Minaho-neesan scouted out the plain-looking girl, Kurosawa Naoko-san.
The person herself is eager.
「 In the end, people who were raised in the work environment has less resistance to it 」
Edie whispers to me.
If they lived together with their father, who belongs to the Yakuza world, then…
The children will see people making a living using prost.i.tution.
Thus, they’re ready to take that same job someday.
It’s because their parents are good for nothing.
Therefore.
「 If the girl has no vision for her future, then this is her only choice 」
Edie tells me.
「 Even so, Darling, you want to devote money and time for that girl, to teach her that; “There are many more amazing things in this world. There are dreams. There is hope,” right? 」
That’s impossible.
「 Yo-chan, how many months did you think it took for Agnes, whose view of life is distorted because of Shirasaka Sousuke, to understand that she has a life other than becoming her father’s s.e.x slave? 」
Nei also whispers.
「 Then, Agnes is finally changing, but still, we know how much effort Yo-chan took to do that. However, that’s because Yo-chan has a profound attachment towards Agnes, right? 」
That’s…
「 Can you pour that same affection you gave to Agnes to Kurosawa Naoko-san? 」
I look at Kurosawa-san…
She’s about my age. Maybe a year older.
Oh, right.
I noticed it for the first time.
I involved myself with Agnes because she’s younger than me.
Therefore, I’m able to influence her life with my strong will.
However, if it’s with a woman of my age.
I don’t have the courage to step into the life of an outsider I met for the first time.
No, Ai, a girl of my age is there, but…
Ai is a girl that has a problem depending on people when she’s troubled…
I stepped in without a reservation, but it was the same with Kana-senpai.
But, as for the other girls.
If I tell Kurosawa-san that her view of life is wrong. That the world isn’t what she thinks it is,
The idea of living together with Kurosawa-san and looking after her every time is…
「 She can’t join in our family, right? 」
Nei said.
「 It’s okay, Yo-chan. Our family isn’t a charity house. You don’t need to love anyone other than what you want 」
「 Don’t force yourself, and don’t accept everyone 」
If it’s a girl we can’t accept in our family, then.
Then, they will cause trouble for the other members.
「 On the other hand, you need to discard the girls that you can’t accept 」
「 If you still have a lingering attachment, it will only be painful to abandon them 」
I see.
If it’s not fated, then I must cut them off.
「 Well, it’s okay. Minaho-oneechan’s going to train her, and she can start her own business after her five-year contract as a prost.i.tute 」
「 It’s much better than having some weird guys milk all your money. She has a future 」
That’s true.
If it’s similar to the unconscious girls right now,
Then, even if we give Kurosawa-san a 10k yen bill, remove her memories, and release her outside.
She has no place to go.
But.
Is there no other path than prost.i.tution?
「 That’s all we can do 」
「 That’s right. Darling 」
Oh.
Minaho-neesan herself has lived as a prost.i.tute ever since she was 12, that’s why,
She has strong resentment towards forcing women to become prost.i.tutes, but…
She has no resistance to the profession itself.
If one receives enough compensation from serving a man s.e.xually, then…
Women with no money and a place to go can use this work to survive.
Also, Minaho-neesan doesn’t say that “selling one’s body for whatever reason is wrong.”
That’s because it would be denying her entire life until now.
Minaho-neesan, the girl Shirasaka Sousuke oppressed.
She slowly gained power for her counter attack and finally accomplished her revenge on Shirasaka Sousuke…
It’s because the brothel business succeeded.
Jii-chan supported Minaho-neesan because he saw her talent in management.
Nagisa, Katsuko-nee, Margo-san, and Nei, she gained allies.
Kuromori is a high-cla.s.s brothel, and that is why she’s able to gain connections with the big-shots in the political and business circles.
『 I will talk to you personally with the contract and the minor details. When you have questions or something you want, I’ll hear it. So, think about it 』
Minaho-neesan tells Kurosawa-san.
「 Something I want? 」
『 Yes. For example, how many people do you want to entertain in a week? By the way, ours is a high-cla.s.s brothel, and so we only allow each customer one partner for the night. On the other hand, they can make the very minute details as their request, but I’ll teach you about it later, don’t mind it 』
Minaho-neesan said.
