Shizu pulled her arm out of the brothel owner's grip and rubbed it. The woman had sharper nails than she thought and there were already indents in her skin. She took one last look behind her. Hojo was already walking over to one of the women. His face had a slight red tint to it as he began talking to the woman.
"I told you my name. What about yours?" Shizu asked.
The handful of rooms they passed were only big enough for a bed in the corner. Each one empty, except for the select rooms where a woman was pulling wrinkled sheets off. Those without beds had a table in the center of it and cushions on either side for a couple to sit at.
They passed a few more rooms where the doors were closed. The moans and grunts she heard earlier louder from within. She hurried Shizu past the rooms and tutted.
"My name is Tomei."
They turned into another room at the end of the hall. A single floor length mirror sat against the far wall. In front of it stood a vanity and stool made of a dark wood that could have been mistaken for a noble’s belongings. Racks of clothes lined the other two walls with a multitude of colors and sizes. In the center, staring down at Shizu with a cold demeanor was a fox statue. Tomei rubbed her hand against the fox’s head before stepping over to the mirror.
"Let's begin the transformation."
Her smile was brighter than anyone else's Shizu had ever seen. It was warm. Almost motherly. She wrapped her arms around the woman's mid-section and snuggled into her bosom. Tomei didn't push her away. Instead, she embraced Shizu and stroked her hair. A low hum reverberated from deep within her chest. Tears welled in Shizu’s eyes, but she pushed them back. There was no reason to cry. Nothing to be upset about. Yet her body didn't believe there was nothing.
"It's alright. Mama Tomei is here." Her voice soft and melodic as she whispered. Tomei put a finger under Shizu's chin and lifted her head, so they were looking into each other's faces. "Now you stop that crying or the paint won't hold, girly."
Shizu nodded solemnly and sat down on the chair. Tomei calling herself mama felt strange to her ears like she had heard the term before. "What's a mama?" Shizu asked.
Tomei gasped and tutted softly. "A mama is someone that cares for little ones. She doesn't necessarily give birth to them, but she can. In this brothel, I am everyone's mama."
"Even mine?" The thought of having someone like Tomei care about her made Shizu feel warm.
Tomei nodded. "Of course, I am. Now hold still and keep your mouth and eyes shut. This shouldn't take long."
Tomei grasped Shizu’s chin, holding her in place. Shizu closed her eyes, prepared for the transformation they all spoke of. Something soft and fuzzy brushed against her face in different directions. Then a stick that flecked around her cheeks. She wanted to giggle at the tickling feeling but held it for now until everything was done. Her legs were falling asleep when Mama Tomei told her she could open her eyes again.
She looked in the mirror. At least, she thought she was looking into the mirror. In front of her was someone that looked like her, but far more masculine. Her jawline looked sharper and her lips thinner. There were smudges that looked like dirt on her cheeks to hide more of her feminine features.
"What do you think?" Mama Tomei asked and put her hands on her hips. “I’d say I did pretty good for some last-minute work and your girlish looks.”
"I can't believe that's me," Shizu muttered and put a hand against the mirror. "It's like magic."
"Magic has nothing to do with my skill. I can make an ugly girl turn into a princess for any man that wants her." She walked away and pulled out a bundle of clothes. "Now let's get you changed into something a bit more boyish." Mama Tomei tugged at Shizu’s yukata. “Let’s get you out of these old things.”
Shizu slipped her robe off, covering as much of her body with her hands and arms as she could. The cool air sent shivers down her spine as she twisted in different directions. Mama Tomei held a rope up to Shizu’s body, tugging her hands free to wrap it around her hips and bust. Every few measurements, Mama Tomei nodded and grunted in acknowledgement before grabbing something on the rack and tossing it on the ground next to Shizu.
“Arms up, Shizu,” she hummed while holding a long cloth in the air.
Shizu slowly lifted her arms in the air and turned away from Mama Tomei’s gaze. The cloth wrapped around her chest, tightening with every round it went. When she met Hime, she thought her chest was small, but with the bindings it was nonexistent. Her lungs gasped for air as she adjusted the extra skin around her chest.
“Throw this on.” Mama Tomei handed Shizu a brown pair of pants and long shirt.
She slipped the pants on first and tied the rope on the waist as tight as it could go. Next, she put on the shirt. Any curves Shizu had before from her breasts and hips vanished with how large the clothing was on her. Patches covered portions of the elbows and other sections. On close examination they were all purposefully placed in different sections with small pockets in them. But from a distance, the patches were worn and tattered from wear.
"If you had told me that what I did was magic without seeing it for myself, I think I would believe it right now," Mama Tomei chuckled and turned Shizu around to look into the mirror. "Shizu, meet Shotaru."
