Pathway to Japanese Literature

I

“How can you say you simply don’t want to and act like a child? You’ll be twenty-one next year, won’t you?”

“I could be any age for all I care—if I don’t like something, I simply don’t like it.”

Having said this, Fumiyo picked up a sweet with a composed expression.
The nose she had proudly boasted about since childhood—“My nose points straight up to the ceiling!”—now appeared properly upturned when she composed her face like that, exuding a childlike charm that was quite amusing.
Shino, nearly bursting into laughter, poured tea for her.

“What exactly don’t you like about this Mr. Takei? They say his family is small, your social standings are well-matched—there seems to be no objection.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you—there’s nothing lacking in him. It’s simply that I don’t want to. The truth is, I don’t want to marry at all.”

“Still clinging to such childish notions? But you—a woman must leave home eventually, no matter what.”

“Yes, I understand that,” she replied, “but one can leave home without marrying. I could take vows, teach some art and live independently… I’ve indeed considered such options.”

There was something different about Fumiyo’s tone—a strained urgency that hadn’t been there before.
Shino looked at her sister’s face in slight surprise.

“Are you being serious about that, Fumiyo?”

“Of course I’m serious. I’ve thought that way for a long time.”

Fumiyo’s face, which had been maintaining a childlike composure, stiffened at that moment as if pulled taut by a cord.

“Lady Yumie Fujita already has two children, and nearly all my other friends have either taken husbands or been married off. Seeing how they live, I’ve become thoroughly disgusted with marriage itself… To put it more plainly, elder sister—you’ve spent five years in this Uemura household and have a child named Kanosuke. To outsiders, it may seem peaceful and uneventful, but I know full well you’re not happy at all.”

“My, what are you saying?”
Shino interrupted in alarm, “—What if someone hears you voicing such reckless things?”

“So you are happy then, elder sister?”
Fumiyo gazed at her with earnest eyes. “Though five years have passed since your marriage, you two still behave like strangers! Brother-in-law maintains that stone Buddha face of his—glaring at everything as though displeased, never properly engaging in conversation. And you, elder sister, keep restraining yourself, perpetually straining not to disturb his precious mood. Yet despite all this, you still claim happiness?”

“That’s enough now—you’ve said plenty. If you don’t stop this instant, I’ll be angry.”

Shino said this firmly. Her face indeed looked ready to burst with anger, but her beautifully clear eyes revealed signs of disarray. When her sister fell silent, Shino continued in a calm, measured tone while quietly preparing tea.

“Human happiness and unhappiness cannot be easily judged—particularly matters between husband and wife are complex. There are many things one can never understand through superficial impressions of whether a couple appears harmonious or discordant. For someone inexperienced like you to trust only your own eyes and think in such a manner is a grave mistake.”

Fumiyo listened to her sister’s words with only half an ear.
She bowed with a perfunctory “Yes, yes” and dropped the subject, yet still seemed to have something left unsaid.
Just as she began to notice this restlessness, Fumiyo adopted a casual expression and brought up something unexpected.

“Elder sister, you know Mr. Tomonari of Nishihara has entered prison, don’t you?”

“Mr. Tomonari... What did you say?”

“Along with Mr. Kaji, Mr. Iwamitsu, Mr. Ōi, and three others—they were all summoned about a month ago and thrown into the castle prison to rot. You didn’t know?”

“No... Not at all...”

Shino desperately suppressed her trembling body. Suddenly firming her resolve, she raised a somewhat pallid face to look at her sister.

“But Fumiyo, why are you telling me such a thing? I have nothing to do with Mr. Nishihara’s affairs.”

“Yes—there’s absolutely no connection at all.”

With a distorted smile, Fumiyo nodded.

“That wasn’t my intention at all—we’ve been close for so long through our old friendship—and this was so unexpected… I only asked because I thought you might know something.”

“I know nothing about it, and I don’t even want to know about such political matters.”

Fumiyo gazed up at her sister.
Then she sharply turned her face away and, while covering her eyes with one hand, whispered softly in a low voice.

“Oh, poor elder sister...”

II

For the next six or seven days, Shino spent her days in restless torment.
She wanted to know at least the reason why Tomonari had been imprisoned in the castle.
Since her elder brother from her family home served as a storehouse magistrate, she thought that if she asked him, he might know,

“I would like to go to Sumikawa regarding my younger sister’s marriage arrangements.”

