Except for Mamiya himself, everyone else focused their attention on Mamiya.
Mamiya, who usually looks calm and composed, now has a stiff expression and cold sweat on his face.
"Mamiya." Makimura added, "I remember you told me that you once learned how to make a woman's voice in the Izu region."
Mamiya did not refute what Makimura said.
Only the cold sweat on my face increased.
Looking at Mamiya, whose face was covered in sweat, Ogata could not help but sigh helplessly in his heart:
——Why did Mamiya learn so much even such unorthodox things…
…
…
At this time, Mamiya lowered his head slightly and pursed his lips.
He was now thinking at full speed for the first time in a long time.
He was thinking about how to get out of the predicament he was in.
Mamiya lived to be 21 years old, using the twenty-one years accumulated from every minute and every second of his life - after living for so many years, he felt that his mind was clear and open, and nothing could stump him.
After a short while, he figured out a plan to deal with the situation.
"My Lord."
Mamiya cleared his throat and said softly:
"I did learn how to produce a female voice in the Izu region."
"But if you want to dress like a woman, it's not enough to just have a female voice."
"Please look at my face."
Mamiya raised his finger and pointed at his face.
"My face is not suitable for dressing as a woman."
"Even with the most subtle makeup on, outsiders can tell at a glance that I'm a man."
"So - if a man wants to dress up as a woman, the most important thing... is to have a face that people won't recognize as a man even if he dresses up as a woman."
"therefore……"
Mamiya slowly turned his stiff neck and looked at Asai, who had a handsome face and was sitting next to him.
"I think... if we really want to send a man and a woman to Shikiya... it should be Asai who goes..."
As soon as Mamiya finished speaking, Asai's eyes widened and he looked at Mamiya as if he had seen a ghost.
Asai's expression seemed to be roaring at Mamiya: Mamiya! You sold me out?!
As for Mamiya, he silently turned his eyes away, not looking... or rather, he didn't dare to look Asai in the eye...
As soon as Mamiya said this, all eyes that were originally focused on Mamiya shifted to Asai.
Asai has a handsome face that would make most men feel ashamed.
There are two types of handsome faces of men in the world.
One is "masculine and handsome".
The other type is "feminine and handsome".
Being masculine does not mean being rude, and being feminine does not mean being effeminate.
These are just two different types of handsomeness, there is no difference between them being higher or lower.
Asai's face is that kind of "feminine and handsome", with slender and delicate features.
It may sound strange to say this, but Ogata thinks Asai's mouth and eyes are much prettier than Atachi's...
With just a few simple steps of dressing up and stuffing two large balls of cloth on her chest, Asai can transform from a handsome man into a beautiful girl who can make countless men fall in love with her at first sight.
What Mamiya said just now makes a lot of sense.
It is indeed more appropriate to let someone with a handsome face who would not look like a man even if he dresses as a woman to do things like cross-dressing.
"What Mamiya said makes sense..." Makimura was the first to express his opinion.
"Wait, wait!" Asai, who was usually taciturn and had very few expressions, showed excitement at this time, which was very rare. "Everyone, please listen to my voice! Do you think I can pretend to be a woman with such a voice?"
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with your voice." Genichi said at this time, "Not all women's voices are pleasant and clear."
"I've seen a lot of women with gruff, hoarse voices."
"You can get away with it by deliberately lowering your voice when you speak. People will just think you're a beautiful woman with a not-so-nice voice."
Asai seemed to want to say something to save the situation.
His lips opened and closed several times.
Finally, he seemed to have given up struggling and said with a broken jar-like look:
"I am a samurai after all!"
"I will never wear women's clothes!"
Asai's tone and attitude were quite resolute.
This resolute attitude made almost everyone present have the same thought: maybe there is no way to persuade him.
However - at this moment, Lin suddenly grabbed Yanma who was placed on the tatami beside her, and then slowly stood up.
"Asai, come with me."
“What, what are you doing…?” A look of uneasiness flashed across Asai’s face.
"Don't ask so many questions, just follow me."
