Ranka froze up a moment, as she heard soft sobbing in the baths. It had been early enough in the morning she’d expected the baths to be empty, and so signalled for Ichi to stay put. Moving quietly, Ranka peaked around the corner, to see it was Saki in the corner. 

“What’s... what’s wrong?” Ranka asked, as she stepped out into the main bathing area.

Saki’s gentle sobs stopped, and the woman turned to Ranka, tears still in her eyes. “I’m... I think I’m pregnant again.”

Ranka hurried over to Saki’s side, kneeling beside her, and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Not yet. I might just be late, but... I’ve been feeling sore, and realising it’s a possibility caused me to break down in tears. My mood doesn’t usually swing quite this bad,” Saki muttered. “If my period doesn’t start by tomorrow, I think it’s all but confirmed.”

Ranka nodded, giving it a few moment’s thought. “Well, it’s not confirmed quite yet. Even if it is, we’ll figure something out. You got through last time like a pro, and they say they get easier the more you’ve had.”

Saki offered a weak smile that was probably more of a grimace than anything. “I don’t want to have to give another child away. Yoshiwara is no place to raise a child if I can avoid it, though.”

“There’s only five years left on your contract. Between you, me, Fuji, and Ichi, I think we could handle a kid until we’re free,” Ranka offered, trying to be optimistic.

“I’m good with babies,” Ichi said, poking her head around the corner. “I was always helping my big sis look after the twins.”

“Well, there you go. We have an expert in our midst,” Ranka said, trying to give a big enough smile that it might spread to Saki.

It was probably more Ichi’s adorable look of determination that brought a proper smile onto Saki’s face, but Ranka could pride herself in having helped at least.

---

The issue of how to help Saki dominated Ranka’s thoughts for the next couple of days. Fuji had been brought in the loop as well, though she had no immediate solutions either. Well, there were ways to try to stop a pregnancy, but... Saki had not responded well to those last time.

They already had one major issue on their hands... dealing with a second was pushing Ranka deeper into stress than she cared to admit. To keep Ichi busy, Ranka had assigned her some reading that morning, since she lacked the focus to provide any proper lessons for the moment. 

Ranka found herself pacing when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, she was greeted by the sight of a Tofu Kozou in the hallway. The strange little childlike Yokai was grinning up at her, while holding a basket of bamboo leaf wrapped items.

“Ms. Mei! I have been told to inform you that the doctor you asked for will be coming by soon,” the creature said, its voice a slightly unpleasant parody of human speech. 

“How soon is soon?” Ranka asked.

“Uhh... probably today? Humans get so distracted sometimes, so you can never say for sure,” the Tofu Kozou replied.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Ranka said with a sigh. She supposed it was better than nothing.

“Oh! Also! I have a delivery for you too!” the little Yokai said, pulling out one of the bamboo leaf bundles. 

Ranka took it, a little apprehensive until she opened it and was met with a sight of the edible gold that was deep fried tofu.

“I have to go deliver the rest to the shrine, but... have a good day, miss human kitsune,” the creature said, before scurrying off.

Ranka shook her head a little before closing the door for her apartment, wondering how normal people ignored those strange creatures so easily. She then popped one of the bite sized bits of tofu in her mouth, a happy shiver running down her spine with the texture and flavour.

“You make the weirdest faces when you eat that stuff, you know that?” Ichi said.

“There’s no food quite like it,” Ranka replied, after swallowing the first bit. “Down right addictive to kitsune blood.”

“So, what do you think he’s going to be like?” Ichi asked.

“Hm?” Ranka asked, a second bit of tofu in her mouth now.

“The doctor! Do you think he’s going to be an ancient grandpa? Young and handsome? Or maybe a yokai himself?”

Ranka weighed the options for a few moments, rather distracted by her tofu treat. “Probably old, if he’s so exceptionally knowledgeable.”

“I hope he doesn’t have creepy bony fingers,” Ichi muttered. “I know they say spider yokai turn into beautiful women, but... I think whoever says that hasn’t looked at old peoples’ hands enough.”

Ranka couldn’t help laughing at Ichi’s genuine conviction. Ranka also had to admit that she’d not personally met any Jorogumo, so couldn’t say if they ever turned into old people. This led to a conversation about what sorts of Yokai she had met, Ranka forced to admit that, beside Yuki Onna, Tofu Kozou, and Kitsune she’d only interacted with a handful, and most of them were Tanuki.