『 It’s natural that someone who works seven days a week will have a higher income than those who work three days a week, right? I would recommend you to take only three days, but I’m not forcing you. It’s your choice, it’s your life. Oh right, you should think of how much savings you will have after five years, once you retire from prost.i.tution. If you do that, you can count backward on how much work you need to do 』
「 Y-Yes 」
Kurosawa-san’s eyes show life.
You won’t think that she was that bullied girl earlier.
『 Naturally, if a customer has taken a liking to you, then your income will increase. We have some customers who pay a deposit every day to make sure that other customers don’t take her. If that’s the case, you’ll only work once a week, and yet you can gain money every day 』
「 I-I see. I’ll do my best to have customers like me! 」
Kurosawa-san said, then…
「 U-Uhm… 」
Tokuda Sonoko-san speaks.
「 N-Naoko-chan, I know that Naoko-chan don’t like me either, but… 」
Sonoko-san looks at Kurosawa.
「 But, I…I want to work together with Naoko-chan too 」
Huh?
Sonoko-san wants to become a prost.i.tute?
「 H-Hey, what are you talking about, Sonoko?! 」
Tendou Otome shouts.
「 I won’t let you become a prost.i.tute!! I’ll earn money for us, so come together with me! Sonoko!! 」
She screams her thoughts for Sonoko-san.
「 I wasn’t able to protect you this time from the old men, that’s why, this time. Right, Sonoko?! We can be together now! It has to be! 」
However, Sonoko-san…
「 I’m thankful for that Otome-chan, but I can’t. I can’t go with Otome-chan 」
「 Why?! 」
「 If we’re together, I’ll keep on relying on you, Otome-chan 」
「 It’s okay! Rely on me! I love you! 」
「 But, there’s no happiness in there 」
「 It’s enough happiness as long as Sonoko’s with me! 」
Tendou Otome pleads.
But.
「 That’s not it, it’s me who can’t find happiness 」
She speaks with a sad tone.
「 Sonoko? 」
Tendou Otome’s dumbfounded.
「 I only see Otome-chan as a friend. I can’t become Otome-chan’s lover 」
「 It doesn’t matter! I love you! I don’t mind if you don’t feel the same way! 」
Oh, this is what’s wrong with Tendou Otome.
She’s pa.s.sionate, yet…
Her emotions fire up, and she doesn’t understand the other party at all.
She doesn’t want to.
「 I do mind it. Sorry, I don’t want to live together with Otome-chan 」
Sonoko-san…
She senses that this is her farewell with Tendou Otome.
Therefore, she picks the harshest words possible.
「 Hey, wait! Sonoko!!! 」
「 I cannot live together and depend on someone who’s not family, nor my lover 」
「 I think of Sonoko as my family! I-If Sonoko says that we’re not lovers, then maybe we’re not, but… 」
「 We’re not family either. That’s the truth 」
Sonoko-san speaks clearly.
「 We are! Sonoko! 」
「 We’re not! After all, I can’t love women 」
The bullet hits Tendou Otome’s heart.
「 S-Sonoko… 」
「 I’m really grateful that you have been a good friend to me. But, it’s all over now! Stay healthy, Otome-chan 」
Sonoko-san’s eyes gather tears.
She purposely throws harsh words for the parting, but…
I can see that she’s a kind girl.
「 I, I have no place to go! I have no one to take custody of me! I don’t have money either! That’s why I will work my hardest! I’ll do anything! I’ll entertain customers seven days a week! I’ll never disobey! Therefore, please, I beg you! 」
Sonoko-san looked at the ceiling and shouted.
「 Please hire me as your prost.i.tute! I don’t want to go back to the way I was before! If it’s a place where I can go higher than where I was before, then… 」
A daughter born from the father who had his allies oppress him for being the bottommost member.
Sonoko-san must be in pain all this time.
The allies of her father raped her for the past few days.
