Chapter 62: Silver Soul (Earth Arc)

Some things are done on a sudden impulse. Takegura Okakura and Shinpachi, together with Kagura, slipped into Yoshiwara wearing kimono and towering wooden clogs. They had followed Seita to gather information. Okakura never expected that little Kagura would walk more smoothly than herself in those tall clogs; she and Shinpachi had to support each other, shuffling along behind Kagura and Seita.

“These shoes are so hard to walk in! Ah, I really want to take them off!” Okakura moved with difficulty.

“Yeah, it’s super hard to walk in these,” Shinpachi said, wobbling even more.

“Takegura, Shinpachi, you two are so useless. Hurry up, will you?” Kagura looked at the two laggards with disdain.

“Slow down, wait for us, Kagura!” Shinpachi said anxiously.

On the street, Okakura noticed many courtesans watching Seita. It was no wonder—a child wandering around Yoshiwara would surely attract attention. So Okakura had Seita wait for them in a small alley while she, Kagura, and Shinpachi went to make inquiries.

The three made their way slowly to the building where Hinawa resided. There, Okakura saw Hinawa sitting in the highest room—a remarkably beautiful woman, with hair as black as ink and lips red as blood. But what drew the most attention were her clear eyes; even in this environment, those eyes shone with a resilient light.

Okakura casually stopped a guard and began to probe for information. On seeing her, the guard was stunned—such a beautiful woman should be of oiran status, he thought, not just a common courtesan.

Okakura asked, “Uncle, is it true that a kid often comes here asking to see Hinawa?”

The guard thought for a moment—ah, that dirty little brat who wanted to see Hinawa.

“That’s right. Do you know that kid?” The guard glanced around, checking whether Seita was nearby. Seeing he wasn’t, he began to talk.

“I’ll tell you: that kid often comes here, handing money to another guard. But that guy isn’t on duty tonight, and he’s got a bad reputation—always pilfering from the shop. The kid’s money probably ended up in his pocket. Honestly, a kid like that could never see Hinawa! She’s an oiran—even we can’t get near her.”

Okakura, Kagura, and Shinpachi exchanged looks, their faces darkening. They hadn’t expected all of Seita’s hard-earned money to be swallowed by such a scoundrel.

Having gotten their answers, the trio left.

The guard watched the four depart, smacking his lips. The woman who’d spoken to him was stunning; he planned to ask about her name later that night.

“I can’t believe Seita’s money was stolen by a guard. How are we going to tell him?” Shinpachi worried.

“Just tell him the truth. Some things he needs to face head-on,” Okakura replied.

“Damn! If I ever find the guy who took Seita’s money, I’ll give him a good beating!” Kagura clenched her fists.

“That guy was deceiving Seita from the start. He knew Seita could never see Hinawa, yet kept letting him bring money. Absolutely unforgivable!” Shinpachi was furious.

“Let’s head back and meet up with Seita; he’s still waiting for us,” Okakura said.

Kagura and Shinpachi nodded, and the three hurried to regroup with Seita. Of course, ‘hurried’ was relative—Okakura and Shinpachi still couldn’t walk fast, trudging along in their clogs under Kagura’s impatient gaze.

Yoshiwara, called the Paradise of Men, truly lived up to its name. As they walked, Okakura saw all kinds of women lining the streets, flashing seductive smiles at every passing man, wrapping their soft bodies around them, enticing them into their establishments. The men basked in this attention.

How revolting, utterly revolting! The air was stifling, oppressive—the scent of powder thickly layered by women, the reek of alcohol and sweat from men, and, worse still, the heavy stench of blood seeping from the heart of this bustling street.

This was a street paved with women’s fresh blood.

Okakura lowered her eyelids. It was always like this—men treating women as mere playthings, constructing cages for them to claw at each other, while they stood outside and laughed, savoring their superiority.

Her palm clenched tighter and tighter. It had been this way on the black streets of Kurota Star, and it was the same on Earth...

How far would these scoundrels go in their abuse of women!

“Didn’t expect to find such high-quality goods among the courtesans, haha,”

Just then, a group of drunken men staggered up to them, sizing up Okakura in a way that made her very uncomfortable.

“Come here and drink with us. Serve us well—women like you should know your place,” said one, reaching for Okakura.

