Ayano was still dragging that night with her. The profile of Renyo she'd seen in the Tougetsu Garden. That solitary expression floating in the moonlight. She'd blurted out something like "Aren't you lonely?" and felt a little embarrassed about it herself. But she'd truly meant it, so there was nothing to be done. Yet this morning, spread before Ayano's eyes was something that would sweep away all such sentimental feelings entirely. Hanakage Hall—the inner residential quarters positioned in the Ninomaru—Ayano stood frozen in the corridor for a long time, unable to move. Black dust had accumulated in the gaps between the floorboards. Deep in the dimly lit corridor, three communal water jars sat in a row. A thin green film of algae floated on their surfaces. Ayano stepped closer and checked the smell. It reeked. The scent of earth mixed with something decaying. (They're actually using this as drinking water...?) Turning her gaze further down the corridor, she spotted a bucket for waste disposal. It had no lid. One glance made it clear it hadn't been cleaned. A slick, foul odor drifted around it. "This is the standard for the inner quarters, if you please." Chizuru stood beside Ayano, arms crossed. A forty-eight-year-old head lady-in-waiting with lustrous black hair bound severely back. Behind the wrinkles on her forehead burned that familiar sharp gaze. "[serious]...Um." Ayano looked back and forth between the water jar and the bucket. Standard. This woman had just called this "standard." (This isn't standard. This is a breeding ground for infection.) Ayano's mind—trained by three years working in a general hospital in Tokyo as a nurse—immediately sounded an alarm. The water with green algae floating on it was the result of pouring unsterilized well water directly into a jar and leaving it. Bacteria would breed there. Leave a waste bucket unwashed, and pathogens scatter into the air. If twelve lady-in-waiting lived in this cramped residential space— "[serious]Chizuru-sama, may I ask something?" "What is it?" "[serious]How often do you wash these water jars?" Chizuru's eyebrows moved slightly. "We wash them when necessity demands." "When necessity demands...?" "When the dirt becomes visible to the eye, naturally. That is what is normal." Ayano opened her mouth, then closed it. How could she explain that invisible dirt existed? The concept of bacteria didn't exist in this era. But that didn't mean she could leave things as they were. "[serious]I understand." She answered curtly and returned to her room. ◆ A bamboo broom sat in the corner of her room. She found an old cloth that could serve as a rag, tucked away on a shelf. Ayano rolled up her sleeves and began sweeping the corridor. She carefully raked out the dust packed between the floorboards with the bamboo broom. Dry dust rose into the air, spinning slowly in the morning light. "[cold]...What are you doing?" Chizuru's voice cut through. Ayano turned to find her standing at the far end of the corridor. Deep wrinkles creased her brow. "Cleaning." "[angry]A guest concubine taking up a broom herself—it compromises propriety! Stop at once!" Ayano held the broom and looked at Chizuru. Propriety. A word that came up often in this castle. "[serious]Chizuru-sama, if any of the lady-in-waiting in Hanakage Hall were to fall ill, it would cause trouble for the castle lord, wouldn't it?" Chizuru's movements stopped for just a moment. "[serious]The algae in the water jars causes illness. It's invisible, but it truly exists. Um...rather than filth, it's more like tiny living creatures. When they enter the body, fever comes, or stomach pain. I've heard that the red spotted fever three years ago was partly caused by unsanitary water." Red spotted fever—the plague that had struck the Shinonome Domain three years ago, claiming roughly two thousand lives. Chizuru's reaction to those words was visible in the faintest shift of her expression. "[serious]That's why I'm cleaning. This isn't a matter of propriety—it's about protecting the castle lord's domain." Chizuru's lips pressed together. She seemed to be searching for a rebuttal, but the words wouldn't come. "...How presumptuous of you." With only that, Chizuru turned and left the corridor. She wasn't convinced. But she hadn't stopped Ayano either. That was enough. Ayano continued moving the broom. ◆ That afternoon, Ayano visited the medicinal storehouse in the Sanomaru. When she slid open the door, the scent of dried herbs spread through the air. Bottles and bundles lined the shelves, a mortar and pestle on the work table. Genant turned around. His thin brown hair, streaked with white, was loosely tied back, and his gentle amber eyes looked at Ayano. "[gentle]You're quite early today." "[serious]I came to ask a favor. Could you spare some medicinal herbs for disinfection and clean cloth? I want to wash the water jars and bucket in Hanakage Hall." Genant considered for a moment, then walked toward the shelves. "Disinfection, you say...you mean removing filth?" "[serious]Yes. Well, to be precise, it's a bit different...it means using the power of medicine to kill the things that cause illness." Genant stopped. "Kill the things that cause illness." "[serious]Yes. Some medicinal herbs can do that. I think the liquid from boiled snow-under grass would be especially effective." Snow-under grass—a fever-reducing herb found in the Tokoyami Forest. Ayano had confirmed its properties during her previous work in the medicinal storehouse. It should have antibacterial effects. Genant was silent for a while. His amber eyes narrowed as if in thought. Then he took a bundle of snow-under grass from the shelf and held it out to Ayano. "[gentle]...What you're saying, I understand only half of it. But it doesn't sound wrong. When I was younger, there were many patients I couldn't save. Now I think—I didn't even care about the cleanliness of my own