An afternoon

When Ashiya Xia Xia woke that morning, he was still in the room he knew best.

The innermost guest room in the tavern was well soundproofed. It had originally been kept for the manager's son when he came home, but had stood empty since the boy left to study.

Only the most special guests were given this room.

This guest drank, but never sought out women. He even preferred listening to the rather unrefined Sanwa Tune, yet willingly paid to stay the night. So this soundproofed room had been reserved for the strange guest. Perhaps because he always behaved this way, the owner treated him as a child who needed looking after. Despite the excellent soundproofing, the room next door was often left empty when he visited.

Xunko was packing her belongings.

She had not worked as a courtesan for long and was somewhat less sullied than the other entertainers. Now that someone had bought her freedom, the neighbors in the pleasure district offered their blessings.

That morning, she had asked a senior woman in the establishment to arrange her hair in a graceful, respectable style. She had washed afresh, removed the deathly white face paint, and applied simple, light makeup. She had also discarded her lavish entertainer's robes in favor of the pale clothes commonly worn by young girls from ordinary households.

The girl smiled, as though she had returned to those happy days before her family sold her.

Seeing Xia Xia awake, Xunko openly knelt and bowed, then asked what he planned to do that day.

There were generally two kinds of men who bought freedom for entertainers and courtesans: longtime patrons bewitched for years, and wealthy young gentlemen enjoying their romantic conquests. Ashiya Xia Xia had money to spare and wore fine clothes; by any measure, he looked like the son of a wealthy household. Though he was already something of an unusual celebrity here, Xunko still maintained the courtesy of someone who belonged to him.

She could not afford to neglect her benefactor.

"Don't overthink it. Pack your belongings properly, then go to the sweet shop on the corner and buy me some sugar cakes."

"And if they have red bean cakes, buy a few of those too."

Ashiya Xia Xia did not make a show of generosity by helping her up. He merely waved to dismiss her bow, tossed her a few copper coins, and sent her on the errand.

Having only bought her as a servant yesterday, it was perfectly natural to give Xunko a small task. Meanwhile, he could go downstairs for hot water and wash up, leaving himself clean and refreshed.

"Go on. Leave them on the downstairs table when you get back."

"Yes."

Xunko picked up the coins and descended with small steps, her wooden clogs clacking against the stairs.

Ashiya Xia Xia put on his short haori, then lifted a bowl of tea from the wooden tray on the bedside cabinet.

A little hot tea eased the discomfort of his hangover considerably.

His tolerance for alcohol was actually terrible. Even a little could knock him out, so he never drank in front of others, only enjoying a small cup when alone.

That was one of the main reasons he willingly paid to stay overnight.

After washing up, Ashiya Xia Xia went downstairs and spotted a very familiar garment fluttering in the breeze by the window, swaying twice more.

Ashiya Xia Cheng.

The young man in the lavish brocade robe wore a dark expression. He looked as though he wanted to say something, or was suppressing some kind of anger. This boy had never been able to keep his composure; his feelings always showed on his face.

Xunko, who had just returned from buying sweets, stood there like a child who had done something wrong. She still held half a bag of sugar cakes and a small box of red bean cakes wrapped in oiled paper.

"What's wrong?"

Ashiya Xia Xia walked over to his younger brother.

Then the agitated Natsunari shoved him into a corner.

"Brother!"

He seemed unable to contain his anger.

"Brother, why did you stay in the pleasure district last night instead of going home to sleep?"

"Brother, what did you do to Xunko last night? She's been crying ever since she came out of your room. Nothing I said could comfort her. What did you do?!"

Xia Xia did not answer. He raised his head and gave Natsunari a brief glance, then took a red bean cake from the oiled-paper package Xunko had bought. It was cloyingly sweet and dry, yet held an indescribable bitterness.

Red bean cakes tended to get damp in this season. They tasted better when bought the same day they were made.

"Brother!"

Perhaps Xia Xia's disregard had made Natsunari feel scorned. In a burst of anger, he slammed the table, sending the sugar cakes spilling from their oiled-paper wrapping and rolling across the floor.

"Xunko is the purest girl in this pleasure district. Her parents sold her here when she was just a little girl. I've seen how she's looked after you all these years. I know how dejected you feel, and I understand your pain..."

"But you can't take your own frustrations out on someone else. That isn't fair to her."

Something shattered.

It made a crisp sound.

It was not an earthenware jar, or anything else. Nor was it a wind chime, much less anything that ought to be flesh and blood.

It was a hand, raised without conscious thought.

A loud, vicious slap.

"Brother! You actually hit me. You've never... You've never hit me in my entire life."

"I was the one they found had the potential to become a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. You can't become a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer, but that isn't my fault. It's fate."

Natsunari spoke in disbelief and hurt, yet his eyes remained defiant.

His answer was a second slap.

Harder, and without hesitation.

"You naive fool."

"What have I taught you all these years? Who did I give that new outfit our parents left when they died? When other children bullied you, who settled the score and let you leave first? After Uncle and Aunt fell ill, who worked four temporary jobs to pay for your schooling?"

