The red light district of Yoshiwara, that was Heizou's home.

For as long as he can remember, that strange district has been his home. A district inhabited purely by men, where all the women he saw were giggling, wearing pretty kimonos and sensual smiles while looking around.

But all that, was of no real consequence to him, because he found his true passion.

During his childhood, he discovered the wonder of mystery novels. Heizou has always been smart, even as a kid, he was able to piece the puzzles together way before the great reveal of the novel arrived, and that made him feel more and more engaged with those kinds of stories...

And then, it happened.

A theft that had everyone turning their heads and speculating about who must've been. There were police officers around the district, of course... but they were more about stopping quarrels than doing actual investigations... so Heizou took it upon himself.

No one could believe that such a young boy managed to catch the thief that had everyone wondering... and from that point on, Heizou made it his duty to catch everyone causing misdeeds in Yoshiwara.

He quickly became quite popular around the area... and when he turned 18, he was approached by Ayato who offered a job at the Tenshukaku brothel. Heizou needed an official job, and Ayato seemed an interesting person, so he accepted and for two years, he's been working as the most carefree attendant ever.

And just a week ago, he officially became a courtesan at the Tenshukaku Brothel... but Heizou didn't fully get what came to his new title... not having taken a single customer for a full night yet, he continued as usual.

Sun was setting in Yoshiwara... and as the lanterns started to light up... what Heizou was doing instead of getting ready for the night, was exposing yet another misdeed in the red light district.

"Stealing money to try and escape this place... As much as I understand the yearning for freedom, achieve it using other people's hard work is simply unforgivable."

He flashed a serious look to the thief while the police forces from the main city took him away. The man looked at him with hatred, but Heizou payed him no mind. Instead, he turned towards the victim of the theft with a confident yet playful smile.

"Here! Have your money back! You managed to amass quite the little fortune, so make a point to not lose it again~!"

The man thanked Heizou countless times even at his playful warning. As the criminal got taken away and Heizou watched the other man run off with his recovered savings, a soft smile curved up his lips... Just then, he heard a familiar voice.

"There you are."His friend Kazuha spoke."Heizou, Ayato's been looking for you all over. You've been sneaking out more than usual this past week, haven't you?"

"Oh."Heizou blinked."I guess I did, didn't I?"He chuckled, clearly not worried at all.

Kazuha shook his head with a faint smile and let out a small, exhasperated sigh."Make sure to go back today or you're gonna get a lifetime scolding."He chuckled."I'll be off myself, so I'll see you later, okay?"

Heizou nodded and watched his friend go away. He sighed as well. A full fledged courtesan... probably it hasn't dawned on him yet that he already took on that role. Slowly, he adjusted the sleeves of his kimono.

"I suppose... I should go back, shouldn't I?"

Muttering those words to himself, as the sky started to darken and the district was slowly illuminated by the red lanterns, Heizou started to make his way back towards the Tenshukaku Brothel, hoping that Ayato wasn't too mad about his outings...