Enough! Just as Okakura was about to act, she saw Kagura dig out a bit of nasal mucus and smear it on the drunk’s face.

“What did you do, you wicked brat!” The drunk quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped his face.

“I feel compelled to throw boogers whenever I see something dirty. Sorry,” Kagura said, her round eyes wide and innocent.

“You calling me dirty?! You brat! You women of Yoshiwara are the filthiest trash, and you dare defy us? Want to die?” The man raised his hand to slap Kagura.

Okakura immediately thrust out her left hand and caught his wrist. Her right was still in a cast.

She tightened her grip, and the man’s bones creaked audibly. He howled in pain.

“Ah—!! Let me go, you damned woman!”

“Don’t underestimate women. Women tolerate garbage like you,” Okakura said coldly.

“Takegura, let’s leave it at that. Yoshiwara has the Hundred Blossoms Self-Defense Squad. If we cause too much trouble, they’ll come,” Shinpachi cautioned.

Okakura released the man’s hand, shooting a murderous glare at the remaining men. They broke out in cold sweats under her gaze.

“Now get lost. Don’t bother us again, or else…” Okakura thrust her left hand into the concrete wall, leaving five holes.

The drunks fled in terror.

“Takegura, you’re amazing! But how come, as an Earthling, your strength rivals us Night Rabbits?” Kagura asked, examining the five finger holes.

“Well, I’m not purely from Earth—I’m half alien,” Okakura said, scratching her head sheepishly.

“Really?!” Kagura exclaimed.

“What?!” Shinpachi echoed.

As they pressed for details, Okakura explained the story of the Demon Relic race as they walked.

“I never expected you to have alien blood, Okakura,” Shinpachi said, though he left unsaid that her terrifying strength now made sense.

“I’ve never heard of your race, Takegura,” Kagura said.

“There are very few Demon Relic people left. After a massacre, I’m probably the only one. It’s normal you wouldn’t know, Kagura,” Okakura replied.

“But I was born and raised on Earth. Honestly, I don’t feel any connection to my alien heritage. To me, I’m just an Earthling.”

Okakura glanced around curiously.

“By the way, where’s the naturally curly-haired one? Didn’t he come into Yoshiwara too?”

“Gin-san? He said he had something to do and will meet up with us later,” Shinpachi said, adjusting his glasses.

“That useless guy is probably already in some woman’s room. Men just can’t resist,” Kagura said, making a helpless gesture.

“Kagura, where did you learn all that?” Shinpachi asked weakly.

“I saw it in the popular drama ‘The Shogun’s Harem.’ The shogun and the oiran were doing things that made them breathe heavily. What exactly were they doing that made them pant so much—were they fighting?” Kagura’s big blue eyes were full of curiosity.

Shinpachi’s pupils widened, his cheeks flushed. He grabbed Kagura’s shoulders and shouted, “Kagura, you don’t need to know about things that make people breathe heavily! If you know, you’ll be driven out of Eden like Adam and Eve!”

Kagura brushed off his hands, squinting at him. “Don’t pretend, you virgin. You think I don’t know? I’ve seen all those books you hide under your bed. I’ve already looked through them—it’s just men and women taking off their clothes and rolling around.”

“When did you sneak into my room and look at those books?! And you knew but still asked! And don’t underestimate virgins—virgins can become great wizards!” Shinpachi roared.

“You two, stop it. Shinpachi, your voice is too loud—everyone’s staring at us,” Okakura intervened.

Shinpachi glanced around; sure enough, people were watching. His face turned crimson.

The three hurried away, but their commotion had already drawn attention.

At the corner of the street, a beautiful woman with sandy blonde hair and a scar on her face watched them coldly, a sharp gleam in her eyes.

“Hmm... another group come to pick roses,” she murmured, her detached voice cutting through the white smoke as her slender figure melted into the darkness.

Tonight, Yoshiwara was as lively as ever.

Author’s Note: After refreshing countless times, I finally managed to update in the backend. Honestly, I don’t like writing canon-based stories because I remember the plot but not the dialogue! To solve this, I downloaded the Gintama manga onto my e-reader and now write while flipping through it. Applaud my cleverness, haha (ugh...).