"I regularly bought you the sugar cakes you love, too. I know you look down on your older brother now that you're the clan elder's adopted son, but I still had someone deliver them every time..."

"I won't even mention everything else. And now you're questioning me over some courtesan?!"

Xia Xia swallowed down a heavy breath.

All those unsettled thoughts rose in a tumult, like the summer downpours so common at the Ashiya estate.

A fine rain.

"So be it."

"You don't even want your own parents anymore. You've taken the clan elder as your father. What could an older brother like me possibly matter?"

"From today onward, you are no longer my younger brother, and I am no longer your older brother."

"Brother!"

As though realizing something, Natsunari called out to him.

Ashiya Xia Xia seemed not to hear. Only a bleak smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

He pointed at Xunko beside them.

"You like Xunko, don't you? You even carved a jade pendant for her. Rest assured, I haven't done anything. She's exactly as she was before. Buying her freedom cost me six silver ingots. Give me six silver ingots and I'll transfer her to you. From now on, she can be your personal maid. You might even marry her if you wish, provided your adoptive father agrees. Heh..."

"Brother, how could you..."

Natsunari froze, seemingly realizing he had misunderstood something. Now that he had calmed down, he remembered that his brother, Ashiya Xia Xia, was already famous in the pleasure district for his indifference to women and clean conduct. He only drank and never did anything else. Knowing that what he feared most would not happen, he grew considerably calmer.

Yet whenever he thought of Xunko's beautiful face and gentle disposition, an irritating fire weighed on Ashiya Xia Cheng's heart.

When Natsunari gave no answer, Xia Xia frowned.

"What, you don't want to make the exchange?"

"Attraction between men and women is perfectly natural. You're old enough for it now. Can't you be honest? Don't hesitate like a child and make people look down on you. Of course, if you truly don't want to, forget it."

Ashiya Xia Xia calculated privately. He knew that although Natsunari had now entered a wealthy household, it was already the end of the month. There was no way he could produce six whole silver ingots from his spending allowance. This boy had always spent lavishly and could never save money.

The six silver ingots were merely meant to force him to show where he stood.

If his foolish younger brother could show some remorse and apologize, Xia Xia could still forgive him.

Most of what Natsunari had just said was angry talk spoken in the heat of the moment. Ashiya Xia Xia had not taken it seriously.

After all, this was only a minor misunderstanding. There was no point making it into something bigger. Hadn't he bought Xunko's freedom precisely so he could give this lovesick boy a companion and make him happier? How had everything become so backward?

Unfortunately, this little fool was so infatuated with a woman of the pleasure district that he would suffer plenty more for it. Once they went home, he would have to find time to give him more guidance...

"I do! Of course I do!"

"But I don't have enough money left. I can give you five and a half silver ingots at most. That's all I have."

Natsunari's words interrupted Xia Xia's thoughts. Flushed red with urgency, the boy pulled out a cloth pouch and poured a tableful of silver pieces from it. The silver was dull, yet its reflection hurt Xia Xia's eyes.

All the anger that had risen inside him vanished, replaced by a far more terrifying chill. Natsunari's voice grew fainter and fainter, while a tremendous roar filled his ears, shaking him until he felt utterly lost.

Natsunari could not produce that much money, but he had taken out everything he owned just to buy the freedom of the girl beside him.

Some of the silver had been cut into small pieces, scraps saved from the temporary jobs Xia Xia had worked to fund Natsunari's schooling. Some was the inheritance their parents had left before they died. The longer silver sat, the darker it became. These pieces were everything Natsunari had saved over all this time.

"Fine. I'll take the money."

"Take her away, before I decide to change my mind."

As though drained of all his strength, Ashiya Xia Xia slowly sank onto a wooden chair in the tavern. His eyes fixed on the tea leaves floating loose in his bowl and the sugar cakes scattered across the floor.

Natsunari hesitated for half a second, then took Xunko's hand and left the tavern without looking back.

Somewhere deep down, he sensed he had lost something, but he would not dwell on it. Children were always like that, seeing only the gains and losses before them, never considering anyone else's feelings. He had obtained what he wanted. That was enough.

As for Xunko, she did not care who bought her freedom or which of the brothers took her away. One had given her an exquisite jade pendant, and the other had spent a fortune to free her. Whichever one she went with, she would have a good life.

Outside the window, the rain was still falling.

Ashiya Xia Xia sat there like a carved wooden statue. He watched the bustle of traffic in the pleasure district, watched the performers and entertainers flaunt their charms beneath the eaves to attract customers, and felt only that it was all laughably hollow.

"Sir, let me add some hot water for you."

A server came over and poured hot water into his stone-cold pot, then wiped the table with a cloth, swept up the fallen cakes, and dumped them in the rubbish.

Xia Xia simply sat there.

He felt the rain was rather heavy. He had brought no umbrella, and his short haori was far too thin for the season. Even sitting here, he felt a little cold.

Only when the sun sank behind the mountains that day did he come back to himself and point at the empty plate on the table.

"Sorry for the trouble. Bring me some food and wine."

"I'll stay the night as usual."