Along the glittering waterfront, two individuals who looked very much out of place to the people of Shangri-La traipsed cautiously. One of them appeared to be a young soldier from a distant nation, with a strange-looking weapon slung behind his back. The other was a mysterious girl with flax-colored hair and hazel eyes which intrigued and mesmerized the locals.
“Are Shun and Rya alright-arisu?” asked the small girl, who walked a few steps ahead of them, in a strange, flowery accent.
Although she wore a mature-looking kimono dyed in pale scarlet, if Shun had to guess, she could not have been older than twelve years old. The fact that a child just approached them after they disembarked from Li Ya’s boat—claiming to be their guide while speaking fluent Arcadian—baffled him completely.
“Uh…” He glanced at Rya briefly before facing the newcomer. “Sorry if I may sound rude, but can you at least tell us your name? And where are you bringing us to?”
She made an “oops” sound and hastily bowed her head to the ground. “Pardon me for my insolence-arisu, I should have introduced myself as soon as I found you two. I’m the Kamuro under the Tayu Oiran, Hasumi—please address me as Lian Xin1Hasumi's common name. (Refer to Glossary for more details).”
Rya hurriedly stopped her from bowing any longer. “Did Shihime send you here?”
“Yes, that is correct-arisu.” Lian Xin straightened her back and pushed a loose strand of raven-black hair to the side. “The Tayu Oiran did so once she had heard of Shun and Rya’s arrival.”
“W-wait, how did Shihime know…” The look in her dark amethyst eyes silenced Shun.
“The Tayu Oiran is one of the most powerful positions in Shangri-La, hence it’s only natural for her to know anything that happens within its borders-arisu,” she replied curtly. “If there are no further questions, please allow Lian Xin to prepare Shun and Rya for the assembly.”
“A-assembly?” the two asked in unison.
“The Tayu Oiran requested Lian Xin to bring the honorable outlanders to her in the Golden Temple.” She resumed walking forward. “Lian Xin shall guide Shun and Rya to our guesthouse in the North District, where there’s a hot spring available for your use, while she prepares your sets of new clothes-arisu.”
“T-thank you…” Shun hastily turned to Rya and whispered, “This is kinda awkward, but what's a Kamuro? And why did Shihime send a kid to meet us?”
“I believe they are the protégées of high-ranking courtesans.” She glanced briefly at Lian Xin’s small back. “But I too didn’t expect a mere child to be the candidate for succeeding the position of Tayu Oiran…”
So I was right—Lian Xin isn’t normal. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “At any rate, let’s just do as the Romans do first.”
“Romans?” She gave him a confused look.
“Uhh…it’s just a fancy way of saying we should go with the flow.”
The three walked down the myriad streets of the city in silence—mostly due to the imposing aura surrounding Lian Xin despite her age—but also because Shun and Rya were focused on taking in all the bizarre and intriguing sights around them.
Every building along the street was built in the same distinctive style: two-storied squarish houses constructed using thick cypress wood and yellow glazed tiles for their roofs. Their façades resembled the traditional machiyas of Kyoto, but Shun thought they looked more like Chinese shophouses instead.
He also noticed that this bewildering mix of Chinese and Japanese cultures influenced the way the people of Shangri-La dressed too. Lian Xin’s kimono was obviously inspired by Japan; the common folk, on the other hand, wore what appeared to be clothing from ancient China. The men donned simple white cotton robes with short sleeves, while the women were dressed in modest cheongsams dresses which reached their ankles. Certainly there had to be a reason behind the different choices in clothing styles, but he couldn’t tell what it was immediately.
Maybe I should ask Shihime about it later…
“Shun, do you see that?” Rya nudged him, breaking his line of thought, and nodded her head towards an alleyway to the side of the main road they were on. “That girl, isn’t she in trouble?”
He glanced inside the dark alleyway and also saw a girl, who was about the same age as Rya, being cornered by two older men. She was pressed against the wall and as they closed in, she let out a pitiful whimper and closed her eyes tightly shut.
The typical baddies against a defenseless girl event has happened! This is where the protagonist intervenes and makes mincemeat out of those fools, right?
“Don’t.” As if she had just read his mind, Lian Xin stopped and shook her head firmly at him.
He blinked in surprise. “Eh?”
“It’s wiser for Shun and Rya to ignore such things-arisu.” With that, she walked briskly past the alleyway, her wooden clogs echoing clearly on the stone-paved road.
They exchanged worried looks before hurriedly catching up to Lian Xin.
“W-wait, are you sure?” Rya asked in a doubtful voice.