「 Hey, Naoko-chan, please, let me become a prost.i.tute too, I beg you 」
Sonoko-san asks Kurosawa-san, as she’s decided to become a prost.i.tute first.
Kurosawa-san sends Tendou Otome a glance.
「 Sonoko-chan is okay. I hated Sonoko-chan before since you were much more beautiful and everyone spoils you, but, I’ve seen all the horrible things you and Shigeyo-chan have been though since coming to Tokyo 」
Kurosawa-san.
「 Our fathers did all that again and again, and so I thought that Sonoko-chan has no other way to go but to become a prost.i.tute 」
That moment.
「 I won’t allow Sonoko to become a prost.i.tute! 」
Tendou Otome snapped and tries to throw her anger at Kurosawa-san, but…
「 Okay, quiet down 」
「 Aguuuu!!! 」
Tsukiko, who’s altering Shigeyo-san’s memories holds Tendou Otome down.
『 I see. Kurosawa-san, you don’t mind if Tokuda-san is together with you as a prost.i.tute? 』
Minaho-neesan’s voice comes from the ceiling.
「 Ah, yes, I… 」
Kurosawa-san replies.
「 Uhm, please! Somehow 」
Sonoko-san pleads to the ceiling once again, but…
『 Now then, I wonder what I should do? I wanted to get Kurosawa-san for myself. That’s why I intervened, but… 』
「 I’ll do anything! Really! I won’t complain! Therefore! 」
『 Kou, it’s your choice. Do you think she’s useful as a prost.i.tute? 』
I’m making the decision now?
『 Yes, wasn’t that the arrangement from the start? 』
Oh right.
I came here because Minaho-neesan told me to do that.
「 Yeah 」
I look straight at Sonoko-san.
She looked back at me.
She shows an earnest look.
「 Tokuda Sonoko-san, how old are you? 」
I asked.
「 17. I don’t go to school however 」
She’s a year older than me.
The same age as Misuzu.
「 I wanted to go to school, but they didn’t let me 」
She’s a girl who lives a completely different life than Misuzu, the young lady of Kouzuki house.
「 You can become a prost.i.tute, but that’s only for five years. After that, you’ll need to take another job. Tokuda-san, do you have any other jobs that you want to do? 」
I asked.
「 I never asked myself that. I thought that I’ll never obtain anything. I’ve worked part-time in a convenience store, but, father’s fellows always hara.s.s the people there, and so they fire me immediately 」
「 Is that so? 」
I look at Kurosawa-san…
Sonoko-san has a cute face.
That’s why her father’s fellows raped her.
On the other hand, Kurosawa-san has a plain face.
Despite that, Minaho-neesan…
She intervened to obtain Kurosawa-san as a prost.i.tute.
But, she left the decision to me when it comes to Sonoko-san.
She’s pa.s.sive with this.
Minaho-neesan can see the qualities of the plain-looking Kurosawa-san, that she can become a prost.i.tute of Kuromori.
On the other hand, Sonoko-san, who has a cute face, doesn’t have the same qualities.
What did she see?
「 Kuromori-sama’s managed brothel, is a high-cla.s.s brothel for the elites, isn’t it? 」
Tsukiko reads my thoughts and asked.
「 Yeah, what about it? 」
「 Then, isn’t that the reason? 」
Because it’s a brothel for the wealthy.
「 Personality is much more valuable than the looks 」
Edie said.
「 Oh, I see 」
Wealthy men are accustomed to beauty.
I mean, even if it’s extreme beauty, but…
They will not come to Kuromori Brothel to pay for a cunning, selfish, girl.
Nagisa, Katsuko-nee, they all have a friendly and cheerful personality.
The big-shots of political and business circles can’t enjoy unless it’s like them.
I look at Kurosawa-san again.
She looks plain, but she has an honest personality.
She doesn’t gloss over what she says.
She speaks from the bottom of her heart, no matter what it is.
Customers of Kuromori will surely accept Kurosawa-san’s personality.
Better, her plain face and honest personality make her charm.
Especially for old men in Jii-chan’s age, they will prefer girls like her.
However, Sonoko-san.
