.

So I just said to him: "I was thinking, why Wu Mi is so nice to me."

While thinking about other reasons, such words blurted out.

Wu Cang heard the words and was quiet for a while, then suddenly laughed, that smile made me feel pity for no reason.

He asked me back: "Do you think I treat you well?"

I nodded.

Although I don't know if Wu Mi likes me, there is no doubt that he treats me very well.

"Because I gave you a lot of gifts and didn't let you receive other guests?"

Wu Mi suddenly asked such a question.

I shook my head subconsciously: "It's not like that."

"How is that?"

I pursed my lips and said to him, "Those gifts are distributed to other people."

This is the truth, every time Wu Mi sent someone a gift, someone would come to visit me, and I knew exactly why they came.

Precisely because I have never been stingy with giving those gifts to them, this kind of behavior has become a habit.

But Wu Mi frowned: "You don't like it?"

I shook my head again: "I just feel that they may need these more than me."

In fact, everyone does not want to enjoy those things, but hopes to save enough money to redeem themselves earlier so that they can leave here earlier.

But I'm afraid Wu Mi can't understand, because the smile on his face has long since disappeared, only the frown remained on his face.

I explained: "The reason why I feel that Wu Mi is good to me is because Wu Mi can listen to me playing the ugly shamisen and the ugly pipa. Even other people in the store, The girls I practice with, they don't listen quietly."

Such an answer made Wu Mi stunned for a moment, the expression on his face showed some signs of stagnation, but only after a while, he recovered again, and a strange expression appeared on his handsome face.

"Just for that reason?"

he asked me again.

I told him: "It's also because Wu Mi always looks at me with very gentle eyes."

After hearing such an answer, Wu Mi looked away as if he didn't dare to look at me—probably my illusion, after all, it was only a momentary change.

A strange atmosphere began to circulate in the quiet room, and after a while, Wu Mi suddenly said again: "There will be fireworks in a few days, do you want to see them?"

I blinked, and said with some hesitation: "Are you going to take me out?"

Although they have always given me presents and visited Kyogokuya frequently, it was the first time that they offered to take me out.

When I couldn't help being a little surprised, he nodded: "I will go and talk to the lady boss."

I have no reason to refuse.

——*——

Before the day we agreed to go out to watch the fireworks together, Wu Mi sent someone to bring me a yukata.

It's a cherry-colored printed yukata.

Fireworks only start at night, and the time for Wu Mi to visit the store is always at night. Although it is daytime when he often sends people to deliver things, he himself only appears at night.

One can't help but feel that Wu Mi seems to like the night very much.

as now.

I walked on the street with him beside Wu Mi, and the bustling crowd around me made me feel a little uncomfortable, as if he saw my embarrassment, he held my hand.

The memory in my mind overlaps with the current scene, and the Wu Mi standing beside me is also the Wu Mi left in my memory.

While suddenly having this strange thought, I subconsciously stared at Wu Mi's hand for a long time.

He didn't wear his usual shirt and vest today, but changed into a black bathrobe—as if he was deliberately pandering to me.

This recognition made me happy, but I began to think about the reasons for his actions.

"Do you like it?"

Such words came out of my mouth.

Although the surroundings were extremely lively and my voice was very quiet, Wu Mi seemed to have heard this sentence, because he turned to look at me.

"what?"

I didn't avoid it, nor did I turn my face away, I just looked at him like this.

At this time, we had already come to the river where the fireworks were set off. Wu Mi held my hand and stood among the crowd, her eyes fixed on me. something.

——It was a small long wooden box.

It's like... wearing some kind of jewelry.

I suddenly had such a guess.

And after he opened the box, what I saw confirmed my guess.

Inside there lay a hairpin quietly.

The style is not popular nowadays, and even under the red light, it can be seen that this is not a new object.

The traces of time left on it are extremely obvious, so conspicuous that I can see it at a glance.

"This is……"

When I was wondering why he would take out such a thing, Wu Mi suddenly took out the hairpin and inserted/inserted it into my bun.

He held my face, his eyes seemed to pass through a long time, from those long past to the present, what he brought was the silence and loneliness that spread for I don't know how many years.

"Muzuki." He called me in a low voice, and suddenly lowered his head.

The cool kiss fell on my lips, and what I felt when my lips and teeth intertwined was the breath of another person.

This is our first kiss.

At least... so it seems to me.

——*——

After I returned to Kyogoku-ya, I took off the hairpin on my head when I was about to go to bed at night.

The shape of the hairpin can be seen more clearly under the brighter lights in the room—this is different from anything Wu Mi gave me before.

In the past, he would always give me gifts, but those gifts were brand new, and they were mostly gifts that were sent immediately after people bought them.

But this hairpin is different.

