How It All Goes Down
- As the most junior tenant of the okiyo, it is Chiyo's job to wait on Hatsumomo hand and foot.
- And to keep her secrets.
- Hatsumomo brings her boyfriend to the okiyo, even though she isn't supposed to have one. Chiyo must keep their trysts a secret.
- Hatsumomo says she knows where Chiyo's sister is, and she'll only tell her if she obeys her every whim.
- One night, Hatsumomo brings home her friend Korin, and they force Chiyo to deface a stolen kimono.
- If Chiyo won't do it, Hatsumomo will never tell her where her sister is.
- The kimono belongs to a rival geisha, Mameha, and Hatsumomo makes Chiyo paint on it, then return the defaced garment to Mameha.
- The next morning, Mameha has informed Mother about the kimono.
- Hatsumomo blames Chiyo. "I tried to stop [her] before she put ink on it, but it was too late" (6.67). Not cool, not cool.
- Mother adds the debt from the kimono to what amounts to Chiyo's bill—all the expenses she incurs she must eventually repay.
- Later, Chiyo confronts Hatsumomo, wanting to know where Satsu is.
- Hatsumomo actually tells her—Satsu is in the district of Miyagawa-cho in a jorou-ya.
- What's a jorou-ya? Not even Chiyo knows.