Chapter 1046. Blossoms of Nobility / Flower and Blossom

Momoko-neechan speaks sullenly in the bathtub, staring at Minaho-neesan.

「 Of course, I do. Kaan Momoko-san, right? 」

Minaho-neesan answered nonchalantly.

「 Despite knowing that, you still speak rudely to me, are you stupid? 」

「 Oh? Why? It’s the elder’s job to discipline unacceptably arrogant girls 」

Minaho-neesan said. Momoko-neechan’s displeased.

「 You’re the head of the Kuromori house, then that means that you’re the manager of that brothel, aren’t you? 」

「 Yes, that’s right 」

「 A woman with a filthy occupation calling out to the daughter of the Kaan house is already rude. Do you not understand that? 」

Err.

The Black Forest Brothel…a high-class brothel who only receives the VIPs of politics and industry will reopen.

Removing all of the perverted customers that Shirasaka Sousuke brought in.

Minaho-neesan will inherit the spirit of her Grandfather when he founded the business. The brothel is also a social club for the high-class people.

Naturally, the nobility is a valuable customer.

「 Do you not know how much trouble you’ll receive if I tell grandfather all this rudeness you’ve done 」

Kaan house is a noble house that is equal to the Kouzuki house.

They have various enterprises.

One word from Momoko-neechan’s grandfather will make people of nobility stop from coming to Minaho-neesan’s brothel.

However.

「 Fufu… 」

Minaho-neesan laughs.

「 Kukuku!! You seem to be abysmally stupid 」

「 W-What?! What’s funny?! 」

「 I will not allow such rudeness towards Momoko-ojousama! 」

Yamada Umeko-Sebastianus-san who’s receiving Edie’s massage shouted, but…

「 Hey now, quiet. We’re just in the good part 」

「 Kuh 」

Edie pushed her down.

「 Your back is still in pain. I’m in my best condition, so if I push you down, you can’t move 」

It seems that she’s stuck in a judo pin.

Yamada-san can’t move now.

「 Earlier, you asked if I know who you are, but… 」

Minaho-neesan looked at Momoko-neechan.

「 It seems that you don’t even know who you really are 」

「 I-I am Kaan Momoko! I’m the daughter of the head family of the Kaan house! My grandfather is the head of the clan! My father will be the next head of the family! 」

Momoko-neechan shouts in fury.

「 Yes. You’re the daughter of the Kaan house. That’s indeed the case, but you’ll never be able to influence my business. Do you not understand that? 」

「 I told you already if I tell Grandfather this… 」

「 Pfft 」

Minaho-neesan stops Momoko-neechan from speaking by laughing.

It’s her usual scorn.

A cold smile that grabs your heart tightly.

Minaho-neesan’s good at scorning people.

That’s…

「 T-There’s no need to mention that I’m the reason! Grandfather can talk to the nobility and claim that it is his opinion… 」

「 Oh? If that’s the case, then I’ll just tell everyone about it 」

Minaho-neesan’s scornful smile doesn’t change.

「 If that happens, our customers from the nobility will come and inquire about me. “Just what happened that Kaan-sama gave such an order?” And if that happens, I’ll speak the truth. Kaan-sama’s 17-year-old granddaughter told him 」

Momoko-neechan’s shocked.

「 The brothel is an obscene place for the gentlemen and their lower halves…a place to relieve their sexual desire. Especially my brothel, it’s a special illegal location in the underground society. It’s a place where the customers come in secretly 」

The existence of the Black Forest brothel is insane.

「 Everyone will ask why Kaan-sama would tell them not to go to that secret facility. Besides, I’m the only one who knows who are the customers and who isn’t. Those of you who are on good terms with each other know that they visit the place, but some people are members of noble families who keep it a complete secret that they have visited the brothel 」

Right…

That’s why there was a problem with the customer list of the Kuromori house.

Then, Shirasaka Sousuke tried to bring the customer list to the crime syndicates.

The clients from the political and business circles allowed Minaho-neesan’s punishment on him because of that crime.

The truth about Shirasaka Sousuke’s miserable death is buried in the darkness.