Disappointed by a lack of adventurous tales, Ichi glumly returned to her readings, while Ranka practised her shamisen. After that it was lessons on writing kanji for Ichi, and calligraphy practice for Ranka herself. They were nearly finished when there was another knock on the door.

An excited Ichi hurried off in front, opening the door to find a slightly frazzled looking shinzou girl.

“Is the doctor here?” Ichi asked, while Ranka was still hurrying to put calligraphy supplies away.

“Doctor? You’re expecting a doctor? Is Lady Mei sick?” the older girl asked, panic in her voice.

“I’m not ill,” Ranka replied, heading over to the door. “We have been told to expect a doctor may be coming to visit however.”

“Ah... well, there’s a strange man at the front. He’s asking to see you, and refusing the usual custom of booking a first visit in advance,” the girl replied. “Maybe he’s that doctor?”

“Hopefully,” Ranka said, before heading off towards the lobby. 

When she arrived, there were a few guards present, along with the Yarite and two accountant women, all facing off against a man with slightly greying hair. He was a small man, though he had a kind face. 

“I just want to examine her,” the man was saying as Ranka arrived.

“Whether you touch or not is up to you, but we have requirements from new customers,” the Yarite replied.

“What’s going on?” Ranka asked, stepping forward.

“Mei, you aren’t supposed to enter the lobby out of makeup,” the Yarite said, her tone sharp.

“Is that her?” the stranger asked. “The kitsune blooded Oiran?”

“Are you the doctor then?” Ranka asked.

“You were expecting me?” the man asked.

“You know him?” the Yarite asked.

“I... I don’t know him, exactly, but I was expecting him, yes,” Ranka replied. 

The Yarite responded with a rather confused face. The doctor took advantage of the confusion to move forward and take Ranka’s hand, examining it closely, and from all angles.

“Fascinating. You truly are awash with variable chi,” the doctor said. “That young woman was right to point me to you, as expensive as the opportunity may be.”

“You’re willing to pay?” Ranka asked, looking to the Yarite with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course,” the doctor replied.

“He wanted to skip all formalities, though,” the Yarite complained. “Not booking his first appointment, not doing any proof of his fortunes to show he could serve as a repeat client...”

“Well, he was guided here by my prayers. It hardly seems fair to put him through all that,” Ranka replied.

“Your prayers? Mei, are you ill?” the Yarite asked, genuine concern in her voice. Ranka suspected the concern was mostly for the income drop her ill health could bring, however.

“I am not. At least not that I know of,” Ranka replied. “I would, however, like his assistance with a matter.”

The older woman let out a sigh. “Fine. If you requested him, then I suppose we can make an exception. As long as he still pays the full rates.”

A brief bit of paperwork followed, as the doctor, whose name proved to be Nishizaki, set up an account for billing purposes and made his payment. Ranka then led him back to her small apartment. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man, he was so unassuming he was hard to read. She hoped his smile and soft features meant he could be trusted, however. She also held some faith that a servant of Inari would not send trouble her way.

Either way, Ranka offered the man a seat and began to brew him some tea. She decided small talk was best, and began to ask the man about his history. Dr. Nishizaki was happy to share his life story. He’d spent some years practising medicine in Kyushu, before saving up enough money to take a Korean ship to China. There he’d wandered the country for some time, learning different practices, seeing what seemed more efficient than those used at home. Eventually, he’d made his way down to Macau, and took a Portuguese ship back to Japan, learning what he could of European medicine while with them. 

“Yet, in all my travels, I had not encountered one such as you. A perfect patient to study the differences in male and female meridian systems,” the doctor explained. 

“Well, I have good news for you. You’ve not one, but two unusual patients to study by coming here,” Ranka said. “Ichi, you can come out.”

The young girl poked her head out from the bedroom area, a nervous energy in her eyes. The doctor watched her as she approached, politely returning a slight bow when Ichi gave him one.

“May I see your hand, young miss?” Nishizaki asked.

Ichi glanced towards Ranka, who gave her an encouraging nod. The girl then stepped forward, holding out her hand, which the doctor took. After some examination, the doctor let out an odd sigh.

“I see no signs that this girl contains the same complexity of energies as yourself?” he said to Ranka.

