Rituals, Suits, and Music

Sitting across from me in her leather-padded seat, Ninagawa Charlotte stared mischievously into my eyes as Kazuya poured two very generous shots of snow-aged saké into the sakazuki cups. They looked as if even one small movement would break the surface of the liquid and overflow onto the wooden desk below. After pouring, Kazuya placed the expensive bottle near Charlotte, taking a stance beside her like a soldier at attention.

I licked my lips, wondering how this saké would taste after such a long, arduous period of not having even a single drop of liquid to quench my thirst. The fact that I was only thirteen didn't really bother me; it was the fact that I had been on an empty stomach for so long that the alcohol would more than likely take effect almost immediately. I had never had alcohol before, but remembering the times I would steal generous amounts of one-cup-saké for my fellow homeless mentors, I could recall them chatting happily about how,
"When you drink saké on an empty stomach, you get more bang for your buck!"

I wasn't sure what this ritual entailed exactly, but I didn't dare make the first move. Ninagawa Charlotte took the cup delicately into her thumb and index fingers, eyeing me to do the same. I grabbed the porcelain dish carefully, a few drops spilling onto my lap and dampening the skirt of my dress.

Charlotte smiled and began to speak.
"From this day forward, I am your Oyabun, and you are my Kobun."
She gave the dish a long, drawn-out sniff, savoring the scent of such refined alcohol.
"I am your mother, and you are my daughter. Pledge your loyalty to me by taking the first sip. Since you don't have any family, there won't be a need to cut ties with them verbally. I trust you wholeheartedly in this moment, Umeda Mika."

I glanced down at the transparent liquid in the rose-patterned dish. It looked a lot like water, with not even the slightest hint of cloudiness. Even to someone as inexperienced with saké as myself, I could tell at just one glance that this bottle in particular was quite delicious.

"If I do this,"
I spoke softly.
"I'll be a pawn in your game... If I drink this saké, I'm relinquishing my freedom to you, right?"

"That's right."
Charlotte responded immediately.

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears, and I gripped the fragile dish between my fingers a bit harder.

"If I drink from this cup, I'll be entering a world so dangerous that even you can't protect me from what might happen?"
My eyes met hers with a hint of defiance.

"Again, that's correct. I won't be able to stop a bullet from entering your head if you piss off the wrong person, but I can guarantee you have my and my crew's unbridled protection. I won't suddenly decide to sell you off, and I won't punish you for stealing from Kazuya the other night."
Her smirk faltered, and a serious expression clouded her shadowy face.

"Then what will I become? Your lapdog? Your maid? Your... thief?"
I gulped audibly, my dry throat screaming silently for a sip of any liquid I could get my hands on.

"To be determined, puppy. I'll have to assess you to decide what I deem fit. Now, pledge your loyalty to me or I'll sell you to a man far worse than that unsightly Daisuke whom I saved you from earlier."
She left no more room for debate with that final sentence.

Hesitantly, I swallowed the entire cup's worth of saké in one, large gulp. The flavor spread through my mouth like a sweet, slightly sour water. Warmth flooded my chest, and my throat had finally stopped its silent whining as the alcohol soothed its soft lining. Of course, I had nothing but regret as I took a breath.

Charlotte followed suit, drinking the entire cup in one gulp. Before she even exhaled, Kazuya refilled her dish as well as my own. I hadn't been aware, but these rituals sometimes consist of the Oyabun, the leader, drinking more saké than the Kobun wishes to. I later learned that Charlotte's methods differed slightly from the historical version, but nonetheless served the same purpose. I downed yet another mouthful of saké, watching as Charlotte did the same.

It wasn't until my third cup that I started to feel it. The lightheaded sensation began to overwhelm me, and I could feel my head starting to droop. My body felt a bit numb, and my movements sluggish. Charlotte drank one more cup than I had, seemingly unaffected until she proved my thoughts wrong.

"Whoop, that was quite tasty. I feel amazingly relaxed right now. What say you, puppy?"
Charlotte let out a small giggle, propping her chin in her palm as she stared into my eyes like a mother at her child.

"Y-yeah... it's hard to think straight."
I spoke with a slight slur in my voice.

"Indeed. This saké is aged for many years in the snowy mountains, fermenting to just the right strength before they bottle it and sell it to the masses."
Charlotte hiccuped.
"Kazuya knows how much I love this brand, and I thank him for it every time he offers me some."
She winked at Kazuya.

"It pleases me to hear that, boss. I'll be sure to replace this bottle at once."
Kazuya bowed his head, a small smile curling the corners of his lips at the praise.

