From the night Kagetora returned drenched in blood, the fire burning deep in Hikaru's chest had never gone out. Every morning Tae would carry in the tray. Hikaru would tie her obi. In the hallway, she would let the presence of the castle women pass by. By the time such daily routines had seeped into her body——a month had passed since the transfer. "Would you like to venture outside the castle today?" Tae had spoken in a small voice the morning after they'd been discussing medicinal herbs. North of the castle town Tategawa, medicinal plants grew wild at the forest's edge beyond the castle walls. Tae remembered when Hikaru had once mentioned grasses that could be used to treat wounds. Tae came with her as far as the forest entrance, saying she would wait there. Hikaru climbed the slope alone. Dusk was drawing near. The western sky was beginning to stain orange, and the light filtering through the trees had turned diagonal. Dried leaves lay thick beneath her feet, and each step made a faint sound. The wind was cold, but not unpleasantly so. She was reaching out to confirm the name of a plant when——her foot slipped. The soil on the slope was softer than she'd expected. Her right ankle bent sharply in an unnatural direction, and before she could cry out, Hikaru was already on her knees. It hurt. A hot, throbbing pain spread from her ankle up through her shin. She tried to stand, but the moment she put weight on her foot, the pain sharpened, and she bit her lip without thinking. (This is bad. Tae is too far away.) The next instant——the tree branch above her head swayed. There was no sound. No sound of a bird taking flight, no sound of a branch breaking——nothing. Just a presence descending from above, and when she realized it, a person was standing before her. A young man. His hair was a pale silver, glowing faintly white in the twilight. His left eye was blue, his right eye a pale violet——eyes of different colors looked straight at Hikaru. There was no sense of movement about him. He stood there with the quiet of mist descending to the ground. Hikaru's body froze. When she tried to move her foot to escape, pain shot through her again. She couldn't stand. The man slowly crouched down. His eyes were now level with Hikaru's. His hand was not on his sword. He hadn't even drawn it. "[gentle]I didn't come to hurt you," His voice was quiet. Hikaru was holding her breath. There was nowhere to escape. If she screamed, Tae might hear her, but this man might—— The man slowly reached toward Hikaru's ankle. His fingertips touched it. They were warm. He lifted the hem of her kimono just slightly, checking the swelling with movements that held not a trace of roughness. "[gentle]A sprain. Not severe. But walking will be difficult," The man took a thin, folded cloth from his pocket. He wrapped it carefully around her ankle. The pressure was perfect——not too tight, but strong enough to properly secure it. The movements of someone who had done this many times before. Hikaru watched his hands. She was afraid. Afraid, and yet——with each wrap of the cloth, something entirely different from fear mixed into her chest. The warmth of his hands. The careful movements. The quietness of his voice. Everything swirled together inside her, and she couldn't sort it out. "[gentle]I'm called Yukikaze," The man tied off the cloth and stood. "[gentle]Be careful on your way back," With only that, the man walked deeper into the forest. He didn't look back. There was no sound of his footsteps. Before she knew it, he had melted into the shadows of the trees and vanished. Hikaru remained sitting there for a while, unable to move. It was only after some time had passed that she noticed her own cheeks were warm. 　＊ The next evening, when Hikaru went near the castle's outer wall——she couldn't quite explain the reason to herself. Yukikaze was there in the shade of a tree. "[gentle]How's your foot?" "[surprised]……Why are you here?" "[gentle]I was worried," He said it simply, like that. Hikaru was quiet for a moment. She later asked Tae quietly and learned what Yukikaze was——a ninja of the Kasuminokami family. An intelligence operative for the Inaba family's enemies. If he was approaching the castle, he must have a purpose. And yet now this man was asking how her foot was. (I don't understand. I don't understand what this person wants from me.) Still, that day the two of them exchanged brief words. When he asked if life in the castle was difficult, Hikaru thought for a moment before answering, "Well, I'm getting used to it." Yukikaze narrowed his eyes just slightly. The way he smiled was very quiet. Over the following days, Yukikaze appeared at dusk. Not every day, but whenever Hikaru went near the castle's outer wall, she felt his presence. Silver hair visible in the shade of trees. "[gentle]Are you getting used to life in the castle?" "Yeah, well," "[gentle]……That's good then," Their conversations were always brief. But Yukikaze's voice never changed. It was quiet, warm, and he always listened to what Hikaru said until the end. One day, Hikaru looked into Yukikaze's eyes. Left blue, right pale violet——in the depths of those pupils, there was loneliness. A loneliness of carrying something unspeakable, yet showing it to no one. Hikaru knew it. The same thing existed in Kagetora's gray eyes. (They're similar. Even though they're completely different people.) When that thought surfaced, Hikaru felt her chest stir. The emotion she felt when thinking of Kagetora and the emotion when looking at Yukikaze were tangled together in a mess. Which one was real? Which one was right? I don't know, Hikaru thought. What should I do? she also thought. 　