She tried saying this, but her husband didn’t even look her way and refused in his usual cold voice.

“I am currently occupied with official duties. It would be inconvenient if you were away.”

Fumiyo had called it stone Buddha-like—an attitude utterly devoid of emotion，offering no foothold for engagement.
Shino had no choice but to withdraw.
That’s right—perhaps it’s better not to pry into it．Even if I learned the reason，there’s nothing I could do about it myself… Besides，he’s someone who has nothing to do with who I am now.

She consoled herself like this and tried her best to forget the matter.
But in reality, the opposite was true—her mind found no peace, and in her head, various thoughts swirled like eddies, constantly appearing and disappearing.
At the center of it all was always Tomonari, followed by her sister’s whisper that seemed to point something out.

—Poor elder sister.

Her sister’s whisper sent a chill through Shino.
It seemed to prompt an awareness of guilt.
Did she know about Tomonari and me?
That couldn’t be—she had no memory of her sister noticing anything, and that brief incident, fleeting as a gust of wind, was never something others could have discerned.

—Why then had she called me pitiful?

Shino stumbled at that point, and each time she was assailed by a sort of chilling sensation.

“There will be guests this evening. Prepare sake.”

One morning, her husband said this.

“How many guests would there be?”

“Three or four. It won’t be more than that. But… handle that appropriately.”

“Is it for a celebration, or...”

The preparations differed between celebrations and funerals—that’s why she had asked—but Ryohei glared at her reproachfully with sullen eyes, then left without another word.

Unfortunately, Kanosuke developed a fever.
Soon after her husband left for work, Sugi the wet nurse came to inform her, and from then on—calling the doctor, tending to him—she had no moment to spare until afternoon.
Kanosuke was three years old, but due to her husband’s insistence, he had been entrusted to the wet nurse immediately after birth, and Shino had hardly ever cared for him.

"Mothers spoil their children if they’re too lenient."

Ryohei would say this, but it seemed to stem from both a desire to keep his wife bound to him and a vanity in having his child raised by a wet nurse.
He was born into the family of a kumigashira with less than fifty koku and apparently lived a very poor life.
Recognized by Chief Retainer Iemaki Saihee, he rose from the Inspectorate Office to finally become Inspector General, yet in everyday trivial matters, he was so meticulous—to the point of embarrassing his wife Shino—often resembling stinginess more than frugality.
On the other hand, conscious of being Inspector General, he would occasionally do strangely pretentious things—raising Kanosuke with a wet nurse being one such example—but since these clashed with their actual lifestyle, they usually ended up as mere self-satisfaction born of vanity.

—This man thinks only of himself.

Shino had thought this shortly after marrying into the Uemura household. It was perhaps because Chief Retainer Iemaki Saihee valued such traits that he had recommended him for Inspector General—he was as precise as a ruler’s mark, perpetually calm, and utterly unsparing.

—This marriage was a mistake for me.

Within the first six months or so, Shino had come to realize this.

Kanosuke had been healthy, so until now she had experienced no hardships as a mother. When he became ill, she was overwhelmed by unbearable self-reproach. According to the doctor’s examination, the high fever stemmed from an intestinal issue—this, he stated, was more serious than the fever itself. Sugi answered that the diarrhea had persisted for about ten days, but the doctor made an angry face,

“Isn’t it said that a young child’s health can be judged by their stool? If that’s the case, you’re hardly fit to fulfill the important role of a wet nurse.”

After scolding her like this, Shino was also sternly warned to be more attentive.

With all that commotion and Ryohei arriving with guests earlier than expected, Shino was so busy for about two hours in the evening that she didn’t have a moment to catch her breath.
The guests, five in number, left before ten o'clock, but Ryohei, seemingly displeased with the hospitality, summoned Shino and berated her immediately after their departure.

“The food and service were far too careless! I told you this morning, yet what in the world were you doing all day?”

It was a rough voice, the kind one might use to berate a servant.
Shino did not apologize. In a voice even she found cold, she spoke while looking down.

“Kanosuke has suddenly fallen ill.”

Ryohei momentarily caught his breath.

“An illness… What kind of illness?”

