Hana
Haruto was practically giddy with happiness and was almost bouncing by the time he left me. He promised to come back to see me again. I didn't know whether he was actually going to keep the promise or not, but it sure felt nice to have people feel happy after I completed a job. That usually wasn't the case with my old job.
After Haruto, I entertained a group of 3 people with Nezu. While none of them went to the back rooms with us, they ran up a pretty impressive bar tab. We closed at about 2 in the morning. Nezu and I had dinner in the kitchen with old lady Matsumoto before we went up to our rooms. Old lady Matsumoto congratulated me on a good debut and said that I did well. I'd noticed peepholes in the ceilings of both the bar area rooms and the entertainment rooms. I guess she liked what she saw of my performance.
The girls who worked here got paid on a commission basis. 50% of the profits made in the bar tab of the customer plus 80% of the proceeds made in the back rooms. The money we got from whatever extra stuff we did in the room, we could keep for ourselves. Since I was 10000 yon in debt, 50% of all my earnings went to the house. It still left me with about 110 yon for the night's work. This was definitely better than what I was getting paid as a genin. I went to bed peacefully, the first time in a long time, having made money without killing or maiming anyone.
Old lady Matsumoto
I admit that I was a bit worried about the village belle messing up on her first day. I thought she might break down crying from finally having to face the reality of what she had to do. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
Not only was she undisturbed by what she had to do, but she seemed to really enjoy it.
'That goes to show I guess. These pure and shy looking girls were not always what they appeared to be' I thought. I was really glad that I was wrong though. It was much better for the business and for her if she could really enjoy what she did. It might have been a bit selfish of me, but I really hoped she stayed even after she finished paying off her debts.
Nezu
I woke up feeling really refreshed. I debated on whether to call on Hana to help me with breakfast. I decided I’d let her sleep in since I figured she must be really tired last night. Therefore, I was surprised to see her in the kitchen steaming the rice and working on what looked like miso soup.
“Good morning Nezu”, She said with a warm smile.
“Good morning Hana. When did you wake up? I thought you might have been tired after last night.”
“I feel fine, Nezu. I don’t usually sleep that much anyway, ``she said.
“Be careful Hana, don’t ruin your health”. She was really beautiful, but you had to care for your looks. I had to admit that I was a little jealous of her breasts. She wasn’t really wearing a sexy outfit but she looked really hot in whatever she wore.
We chatted more as I helped her with cooking. She was really fast and efficient. Usually when I cooked, I tended to make a lot of noise and maybe knock a couple of things over. I was impressed by the purpose and fluidity of her movements as she cooked even as she paid attention to our conversation. Old lady Matsumoto joined us almost as soon as we’d finished.
“Hana cooked breakfast today”. I told her.
“Oh? I was wondering why the clamour of utensils didn’t wake me up today”. She said with a smirk as I scowled playfully.
“That’s not true. I wouldn’t have finished anytime soon without Nezu’s help” Hana said.
We chatted a bit and I told Matsumoto san that I planned to take Hana san out for shopping. She told me to make sure we didn’t get into any trouble and to be back at least an hour before opening.
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I was really excited as I went up to change. It was really nice to have someone my age to go out with. I took her to the shopping district and showed her some of my favourite shops. Being from a small village, I thought she’d be a bit overwhelmed with the sights in a big city, but she was really calm and collected. She was also really confident in her interactions with other people. I guess I didn't really have to worry about her.
We had miso ramen for lunch at one of my favourite places. Hana really enjoyed it too from the way she was putting away bowls and asking for seconds. I guess her boobs really needed a lot of nutrition. It was when we were about to leave that I saw two rough looking guys approach our table. I was feeling nervous and I saw that Hana already had her eyes on them, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Afternoon ladies.May I say that both of you look very fine today.”, one of the guys said with a grin that put me on edge. I was thinking of what to say to them when I heard Hana speak up
“Thank you. How are you guys doing?”.
“We’re good, but our day could get a whole lot better with the company of two beautiful ladies”. He said as I saw his friend’s eye wander toward my chest and stay there.
"You guys look like fun. But I'm afraid we have to get to work soon, maybe you guys could come see us there".
Hana said with a smile as she handed them Sin's den card.
"The company of beautiful ladies isn't cheap, but worthwhile." She added with a sly grin as the two guys were looking over the card looking rather surprised.
I had to hand it to Hana, she handled it like a pro. I usually ended up clamming up when guys paid attention to me outside our establishment. I had always felt like I was hiding a dirty secret when I was walking around the city. It made me uncomfortable to receive attention from men. Hana seemed like she had no problems with the job she did and had no problems with flaunting it.
"Are you okay Nezu?" Hana asked with a worried expression on her face.
"I hope you didn't mind me being a bit forward with those guys. They didn't exactly look like the type roaming around looking for true love". Hana said.
"No..No Hana. I was actually amazed by how you handled that situation. I wish I could deal with situations confidently like you do. I tend to clam up when guys come up and talk to me in public." I said truthfully.
"Do you not like the job that we do Nezu?" Hana asked. I slowed down my walk as I mulled over an answer.
"I don't dislike this job Hana. I think it's the best job I could get based on my circumstances. But, I can't deny the fact that most of the people out there consider what we do a disgrace" I said.
We walked silently side by side for a bit before Hana talked again.
"Who's the leader of this nation, Nezu?" Hana asked.
I looked up surprised at the sudden question.
“The feudal lord of the land of fire is in charge of the government while the hokage sama of hidden leaf village is in charge of the military”. I replied.
“Do you think the jobs that shinobi like lord hokage do are better than what you do?”.
I stopped in my tracks and my mouth was hanging open as I stared at Hana.
“What are you saying Hana? Of course, it’s better than what I do”.
“Is it Nezu?
“Yes, they fight against evil”.
“Do they? Has evil gone from this country then Nezu? Has the strong stopped preying on the weak in the land of fire?”.
I wanted to say yes. But, I couldn’t, not while I knew what those monsters did to myself, Mina and her husband. I stood there in silence.
“The shinobi don't fight for good or evil Nezu, they fight for those with money and power. They use their overwhelming power to define what is acceptable and what’s not regardless of good and evil. They’re paid to defend what was deemed acceptable by those that pay them. They assassinate, betray and do unspeakable things to those around them. Yet, no one would ever say anything against them because they have the power to make them shut up.
We don’t kill anyone to make a living Nezu, we don’t force anyone to come into our shop. All that we do is provide some comfort or distraction for the people who come to see us. That is not a great sin. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise Nezu. You have a right to take pride in your job, certainly more than any boastful shinobi” She said.
I nodded numbly as we continued walking. I’d never thought about it like that before. It might end up changing the way I viewed myself. One thing was certain though, Hana definitely wasn’t just a blue eyed village girl.