Drama CD: [黒吉原メランコリア] The First Night: Agumo Hibari - Part 1
Heyyy everyone I’m back~~~ with a series that is not like all the rest... except for the recycled seiyuu (#Rejet #eye-roll) and the setting (Yoshiwara; well at least this time you are not the courtesan).
The story revolves around a *rumour* that mermaid tears contain powers of eternal youth/life. And to test this out, a game has begun in the black quarters aka. ‘Kuro’ part of Yoshiwara. The rules for the players are as follows:
You must enthrall her.
You must not hurt her.
You must not let her escape.
The one who successfully achieves the three criteria above is the winner, and he can make the mermaid (i.e. YOU/the listener) his wife/mistress and wield the power of her tears. There are six players in total, including the game creator Agumo Hibari (cv. Toriumi Kousuke).
So, let the game begin.
*
NB. Each story in this series has two discs, so to keep this from becoming too long I will be doing a two-part synopsis and giving my thoughts at the end.
[Disc 1]
You can't sleep and are arranging flowers in your room, when Hibari comes over. He helps you and starts reminiscing about your first days here in Yoshiwara:
...It was the end of plum blossom season, the birds are chirping and the weather is nice. Your pimp (/guardian who raised you) brings you over to Kuro Yoshiwara in a horse-drawn carriage, and Hibari comes out to greet you. You glare at him in anger, and he's all like: 'Instead of hating me, why don't you hate your useless debt-ridden parents for selling you off?' #he’sgotapoint #burnnn
He promises your life will change now that you have come to Kirarou, the top house of Kuro Yoshiwara. Taking you up to the rooftop, he shows you the panoramic view, pointing out the burgundy gate of Yoshiwara - he warns that if you try to escape, you will face harsh punishment and possibly death.
He introduces himself as an old-timer/factotum and #1 oiran: Agumo Hibari. And oh btw he was the one who spent a fortune to get you into this place. ...But there's no time to be mad at him. You have to hurry up and get ready to serve the clients.
...Ofc he's not really going to make you perform hooker duties. He takes you into the lounge and blindfolds you, claiming that you are not allowed to see the customers' faces. But! Tonight *it just so happens* that there are no clients. So he's gonna evaluate you to see if you are a good fit for Kirarou.
Before he even starts, you hit him, and he bear-hugs you to restrain your movements. He starts assessing your appearance, mumbling to himself that he can't believe that you are actually a mermaid with the blood of the mythical Happkyaku-bikuni and who's gonna win this game---
He gives you your courtesan name: Nanami, which means 'the seven seas', in commemoration of your origins. You try to kill yourself by biting your own tongue, and he stops you and knocks you out to prevent any more funny business. Thus concludes your first day in Kuro Yoshiwara...
*
After putting you to bed, the barkeep brings Hibari the old newspaper he asked for, and informs him that there are suspicious characters hanging around the brothel quarters. The papers reveal news about a boat that capsized near the coast of Kumano, and a girl who drifted to shore with all her memory lost.
He speculates that this girl is Nanami, but cannot be sure that you are the rumoured mermaid, since your anatomy is fully human. He decides to investigate further.
Next morning, he makes you promise not to take your own life again, before loosening your restraints. He comments that your hands feel cold and are covered in scars - probably from your previous fishing job.
He tells you that he, too, was sold to this brothel just like you. However, he did not despair, and eventually became the Top Host here. He can afford whatever he wants and is allowed to exit the gates freely as he pleases. He admits that, if he ever quits, he has no relatives left and hence nowhere else to go.
He gives you a dried specimen of the oiransou plant - so named because its aroma is similar to the powder used by courtesans - and asks you to put it in his room if you make up your mind to become the next oiran; he would be your mentor.
After his morning nap, he bumps into you near the dressing mirror and asks you to sit down. He proceeds to... do your makeup. He wants to take you out to Asakusa for the day, to lift your spirits and prepare you for courtesan training.
*
It's your first time in a big city and, upon arrival, you almost get run over by the tram, so he holds your hand to keep you by his side. First he takes you to his acquaintance tailor and acquires a yuuzen uchikake-kimono and some casual wear for you; he insists on paying for them as part of his mentor duties.
After the dress fitting, he takes you to a newly opened parlour, and you both try this thing called an 'ice cream soda' for the first time. You stare at him as he shows you how to eat it, then you finally crack a smile when you get your first taste of this treat.
He remarks that you look more childlike and approachable when you laugh, but warns you not to show this side of yourself easily to clients if you want to become a good oiran.
As a special treat, he takes you to Ryōunkaku, the tallest building in Japan at the time, and the first to have an electric lift. You ride up to the 12th floor to see the panoramic view of Tokyo (the lift scares you half to death XD), and he points out all the landmarks to you: Sumida River, Sensou-ji,...
With the coin-operated telescope, you notice a disturbance near the gates of Yoshiwara. The two of you hurry back via rickshaw. There has been a disagreement, and some women tried to escape but were caught. They could neither return to the brothel nor start over elsewhere, as a result, they were forced to either seek death or take a medicine that would render them invalids.
Hibari warns you to be careful not to end up like them.
*
In the middle of the night, Hibari is awakened to news that Nanami has tried to escape. He rushes to the dungeon where you are held captive and asks you why you're doing this, despite his repeated warnings.
You attempt to bite your tongue again, but he stops you and claims that, since he's the one who bought you, you are not allowed to escape nor die without his consent. He calls you a 'caged bird' and explains the origins of the 'pinky swear':
For the courtesans of Yoshiwara, the only path to freedom is to rise through the ranks and become an oiran, who would then have unrestricted mobility and the ability to choose her clients/work.
In the past when a courtesan fell in love, she would *work extra hard* in order to be an oiran. During this time, she would make a pinky promise with her loved one: even though her customers may do whatever they want with her body, her heart belongs to him alone.
And so Hibari offers his pinky, in order to show you how committed he is to making you an oiran. He gives you the option to bite it off, but your *inner vampire* is off that day. Before he leaves, he asks if you still want to die, and seems content to see that you have wavered a little.
*
You knock on his door the following night, dressed in the yuuzen robe he bought for you, and hands him the dried oiransou to signal your resolve.
Aaaand you are on your way to courtesanhood. First things first, he will teach you some basic rules of Yoshiwara. He starts off with the toko-sakazuki: the practice of a mutual toast between newly-weds before their first night together - this tradition is also observed at Yoshiwara for the first time between a courtesan and a client.
Hibari tries to make up excuses for using amazake (a type of light, sweet wine), but later admits that he can't hold his liquor - although he is still Top Host without being three sheets to the wind every night. As the two of you drink, you share your childhood stories, and he thinks living in a fishing village sounds like fun, with surprise items floating to shore that make every day feel like a treasure hunt.
He tells you that he's already been sold off to Yoshiwara since he was old enough to remember, and so he's always been curious about life outside of these gates. While he has no complaints about his current situation, he isn't exactly ecstatic about it either.
As he gets more inebriated, he studies your face and says that you will become an oiran very soon, you've got what it takes. Men will be fighting for you, and he advises you to *snort in the face* of those you don't like, until you find the one that you really want. You are his chosen pawn in the Kuro Yoshiwara Game, and he wants to see you achieve happiness with your own two hands.
Finally, he plants a couple of drunken kisses on you before passing out... Whoever said romance was dead? ;3