“The doctor says he has developed a severe intestinal issue and needs careful monitoring for two or three days.”

“Then you should have sent a messenger to the castle.”

After shouting this, Ryohei—uncharacteristically—hurriedly stood up, demanding to know where he was laid.

That night, Kanosuke had a convulsion.
After sending for a doctor and receiving treatment, it subsided—but intermittent trembling fits continued until dawn—and Shino ended up staying awake all night nursing him.
...Ryohei left for their bedchamber just as they passed by each other with the departing physician—when first seeing Kanosuke’s suffering—he had lost all color from his face—turned his lips white—even made his own body tremble—but once entering their sleeping quarters—he never emerged again.
"What would Tomonari-sama do in such a situation?"

After sending Sugi away, while keeping watch over Kanosuke’s face alone, Shino unconsciously murmured these words—startled by her own voice, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Due to intense self-reproach and a tormenting emotion akin to longing, her chest ached and her head spun.

If this child were to die, it would be punishment for my having lacked courage back then.

Shino sat with eyes tightly shut for a long time, a sensation as if needles were piercing her entire body.

Ryohei did not approach Kanosuke's side and made no attempt to inquire about his condition.
Shino couldn't bring herself to speak either; whenever she saw her husband's cold, hard face, the words that had risen to her mouth would catch in her throat.
Even if Kanosuke were to die, she resolved not to tell her husband herself.
...Her mother and younger sister came to visit from her family home in Sumikawa, and at that time, her mother told her that from now on, she should take care of things herself.

“The Uemura family may have their customs, but a child must still be raised by the mother who bore them. A wet nurse will always remain just that—she can never replace those who share blood… And this complete lack of affection! Men don’t understand such things, so you must assert yourself.”

Shino resolved to do just that.
So, seizing the opportunity when Kanosuke was declared out of danger, she brought the matter up with her husband.

“I’ll have things continue as they have been.”

Ryohei’s reply was utterly devoid of warmth.

“Kanosuke is the heir of the Uemura family. I will raise my child as I see fit.”

It was spoken in a tone that dismissed her concerns as meddlesome.
Shino silently stood up from there, her eyes downcast.

……Until then, she had been unable to love her husband, but from that moment on, Shino began to hate him. And she acknowledged that her sister’s words—"You’re not happy, Elder Sister"—spoken once long ago were not mere presumptions; her sister had clearly discerned the truth.

—How is Tomonari-sama faring now?

As if fleeing her current dark and cold life, Shino often retreated into memories.
Tomonari Nishihara was the child of her late father’s friend and had interacted like family for many years.
He was cheerful, sensitive—though somewhat rough around the edges—and deeply considerate, possessing qualities that endeared him to everyone.

Shino, gentle by nature, had secretly loved him from an early age.
At that age, when she still didn’t understand what it meant to love someone, instinctive self-preservation and a sense of shame led her to begin avoiding him without consciously intending to do so.

"You’ve become strangely cold, always running away. Have you come to hate me?"

Shino could still vividly recall the irrepressible confusion and strange joy she had felt when Tomonari said those words to her…… It was probably about half a year later when, amidst the reeds of the Aoi River, Shino found herself suddenly embraced by Tomonari.
At that time, with Tomonari’s mother on one side and their group consisting of Shino, her mother, younger sister, and older brother Shigejiro—the six of them had gone firefly hunting.
First, in the moored roofed boat, they opened tiered lunch boxes. About three people from the boat house came to warm sake, prepare fish from the live well, and serve them, holding a lively little banquet.

Shino, eventually pestered by her younger sister, reluctantly went out alone from the boat to catch fireflies. With a bundle of small bamboo prepared for her at the boat house and a firefly cage in hand, as she chased after the elusive fireflies, she eventually found herself deep within the thick reeds of a wide riverbank. It was then that Tomonari came searching for her.

“Shino-san, where are you? Shino-san.”

She heard a voice calling like this.
Shino remained silent.
Giggling softly, she stood motionless among the reeds.
However, perhaps because Shino wore a pale sheer summer kimono that caught the light of countless darting fireflies, Tomonari soon approached, parting the reeds as he drew near.

