Chapter 219 The Pleasure District ②
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”So, you truly possessed an ‘acquaintance’ here… No, Aerith is quite alright. Barbara-san, might I ask but one thing? If you could please divulge, in the most exhaustive detail, exactly what sort of acts a husband without reservation would desire of one…” Aerith asked.
”No, for the last time, I’m telling you that you’ve got it all wrong!” I said.
Tracking the footsteps of Viscount Nixfen⁶, we navigated the deepest recesses of the Hanamachi¹, arriving at the residence of Barbara—a woman who maintained a clinic within the very quarters where the prostitutes resided. She had graciously permitted us entry, yet Aerith remained mired in a spectacular misunderstanding.
To be fair, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised she’s questioning if I’ve found ‘yet another woman.’ Barbara is a striking beauty, easily a match for the most high-class courtesans, so in a sense, the confusion is only natural. It doesn’t help that the woman herself seems to take a certain perverse pleasure in drawing men in only to give them the cold shoulder.
This allure is heightened by her choice of attire—ornate, fluttering garments that speak of her heritage from a foreign land across the southern sea. To an observer from my former world, her style instantly evoked images of vast deserts and wandering camels.
Whenever she casts a sidelong glance and a fleeting smile through the narrow slit of her face veil, I find my heart skipping a treacherous beat… but regardless, that’s beside the point right now.
”Listen here, little lady. Even a prostitute possesses the right to be selective about her clientele. He might be pulling in a decent wage lately, but this scrawny fellow just doesn’t quite make the cut…” Barbara said.
”Hey, knock it off! Start by denying the ‘prostitute’ part! Even if it’s a fact, that’s gotta sting!” I barked.
”I-It is true that Master is quite lanky, but his vitality more than compensates for any physical deficiency!” Aerith added.
”Aerith, you don’t need to join the fray on their side!” I replied.
For reasons beyond my comprehension, Barbara and Aerith had descended into a heated debate while simultaneously dragging my reputation through the mud. For the record, by the standards of my previous world, I actually rank fairly high in terms of stamina and physical strength! It’s just that the ‘buff’ guys in this world are ridiculously over-muscled!
”Hah! What a fascinating little lady you are. And here I thought you were keeping busy with that newborn child you had with Lily,” Barbara laughed.
”Will you stop laughing and just clear this up already? Sister-disciple, Great Sister-disciple, Great Goddess Sister-disciple!” I pleaded.
”Sister-disciple…?” Aerith asked.
”Indeed. This fool and I happen to have studied under the same mentor. Our tenures as live-in disciples didn’t overlap, mind you. Are you familiar with the name Miranda-sama?” Barbara asked.
”Of course! So that was the connection! To think you were a pupil of Miranda-sama and Master’s own senior… pray, forgive my earlier impertinence…” Aerith said, bowing low.
Barbara responded with a casual, dismissive wave of her hand. Indeed, Barbara was one of the pupils of my mentor in the alchemical arts, the old matron Miranda. Since she made regular appearances at the old woman’s house, we had been acquainted well before I even launched my business.
In fact, the very idea of marketing adult magic tools to the local prostitutes had been sparked by her existence. Without her, I might never have even realized a place like the Hanamachi existed in the first place.
Though, given the adage that ‘prostitution is the world’s oldest profession,’ I had assumed that wherever men and women existed—even in another world—some iteration of it would be found. However, I’d been far too preoccupied with the raw struggle for survival to go looking, and quite frankly, I’d been dead broke back then.
Incidentally, the only consistent bestseller our shop has within the Hanamachi, ‘The First Lesson of Breaking’², is distributed to the various brothels through her. I also provide her with small wholesale batches of other items; the ‘Ddo-Buddy’³ series and various ‘Anl-type’⁴ goods seem to find a buyer every now and then.
”It’s no trouble at all. I don’t take on clients for my own reasons, but I dress this way and live here because I genuinely enjoy it,” Barbara said.
”For reasons…?” Aerith asked.
”Oh, it’s a tale as old as time. A mother who bears a client’s child tells her daughter, ‘Whatever you do, don’t become a prostitute.’ But I love this district, so I decided I’d settle for being a doctor or an apothecary instead,” Barbara explained.
”I… I see. Your mother…” Aerith muttered.
Within the earnest mind of Aerith, she was undoubtedly conjuring an image of a beautiful, tragic mother bedridden and frail, clutching her daughter’s hand while delivering a tearful ultimatum. However, the reality was somewhat different.
”Hate to ruin the poignant atmosphere, but her mother is actually in the pink of health, you know?” I said.
”Wh-What?! After the way you set that up?! I… I mean, obviously that’s for the best, but still…!” Aerith cried.
”Oh, honestly, you bumbling idiot, Kento! There’s no joy in it if you spoil the punchline so carelessly!” Barbara snapped.
My sister-disciple possessed quite the formidable personality. Then again, she was a pupil of that old woman Miranda, so I suppose it was only to be expected. Wait… by that logic, doesn’t that mean I have a ‘formidable’ personality as well? I’m somewhat aware of the possibility, but I chose to stop dwelling on it.
”Ba—Sister-disciple, I’m a bit late on the introductions, but this is Aerith-jou of the Garou Merchant Guild⁵. She’s my ‘mate.’ She’s incredibly earnest, so try not to tease her too mercilessly, alright?” I said.