＊ Around the same time, Kagetora had been visiting Hikaru's room more frequently. After their political discussions ended, he would sometimes remain without standing, silent. When Hikaru spoke of the sky outside the window, Kagetora would say briefly, "I see," but he wouldn't leave. His gray eyes were turned toward Hikaru's face. At such times, Hikaru would steal glances at Kagetora's profile. The sword scar on his left cheek. His black hair tied back. The light from the window traced the outline of his face. Her chest tightened. She still remembered the words from that night when he returned drenched in blood. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you. It hadn't been an order or a vow——just that quiet single statement. (I think I love this person.) But the warmth of Yukikaze's hands didn't fade either. Hikaru was turning a blind eye to that fact somewhere. Because she knew she would have to choose one——but she couldn't choose. 　＊ The situation shifted the very next day. One of Kagetora's retainers was patrolling outside the castle. Beyond the castle wall, at the edge of a wooded forest. There, he saw Hikaru and Yukikaze standing side by side, talking. The man's movements were not normal. There was no sound. Movements that concealed presence——the movements of a ninja. The retainer immediately turned back. The report reached Kagetora's ears that night. "She is in secret communication with an enemy ninja," Hanbei spoke in a low voice. Kagetora didn't look up from his documents. One second, two seconds——something vanished from his gray eyes. Kasuminokami family. Tsukikage-shu. Ninja. The moment those words accumulated, memories from twelve years ago returned. His father's face as he took an arrow at Mikazuki Pass. His father's final breath three years later. How many Inaba soldiers died after that battle. Kagetora remembered all their names. A member of that family had been standing beside Hikaru. "[cold]……I understand," After Hanbei left the room, Kagetora remained motionless for a long time. 　＊ That night, Hikaru was summoned to the main palace. The hallway was long. Tae had a worried expression behind her, but Hikaru said "I'll be fine" and entered alone. A large tatami room. A single lamp burning. In that light, Kagetora sat. His long black hair was tied back. His gray eyes looked straight at Hikaru. But the color of those eyes was different from usual. Not the eyes of political affairs, nor the eyes from that night. Eyes that looked far away. Cold eyes. "[cold]Were you in contact with an enemy ninja?" His voice was low. More like a confirmation than a question. Hikaru knelt and looked up. "[scared]No. I wasn't in secret communication," "[cold]It is fact that you were speaking with a man in the forest," "That's true, but——that person appeared first, treated my foot, and then sometimes after that," "[cold]He is a ninja of Kasuminokami," Kagetora spoke. He cut off Hikaru's explanation midway. "[cold]You were laughing together with a member of the family of my father's enemies," Hikaru closed her mouth. That's not right. They weren't laughing together. But how could she explain? No matter what words she lined up, what burned into Kagetora's eyes wouldn't change. A ninja of the Kasuminokami family and Hikaru talking——that fact alone remained in this room. "Kagetora-sama," "[cold]……" Kagetora didn't answer. He slowly stood and turned his back to Hikaru. "[cold]I will not visit your room again," That was all. It wasn't an order. It wasn't a shout. Just a quiet single statement. But that quietness was far heavier than any shout. Hikaru couldn't say anything. Kagetora's back disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. His footsteps grew distant. Faded. Vanished. Only the lamp's light remained in the room. Hikaru stared at the tatami grain for a while. Something was caught in her throat, and her voice wouldn't come. No tears came either. Just Kagetora's words remained lodged in the center of her chest, refusing to be pulled out. Her feet trembled as she walked back down the hallway. 　＊ That same night, far from the castle town, deep in the mountains, Yukikaze was alone. The letter arrived at dusk. A secret order from Tsukiyori, the head of the Kasuminokami family. ——Bring Hikaru out. Make the woman with knowledge of the modern world one of our family. Yukikaze sat alone in the night's shade of trees, gripping the letter in his hand. It was a natural order. He had approached Hikaru from the beginning for the sake of the mission. To gather intelligence on the castle, to find someone who could be used——that was Yukikaze's work. He had been trained since childhood as a member of Tsukikage-shu. Following orders was everything in this way of life. But. (Bring Hikaru out.) The moment those words took shape in his mind, Yukikaze's hand stopped. He remembered Hikaru's voice. The way she furrowed her brow in confusion, saying she didn't understand but what should she do. How she didn't run away when he wrapped cloth around her ankle, even though she was afraid. How she lived desperately every day within the castle walls. To bring her out was to force upon her something she didn't want. To tear Hikaru away from Inaba Castle and take her to an unknown place. (I'm sorry.) Yukikaze thought it without speaking. He didn't even know who those words were directed toward. The night deepened. Stars were visible between the trees. Wind blew, rustling Yukikaze's silver hair. Mission or emotion. Whichever he chose, something would break. Hikaru's smile or his duty to Tsukikage-shu——no matter which he chose, he couldn't remain as he was now. That night, Yukikaze realized it for the first time. That he truly cherished Hikaru. And that realization——was far more painful than being unable to find an answer as night turned to dawn. He turned his gaze toward the castle. The keep of Inaba Castle was faintly visible. Hikaru was there. There was no way for Yukikaze to know what Hikaru was feeling now. The hand gripping the letter didn't open, even as dawn came.