III

The intense force with which he gripped her shoulders; the dizzying contact she received on her cheeks and lips.
It was something she could not recall no matter how hard she tried—a sensory memory lingering somewhere within her body, undeniably imprinted in her memory, yet… The night had been windless and stiflingly humid; not a single reed in the thicket stirred.
The sound of the Aoi River’s flow could be heard like a whisper.

“Disgusting. What the hell is this?”

One evening at dinner, Ryohei poked at the simmered dish with his chopsticks and glared at her with piercing eyes.
Then he threw down the chopsticks,

“I can’t eat this. Take it away.”
With these words, he stood up violently.
His eyes blazed with hatred, and his clenched fists trembled.

“I’ve… never complained about meals before.”
He uttered in a panting voice, “I usually eat whatever is served without complaint. But what is this you’ve been preparing lately? Do you hold me in such contempt that you’d make me eat this?”

Upon hearing the word "contempt," Shino raised her face.
Ryohei glared down at her with eyes fierce enough to pierce through flesh, made as if to speak, then departed straight for his private quarters.
...Shino remained seated—a strangely gratifying sensation like having exacted revenge, a prickling emotion welling up—and unwittingly found a smile rising to her lips.

—At least that had been genuine.

Shino thought this—yet she recalled how Tomonari had always confronted every situation with genuine intensity.
Late that night, in their bedroom, Ryohei apologized to Shino, saying it had been wrong of him to act so violently.

“There’s been a difficult problem with my duties—my mind hasn’t settled at all. I was irritated and ended up saying such things. But… no, it was wrong. Forget it.”

Ryohei reached out toward her.
But Shino silently turned over to the opposite side.

The marriage proposal for Uemura had come from Chief Retainer Iemaki.
Why Shino had been unable to refuse—her still-living father，mother，and brother had not forced her.
Moreover，Shino consented.
...The nighttime incident at the Aoi Riverside felt like a sin to Shino.
The profound joy of that moment—a sensation akin to momentary terror—seemed something to be concealed in shame，something immoral，something impermissible，something disgraceful.
That awareness had likely compelled her to consent to the marriage proposal with Uemura.
Indeed，after giving formal consent，she felt her heart quietly at ease，as if released from a long period of mental tension.

Only Shino’s younger sister opposed the marriage to Uemura.
No one paid her any heed.
Even after Shino entered the Uemura household, her sister persisted in her opposition—visiting frequently yet steadfastly refusing to soften toward Ryohei.

“Brother-in-law’s eyes are eyes that can only divide the world into good and evil—they know neither joy nor sorrow, neither forgiveness nor love—cold eyes like stone.”

Fumiyo would often say such things heatedly.

“When I see Brother-in-law, I shudder—it’s like touching frozen stone, sending a piercing chill through me.”

Shino would laugh it off or at most lightly chide her.
To prevent her own heart from being laid bare—to maintain that her sister understood nothing—she had adopted such an attitude.
In doing so, she had even ended up delivering a preachy lecture about the happiness or unhappiness of marriage.
To this, her younger sister responded with just a single word.

“Poor Elder Sister.”

Even long afterward, when she recalled that, Shino shuddered. She hunched her body, tightly closed her eyes, and gasped from suffocating pressure.

After November began, Ryohei stayed overnight at the castle more frequently.
The office work was apparently quite busy—likely related to that “difficult problem” he had mentioned—and at times he would return with four or five colleagues, spending entire nights working in the parlor.

It was the morning after three guests had stayed over.
In the still-dim dawnlight, he ordered breakfast served early; when finished, Ryohei departed with his guests.
Afterward, while cleaning her husband’s parlor, she discovered a bound sheaf of documents.
...Such carelessness had never occurred before—official papers especially were treated with utmost care, never left exposed on desks—but this bundle lay fallen behind it, likely forgotten in his haste.
As she moved to place it on the desk, Shino idly flipped through the pages.

It was a five- or six-page bundle, likely a charge sheet—names were listed with several lines of criminal charges appended to each, and above every entry were written characters such as "death," "exile," or "life imprisonment," with the death character rendered in vermilion.

IV

Shino let out an "Ah!" Among them was Tomonari’s name: Deputy Chief of Mounted Retainers, 420 koku with stipends for ten retainers, Tomonari Nishihara. Above it was written "Death" in vermilion, though the character appeared erased twice in ink, suggesting revised charges. The charges were recorded with utmost brevity—he stood accused as the ringleader who had plotted to assassinate Chief Retainer Iemaki and several other senior officials.

