At dawn, spring sunlight wrapped itself around Takagamine Castle's main compound. The garden, emptied of cherry blossoms, lay thick with verdant trees. Each time the wind stirred, the leaves whispered—a soft, rustling sound. A quiet afternoon. Peaceful. Sayo walked the inner corridor. In her hands, a basket. Inside, medicinal herbs. Okoto from Kusanagi-dō had shared them with her. Recently, a cough had begun spreading through the castle. Concerned for the attendants' health, Sayo had decided to brew a healing decoction. *Otake's complexion looked pale too.* Sayo gazed into the basket. Since the incident with that herbal remedy, the attendants' attitudes had shifted further. They had begun to rely on her. To confide in her. And that—that made her happy. In the modern world, no one had relied on Sayo. She had no friends. Her family did not understand her. She had been alone. But here was different. Here, Sayo was useful to someone. That realization filled her heart, slowly, ste