hands back then." His voice was quiet. The words of an old physician, unadorned by regret. "[gentle]The cloth is on that shelf over there. Take as much as you need. This old man will help however he can." "Thank you very much." Warmth spread slowly through her chest. There were people in this castle who would actually listen. Just that alone gave her a little strength. ◆ It was when she'd returned to Hanakage Hall and begun washing the water jars. Footsteps sounded from outside the corridor. "[gentle]...Well, well. A guest concubine washing rags with her own hands—quite a rare sight indeed." Ayano looked up. Riku Kuzuki stood near the entrance to Hanakage Hall. His deep indigo hair was tied back, and a thin smile played at his sharp eyes. The thin scar on his left eyebrow made that smile seem somehow sharper. (He's here again.) Ayano stood, still holding the rag. "[serious]It's necessary to survive." "[gentle]I see." Riku glanced down the corridor. The dust was indeed gone. The algae in the water jars had already been half-removed by Ayano. "[gentle]Does the castle lord know of this situation?" "I haven't reported it yet." "[sarcastic]Is that so." Riku paused for a moment. His eyes moved as if observing Ayano. She felt herself being examined. What he was looking for, she still didn't know. "[gentle]Interesting. I'm looking forward to the castle lord's reaction." It was a sinister smile. Ayano didn't quite understand what was amusing about it. But there was something behind that smile, and staring at it too long made her uncomfortable. Riku said nothing more and left the corridor. His footsteps faded away. Ayano stood there for a while. Then she picked up the rag again and returned to washing the water jars. ◆ That night. Ayano stopped at the entrance to the Tougetsu Garden. The forbidden garden. But last night—or rather, a few nights ago—Renyo hadn't called her or chased her; he'd only told her to "leave," and yet here she was again, and she didn't quite understand why. She had something to report. That was true. She needed to tell him about the sanitation reforms in Hanakage Hall, or her relationship with Chizuru would remain strained. But it felt like there was more to it than that. White sand glowed in the moonlight. Dark blue-black stones were scattered about. And in the depths of the garden, there was a figure. "[cold]You came again." Without turning around, Renyo spoke. His voice was low and quiet, directed at the sky. "[serious]...I came to report. About the sanitation in Hanakage Hall." "I'm listening." Ayano stood at the edge of the garden and spoke. About the algae in the water jars, the waste bucket, the washing with snow-under grass, how Genant had helped, how she'd pushed back against Chizuru with logic. Renyo listened in silence until the end. "[cold]...You really are strange." His voice held something close to a bitter laugh. It was somewhat unexpected, and Ayano felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. "[serious]Am I strange?" "A guest concubine taking up a broom to clean, getting medicinal herbs from an old physician, and then reporting sanitation matters to the castle lord. No other domain has a concubine like that." "[serious]Um...but it was necessary." "[cold]Do as you please. Only—don't make an enemy of Chizuru. That woman will display any stubbornness for the sake of the domain. Clashing with her head-on is exhausting." Ayano thought for a moment. "Thank you for the advice." Renyo gazed up at the sky. Tonight too, there were many stars. Above the Kutsuki Mountains, stars flowed like a white river. A density of stars that would be absolutely impossible to see in the modern era. (This person watches this alone every night.) Ayano quietly observed his profile. He was different from the castle lord who sat in the council chamber during the day. That coldness wasn't here tonight. Just a twenty-eight-year-old person watching the stars stood before her. "[gentle]...Why does the castle lord watch the stars here?" Renyo paused. "[cold]Because it's quiet." "Because it's quiet." "During the day, there's always someone's voice. Reports from the senior retainers, troop movements, envoys from other domains. I have to process it all. Here, there's none of that." Ayano turned those words over in her heart for a while. (It's an escape. This is his escape.) As a castle lord, he'd been supporting the domain since he was seventeen. Shinonome Domain—a small domain of thirty-eight thousand koku in the mountains of Shinano—he'd been protecting it from the larger powers around it all this time. He came here every night alone to set down that weight. Something moved slowly in her chest. It was a sensation without a name. "[serious]...I see." She couldn't say more. She searched for words, but found none. "Go back," Renyo said. "Before Chizuru notices." "[serious]Yes." Ayano bowed and left the Tougetsu Garden. As she walked the corridor back to Hanakage Hall, she turned Renyo's words over in her mind. "Because it's quiet." Short words, but their weight remained in her chest. ◆ The next morning. Ayano searched for Chizuru. The room where Chizuru kept the inner quarters' code of conduct—the eighteen rules governing the behavior of the women in Hanakage Hall—was near the entrance to the hall. She knocked on the door, and it opened immediately. Chizuru emerged. As before, her black hair was bound back severely in a traditional style, her dark eyes sharp and composed. Ayano bowed deeply. "[serious]I was presumptuous yesterday. I apologize." Chizuru was silent. "[serious]However, to protect the castle lord's health, could you approve at least minimal sanitation reforms? I'm asking only for regular washing of the water jars and the installation of lids on the buckets." Chizuru's face moved slightly. Ayano sensed that yesterday's words—the reference to red spotted fever—still weighed on her. "...I won't appr