After saying that, Lin didn't wait for Asai, she picked up her Yama and left the big room, then walked straight to the single room where she lived.
After Lin stood up, Asai's face was filled with deep hesitation.
It was not until Lindu left the big room that the hesitation on Asai's face slowly dissipated, and then condensed into a strange expression - an expression of burning his boats, as if he was going to do something incredible.
Asai followed Lin with his sword in hand.
Before leaving the big room, Asai turned his head and cast a resentful look at Mamiya...
After Lin and Asai both left, Mamiya said softly with a bitter face:
"Asai... I'm sorry..."
…
…
Lin and Asai left the meeting, so naturally this short meeting could not continue.
It’s good that tonight’s meeting ends now, after all, Ogata has shared all the information he should share.
After the meeting, everyone dispersed and continued to do their own things.
Ah-Ming returned to her single room.
Ating did not go back to her room alone.
Ogata also accompanied her back to her room.
…
…
In Atachi's room——
"What gift do you want to give me?"
As Atachi spoke, he lit the oil lamp placed in the corner of the room.
Although the dim light from the oil lamp was not very bright, it could barely illuminate the faces of Ogata and Atachi in the room.
Just now, Ogata followed Atachi back to her room in a swagger, saying that he had a gift for her.
Ating also looked expectant.
Looking forward to what the gift Ogata mentioned is.
Ogata, who was sitting cross-legged casually on the tatami, took out a small round jar-shaped object from his arms and handed it to Atachi.
A-Machi knelt in front of Ogata and took the thing handed to him by Ogata with both hands.
"What is this? Can I open it and see it now?"
"certainly."
Ating opened the small round can.
After seeing clearly what was in the round jar, Ating's beautiful eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"Isn't this 'Sasairo Kurenai'?"
"Hmm." Ogata smiled faintly, "This 'Sasairo Red' is not just any ordinary 'Sasairo Red'."
Ogata told Atachi in detail how he got the "Sasairo Red" today.
Upon learning that this was the "Sasairo Red" used exclusively by Furin-taifu, Atachi's beautiful eyes widened again in surprise.
"Is this the 'Sasairo Red' that's exclusive to Furin-taifu? This is a good thing..."
"As expected of the most powerful courtesan in Yoshiwara, she actually gave away such an expensive item without hesitation."
After learning that the thing in his hand was so valuable, Ating instantly became more cautious in holding it.
He held the "Sasa-iro-hong" in his hand with gentle movements, as if he was scooping up a handful of water that would easily flow away.
Ating's eyes and face were full of excitement, and she looked up and down attentively at the precious cosmetics in her hands.
But while looking at it, Ating suddenly seemed to remember something, pursed his lips, and swallowed lightly:
"...Why don't we sell this?" Ating stared at the Sasashiki Hong in his hand. "This level of 'Sasashiki Hong', as long as the eloquence is good enough and the merchant is stupid enough, maybe we can sell it for 2 taels of gold..."
"We are not short of money." Ogata said unhappily, "Why do we need to sell this? You can keep it for yourself. After all, this is something Furin Taifu gave us. It would be bad to resell it."
"We are indeed not short of money now." Ating smiled helplessly, "But we also have to find ways to work hard to make money."
"After all, we have money."
"If we don't find some way to supplement our income, the money we have now will eventually run out."
After hearing what Atachi said, Ogata's expression became a little more serious.
"…You do have a point, but you don't have to worry too much about the money, A-Machi."
"There's no need to sell this 'Sasa-iro-red' for money."
"We are not so short of money that we need to pawn our belongings."
"You can keep this '笹色红' for your own use."
"...Okay then." After hesitating for a while, Atachi closed his hands that were holding the "Sasairo Red" given by Ogata.
Looking down at the hands that were holding "Sasairo Hong", Atachi's eyes were as if he was looking at some rare treasure.
"Thank you, Ayi."
After saying this, Atachi smiled brightly.
Seeing Atachi seem to like this "Sasa-iro red" very much, a faint smile appeared on Ogata's cheek.
