“Fur?” asked Tomoka. She twisted around to look at her back. Indeed, it was covered in cat fur. She thought she’d given herself a proper once-over in the mirror, but it must have happened when she sat in a chair before leaving the house.
Oh, gosh! As an accessories designer, she usually paid attention to her appearance, yet this was a sorry state of affairs. And it was going to be like this for another two weeks.
“I’m taking care of some cats, and their fur just gets everywhere. My whole house is in chaos because of them.”
“Really? But you seem like someone who’d be able to keep cats under control,” said Mitsuki. “Oh, by the way, Kozue called yesterday after you left. She asked if you could do her a favor by meeting her cat-loving friend this afternoon.”
“What? But that’s so sudden.”
“I sent you a text yesterday. Did you miss it?” Mitsuki looked up at Tomoka with a touch of reproach.
Tomoka gulped. “Kozue can be so impatient. That’s fine. I don’t have anything urgent, and it’s a weekday, so the shop won’t be that busy.”
After entrusting Mitsuki with the task of getting back to Kozue, Tomoka worked on some new designs. Time flew by. It was past noon when Kozue’s friend came by.
It wasn’t just her kimono that was eye-catching. Her bangs were pulled back, and the rest of her hair was gathered loosely. She exuded an alluring charm that made it clear she was a woman from Hanamachi, a district where geikos—as geishas are known in Kyoto—lived and worked.
“I’m Abino from the okiya Komano-ya. I’m sorry for dropping by so suddenly, but when I saw Kozue’s beautiful handbag, I begged her to introduce me to you.”
“I’m glad you liked her bag,” said Tomoka. “Komano-ya is a geikos’ lodging house in Gion—isn’t that right? Are you a hostess?”
Tomoka was overwhelmed by Abino’s glamorous aura, but then something clicked. She recognized Abino’s face. Because of her graceful, seductive gestures, and wearing entirely different clothes, it took a moment for Tomoka to realize she was the nurse from the peculiar clinic.
“You’re a nurse at a clinic in Nakagyō, aren’t you?”
“A nurse? Not at all. I’m a geiko in Gion. On days when I’m not officiating at dinner parties with my clients, I wear regular clothes instead of a kimono, but I never dress up like a nurse,” she replied with an elegant smile.
The more Tomoka looked at her, the more she saw the similarities. She could only assume that they were really one and the same person.
A side hustle? Juggling being a geiko and being a nurse?
But it was impossible to read Abino’s calm smile. If she remembered correctly, the nurse’s name was Chitose. Both entertaining and nursing were demanding jobs. Juggling both had to be tough.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that there’s a nurse named Chitose at the clinic I go to who looks so much like you,” said Tomoka. She let out a chuckle.
Abino’s expression suddenly changed completely. She looked serious and tense.
“Did you say ‘Chitose’? Where did you see her?” Abino pressed her, coming closer.
Tomoka took a step back. “Where? At a clinic down an alley off Rokkaku Street. She’s a nurse at a weird practice called Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.”
“Dr. Kokoro’s practice? Is Chitose at Suda Animal Hospital?”
“Animal hospital?”
The conversation wasn’t making any sense. There was a hint of pain in Abino’s eyes.
“Huh?”
Tomoka stopped in the middle of the intersection. She looked east and west, then north and south. Somehow, she had walked past the alley without noticing it.
At the corner of Takoyakushi Street, Abino watched her solemnly, looking like a child holding back tears.
“Please wait a moment, Abino. I’m sure it’s around here.” She circled back down the street, checking each building along the way. But she couldn’t find the path that led to the building where Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul was located.
“That’s funny. There was this dimly lit alley with a building at the end of it. The clinic was on the fifth floor. I’ve been there twice already. Are we on the wrong street? That can’t be.”
“So, it’s not Suda Animal Hospital you’re looking for?” Abino’s brow furrowed as suspicion crossed her face. It seemed like their understandings differed, and their conversation was going nowhere.
“Like I said, it’s not an animal hospital. It’s a mental health…Well, apparently, it’s not a mental health clinic, but it’s a clinic for the soul. It’s an odd place.”
It was frustrating, and she couldn’t explain it. Abino had desperately begged Tomoka to take her to the clinic, yet for some reason they couldn’t seem to find it.
Abino looked at her feet, seemingly lost in thought.
Did I dream up that clinic? wondered Tomoka. No, Tangerine and Tank have wreaked havoc at my house. The cats are real.
“Is the clinic located in a building called the Nakagyō Building? An old, narrow building with five floors?” asked Abino quizzically.
“I don’t know what it’s called, but it sounds like the building you described,” said Tomoka. “Do you know it?”
“It’s the place where Chitose was found. She was born there,” Abino said.
This time, Abino led the way as they walked back down the street. They looked up at a building halfway along the block on Fuyacho Street.
Tomoka was dumbfounded. “What’s going on? This building should be at the end of a narrow alley.”