“That you assess her to be a girl is something that, I believe, most doctors would disagree with,” Ranka replied. “Her condition is not the same as mine, but surely still unusual. It is also the main reason for the prayers that brought you here.”

“I... you mean... I admit, I’m not completely sure what you mean,” the doctor said, mouth scrunching up in confusion.

“We were told you could help give me a proper girl body,” Ichi said, fidgeting a little as she said so.

“You mean your body currently is...” the doctor began, though the slow nods from both Ichi and Ranka answered his question before he finished asking it. “Ah, well... I do know that turning a male body fully into a female body is not something I can manage, but... certain herbal remedies and surgeries... I will need to consult with my full library back home before I can say what, precisely, is the best service I can provide. I know I can help at least a little, though.”

“Will it... will it be expensive?” Ranka asked. 

She hated having to ask, but needed to know. 

“If you give me permission to observe her growth and study the impact of treatment, I would gladly bear the expenses myself,” the doctor replied, excitement in his voice. “As you said, she is rather a unique patient from which I could learn a great deal. How could I say no to a chance to learn from someone whose development will surely be unique?”

“I... I would like to see what your study of myself entails, before I agree to those terms immediately,” Ranka replied. The man seemed kind, but he hadn’t fully proven it yet.

“Understandable. A young child such as her should be protected,” the doctor replied, a little disappointment in his voice. “Besides, it will be at least a few days before I can actually make the real offer. I suspect I know what to do for a surgical treatment, but the herbal aspect to balance her lack of certain organs... that will take some research.”

With that, the man reached into the bag he was carrying with him, pulling out a roll of linen and unfurling it to reveal a number of instruments. Some were metal, others wood, and some looked to be ivory. 

“I suppose that running my examination is the best means to gain your trust?” the doctor asked. 

Ranka nodded, though she felt a little nervous about what some of the tools might be for.

“Please, then, expose your torso. I promise, this is an examination only, the worst sensation will be some tools being cold. I wouldn’t dare attempt acupuncture or moxibustion until I have a better idea how your energy channels function.”

Ranka complied, slipping her kimono open. The man’s hands were gentle as he worked up her arm, as he massaged various points, prodding some with different tools, and leaving marks at certain points. The process continued onto her back, where the cold metal instruments felt even chillier. 

“How exactly do you transform, if you don’t mind my asking?” the doctor asked as he moved around to her front. 

“Rice,” Ranka replied simply, trying not to shiver as he prodded new nexus points of her chi flow. 

“Rice? Just... any rice? Saké? Mochi? All of them?”

“Y-yes,” Ranka replied, shivering as cold metal poked into her stomach.

“Rather an annoying trigger, no?” the man asked, after a moment of studying an area near her neck.

“I’ve learned to live with it,” Ranka said. What else could she say? It was just her life.

“Well, I think I’ve got the key vital points down for this form of yours. Do you have any rice here presently?” the doctor asked.

“Not in the room at this moment... Ichi, can you run and fetch me a small bottle of saké?”

Ichi nodded and hurried off, careful not to open the door too much when she did so. Ranka took the moment to examine the markings she could see, and felt like a living acupuncture doll. She swore she had at least half as many dots on her, maybe more. 

“I’m curious if any of them move, that’s why I marked so many,” the doctor explained, before she could ask.

Ranka nodded. “My proportions change though. What if it’s the mark that moves, not the vital point?”

“Is there truly a difference between those two options?” the doctor asked.

Ranka opened her mouth for a moment, before realising she wasn’t sure. She supposed that a doctor knew more about that than her. 

Thankfully, before she could grow too lost in thought, Ichi hurried in with the small bottle of saké. Ranka took a sip, enough to spark the tingle of transformation. 

“Fascinating,” the doctor muttered, before restarting the examination process. 

At least Ranmaru felt less sensitive to the cold of the metallic tools now, the hot yang of manhood having always left him better able to handle cold as a man. He had to admit, the full process was annoyingly long, but had shown no signs of being properly unpleasant. It seemed Ichi might be safe in Doctor Nishizaki’s hands.

Questioning about his health and lifestyle had followed. The list of inquiries were long enough that the sun had firmly set by the time the interview was over. The doctor bid his farewell after a few more minutes of writing notes, promising to return when he had something concrete to offer for Ichi.