And that proved once and for all that Professor Otomo, that nice and caring man, had lied to him. Had lied to him repeatedly with his stories about the kidnapped and possibly murdered Korean girls. The only conceivable reason he could have had for such an elaborate fabrication was to send him away from Naniwa and from his investigation into piracy. It made perfect sense. First they had distracted him with the disappearance of Sadenari, then they had tried to send him on a wild goose chase after kidnapped Korean girls, and finally, when all that had not worked, they had attacked his family in the capital.
But there remained the fact of the dead girl. Akitada was puzzled by what Harima had said. It did not add up. He said, “If she was still in training, why were the other girls jealous of her?”
“Sometimes the owner of a house shows favor to a particular girl and allows her privileges others don’t enjoy. Akogi was fourteen or fifteen and being groomed for a special presentation.”
“A presentation?”
Harima’s lips quirked a little at Akitada’s puzzlement. “Some man pays a great deal of money to be the first one. There’s a kind of celebration with special gowns and musical entertainments.”
Akitada shuddered. He was repelled by the whole flesh trade that tempted men with foolish and expensive perversions. And surely the desire to initiate a mere child was a perversion of the sexual act. Fourteen or fifteen! The child had no choice in the matter, and that made it repulsive.
They sat in silence for a while. Chickens clucked, the wind rustled in the bamboo, and the honey-sweet smell of the melon slices lingered in the air. Harima’s head was bent, her hands clenched tightly. It occurred to him that she, too, had once been used in the same way. It was his belief that most of the women in the trade became corrupted by it. Their only aim was to enrich themselves and thus triumph over their past servitude. Harima had not followed that path. He respected her for it.
Furuda returned while he was searching for words to express his regard and sympathy to her. Akitada saw her face light up and the joy in Furuda’s when their eyes met, and felt a pang of envy. His own marriage was again stable, and he was very fond of Tamako, but neither of them was demonstrative. And neither was so completely absorbed by the other. He had his work, and Tamako had a child and her household to tend. These two people had only each other.
Furuda slipped off the empty willow basket he had carried slung over his shoulders, and came to greet Akitada with the same warmth Harima had shown him.
“What a happy day, Your Honor,” he said, bowing several times. “I’ve been worrying how to let you know that you’ve given us back our lives. We’re doing very well now, Harima and I, and it’s all thanks to your lordship.” With a wide smile, he gestured to the garden and to his empty willow basket. I get more orders than I can fill. Everything I took this morning is sold and they are begging for more.” He dug a handful of coins from his heavy sleeve, showed them to Akitada and then passed them to Harima, who cried out with pleasure.
“Oh, Furuda, that will pay for firewood this winter. How wonderful!” She hurried off with their wealth.
Furuda looked after her fondly and said, “She handles the money. I’ve got no head for it. I’d waste it on useless things. How smart she is! Firewood, of course. We nearly froze to death last winter.” He shook his head in wonder at Harima’s management of their affairs.
Akitada’s eyes moistened. It took so very little to make these two happy: a bit of simple food and some warmth during the coldest part of the year. He said, “Husband and wife share the labors. It is right that it should be so. You work very hard at growing food and selling it.”
Furuda shook his head. “She won’t marry me. No wonder. I’m nothing and she is a choja. It’s truly a miracle she stays with me. I wake up sometimes at night and fear that she is gone. That’s a terrible feeling.”
Such confidences were beginning to make Akitada uncomfortable. To change the subject, he asked to see the new garden. Furuda led him eagerly to the new section, pointing out the different kinds of cabbage plants striving toward the sun, all looking healthy.
Squinting at the sky, he said happily, “The weather is changing. We’re getting rain. I won’t have to carry the water up from the river tomorrow.”
Akitada had not noticed the change in the light. The sun had withdrawn behind clouds that were moving in rapidly. The breeze had strengthened and turned colder. It would mean an uncomfortable day for him, but he said nothing. Instead, he admired eggplants, deep purple among the leaves, and lengthening cucumbers, the sweet potatoes and turnips in the mature part of the garden. Their season would soon be over, and Furuda would only have the cabbages left. Perhaps the two old people would manage to get through the winter, but it seemed doubtful. “What will you do, when the snows come?” he asked.
“I’ll find another job. If the restaurants don’t need me, perhaps one of the great houses could use some help. I’m not proud. I’ll clean their privies. It will be good for my garden.” He stopped and looked abashed. “I beg your pardon for mentioning such a dirty thing.”
Akitada laughed. “I suppose even great houses use their privies. Speaking of great houses, do you happen to know anything about the River Mansion?”
“Oh, yes. That’s the very large house on the river.” He pointed toward the east. “Not a chance there for me. The majordomo doesn’t like local help. They bring all their servants from the capital.”
“Oh? Who owns it?”
“I’m not sure. They say it belongs to the great chancellor, but he never comes here. He has a splendid palace in Uji.”
“Yes, but I’m told someone lives there, a woman perhaps, and that there are parties with many guests.”
Furuda nodded. “Sometimes there are parties. But the guests come from the capital in boats. One time the place where I worked was asked to send food. I was one of the waiters who carried all the dishes. Grilled sea bream in black sauce, pickled vegetables, grilled eels, pike wrapped in persimmon leaves, even blowfish. A huge feast. That was when I met the majordomo. They took everything from us at the gate and sent us back.”
“Very odd. What about the local brothels? Do they send courtesans?”
“Harima would know more, but yes, I think sometimes they send for the choja and perhaps others.”
Akitada turned to look at the pitiful hut. The vines that covered it still bore a few flowers, but soon they would die. It did not offer much protection against winter storms, yet Harima had found more peace and protection here than she had had in her past life of luxury.
For him there was no peace, at least not yet. He must return to Naniwa and finish his assignment. Now that he knew Otomo was a part of the conspiracy, he would force the truth out of him. It was time, he and Tora got home to his family.
He glanced up at the sky. The clouds were still gathering and moving quickly eastward. He should hurry back to Naniwa. Tora would report either today or tomorrow. But he was strangely reluctant to leave Eguchi. Whatever had happened to the girl Akogi, he had come this far, and he would make one more call before putting her from his mind.
Chapter Nineteen
Hanae would not stop screaming, and Tora jerked into partial wakefulness: he lay on strange and uncomfortable bedding and the screaming continued.
Opening his eyes on darkness, he made out the chinks of a door. The smell and touch of his rough bedding registered. He was in the Hostel of the Flying Cranes, and there was a real woman screaming outside his door.