Current mood:	predatory
Current music:	Opening Theme from "Rocky"
Entry tags:	sanosuke

Evening to Night, Yoshiwara, Oct. 9, 1878
After leaving the longhouse, I went to Hiro’s place and convinced him to join me in a jaunt to Yoshiwara.

After all, there’s only one way to forget about women—hang out with your buddies, go gambling, and drink large quantities of sake.

Just outside of Yoshiwara, we ran into Kamue, another of our mutual acquaintances. Within minutes, all three of us were in the heart of the pleasure district, at one of best gambling houses around.

I lost all my money in less than an hour.

Not that I cared that much as long as I had enough sake to drink, which wasn’t that much of a problem. Hiro won quite a bit and bought enough for all of us.

After awhile, we got tired of gambling and stumbled back into the street, half-empty sake jugs in each of our hands, looking for something else to entertain ourselves with.

Kamue suggested that we go out try out the new place.

“I am not going to the Kite,” I told him emphatically.

“No, not there!” he replied. “I was at this place last night. Let’s go!”

Hiro and I followed him along the streets, into one of the seedier parts of the district. He led us down an alleyway, in which I could hear a lot of noise. At the end of the alleyway, he stepped through a door. Hiro and I followed him only to have our ears assaulted by a loud, large jeering crowd of men. They were gathered around an open area of the floor in a circle, betting, yelling, and applauding while two men wrestled and beat on each other.

“Wrestling?” I asked Kamue with disdain. “Watching wrestling is boring. I’d rather fight myself, you know?”

I turned to leave, but he stopped me. “No, that’s just it, Sano! You can!” He pointed to the bulkier of the two men who were fighting. “All you have to do is stay in with that guy for three minutes, and you’ll win three yen. Take him down and you’ll win 10 yen. I heard that no one has been able to even stay in with him.”

I look over at the guy and sized him up. Geez, if I could take down Shikijou, I could take this guy.

I shoved the sake bottle at Hiro, took my gi off, and handed it to Kamue.

When the guy in charge asked who was next, I stepped up.

I took my opponent down in less than two minutes.

Then the man in charge offered me his place—I was offered another two yen for any other guy that I took out. He had a deal.

Yeah.

This was the way to make money.