Kaito had learned this rule the hard way. A former merchant from the northern provinces, he arrived in Chōisuji three years ago with a ledger in one hand and a stopwatch in the other. He planned to "optimize" the district—shorter performances, faster sake service, digital menus. The elders of the Promenade Council laughed until their silk sleeves shook.

That, he thought, was the real luxury.

Kaito now worked as a nakado —a "go-between" for teahouses and guests. Not a pimp; a curator. A wealthy client might say, "Tonight I want melancholy with a touch of absurdity." Kaito would arrange it: first, a koto performance of a minor-key lament at the Cicada Hall ; then, a puppet show where the puppets kept forgetting their lines; finally, a late-night bowl of zenzai (sweet red bean soup) at a counter where the chef tells terrible puns in a deadpan voice.