She didn’t see the young woman she was, but a boy that could be mistaken for any other running on the streets. If she needed to escape and hide, she could run water over her face and strip the binding off and look completely different. Shizu stroked a finger across her slender cheek. Awe filled her at the countless uses for future missions. If she learned Mama Tomei’s tricks, she could use it for her escape when she had the chance. It wasn’t her face and she would never feel comfortable with it for too long, but today it was who she was and she accepted it.
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"Arigatou, Mama Tomei."
"Don't thank me, boy. Thank your friend Hojo. Now let's get him out of here before he causes trouble. Who knows what things he is saying to my ladies." She sighed and opened the door. "Promise me, boy, that when you become a man, you don't start chasing after women like he does. It's expensive and you have other things you need to focus on. Words of wisdom from your Mama."
#
Most of the group dispersed into smaller teams, leaving Shizu alone with Hojo and one other shinobi, Oda. They had been walking the streets until late afternoon without doing anything. Continuously they arrived back in the same place after taking a different route each time. Her confidence blossomed with every street corner they took. Hojo could place her anywhere in the village and she would find a path back to safety by following the sun or symbols hidden by the clan throughout the city.
Shizu sat on top of a crate to get a better view of Hojo. This would be her first lesson. The disguise helped as most men avoided looking Shizu in the eyes. A trick the boys picked up throughout the years. People noticed those that were attractive, or at least pleasant to look upon. Those that were deemed dirty or less than weren’t noticed nearly as much.
Oda leaned against a nearby crate while chewing on a thin grass stalk he picked up on their walk. He pointed over to another man in the crowd in front of Hojo. His clothes were a deep-set blue with small embroidery on the sleeves. The receding hair line sparkled in the bright afternoon sun. With all her gained knowledge thus far, on the streets, it was obvious his clothing would cost more than she was worth.
"That one has the most money. You can tell because he keeps his hand at his hip to pull out a blade at any moment. He's not looking at anyone specifically and he is trying to get out of the crowd fast," Oda instructed.
Shizu nodded and put the information deep into her mind. This wasn't the first time someone had pointed out a wealthy person to her during their lessons. She was now starting to see the patterns. Yet no matter how many times they were pointed out, they never stole any money from the men. Hojo walked past the man, staring in the opposite direction as if focused on whatever was in the nearby stalls.
"Why did Hojo ignore him?" Shizu asked in a low voice.
"Because that's not our target. Never is out in the streets. Most of them trained as swordsmen when they were younger. We're strong, but if we can keep our heads low it's better. Look," the shinobi nodded over to another man that was better dressed than most of the others but not by much. He carried a large bag of food in his hands and continued in a straight line. "That man is our target. He's not able to see us and he is focused purely on getting home. He has the money to buy all of that too which means he probably has some money still on him. More likely if it was the morning, but we’ll have to live with early evening targets."
Shizu watched Hojo saunter up to the man and then past him. There wasn't a single movement of the shinobi stealing the bag, yet when he returned, he had a small handful of coins and a wide smile on his face. He shoved them into his pocket and turned to Shizu.
"You saw, right?"
Shizu shook her head. "You just walked past him. When did you take the money?"
Hojo laughed and re-opened his hand again to reveal a small blade between his forefinger and middle. He placed it into Shizu's hand. "That's what I did. As you come up to them, you cut a slit in their bag enough to let the coins fall out and catch them."
He placed the blade between her fingers. It was smooth to the touch and almost weightless. If she opened her fingers and let it drop, she would never notice it missing. Hojo took Shizu's other hand and had her poke the blade. It was sharper than she imagined and made her bleed immediately. She stuck her finger into her mouth and groaned at the pain.
"Good. You know the pain so you know how easy it is to slice open the bag." He pointed to another man in the crowd. He wasn't nearly as wealthy as the target Hojo had. "Tell me where the bag is."
Shizu pointed to the man's side. "Just at his hip."
"Any money in it?"
She looked closer. It hung limp. "Empty."
"Look again."
Shizu looked at Hojo. He wasn't smiling so it wasn't a joke. She turned back to the man and gasped. He had a bag of coins, but it was in his hands.
"There!" she said almost a little too loud. She reached up to cover her mouth but stopped when she saw the blade still there.
As quickly as she pointed the bag out, the man shoved it inside of his yukata and turned down another alley.
"He's getting away!" Shizu stood up to chase after him, but Hojo stopped her.
"You're not going to get anything from him. But you saw, right? Not everyone has money readily available. There are other thieves in these streets taking larger bags of coins. We're not here to take all the money. Just enough that lets us get by plus extra. When no one in the city has money besides the daimyo and the Hikage clan, guess who the people will rally against first?"
"Us?"
"Exactly. So, when we see those who step on our territory, we will make sure they don't survive the night with that exact blade in your hand."
Shizu's face lit up. "Does this mean that I have to go kill him?" She wanted to be useful for once and this was her chance. She hadn’t practiced stabbing a strawman in so long, she almost hungered for the taste of metal on flesh.
"No. Another squad will take care of them. For tonight we will return and report on what we saw and tomorrow you will steal your first coin."
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