「 Please 」
I see, her cuteness sells for the young and middle-aged men, but…
I wonder about the people in political and business circles?
Sonoko-san has too much gloom on her.
She’s just 17, and yet, she seems tired.
If I have to comment in a single word, it would be “shabby”
This gloom…
I don’t think Jii-chan would ask for her.
「 I think that it would be hard for Tokuda-san to become our prost.i.tute right now 」
I said.
「 That’s! I’ll do my best! 」
Sonoko-san says in panic.
「 What I mean is that if we want Tokuda-san to become our product, we need to revise a lot in you, or arrange, either way, Tokuda-san will need to put a lot of effort to change herself 」
I…
「 Minaho-neesan, am I right? Tokuda-san can become a prost.i.tute with enough time, but you want me to see her value once she’s working? 」
『 Correct, Kou 』
Minaho-neesan’s voice echoes inside the room.
『 It means checking for the value for the money, cost-effectiveness. It’s essential to see whether the time and money you invest will have enough value returned 』
I see. So that’s it.
『 Kurosawa-san can start working by next week. Kurosawa-san doesn’t know much about the upper-cla.s.s of Tokyo, but she has an a.s.set. If this girl asks the customers to teach her, then they can obtain pleasure from teaching her 』
Oh, it’s the “What? You don’t know? Okay then, I’ll teach you”
The old men will talk to her with a smile.
Kurosawa-san’s simple and naive atmosphere creates that mood.
『 But, if it’s Tokuda-san when she says that she doesn’t know, it looks like it’s a crime 』
She’s cute, yet, she’s so gloomy, and shabby.
She’s not suited in the social gathering spot for the elites.
『 Hey now, you don’t know that much? 』then…
Because of her gloomy mood, the customers will hate her.
That half-hearted good look plus her gloom and shabby mood stink a lot.
No, if this was a cheap cabaret, then this gloomy Sonoko-san will sell since she’s cute.
But with the customers of Kuromori, the contents of the service they want is different.
『 Can you imagine how hard it will be to give Sonoko-san a prior training? 』
Erasing the shabby mood and let the cuteness remain.
Yeah. It will take a lot of time.
Sonoko-san’s shabby mood has soaked into her body.
「 There’s no need for prior training 」
Edie?
「 We have Tsukiko 」
You mean?
「 If we can alter memories, we can also alter personalities 」
That’s true, but…
「 But, changing her personality means that Tokuda-san will lose her current self, right? 」
If we use Miko power to change her personality, then she will become a different person.
「 And what’s the problem with that? 」
Edie walks and stands before Sonoko-san.
「 Do you like your current self? 」
She stares into Sonoko-san…
「 I-I… 」
「 You hate yourself, don’t you? That’s the reason why you’re gloomy. The cause of your gloom is there 」
That’s…
「 Listen, you can change. If you wish for it, you can love yourself. That is if Tsukiko uses her power 」
Edie said. Sonoko-san looked at Tsukiko.
Tsukiko continues to alter Shigeyo-san’s memories.
「 I’m about done here. I’m leaving minimum information and removing all the unnecessary memories
Shigeyo-san will remember the truth that she lost her virginity from rape.
Furthermore, she will remember it happening only once.
All the memories of the other parents raping her are going away.
She will remember the painful truth but, it’s changed to make her unable to remember because she lost consciousness during the act.
That way, Shigeyo-san can continue with a better life.
「 I can remove all of the memories you want to forget and leave all the memories you want to keep 」
Tsukiko said.
「 I… 」
Sonoko-san ponders about it.
「 Do you want to stay the same? Do you not want to change? 」
「 I want to change 」
Sonoko-san replies.
「 If I can change then I don’t want the life I had until now 」
She gives Tendou Otome a sad look.
「 I cannot understand why Otome-chan likes me. I hate myself this much, and yet, she likes me, it’s weird. I can only conclude that she doesn’t look at me 」
Saying that; Tendou Otome bites her molars in frustration.
「 Then, think about how can you love yourself. You can change to anything right now 」
「 Yes. I can make it that way
Tsukiko’s words echo in Sonoko-san’s thoughts.