Although there was a smile on his face, Ogata's heart was not as glorious as his appearance.
At this moment, Ogata said softly in the depths of his heart with a somewhat helpless tone:
——Do you make money?
…
…
The next day, at night——
Edo, Yoshiwara, somewhere near the main entrance.
Ogata, with the Shirobei Club's special haori already draped over his upper body, was patrolling back and forth along the street.
Of course - Ogata only appeared to be on patrol.
He was essentially waiting for Gokutaro to come over.
In order not to miss Gokutaro, Ogata reported to the Shirobei Club before it was completely dark, and volunteered to patrol the front half of Nakanomachi just like he did last night.
Naka-no-machi is the place with the largest flow of people in Yoshiwara, so it is also the most troublesome to patrol and the place most likely to encounter various incidents.
Some servants who like to slack off like to patrol or stand guard in places with less traffic, so that they can spend their time easily.
In the eyes of Shirobei and others, Ogata's behavior of voluntarily requesting to patrol the first half of Nakano-machi was like voluntarily requesting to work in the most tiring part of Yoshiwara.
Shirobei and others spoke highly of Ogata's behavior of "voluntarily volunteering to go to the most tiring place" and agreed to Ogata's request without hesitation.
Tonight is much calmer than last night.
There was no invitation from the Taifu, and no troublesome people.
In this way, Ogata waited for Gokutaro very smoothly.
Just like last night, Gokutaro led his followers and swaggered through the gate of Yoshiwara.
The only difference from last night was that Gokutaro came earlier tonight.
And Gokutaro wore a red kimono yesterday and an orange kimono today.
After noticing Gokutaro coming, Ogata narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned his body 180 degrees and walked straight in the opposite direction.
There stood a strong man in front of Ogata.
The sturdy man had a large sword on his back and in his hands were many strings of glutinous rice dumplings that he bought from somewhere. He was eating them in small bites, looking like he was leisurely enjoying the food.
As Ogata passed behind the sturdy man who was eating glutinous rice balls, he lowered his voice and whispered in a voice that only he and the sturdy man could hear:
"Makimura, the man wearing an orange kimono, with only a wakizashi on his waist, swaying as he walked, and about five and a half feet tall, is Gokutaro."
After saying this quickly, Ogata walked past the burly man without stopping.
This strong man was Mucun.
From the time Ogata informed them and then to the time Ogata left behind him, Makimura's expression remained the same, without any change, as if he didn't hear anyone talking to him at all.
However, after Ogata reported the message, Makimura quickly moved his eyes, looking for a man who shared the characteristics that Ogata had just described.
While looking for Gokutaro, Makimura did not slow down at all in eating the glutinous rice dumpling in his hand.
Soon, Makimura found a man who met all these characteristics.
After all, these features are quite obvious.
Only Ogata and A-Machi knew what Gokutaro looked like, so they planned this action - after Gokutaro showed up in Yoshiwara, Ogata would tell Makimura who Gokutaro was.
After quickly finishing the glutinous rice dumpling in his hand, Makimura, with a strange expression on his face for some reason, wiped his mouth and said hesitantly to a "beauty" beside him:
"Um... Asai... Ah, no, Ajiang. I've finished my glutinous rice balls, let's go..."
Next to Mucun stood a famous beauty.
And she is the kind of beauty that makes many men turn their heads to look at her appearance.
She has a pair of velvet eyes with very long upper and lower eyelashes. Even the sunlight cannot reach her pupils. These eyes are very soft and seem to be caressing you.
The jet-black hair was tied at the back of her head into a very popular hairstyle nowadays - the Shimada bun.
She was wearing a light pink kimono that was appropriate.
The feet were covered with clean white tabi and clad in a pair of two-toothed wooden clogs.
The beautiful lady was wearing a fitted kimono that showed off her stunning figure to the fullest.
Her proudly raised chest fills out her kimono.
When many men passed by this beauty, they looked at the beauty standing next to Mucun with curiosity and amazement.
The only flaw was that this obviously very beautiful woman had a sour face as if she had just gambled away all her life savings.
