hakai | gabimaru

七

italicized means flashback

In through the week and Rika focused heavily on getting through her lessons. Desperation coursing through her as she has less than two weeks to make her debut and become an oiran, wanting the whole country to remember her as Rika of Yoshiwara. Opting to eat only twice a day as she spent the rest of the evening practicing the fan dance and breathing; letting the oxygen she receives from nature flow through her body before exhaling it. To this day, it still remains a mystery to her how they are born again. Questions such as "Who helped us?", "How are we in Edo?" and "What do you want from us?" continue to flood her mind from day and night. 

Nevertheless, once everything falls according to her plan, all the questions that floated and roamed in her mind will be answered. Rika will never rest easy, not until she knows Rien and the other Tensens continue to live to this day. She will only take things easy...the moment she knows they're dead. 

"Rika?" Aoyagi's voice rang from the other side of her bedroom door. "Do you have a moment? I would like to speak to you for a moment." 

It is evening and the other girls are already entertaining customers. Nonetheless, Rika got up on her feet and walked closer towards the door. Sliding it open and giving Aoyagi a smile. 

"Of course!" She responded, exiting her bedroom door and following the woman down the flight of stairs. The younger girl could only wonder what she is needed for. 

"As you may know, you are the first ever girl in Sado House, possibly in the whole of Yoshiwara too, to have a debut in less than a month." Aoyagi begins to say, the two women talking over the dining table with a cup of peppermint tea. "An average girl would have taken three to six months to debut. You're a budding blossom, embodying femininity with sharp wits, delicate and neat to eat in a man's presence." She continues on. The conversation just as what Rika wanted to hear. The world and Lady Luck shining down upon her.

"What I'm telling you is that...I've got your oiran debut set already next week." Aoyagi drops the bomb she so expected to hear. "But before you could have your debut, I would be asking you to have your own myoseki." 

Rika's eyebrows scrunches together. "Myoseki?" 

"A myoseki is a name that carries an oiran's reputation." Aoyagi explains followed by a gentle nod. "Once everyone gets a grasp of your name, all the glamour and the reputation that carries the name follows." She adds. "Take Umegae for example. She is a famous oiran in the past century. She is still talked about for being a perfect example of elegance. She too rose in prominence when a man married her out of her debt. After leaving the house, Umegae became a famous court lady." Aoyagi finishes. 

"I've got a list of names you can use." Aoyagi offers. "How about Tamakushi? The name means jeweled comb. Or how about Kasugano? The name means a meadow on a spring day. I would even let you adopt my name, Aoyagi, for it means budding willow." 

As Aoyagi went on, Rika smiled sweetly at the woman. "I humbly appreciate the name you have given time to present me, Mother. I truly am. Words cannot also express how I am fortunate to able to debut in a short span of time. However, I would like to retain my name." She declares. Lowering her head, bowing out of respect. 

"Are you sure about that?" Aoyagi asks, taking a sip on her cup of peppermint tea. "I've still got names that I can present to you like Yugiri, Hanaogi and Shiratama." 

Lifting her head up, Rika gently shook her head. "I stand firm with my decision, Mother." 

"Pray, tell. Why would you want to keep your name?" 

Rika tilts her head, the vivid image of Rien and the other Tensens coming into her mind, a small smirk painting her lips. "Oh, I just want to surprise a few people when they hear my name."

That wasn't all as Riku finally stepped into his test. Situated in a room filled with a hundred other aspiring samurai's. He needed to endure and last until all the one hundred aspiring samurai's are down on the ground and only he remained. When he needed, he had his back turned not only to the magistrate but to the others as well who came to watch him. Riku, who has his head tilted up in the skin, a single bead of sweat falling down from his head.

"H-How long did the test take?" The magistrate uneasily asks, dropping the fan from his hand.

A man looks into his pocket watch to look at the time before facing the magistrate, Jikka and the rest. "Approximately seven minutes."

"You boy" The magistrate calls out to Riku, pointing at the white haired male with his fan. "Just who are you?" He asks him. Never believing that a boy like Riku exists.

Dumbfounded by the question, Riku averts his eyes to look at Shugen and Genji as if he is mentally asking for help. Shugen gave him a look that says answer-his-question and Genji patting his chest as if to tell him to take a deep breath. Riku isn't built for question and answers, if anything, taunting and argumentation were reserved for Rika.

"My name is Riku, I don't know about my last night considering that my parents never spoke of it to us. I have an older twin sister named Rika who is about to make her debut as an oiran in Yoshiwara. We come from Enoshima, the small island. Our parents used to own a flower shop until...they were killed." He explains, fabricating one lie after another. He had hoped that his explanation would pass the magistrate. In his eyes, the magistrate looked nothing more like a fattened pig to slaughter.

"Enoshima is a bit of travel." The magistrate replies, "Why come to Edo then?" He asks him.

"I asked Aoyagi about the Yamada Clan." Rika replies, humming softly as she found a scoop for herself. "Apparently, Sir Jikka frequents a wine bar that Aoyagi would often visit in the night back then. And from what I've learned, they're infamously known for their neck slicing skills. They even produce the Asayama Pills. Diving into the medical field is a good choice because lots of money can be found in that industry."

It was in this moment that Riku wished he had Rika with him or at least had a working brain like Rika's. "I've heard stories about the clan's doctrine in terms of executing criminals. If I was on death row, not only will I be ashamed of myself and my own skin but the people linked to me as well. Though I may not know what it feels like to die, I'm certain people wouldn't want to feel any type of pain at all in their final moments. Furthermore, I think the Asayama Pills will be flourishing in the future." 

"As earnest as I am," Riku spoke, getting down on his knees and lowering and bowing his head. His forehead already touching the ground. "I would like to hear your assessment on my skills. Please judge me accordingly."

Sleepily smiling, Jikka points at Riku to Shugen and Genji. "This is your student, Genji? How cute and adorable. His manners are definitely shining through!"

"Please refrain from making such comments in a serious matter, Sir Jikka." Yamada Asaemon Rank Eight Genji replies.

All the while Jikka continues to make comments about Riku and Genji having to shut him up, Shugen stared at Riku in awe and astonishment. Never had he heard someone reply with an earnest answer. Had he and Riku met before or during his time when he came into the school, for sure, Riku would have already earned himself a worthy ranking. Nevertheless, coming into the school late or not, he is glad that he found his way to them. And because of it, Shugen took a step forward, kneeling down besides Riku and letting his forehead touch the ground.

"I beg you, please confer a rank upon Riku." Shugen begins to say. "Should you refuse to acknowledge his talent and earnest, know that I will take no pride in my own rank."

As both Riku and Shugen still had their heads hung low, the magistrate heaves a soft sigh past his lips.

"Who does the rank number thirteen sound for you?"