As if she had seen something terrifying, Shino threw it onto the desk.
Then immediately she dropped it back behind the desk where it had been.
At that very moment, Ryohei hurriedly returned as if running down the corridor.
It was a perilous moment.
At almost the same instant Shino picked up the broom, Ryohei entered and scanned the room.

“Was there something I wrote here?”

He looked toward her with sharp eyes.
Shino remained calm—so much so that she surprised even herself—

“Was there something you had forgotten?”

While saying this, she calmly gazed around her surroundings. Ryohei hurriedly went to the desk, opened drawers, rummaged through document shelves, soon found it behind the desk, took it, and put it into his pocket with a relieved expression.

“I’m staying at the castle tonight.”

Ryohei said this and tried to add something more, but shaking his head, he hurried out.

Shino couldn’t swallow a bite of her midday meal.
Since then，her younger sister had been visiting as usual about once every four or five days，but she never mentioned Tomonari.
Of course，I couldn’t ask about it myself—whether he was still in prison or had been released，what crime had led to that—I knew nothing at all.
She even began to think that perhaps her younger sister had said something groundless to test her feelings.

That he was the mastermind behind the senior officials' assassination... and that the charge carried the death penalty.

Assassination plots are not carried out without reason—for what purpose was such a scheme devised?
The politics of that time were undeniably autocratic—those other than the authorities were not permitted to discuss it, and particularly for women—though exceptions were not entirely absent—they could hardly even glimpse into such matters.
Therefore, Shino too had no knowledge of the domain’s political situation and could not even begin to guess what circumstances might be concealed there or whether such a thing was possible.

She had to do something.

That entire night, tossing and turning in the bedroom, Shino muttered to herself.

Tomonari-sama would be sentenced to death—Tomonari-sama... No, this couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t let him die—she had to save him somehow. She needed to devise a plan... But how? How could she possibly save him?

Shino thought about consulting her brother from her family home.
She resolved to visit him once day broke, but given that her brother served as a warehouse magistrate, he surely knew of such significant matters—if there had been any way to help, he would have already undertaken such maneuvers.
If that were the case, then either her brother’s influence had been insufficient to achieve it, or Tomonari’s plot truly deserved death—it must be one or the other.

“Brother won’t do… Brother won’t… Then what other method could there be?”

Chief Retainer Iemaki Saihee.
Kurobe Budayu, a Middle Councilor who was her paternal uncle; Matsushima Geki, an elder statesman on her mother’s side.
She tried to recall every person she could possibly ask for help, but soon collided with the fact that she was Ryohei Uemura’s wife.

"That’s right—I was the wife of Inspector General Ryohei Uemura. I could do nothing. Even if a method had existed, the world and its people would never have forgiven me—Ryohei’s wife—for acting to aid another man."

Gazing up at the faint dawn light streaming through the small window, Shino let out a groan of despair alone.

The following afternoon, her husband sent a messenger from the castle stating he would not return that night either.
So Shino had the wet nurse carry Kanosuke and went to her family home in Sumikawa for the first time in a long while.
She had hoped to gain some understanding of the situation, but her mother, sister-in-law, and younger sister knew nothing about it.

“Men are always talking about such complicated things and stirring up trouble—they’re just unbearable, aren’t they, Kanosuke?”

Mother said such a thing quite nonchalantly while holding Kanosuke and soothing him.

“I wonder if we’ll ever see a quiet world without all these noisy disputes and squabbles. Even with so many wise people gathered, they’re always bickering about something or other. Now, Kanosuke—when you grow up, won’t you make this a calmer, kinder world to live in?”

Shino steeled herself to disclose that Tomonari was going to receive the death penalty.
But even if she revealed it, there was nothing they could do—particularly since she couldn’t conclusively confirm whether the document she had seen constituted an official verdict.
In the end, without uttering a word, she remained for roughly two hours before returning home.

The husband, who had sent a messenger saying he would stay at the castle, suddenly returned home around ten o'clock that night.

“The official business concluded unexpectedly early.”

Ryohei said this uncharacteristically.
He appeared to have been drinking—whether due to that or some other reason—and with an unusually bright expression, went to see Kanosuke sleeping.