I nodded understandingly, clutching my head softly in my open hand.
"Could I... have a glass of water?"
I managed to choke those words out, feeling nauseous from the overwhelming new experience.

"Of course, where are my manners? You're my daughter now, and so I will treat you as one."
Charlotte snapped her fingers.
"Kazuya, bring my puppy a glass of water and some leftover onigiri."

My eyes widened at her generosity. Just one night ago, Charlotte had called me filthy trash and had been planning to sell me off to some sleazebag for a chunk of change. Perhaps it was the alcohol making her giddy, but I had a twisted feeling that it was due to having a new soldier to mold into her own.

Kazuya set down a plate with four perfectly triangular onigiri, and a glass of water almost as tall as my forearm. I wasted no time, shoveling yuzu salmon onigiri down my throat and swapping between chugs of water to wash them down. I knew how unsightly I must have looked, but I prioritized my health over something trivial like "eating with manners."

In between my bites, Charlotte poured herself another cup's worth of delicious saké, watching in fascination as I slurped my food like a mutt. Something had flashed through my mind in my state of near delirium, having not slept and been drunk for the first time; the writing on the wall of my cage had mentioned "stealing her keys."

By "her," I could only imagine whoever wrote that was referring to Charlotte.

What kind of keys, exactly? Keys to the cage, her car, the office? Why would someone write about stealing Charlotte's keys, after probably enduring more torture than I was subjected to in just one night?

"Something the matter, puppy? You stopped chewing."
Charlotte sipped her drink, watching as my hands resumed their motions from plate to mouth.

"I was wondering something."
Unchewed pieces of onigiri sprayed from my mouth, and I could tell it disgusted her to some degree.

"Do tell,"
she said.

I swallowed what was in my mouth and began to speak. I'll blame it on the alcohol for not realizing what a stupid question it was.
"How many girls have you kidnapped and sold before me?"

That familiar wrinkle between her eyebrows reappeared. She cocked her head slightly to the side and spoke in a deeper, more stern voice.
"That doesn't concern you, puppy. What I do to those that I capture is something you will learn plenty about. Try to interject, and I'll perform yubitsume on more than one of your fingers."
Her gaze shook me to my core.

"Yubitsume... like, finger shortening? I'll... keep my mouth shut."
I quickly stuffed the remaining onigiri into my mouth, keeping my eyes downcast.

"Good girl. Now, if you're done eating, follow Kazuya. He'll get you prepared with a new suit and a weapon of your choice."
She finished her drink with a dramatic gulp.

"Okay, understood."
I began to rise from my chair, when Charlotte aimed the tip of her ivory-coated kiseru pipe at my face.

"Halt! Care to repeat yourself?"
Her eyes were powerful enough to keep me from moving even an inch.

"Um... okay, understood,"
I said, with a shaky voice, not sure what exactly I had done wrong.

"Is that how you address your Oyabun? I demand you show me respect, little mutt!"
Charlotte snapped at me, reminding me of what my new life was about to entail.

Quickly, I straightened my posture, bowing acutely so as not to anger her further.
"Understood, boss!"

She smirked and said,
"Good girl. You're dismissed."
Before returning to pour herself yet another cup of saké.

I really wasn't fond of being called a "good girl," as the sarcastic praise reminded me of the nights I spent fighting off drunken predators under the bridge, calling me a good girl while they yanked my panties from my core. For now, I would do my best to endure those memories, and live on as the property of the Bara-gumi.

* * *

I followed Kazuya back outside, where I had desperately cried to be saved from child prostitution earlier that day. I didn't have any regrets, and I would do it many more times if it meant I never had to see the demonic face of Daisuke ever again.

Kazuya assisted me into the passenger seat of one of the Lexus sedans, buckling my seatbelt for me as if I had never seen one before. When he started the engine, he shifted the gears with buttery smooth precision. He spoke softly over the radio, which had been playing "Dress" by BUCK-TICK, a song I had grown fond of hearing when I had my battery-powered radio I had stolen from a second-hand store when I was around eight years old.

"I'm taking you to a tailor. We'll get you fitted into something a bit more formal for Charlotte's liking."
Kazuya lit a cigar while keeping the car in motion. I thought he looked really cool.
"Try not to throw a fit with our tailor, okay? He's... an odd one."

I nodded silently, resting my head against the window as I hummed the song I loved so dearly. I wasn't sure what he meant by "odd," but if he was anything like Daisuke, I would be sure to slap him senseless.