At Hanakage Manor, mornings always began with the cry of birds. A kite called out in the distance. Beyond the mountains, the ridgeline of the Kutsuki range still lay submerged in pale haze. Ayano sat before the window, cradling a bowl of hot water between both hands, letting its warmth seep slowly into her palms. She was thinking of last night again. White sand and deep blue-black stones. Moonlight had traced a thin, delicate line along the edges of the garden rocks. The voice of Renya saying, "Because it is quiet"—it lingered still in the depths of her ears. That profile of his refused to leave her mind. *(He is truly alone.)* The sanitation reforms at Hanakage Manor had begun to take root. Chizuru, though not entirely convinced, had bent to the effort. Genuan was there beside them. With just that, each day within these castle walls had become slightly easier to breathe through. But this morning, that quietness did not last long. Footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor. Fast. And heavy. The gait of someone consumed by anger—Ayano recognized it with professional instinct. In hospital corridors too, patients whose emotions ran high walked this way. The shoji door slid open with a sharp crack. Chestnut-colored long hair swayed. Vivid green eyes fixed directly upon Ayano. A small mole on the left cheek. The girl appeared three or four years younger than Ayano, with beautiful features—yet behind those eyes burned a flame of barely concealed rage. "Are you Ayano?" It was less a question than a confirmation. "...Yes, that is correct." "[cold]The woman who entered my brother's garden without permission." With those words, the air of Hanakage Manor shifted. Somewhere down the corridor, a lady-in-waiting seemed to stop and hold her breath. Ayano set her tea bowl upon the tray. She knew immediately who this girl was. The castle lord's half-sister. Born to a concubine, she had suffered for years under the disparity in treatment compared to the legitimate heir. Shimoshio Mizuki—nineteen years of age. "[serious]It is true that I went to Tougetsu Garden last night. However, my conversation with the castle lord was..." "[angry]I don't want to hear your excuses." Mizuki stepped forward. "Why can a woman of unknown origin stand at my brother's side? Why are you permitted to enter his garden? That is a place I myself cannot even approach." Those words sank slowly into her chest. *(A woman of unknown origin.)* It was true. Ayano knew this herself. There was no way to explain where she came from, why she was here. She could hardly say, "I was reborn from the modern era." With her ambiguous status as a guest concubine—ranked below the formal concubines, still struggling to learn the castle's customs and protocols—she was defenseless against such accusations. Mizuki's words were fact. So Ayano did not argue back. "[serious]I understand your feelings, Mizuki-sama." Mizuki stopped abruptly. Perhaps she had expected Ayano to shout back, or to collapse in tears. Instead, her words were received with quiet acceptance, and it seemed to leave Mizuki at a loss for what to say next. "...Understand? What could you possibly understand?" "If the attention of someone important to you suddenly turned toward a stranger, it would be natural to feel anxious." Mizuki's eyes wavered slightly. She seemed about to speak, then closed her mouth again. The flame of her anger shifted form—from a roaring blaze to something more like a smoldering glow. To Ayano, it looked less like anger than something closer to sorrow. "[cold]...You don't understand anything." She spat the words out and turned back into the corridor. Her footsteps receded. All that remained was the open shoji and the morning mountain air. Ayano gazed at that open doorway for a long moment. *(A lonely child.)* It had been there all along, beneath the anger. ◆ In the afternoon, when Ayano went to the medicinal storehouse in the third ward, Genuan was seated as always before his work table. He was finely chopping moon-light moss—a pain-relieving herb gathered from the Forest of Eternal Darkness. The scent of dried medicinal plants mingled with the dimness of the stone walls, drifting through the air. "[gentle]Your complexion is not good today." Genuan spoke without looking up. His hands never ceased their work. "There have been various matters." "[gentle]I have heard of Mizuki-sama's visit." Genuan continued, his blade moving with quiet precision. "[gentle]She has relied upon the castle lord as her sole emotional support. Until you arrived, that is." Ayano stood before the shelves and began sorting snow-under grass. As her fingers tested the firmness of each stem, she found herself remembering Mizuki's face from that morning. "If my presence causes someone pain, then..." "[gentle]That is not why you came here." Genuan interrupted her quietly. His amber eyes glanced toward her for just a moment. "[gentle]Your presence has changed the waters of Hanakage Manor. The castle lord's nights have changed, if only slightly. That too is fact." Ayano's hands stilled. Unable to find words to respond, she resumed her work. Then the storehouse door opened quietly. "Pardon my intrusion." It was Rikunosuke. His dark indigo hair was bound at the back, and he wore the composed robes befitting a senior retainer of the clan. His sharp, narrow eyes swept once across the storehouse before settling on Ayano. The thin scar above his left eyebrow moved faintly beneath his gentle smile. "[gentle]Genuan-dono, my apologies for the interruption. If it is not too much trouble, I have something I wished to tell Ayano-dono..." "[serious]What business brings you here?" Genuan's voice remained calm, but his blade paused for just an instant. "[gentle]Nothing of great importance. I merely wished to inform Ayano-dono of something." Rikunosuke turned toward Ayano. His smile held no shadow. Rather, it was soft, almost concerned. Which made his next words all the more unexpected. "[gentle]The castle lord seems quite concerned about you. The events in Tougetsu Garden last night—they have already become the subject of gossip throughout the castle." In that moment, Ayano's hands stopped. *(Gossip.)