Because of last night, Shun could barely sleep throughout the night. 

Hwhoo…fwaa…hwoo…fwaa… 

He glanced down and to his right, where Rya slept soundly beside him. One hand beneath her cheek, lips parted, her breaths even and deep like a kitten’s purrs. The sheets had fallen down to her waist, baring her soft, porcelain skin caressed by the waning moonlight. 

The entertainment district had fallen quiet outside the window. It seemed like the courtesans had retired, and in the silver of time before the break of dawn, Hshiwara became akin to a ghost town standing still in the dark. 

It felt like the vast, wide world had no one but him and Rya together at that moment. And that thought didn’t scare him, he realised. In fact, it was actually a pretty comforting thought not having to deal with strangers in his lives. 

With that thought floating in his mind, he lay down on the bed and drifted to sleep. 

When he woke up again, the spot to his right was empty. Two familiar voices chatted amicably behind him, and when he turned around in surprise, his gaze was met by Rya’s and Shihime’s. 

“Morning, Shun,” Rya said in between mouthfuls of French toast. 

“Good morning~” Shihime smiled and offered him a slice of toast from the plate in between them. “You’re just in time for breakfast.” 

“B-breakfast, oh…” He stared at the damp towel wrapped around her naked body. “What happened to your clothes?”

“Since it was too late to return to my residence after my last client, I came here directly to meet up with you two instead,” she said languidly. “Rya let me use the bath just now while Zhu’er is preparing my morning wear as we speak.”

Honestly, it was kind of impressive yet worrying that Shihime hadn’t collapsed out of exhaustion from her tight schedule. In his previous world, he had once fainted on the sidewalk after forcing himself to endure a full week of overtime, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with the dangers of overworking. 

“Say, why don’t you take a rest for now?” he asked, scooting off the bed and gesturing at it as an invitation. “It isn’t good for you to push yourself this much.” 

“...” Surprise flashed in her eyes for a moment before she cleverly hid her emotions behind her smile. “Are you sure? That’s the same bed you and your girlfriend sleep on, you know?” 

“I don’t mind,” Rya chimed in. It seemed like she had the same concern too, though because he had been occupying the bed, she hadn’t voiced it out. “What Shun said is correct. Besides, you’re the Tayu Oiran, so it’s even more important that you stay healthy.” 

With a near-imperceptible nod, she stood up and offered her seat to Shun before making her way to the bed. 

“Um, my towel is still a little wet, so I’m going to take it off.” 

“Oh—?” Shun turned to look at Shihime, but his vision suddenly turned black. Rya’s other hand forcibly turned his head to face her instead before removing her hand from his eyes. 

“Was yesterday’s punishment not severe enough?” she said while folding her arms across her puffed out chest. 

He hesitated and grinned. “No.” 

Rya immediately pinched his ear and stuffed a piece of French toast into his mouth, muffling his cries for mercy. “Don’t be shy, we have plenty to go around.” 

***

“This stop is Central,” an announcement in Shangrinese rang just as the tram slowed to a halt at their stop. The driver that replaced Neko, just as Lian Xin had mentioned, was also a cat—but this cat didn’t talk or respond to humans when approached. Instead, there was a handwritten note pasted on the dashboard with instructions for the passengers (which Rya guessed was probably written by Neko). 

Shihime alighted from the tram gracefully and headed straight for the street market. Although the market square was hectic as ever, she commanded a strong presence that made her stand out from the crowd immediately. Everyone else in the vicinity quietly moved aside in unison for the Tayu Oiran to pass through—just like Moses parting the Red Sea, he remarked. 

“Who’s Moses?” Rya asked after hearing his comment.

“My imaginary friend’s friend, I suppose.” 

“How many imaginary friends do you know…?” 

This time, Shihime led them to a different section of the market. The flashy colourful stalls here resembled game stalls one would find at an outdoor carnival, Shun noted, rather than a proper marketplace. The people here were also mostly families who were strolling through with their children running about excitedly.

“This must be the entertainment section,” Rya said, looking around with mild curiosity. “I didn’t know the Tayu Oiran was interested in children’s games.” 

“Oh, we aren’t here to play games, dear.” Shihime stopped in front of an empty stall sandwiched between a stall selling cotton candy and a stall offering a fishing mini-game. “This is the stall you two will be in charge of from today onwards.”

“In charge of…?” Shun felt his jaw drop. “We’re selling t-that in front of kids??”