This was taken out by Wu Mi from her bosom, and it was full of traces left by the years, as if it had been treasured for a long time, even played with for a long time, but it was still intact due to the care of the owner.

The meaning of this gift is different.

I had this idea.

If this is the case, does it mean that my status in Wuyou's mind is actually more important than I imagined, so he will give this kind of gift that is truly "precious" to him? Give me?

Such doubts, I did not ask anyone.

Because at this time, I suddenly realized that what other people said has no reference value for me.

Just follow my own ideas.

Such thoughts arise spontaneously in my heart.

And when I heard the girls at Kyogokuya talking about something, I made an important decision.

I no longer practice shamisen in the special practice room, probably because of Wu Mi, the proprietress Mitsu changed me to a big room, which can not only be used to display the gifts he sent, but also enough to let me I practice shamisen without being disturbed.

But when I was going to go out for a walk because I practiced for a long time, someone stopped me.

"Muyue, there are patrolmen coming over today, do you want to go and have a look together?"

When the other party asked me such a question, I was slightly taken aback. After all, I never received other guests except Wu Mi, and the other party obviously realized my confusion, so he took the initiative to explain to me: "Don't you know? ? A custom spread in the Flower Street."

I shook my head: "What custom?"

Hearing this, she looked around, and then she approached me as if she wanted to tell a little secret, and said, "It's the way to keep the guests. To show my love to the guests, I often cut off my little finger." Come down and give it to the guests."

When I heard this statement, some weird thoughts suddenly popped up in my heart.

"Don't be afraid, I don't want you to cut off your fingers. In the past, when the Beheaded Emon still existed, when their family came to take care of the business, they would bring the little fingers of the recently beheaded prisoners and sell them to the geisha. They. Although Eemon is not beheaded now, the patrolmen can still get the little finger of the prisoner..."

After she finished explaining, I understood what she meant.

"Are you going to buy it?"

I ask her.

She nodded and said: "Recently, a customer has been coming to take care of my business, and he seems to like me very much. If I can be more sure, maybe I can rely on him to leave here...Mu Yue really doesn't want to see Look, what your guest said..." She said here, and sighed again: "It doesn't seem to matter if you don't go, anyway, your guest cares about you so much, and he will still be interested in whether you have such things or not." I like you."

I suddenly realized something.

Whether it is in the eyes of the geisha in the store or in the eyes of other customers, Wu Mi probably likes me very much.

—but he never told me himself.

Even at that time, when he took the initiative to kiss me, he didn't say a word to me-I like you.In this case.

Maybe it's still not enough.

Because he doesn't like me enough, he doesn't say it out loud, but money is not important to him, so he will send me a lot of expensive gifts without hesitation, but he is never willing to give me a word, and never He never told me to take me away.

Because I'm not important enough to him?

The moment such a thought was born, a certain thought was also born at the same moment.

I turned down the offer of the person who came to see me, telling her that I didn't need to go to the patrolman to buy my finger.Instead, he returned to the room and took out a dagger from his cabinet.

It was also given to me by the proprietress of the previous shop—it was put together with the extremely cumbersome and gorgeous kimono.

At that time, I didn't know what the dagger was for, but now, probably as early as that time, the proprietress wanted to hint at me.

However, if I have always been like before, neither interacting with others nor understanding their thoughts, then I am afraid that I will never use a dagger in this way.

The light at night was a bit dim, but the edge on the dagger was extremely sharp.

I put the palm of my hand on the low table, and the candlestick is at my hand.

The sight seen in the slightly orange candlelight is slender and fleshless fingers, and someone has said that these hands are beautiful before——surprisingly, that person is Fern Princess Oiran.

At that time, she passed by the door and saw me playing the shamisen again, so she stayed at the door for a while, and it took me a while to discover her existence.

The room I changed later was also far away from the hall, and I couldn't even hear any noise during the day. Because of this, the unexpected behavior of Warabihime Oiran didn't attract the attention of others.

I don't know how long she stood there, or what she was thinking, but she walked into my room, sat down in front of me, and snatched my shamisen from my hand.

"Let me show you what a real shamisen is."

She said those words with a haughty look and tone.

So I sat across from her and saw her playing the shamisen for the first time.

I have to say that Fern Ji Huakui's skills are far more exquisite than mine, so the feeling of playing is completely different from mine. The intermittent melody in my hands flows out very smoothly in her hands .

It's a pity that I don't have much talent for appreciation, so I can't hear what kind of emotion is contained in it.

And Fern Ji Huakui probably also understood my ignorance, and after glancing at me, she said disdainfully: "It's really a waste to have these beautiful hands on you, you can't even do this kind of thing well. "

wrong.

I can refute her now.

These beautiful hands are not wasted on my body, not only that, they are about to play a role now.

There was neither hesitation nor struggle in his heart, so the movement of the dagger falling was also very straightforward.

—I cut off my little finger.