「 Well, in Kaan-sama’s case, I’m sure that he can talk to the people close to him who visited the Kuromori brothel but…giving the order to never go in and out of the Kuromori mansion from here on with the reason that his granddaughter had a fight with Kuromori Minaho would make him a laughingstock. The sophomore young lady of the high-class school for the young ladies had troubles with a manager of a brothel. What would they think of you? 」

Thinking about it, these two would never make an exchange.

Well, I’m from the Kuromori house and Misuzu, who’s from the Kouzuki house is my fiance.

They could’ve met by chance with that bridge, but still…

「 I don’t mind it, I belong to the underground world anyway. The old customers know that I was a prostitute, it’s too late for any slander to harm me. I already went through a much scarier experience 」

Minaho-neesan experienced the pain of hell.

「 But what about the young lady of the Kaan house? You are going to lower your honor from fighting with a lowly woman like me, are you sure about that? 」

There was a saying that rich people don’t fight but…

The truth is that they can’t.

People watch them. If they had a fight because of something trivial, it only hurt their honor.

「 Besides, lowering your status would mean lowering the Kaan house’s status. Kaan-sama is aware of that, so, do you think that he would listen to your complaints and stop Kuromori house’s business? I don’t think so 」

「 Don’t forget that Kuromori house’s business has Kouzuki house involved too 」

Misuzu tells Momoko-neechan

Jii-chan’s backing the Kuromori house.

The reopening of the brothel is according to Jii-chan’s desire of reviving the old Kuromori tower.

「 Indeed, Kouzuki and Kaan house having a discord is something that both heads would want to avoid I believe 」

Minaho-nesan said.

Then…

「 Kaan Momoko-san, you need to act like an adult soon 」

「 A-Are you saying that I’m a child? 」

Momoko-neechan glared at Minaho-neesan.

「 Yes, you really are a hopeless child 」

Minaho-neesan’s scornful laugh shows no end.

「 You’re indeed the daughter of Kaan house but that’s all there is to it. You have no influence at all. After all, you don’t own any of the status, assets, nor fame of the Kaan house 」

That’s…

「 You happened to be born in the Kaan house and that reason alone made you live a comfortable life as a daughter of nobility but, you’re neither fish nor fowl, you’re just a high school girl 」

Momoko-neechan hears Minaho-neesan.

「 Your family keeps you safe, supporting you, but you haven’t achieved anything yourself. All your clothes and personal belongings are bought from your parent’s money, aren’t they? The car you use to go to school, your personal bodyguard, your family pays for it, not yourself 」

「 T-That’s… 」

Momoko-neechan’s flustered.

「 You received fortunes and protection from your Grandfather and father because they inherited the family honor from their ancestors, and that’s how you’re able to live your happy life as a daughter of nobility. But, you haven’t done anything, have you? You’re still a student. Despite that, you wear the mantle of your family and act arrogantly 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 Before being a member of the Kaan house, you’re a person, aren’t you? Take a look at yourself. Wearing a thin bathing swimsuit covering your bare body 」

Momoko-neechan isn’t wearing anything else other than that.

「 That’s your true self. What you have is yourself. Everything other than your flesh is borrowed, isn’t it? Your status as the daughter of nobility, your wealthy life, you receive it all from your family, from your Grandfather, from your father, it’s not yours 」

Momoko-neechan looked at her body in the bathtub.

「 I discovered that after meeting Onii-sama 」

Ruriko speaks up.

「 Before, I was arrogant, thinking that I carry the honor of the Kouzuki house. But, Onii-sama taught me that I’m just a girl through sex 」

She looked at me and smiled.

「 That’s why I like sex. I could serve Onii-sama with my naked body and nothing else. Onii-sama loves Ruriko, not the daughter of Kouzuki house 」

When having sex, we’re naked.

I connect with the naked mind and body of the women.

Nothing else is involved other than ourselves.

「 I understand that now! 」

Mariko shouts.

「 I’m only this naked body! Everything else is just related to me but it’s not my essence! I learned about that through sex 」

「 That’s something you can’t learn from normal sex. It’s only because our Kou is a bit of a strange man 」

Minaho-neesan said. Mariko;

「 Yes, I understand that! And so, I’ll never have sex with anyone but Kou for the rest of my life 」

She proclaims.

