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001207

IndulgenceAuthor: Iwano Hōmei

Original Title耽溺
Author岩野 泡鳴
GenreModern Short Fiction
Author TypeMale Author
SummaryA writer retreats to a coastal town to work, lodging beside a struggling geisha house where life pulses with chaotic charm. His room overlooks a lush fig tree and a meticulously manicured garden, masking the tensions simmering within Izumoya—a restaurant run by a domineering aunt, her submissive relatives, and their sharp-tongued daughter, O-Kimi. Drawn into their world, he begrudgingly teaches English phrases to the family’s children while navigating their petty dramas. \nEnter Yoshiya: a brash, dark-skinned geisha with theatrical ambitions and a knack for manipulation. Their flirtation blooms amid shamisen music and clandestine meetings, though her web of suitors—a debt-ridden antique dealer and a smitten banker—complicates his growing obsession. As Yoshiya’s calculating mother arrives to broker her freedom, alliances shift like coastal tides. The writer’s artistic resolve blurs into reckless infatuation, leaving him entangled in a dance of jealousy and deceit. \nBeneath Kōzu’s tranquil surface lies a world of performative facades, where ambition collides with desire, and every smile hides a stratagem. Will his summer of inspiration become a trap of his own making?