A lot happens in these chapters. First, after only a month Chiyo is sent to geisha school with Pumpkin. On the way there, Pumpkin eats a squid tentacle off the sidewalk. This shows how desperate they are for food and how poorly they're treated. Chiyo is still set on finding her sister. Hatsumomo told her earlier that her sister stopped by but she's dangling her sister's whereabouts above Chiyo. Her agreement is that she'll tell her where she is if Chiyo does Hatsumomo's every bidding.
A while later Hatsumomo and her friend are drunk and they get Chiyo to vandalize a fine kimono of Hatsumomo's rival, Mameha. Chiyo is punished cruelly and beat nearly to death. She's also told that she won't be free until she's paid off all of her debts (school, food, the kimono, etc...) However, Hatsumomo does tell Chiyo where her sister is and Chiyo sneaks out looking for her. They plan their escape, to meet at the train in another week. Chiyo is caught and is punished by no longer going to school to be a geisha and instead being just a maid forever.
She finds out her mother and father are both already dead and Satsu made it back to Yoroido and has run off with Mr. Tanaka's assistant's son.
These chapters, as I said were very important. I like the vivid descriptions given about everything. The way she describes herself getting beat sounds horrible and cruel, but it makes it much more interesting. So far the story's been pretty devastating but maybe it will pick up.
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