* "[gentle]Of course, not in any negative sense. However, as you are aware, matters within the castle are quite complex. Mizuki-sama's visit this morning likely stems from such circumstances." His tone was gentle. Yet his words carried a single thorn, hidden somewhere within them. Ayano could not yet see exactly where it lay. "[gentle]I myself hold your knowledge and actions in high regard, Ayano-dono. However...standing at the castle lord's side carries with it certain responsibilities. It would be wise to consider such matters carefully." "[serious]Rikunosuke-dono, is that not overstepping your bounds?" Genuan spoke quietly. The old physician's voice was as gentle as always, yet the weight behind his words was something else entirely. Rikunosuke looked at Genuan, then back at Ayano. "[gentle]Then I shall take my leave. My apologies for the intrusion." He bowed lightly and departed the storehouse. The sound of his footsteps crossing the stone courtyard continued for a time before fading away. Silence returned to the medicinal storehouse. Only the sound of Genuan's blade remained. Ayano stood before the shelves, staring at the snow-under grass stem in her hand. *(Who was watching?)* That night, she had thought only she and Renya were in Tougetsu Garden. But someone had seen them. Or if not seen, then someone within the castle had gathered information. *(This castle is filled with invisible threads.)* "[whispers]Do not trust that man's smile too much." Genuan spoke quietly. She felt as though she had heard those same words before. Ayano nodded slowly. ◆ Even as night deepened, sleep would not come. She had returned to her room and sat upon her bedding, knees drawn to her chest, gazing out the window. The mountain ridgeline was outlined in moonlight, standing black against the sky. The air was cold, carrying the scent of the mountains. Rikunosuke's words from the afternoon circled endlessly through her mind. It has become gossip. It is known throughout the castle. Mizuki's visit this morning was because of this. *(My presence here is causing someone pain.)* As a nurse, she had wanted to use her knowledge to help people. She had been concerned about Renya's loneliness. That was all—yet somehow, she had set the castle's atmosphere trembling. Her feet moved of their own accord. Before she realized it, she was in the corridor, her footsteps echoing on the stone path. The night wind stirred the sleeves of her thin robe. Her feet were cold. Yet she could not bring herself to turn back. She made her way to Tougetsu Garden. The garden on the south side of the main palace lay submerged in moonlight. The white sand glowed faintly, and the deep blue-black stones floated within it like islands. She had heard that the previous castle lord, Shimoshio Iwayama, had summoned a gardener from Kyoto to create this place. White sand and stones meant to evoke winter moonlight. It was quiet, cold, yet somehow warm. Someone was already there. Renya stood in the garden. His dark, nearly black hair swayed slightly in the night breeze. His tall form stood quietly before the white sand. He turned at the sound of her footsteps. His eyes—deep black, cold yet somehow lonely—looked at her in the moonlight. He did not seem surprised. "...You came again." His voice held no reproach. "I could not sleep." She answered honestly. She could not bring herself to lie before him. Renya looked at her for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the white sand. Ayano stood beside him, also gazing at the garden. Between them lay perhaps a single step's distance. "[gentle]Chizuru told me. That Mizuki came." "...Yes." "[gentle]She is...a lonely one. Do not concern yourself." He said only that, his words brief. Ayano found herself repeating those words over and over in her mind. "I think I understand Mizuki-sama's feelings somewhat." Renya looked at her. For just an instant, their eyes met clearly. "If the attention of someone important to you turns elsewhere, it is frightening. That is something anyone would feel, is it not?" As she spoke, she felt her voice tremble slightly. She had meant to speak as a nurse, with clinical detachment, yet something else had slipped into those final words. Renya watched her for a moment. "[gentle]...You are too kind." He spoke slowly, his voice low. Those words reached deep into her chest, spreading warmth through her. *(Too kind.)* Ayano tried to turn her gaze back to the white sand, but could not. Renya's face remained at the edge of her vision. Moonlight fell upon his profile, and the thin scar above his right ear glowed faintly. This man had come to the garden because he was concerned about her. He had received word from Chizuru, and he had wanted to know if she was hurt—in the moment she realized this, something in her chest began to move rapidly. Her heartbeat became loud, impossible to ignore. *(This is...dangerous.)* She tried to look away. But she could not. His eyes had turned toward her again. The pupils that should have been cold and distant held a different quality in the moonlight. "...Um." The word escaped her lips unbidden. She knew it was a habit, but could not stop it. "[gentle]What is it?" "Nothing, it is nothing." Renya's mouth moved slightly—just barely—at the corner. Whether it was a smile, the reflected light from the white sand could not tell. The two of them stood in silence for a time, side by side, gazing at the garden. ◆ Chizuru was walking the corridors of Hanakage Manor some time later. The night rounds were Chizuru's habit. A continuation of her loyalty to the castle lord, a practice maintained since the previous lord's time. T