Yukari in the manga
Yukari is a courtesan attached to Shinpei. Jealous of his attention to Satoko, she uses her influence among the women to intimidate her romantic rival.
Her affection for Shinpei is not returned in the way she wants. Sawarabi and Hatsune initially follow her because they depend on her help finding customers. Satoko challenges that dependence, and the two women turn against Yukari rather than continue helping her threaten Satoko.
She turns a little access to power into power over other women.
Yukari’s jealousy is personal, but her ability to act on it depends on the brothel’s economy. Following the customers matters as much as following the romantic rivalry.
Chapter references identify the scenes behind each argument. “Our reading” is an interpretation, rather than a statement of the author’s confirmed intent.
Dependence keeps the alliance in place
Chapters 6, 10–14
Yukari wants Shinpei’s affection and threatens Satoko. She expects Sawarabi and Hatsune to help because she supplies access to customers. Satoko challenges that arrangement, and the women turn against Yukari during the confrontation.
Yukari uses an advantage inside an exploitative setting to make others obey her. That gives the intimidation a structure beyond dislike: refusing her may appear to threaten someone’s income.
The setting helps explain how her authority works. It does not excuse the violence she directs at Satoko. Reading her only as a jealous rival would miss both her own dependence and the dependence she exploits.