"...Let's go, Mucun." As soon as Mucun finished speaking, the "beauty" said .
If someone heard the voice of this "beauty", they might look disappointed.
Because the voice of this "beauty" was not pleasant, it was hoarse, just like a man's voice.
After hearing the voice of this beauty, the passers-by around who don't know the truth may just think that her biggest flaw is that her voice is not pleasant.
But actually… the biggest flaw in this beauty isn’t her voice.
It's her gender.
She is actually a man.
This "beauty" is no other than someone else.
It was Asai who said last night in a firm tone that he would never wear women's clothes.
Last night, after Lin called Asai to her room, she said something to Asai.
After coming out of Lin's room, Asai, who had originally insisted that he would never wear women's clothes, actually agreed to dress up as a woman.
So, after Asai agreed to dress up as a woman, Lin quickly made arrangements - Makimura and Asai, a man and a "woman", would be responsible for going to the Four Seasons House.
In terms of matching, this can almost be regarded as a golden match.
Makimura, who used to be a Yakuza and a yoriki in Kyoto, is better than others at mingling in this mixed place.
And when he entered the Four Seasons House with a "woman" who looked like a woman, it was not easy for people to discover that the person next to Mucun was actually a man...
Today, Lin and others spent almost the entire morning buying Asai a women's kimono and tabi that he could wear.
Since Asai was not abnormally tall, it was not difficult to buy women's kimonos in his size.
The makeup on Asai's face... was done by Mamiya, who had once studied female makeup techniques at Mimasaka.
Ogata will never forget the expression on Asai's face when Mamiya was putting makeup on her...
After successfully reporting the news to Makimura and Asai, Ogata stopped and turned to look at Makimura and Asai who had already started to act.
Looking at Asai, who had to dress up as a woman and snuggle up to Makimura, Ogata couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy in his eyes.
"Come on... Asai..." Ogata couldn't help but whisper softly, cheering for Asai...
…
…
"That...Ajiang."
Ajiang - the pseudonym that Lin and others came up with for Asai.
"What?" Asai asked back with a grumpy face still on.
"Can't you put on a happier expression?" Mucun said with a wry smile, "If you go into someone else's store with such a bitter and vengeful look on your face, others might think you're here to seek revenge..."
"Do you think I can show any happy expression when I look like this?"
Asai raised his hand and patted his plump chest.
The reason why his chest is so full is all thanks to Yu Lin.
Because Lin bought quite a lot of towels today.
“Anyway, think of a way and try to put on a happy expression…” Makimura continued with a wry smile.
"……I see."
Asai took a deep breath...
…
…
——Why should I suffer this?
Almost an hour ago, after putting on this light pink kimono and putting on makeup, Asai couldn't remember how many times she had asked herself this question in her heart.
Whether it was the white foundation on her face, the lipstick on her lips, or the unexpectedly well-fitting kimono on her body, all of them gave Asai an extremely strong sense of irritation and disharmony.
Although Mamiya should bear a considerable part of the responsibility for his current situation.
But Asai was not angry about this, nor did he blame Mamiya for it.
Because Asai asked himself - if he were in Mamiya's position at that time, he would definitely try his best to divert this "trouble" to other people...
Asai took another deep breath.
——Although Makimura usually says stupid things, what he said just now is not wrong... I have been wearing such a grim face all the time, which is really embarrassing.
——I used to always criticize Mucun for not completing his tasks well.
——If I don’t complete this task now, wouldn’t it make Makimura a laughing stock?
Asai took another deep breath.
——Asai Shichirobei, bring out the spirit of Satsuma Hayato.
——Strangle yourself...
——Smile, smile for me!
Asai puts strength into both corners of his mouth and pulls them upwards.
When Asai is in his "male" state, he always has a blank expression on his face and rarely even smiles.
And in the "female body" state, at this moment, Asai actually showed a big smile, and his beautiful eyes curved into a pair of crescents.
After moving his body slightly closer to Makura, Asai winked at Makura.
"Maki, Makimura-kun! Yoshiwara is so prosperous~"