All he could say was that they certainly lived up to their reputation as professionals!
The courtesans still wanted more, but at least they had settled down considerably.
"Are you our new boss?"
"That's right."
Good kept a stern face.
"Which of you is the representative?"
"That would be me, Caidie."
A woman with a sultry figure stepped forward, secretly tugging at her kimono to expose her deep cleavage and butterfly tattoo.
With alluring eyes and a deliberately sweet, breathy voice, she asked, "Boss, when do we start taking clients?"
"This isn't the Pleasure District!"
Good stressed the point again, his face darkening.
With an entire street of larger, cheaper brothels available, what man looking for a courtesan would go out of his way to come here?
To make money, he needed something distinctive.
"Remember this. I don't care what you do in private, but there'll be no fooling around inside the establishment. This is a legitimate club. Legitimate!"
"..."
For a moment, all the courtesans froze.
We don't have to take clients?
Caidie lit her pipe, her mocking gaze making her look like a gangster.
"Boss, all we girls know are a few bedroom tricks. If you won't let us take clients, how are we supposed to make a living?"
"Don't worry."
Good pointed behind him.
The bruised and battered instructors entered the banquet hall, trembling with fear. Every one of them was a renowned massage therapist or doctor from the Flower Capital.
When they saw the room full of courtesans, their jaws dropped.
"Is this heaven?"
Damn pirate, you should've told us sooner!
Had they known things would turn out like this, they would have been willing to work without pay!
Damn it, we took that beating for nothing!
Good turned to the courtesans and said sternly, "Starting today, you'll study professional skills under these instructors. Understood?"
"Understood."
Their response was decidedly halfhearted.
Good's expression darkened.
Fine, fine. You asked for this!
Good took a deep breath and declared fiercely, "I'll hold an exam before we open. Anyone who passes gets ten gold, and the top thirty each get a hundred gold!"
"A hundred gold!"
The courtesans cried out in surprise.
A hundred gold was enough to build a large house!
Unless she was an establishment's star attraction, an ordinary courtesan would struggle to save a hundred gold in a year after her daily expenses.
And there were thirty spots, meaning a third of the girls could receive that enormous sum. Even those who fell behind could still earn ten gold.
"Boss, we'll definitely pass the exam!"
"You can count on us, Boss!"
"That hundred gold is mine!"
Their enthusiasm instantly soared.
Good nodded slightly.
Money could even make hookers change careers. The power of cash really was the strongest.
"Running a business is exhausting. Being a landlord is much better."
Good sighed as he left.
If he hadn't needed to earn a large sum of seed money, he wouldn't have had to go to all this trouble. Collecting rent was much easier and required no brainpower.
"I'll go take a bath."
Good went to the men's hot spring area, stripped naked, and jumped in.
This feels great!
Since the establishment hadn't opened yet, he had the hot spring all to himself. No one would stop him even if he swam around in it.
Yet the unexpected arrived, late though it was.
"Good, I'm here!"
A stark-naked girl descended from above, crashing down in front of Good like a boulder and sending up a huge splash.
Immediately afterward, she surfaced and stretched her arms toward the sky, leaving the magnificent sight of her upper body fully exposed before Good.
"Wahahaha! I've been wanting a bath forever!"
"..."
Good wiped the water off his face and reminded her helplessly.
"Yamato, this is the men's bath!"
"That's right!"
The girl showed not the slightest awareness of the problem.
Good was speechless.
What do you mean, 'that's right'?!
Whatever. It wasn't as if he was losing out.
"They're really big."
Good rubbed his chin, openly admiring the girl.
Why waste a perfectly good view?
He was no gentleman.
Come to think of it, Yamato was about twenty centimeters shorter than him, making her build a perfect match for his. Someone like Ulti was honestly a little too small for him.
One minute passed, then three...
"Stop looking at me like that. It's kind of scary."
Thoroughly uncomfortable, Yamato grabbed a bath towel and held it over her chest.
But it only covered half of it.
That made her even more enticing.
Is this girl getting shy?
Looking at her flushed cheeks, Good couldn't help laughing.
No matter how much she considered herself a man, her womanly nature wouldn't disappear. Besides, Yamato didn't truly identify as male; she was imitating her idol.
Essentially, it was no different from playing pretend.
Seeing Good laugh at her made Yamato blush even harder.
Damn it!
The girl angrily planted both hands on her hips.
The towel fell.
She hurriedly picked it up, angrily planted one hand on her hip, and demanded, "Good, why did you make me the owner of this place?!"
"To make money, of course."
Good's smile was sly.
He could treat it as renting the establishment to Yamato.
With Kaido's daughter opening a business, wouldn't the wealthy gentry rush to shower her with money?
Those congratulatory gifts would add up to a fortune!
With that seed money, he could move on to bigger investments. Buying houses one at a time was too inefficient. Bulk acquisitions were the way to go!
That's right. He was getting into real estate!
After all, the amount of property he owned determined the strength of his Haki!
The most crucial part of all this was the girl before him. Without her powerful connections to deter others, he couldn't play the real estate game alone. He lacked both the funds and the backing.
Good narrowed his eyes.
"Yamato, do you want to save this country?"
"Yes!"
Yamato nodded firmly.
Good's grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Good. I'll help you!"
He would show her how property speculation could make a nation prosper!
Chapter 17: A Crushing Advantage!
Crackle! Pop!
As firecrackers exploded, the Heavenly Residence Hot Spring Club officially opened for business. The entrance was already bustling, packed with dignitaries and nobles.
The front doors opened, and a festive red carpet rolled out, stretching all the way to the end of the street.
Next, forty hostesses appeared, wearing delicate, understated makeup and tight red qipaos.
The hostesses took their places on either side of the carpet, standard welcoming smiles on their faces. Combined with the graceful curves outlined by their qipaos, they held the guests' gazes captive.
Gulp...
The men kept swallowing.
They weren't even showing that much skin, so why were they so captivating?
And they seemed awfully familiar.
Perhaps it was their imagination, but the hostess at the very front looked a little like Miss Caidie, one of the star attractions at Boss Kyoshiro's establishment.
"Thank you all for coming from far and wide..."
Serving as the host with a Loudspeaker Snail in hand, Good read from his script, rattling off flattering pleasantries for three minutes.
"I hereby declare the Heavenly Residence Hot Spring Spa Club officially open! Please welcome Lady Yamato and our honored guest, Lady Komurasaki, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony!"
As Yamato and Komurasaki appeared, another wave of astonished cries swept through the crowd.
"Heavens, Lady Komurasaki actually came!"
"She's so beautiful! Absolutely dazzling!"
"I never imagined they'd manage to invite the Oiran!"
"Is that Kaido's daughter? She's a stunning beauty too!"
The guests' eyes turned into hearts.
Before you continue