“That girl, she owes the Shingri money-arisu,” Lian Xin said in a disinterested voice. “The Shingri is the secret society that controls the underworld of Shangri-La. Even the Tayu Oiran herself avoids being too involved with them.”
“Secret society, you say…” Shun gulped. Oi, isn’t this place just a teensy bit dangerous?
“As long as Shun and Rya stick to the main roads during nighttime, the two of you will be mostly safe-arisu.” She came to a halt in front of a house at the corner of the street and turned around to address them.
“This is the guesthouse-arisu.” A slight smile appeared on her face half-lit by the soft glow of the street lanterns. “Please, enter and make yourselves at home.”
As soon as Lian Xin slid open the wooden lattice door, Shun and Rya were greeted by a luxurious lobby. They murmured oohs and waahs as they slowly entered, glancing around at their surroundings in amazement.
Exquisite floor lanterns adorned the polished wooden floor. In the center of the lobby was a small fountain feature, surrounded by decorative pebbles carefully arranged in rings. The susurration of flowing water, coupled with the soft, luminous glow emanated by the lanterns, gave the guesthouse a pleasant and inviting ambience.
“Permit me, both on my behalf, and on behalf of my assistants, to extend a warm welcome to the both of you, distinguished visitors from afar.” A middle-aged woman with her hair tied into a neat bun approached them and bowed deeply. “This humble guesthouse is truly graced by your noble presence.”
“U-u-um…likewise?” Shun mumbled, totally caught off guard by her grandiose manner of speech.
Rya bowed her head in return without hesitation. “Our sincere apologies for troubling you with our unexpected arrival, madam. We deeply thank you for your kind generosity.”
Nice save, Rya!
The woman nodded her head and smiled. “The both of you must be fatigued after your long journey to Shangri-La. Please, permit my assistants to guide you to the hot springs.”
Two short maidens dressed in elegant Miko costumes appeared at the entrance to the two corridors on either side of the reception counter. Strangely though, they wore silk veils which hid the lower half of their faces from view, making them seem more like mysterious dolls than human.
“It is a tradition for unmarried girls in our guesthouse to cover their faces so as to guard their modesty,” the woman explained. “However, since dear distinguished visitors are guests of the Tayu Oiran, you may request them to remove their veils and personally attend to you in the hot spring as well.”
R-really?! Since you say so, thanks for the VIP treatment—
“Thereʼs no need for such special treatment, madam.” Rya gave him a sideways glance. “Isnʼt that right, Shun?”
“Yes, of course,” he meekly replied with a forced smile.
“Then, please follow my assistants to the hot springs.” The woman gestured towards the two maidens. “Please enter through the left corridor, demoiselle. The young soldier shall enter through the right corridor.”
“See you, Shun.” Rya reluctantly waved her hand as they parted ways.
With a soft chuckle, he waved his hand back. “See you soon too.”
Upon entering the corridor, Shun found that it was dimly-lit unlike the lobby, with translucent floor-to-ceiling paper shōji doors on one side that allowed some moonlight to filter through. Long shadows formed on the dark-brown oak floorboards, which felt cold under his feet.
“S-so, whatʼs your name?” Shun asked in an effort to make small talk.
The maiden in front simply continued walking straight in a brisk manner, without the slightest hint that she heard him.
He walked closer and tried again. “Um, I was asking…”
She stopped suddenly in front of a doorway with a white noren curtain hanging from the top. “...take off your clothes.”
Eh? What kind of name is that? He paused and coughed slightly. “Sorry?”
She passed him a bath towel. “Take off your clothes and wrap this around your waist before entering.”
“Wait…here?”
“Yes.”
O-oi, is she being serious? “...um, but—”
She clicked her tongue loudly. “Do you need me to assist you, sir?”
“No, no thanks.”
“Then, please do it by yourself. Iʼll prepare the bath now.” She entered through the doorway, leaving an utterly flabbergasted Shun behind.
“By the way, that weird thing youʼre carrying”—she suddenly returned, pointing at the rifle—“you canʼt bring it inside. Please put it in the basket by the entrance.”
“YO, WHATʼS WRONG WITH YOU??” He hastily threw the towel on his lower body and held it with both hands.
“No worries, I didnʼt see anything, sir.” The maiden, though her mouth was hidden from view, was definitely smiling as she gave a practiced courteous bow. “Please enjoy the bath. Iʼll call you again when your new set of clothes arrive.”
He stared at her back in sheer incredulity as she took her leave. “...what the hell is wrong with Shangri-La women?”