「 I don’t want to lose Kou after all 」

She hugs me, who’s lying down on the mattress

「 Agnes too! 」

The naked Agnes also hugs my body.

「 Oh, right. Kouzuki-sama left me a word to pass to Mariko-san 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 Me? 」

「 Yes. Mariko-san, if you are serious in investing then Kouzuki-sama will teach you personally 」

Jii-chan, personally?

「 Well, it won’t be just Mariko-san. You will join several people gathered in his lecture every week 」

Eeeh?

「 Minaho-neesan, you mean that Mariko’s joining Jii-chan’s students? 」

Those guys are bad.

They’re filled with nothing but the sons of the branch families of Kouzuki house and Kouzuki group.

If they find a woman there, they’ll immediately get in touch with her. Especially guys like Kouzuki Satoshi.

「 It’s different from them. Kouzuki-sama’s students are trained to become the future vassals of the Kouzuki house 」

Oh right.

That’s why it’s limited to children connected to the Kouzuki house.

「 Kouzuki-sama entrusted the management of the group to Shiba-san, so he seems to have a bit more time. Therefore, he thought of starting an investment management teaching classroom to those unrelated to the house 」

Oh, I guess that should be okay.

「 Kou, can I do it? 」

Mariko asks me.

「 I think you can. Aren’t you interested in it? 」

「 Yes 」

Mariko nodded.

「 However, Kouzuki-sama mentioned that those who want to invest in his hands-on guidance in investment will need to pay with money they earned themselves 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 My own? 」

「 Yes. If you don’t use money that you earned then you won’t learn 」

「 But I… 」

Mariko, the young lady of Torii electronics never earned money from part-time work or anything.

「 With that in mind, what do you think she should do, Kou? 」

Minaho-neesan asked me.

Err.

My bakery…

No, that’s conducted in our school.

I can’t let Mariko, a student at a high-class school help me out there.

Besides, it doesn’t even make a profit that it could make Mariko earn from a part-time job.

If that’s the case.

「 Nagisa seems to be recruiting another part-timer in her flower shop 」

Minaho-neesan smiles.

Oh, they already talked about it.

「 Mariko, do you like flowers? 」

「 Huh? Well yes, I do… 」

If that’s the case.

「 Mariko, work a side-job at a flower shop. Well, it’s not a weird shop at all. All the employees are women 」

Nagisa’s flower shop, if you ask me, it’s a high-class one.

「 You need to learn the economic system before learning about investment 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 Knowing the labor cost and expenses of stocking, manufacturing, and sales. You need to earn some degree of profit from the cost price. Most goods have to be lost because of the lack of sales. See the live reaction of customers. Working in an adult’s store will let you learn a lot. You’ll never understand those from staring at the numbers on the screen 」

Practicing and experiencing management at the place itself will train Mariko nicely.

That’s Jii-chan’s conclusion.

「 The flower shop is Mao-chan’s mother’s shop! Mariko-chan, you already met her during dinner earlier 」

Agnes explains.

「 She’s one of my women. So, Mariko’s not just going to work for her but you should be able to study there too. I’ll ask her to do so 」

「 You don’t have to worry about it 」

「 Kouzuki-sama will talk to Torii-sama. It’s okay. Nagisa’s shop has a high reputation. There shouldn’t be any problems 」

I said. Mariko;

「 I understand. Then, I will study in that place 」

She replies energetically.

「 I need to learn how to work for myself instead of letting my house keep me safe 」

Mariko shows such a clear face. Momoko-neechan looks at her in frustration.

「 Also, another word from Kouzuki-sama… 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 Being born from nobility is the same as being born from a family of traditional art 」

Traditional art?

「 They inherit from their ancestors and want to pass it off to their descendants. But, that’s not an obligation 」

The daughters of the nobility.

Momoko-neechan, Misuzu, Ruriko, then Yoshiko-san, they all listen as Minaho-neesan narrates what Jii-chan said.

「 Maybe someone has to keep it safe and pass it on but it’s not a ‘duty’ nor an ‘obligation’. Those who received it to keep it safe aren’t better. They had no choice in their life but that 」

Oh.

Those born in the traditional arts family don’t need to succeed in the family.