”Hoh, a ‘mate,’ is it? And from the Garou Merchant Guild to boot… Well, charmed to meet you, little lady. I’m Barbara. I run the medical practice here in the Hanamachi,” Barbara said.
”The pleasure is all mine, Barbara-san,” Aerith replied.
Finally, we could broach the heart of the matter. Once their formal greetings were concluded, I retrieved the ‘Help Stick’⁶ from my tunic and presented it to Barbara.
”So, Sister-disciple, I was hoping to get your thoughts on this. You recognize it?” I asked.
”Oh, I was wondering when you’d get around to that after showing your face for the first time in an age. Of course I recognize it. That’s a ‘Help Stick,’ isn’t it?” Barbara said.
”Good, that saves time. I’m looking to speak with the man distributing these—this Viscount Nixfen—and I was hoping you could arrange an introduction,” I asked.
”Heh, so that boy really was a member of the nobility after all,” Barbara noted.
Barbara listened to my request and let out a low, amused chuckle. There was that ‘personality’ of hers surfacing again. Whenever she smiled in that particular way, it was usually a harbinger of trouble.
”So you’ve met him?” I asked.
”I didn’t know anything about a Viscount Nixfen, but I’m well-acquainted with the lad who sells those ‘Help Sticks.’ He wandered into our district a while back looking half-starved, so we saw to it that he was fed. After that, he insisted that he had to sell these things. Before anyone could blink, he’d become the absolute darling of the local prostitutes,” Barbara explained.
I see. That aligned perfectly with what Suu-san, the cat-eared secretary at the Beast-person Association⁷ hall, had mentioned earlier.
”In that case, I definitely need to meet him,” I said.
”Well, I don’t suppose I mind introducing you. As it happens, the lad seemed quite keen on meeting you as well. But tell me, what exactly do you intend to do once you’re face-to-face?” Barbara asked.
”Market research, naturally. I want to discover exactly what it is about this ‘Help Stick’ that appeals so strongly to the prostitutes who won’t give my inventory the time of day. I figure a meeting might shed some light on it,” I said.
”Market research, is it? If that’s all you’re after, couldn’t you just interview a few of the girls around here?” Barbara asked.
”I also want to delve into the technical specifics of the product itself. His creation is superficially similar to mine, but the underlying methodology is entirely different. As a fellow magic toolmaker, I was genuinely impressed that such an approach was even viable,” I explained.
”Hoh, how remarkably humble of you. Especially considering how you’re usually overflowing with misplaced confidence despite your products failing to move at all…” Barbara teased.
Barbara arched an eyebrow with clear skepticism, but I wasn’t being dishonest. Granted, the fact that he’s being doted on by all the local women is incredibly irritating, and I’m burning with a competitive urge to prove I won’t be outdone. I might even be entertaining the thought of delivering a solid jab or two if the opportunity arises.
However, even if he is a pampered noble from the western territories, he is still an aristocratic lord of a domain. He’s almost certainly undergone rigorous martial training and isn’t a man I could simply overpower on a whim.
”Hey now, don’t look at me like that. I shouldn’t have to say it, but is this Viscount Nixfen really such a pushover that he’d have anything to fear from a lanky guy like me?” I asked.
”Oh, I’m not worried about his safety in the slightest. It’s just… Hmm, I can tell this is going to be incredibly entertaining… and yet…” Barbara muttered.
Barbara crossed her arms, her head and entire torso tilting as she hummed in deep, agonizing thought. It was an unexpectedly charming gesture, but I couldn’t fathom what was causing her such internal conflict. I was just about to press her for a clear answer when a sudden commotion interrupted.
”Eeeeek! Look this way, please!”
”I’ll take three! One for use, one for my collection, and one for the ministry!”
From beyond the walls of the room, a cacophony of high-pitched squeals erupted—the unmistakable sound of the local prostitutes in a frenzy. It seemed the man of the hour, Viscount Nixfen, had finally made his appearance.
—
Summary:
Kento and Aerith track Viscount Nixfen’s influence to the clinic of Barbara, Kento’s mischievous senior disciple. While there, Kento attempts to secure an introduction to his rival to study the ‘Help Stick’ from a craftsman’s perspective. The meeting is cut short when the Viscount himself arrives outside, greeted by a mob of adoring fans from the pleasure district.
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Character Insight:
Kento displays a professional maturity by acknowledging the technical merit of Nixfen’s work, even while nursing a personal grudge over his lack of sales. Barbara is revealed to be a pillar of the local community with a complex past, using her medical skills to stay in the district she loves. Aerith’s possessiveness and tendency toward dramatic mental imagery provide a comedic counterpoint to the more grounded Barbara.
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Behind the Scene:
The arrival of Viscount Nixfen is framed like a modern idol appearance, highlighting the ‘celebrity’ status a noble with a useful product can achieve in this world. Barbara’s dialogue reflects the unique ‘Hanamachi’ dialect, which blends maternal warmth with a sharp, professional edge.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Aerith – A wolf beast-person and Ouka’s daughter. She is intensely attracted to Kento’s creative genius and is not shy about showing her interest. Have gray fur hair and tail, wearing elegant dress.
• Nixfen – A viscount aristocrat who has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district. He is described as a ‘pretty boy’ or ‘gentle-looking man’ (yasao) but is a territory-holding noble likely trained in combat.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
• Suu – Secretary for the Royal Capital Beast-person Mutual Aid Association and a cat beast-person. Sample No. 19 in Kento’s report. She steps up as the first witness for the defense.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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