They do have the right to refuse.

And those who are determined to succeed aren’t better than those who don’t.

Just like nobility.

「 Furthermore, just because you have resolved to succeed the house doesn’t mean that you don’t need any effort nor talent 」

Effort and Talent.

「 If a person with no talent, no effort inherits the house, it’ll only fall to ruin. Just like how it happened with the Kurama house 」

Kurama house, Misato-san and Arisu’s father, the current head of the family…

He was deceived by foreign investors and lost all his assets.

「 Therefore, true nobility choose their successors. They don’t pick the eldest son because he’s there. If there’s only one child, then you can gather vassals as support. A talented child from the side could be adopted for the cause 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 That’s also similar to traditional arts families. It’s not hereditary from the parent and child. Sometimes, they make up with people with the skill of their blood to continue. The old blood reaches its limits 」

I see.

「 Meaning, it’s a big mistake to think that you can inherit the family that easily because you’re born in it. Nobility and traditional arts families carry responsibility for people around them 」

The weight of the family.

In fact, Kurama house’s hotels and traditional inns are in trouble.

Jii-chan and Kaan house will try to purchase establishments with history but…

Many people will lose their jobs.

Therefore, Kurama Arisu had to become my slave and Misato-san had to become a prostitute.

The people below and other noble families won’t consent unless the head family is punished.

「 Therefore, it’s a mistake to think that just because you’re born from nobility, you also “carry something,” that you “have to do something someday”. You’re still children, you can’t do anything for the family, and children have no obligation to bear responsibility. All you had to do is live your life without bringing any shame to the family 」

Minaho-neesan said.

「 That’s referring to me, isn’t it? 」

Yoshiko-san speaks up heavily.

「 Yes. Although, it’s not me talking but Kouzuki-sama 」

Minaho-neesan affirmed.

「 Just because you’re the daughter of the Kouzuki house doesn’t mean that Yoshiko-san has to do something right now. Also… 」

Minaho-neesan looked at me.

「 Yoshiko-san, you don’t need to have sex with Kou to become the same as Misuzu-san and Ruriko-san 」

That’s…

「 You have no obligation to do that, Yoshiko-san 」

Yoshiko-san fell silent.

「 It will only hurt you if you insist on thinking that you have to do this, you have to become that. Despite not needing it 」

Then…

「 I don’t understand it. Just, what do I do? Just what is best to do? 」

Yoshiko-san looked at me.

「 Rather, I prefer to have someone order me to do something 」

I…

「 No, I won’t give any orders to Yoshiko-san 」

I get up from the mattress and speak to Yoshiko-san.

「 No matter how painful it is, Yoshiko-san made that decision 」

「 But, I don’t even know what do I do. In truth, I don’t even know if I want to have sex with Kuromori-sama 」

Oh, I see.

「 Right. Yoshiko-san always leads me to violate you. Thinking about it now, that’s how it’s been 」

She can’t decide.

She’s entrusting the choice to me.

「 I think so too. I truly don’t know. 」

Yoshiko-san looked down.

「 I’m recognized as the daughter of Kouzuki house and so I might be married off to another family to strengthen Kouzuki house’s ties with them. If that happens, I should keep my purity. 」

The “have to” talk again.

「 If Grandfather seeks harmony between Misuzu-sama, Ruriko-sama, and me, I think that I should do it with Kuromori-sama 」

And another “obligation”

「 But, recently, I don’t even understand what Grandfather wants from me 」

Oh, Jii-chan’s cold to Yoshiko-san recently.

「 Jii-chan don’t want anything from you 」

I said.

「 What Jii-chan wants to know is what Yoshiko-san wants to do 」

「 I-I… 」

Yoshiko-san hesitates.

「 Here’s one thing I understand… 」

I looked at Yoshiko-san.

「 Yoshiok-san don’t want to have sex with me 」

「 T-That’s not true! I…I truly don’t know, Kuromori-sama is… 」

「 No, that’s the fact, Yoshiko-san 」

I…

「 I mean, we only know each other for half a year 」

It’s been half a year since we met in the theater during the holidays in May.

「 If Yoshiko-san wants to have sex with me, then we’ve already done it long ago 」