The following day saw six guests arrive from the afternoon onward, with lively drinking continuing into the night.

Something had been resolved.

In the animated conversation at the drinking party, this resolution became clearly apparent.
It must have been what Ryohei had termed a "difficult problem," while simultaneously hinting at a connection to Tomonari.
Had the charges against those enumerated in that document been finalized? Was Tomonari still condemned to execution?
While serving them drinks, she strained every nerve—through sight, hearing, all her senses—to glean information.
Yet they warily avoided any mention of official affairs, leaving her utterly uninformed.

Ryohei’s comings and goings to the castle returned to normal.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but his eyebrows seemed relaxed, and at times he even showed a smiling face over his pre-sleep drink—he never drank alone during meals—.
In this manner, about seven days passed. One evening, after dusk had brought rain, when she brought tea at the usual hour,

“How has Kanosuke been lately?”

Her husband addressed her in an uncharacteristic manner.
This was the first time such a thing had happened—Shino sat down there.

“So you do feel lonely without Kanosuke by your side—”

“No, I’ve grown accustomed to it by now.”
“Accustomed… Hmm… Yes—accustomed.”

Ryohei abruptly fell silent, as if listening to the rain. Then, still facing the window, he interlaced his fingers and held them over the brazier. In a low, whisper-like voice, he spoke as if to himself.

“The child shares our blood—my child from the start, your child… Yet you and I began as strangers… What you desire, what you think—I can’t fully grasp the depths of your heart… This won’t do. As husband and wife, we must understand each other to our cores. For that, we need time—close, uninterrupted time.”

“Especially since I’m this sort of person—I can’t rest until I’ve convinced myself… I wanted to know you to your very core, to make you my wife in both body and soul. That’s why I separated the child from you.”

Shino kept her eyes lowered and remained silent.
She thought it was utterly selfish.
To go so far as separating a child from its mother just to keep his wife bound to him—did he believe mere physical proximity would make emotions follow suit? If he could find satisfaction in that, did it mean the separated child and mother mattered not at all?
Was it not through a child that husband and wife first became truly connected?
Thinking this, still Shino said nothing.

“You may be dissatisfied with me—I come from humble origins; I grew up in considerable hardship and poverty. Even in everyday matters, there must be many awkward things in your eyes that you’d look down upon. I know that all too well.”

“――――”
Shino looked up in surprise.

"But I cannot remain like this—to reach this point, I had to abandon everything, absolutely everything... to rise to a position worthy of a person... And now that time has come—from here on, I can settle down somewhat. I’ll devote myself to that path of discipline... become someone you won’t look down upon..."

Ryohei cut off his words there.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached down the corridor; they stopped outside the shoji screen, and it was reported that a messenger from the prison office had arrived.

“A messenger from the prison.”

Ryohei tilted his head.

“As this is urgent, he requests that you come to the main entrance.”

“Alright, I’ll go,” Ryohei said as he stood up.
Without any particular intent but drawn by a kind of intuition, Shino followed after him and concealed herself in the shadow of the sliding door beside the entrance.

“What? A jailbreak?! You mean someone broke out of the prison?!”

She heard her husband’s voice filled with shock.

“It appears there was an insider among the prison guards. We captured three at Tatsumiguchi Gate, but the rest… seem to have escaped toward the castle’s rear entrance… We’ve doubled the guard numbers at the gates… and the town magistrate’s men are also…”

The messenger’s voice too sounded frantic.
Shino muffled her footsteps as she left the spot and returned to sit in her husband’s living room.

A jailbreak—could it be Tomonari-sama?

Prisons existed outside the castle as well.
The one for commoners was located north of Teppō Training Ground in the Execution Ground Forest, while the castle prison was exclusively for samurai—but at which one had the jailbreak occurred?
……Shino closed her eyes, bowing her head in perfect silence, with a feeling of praying without knowing what to pray for.
Ryohei returned immediately and, remaining standing, said restlessly.

“I have official business to attend to. I may not return tonight.”

V

After having her husband prepare and sending him off, then putting the servant to bed, she too retired to her bedroom.
However, since sleep seemed unlikely and thinking her husband might return, she went back to the living room, stoked the fire, brewed strong tea, took out her unfinished sewing, and sat down.

You may be dissatisfied with me—since I come from humble origins…there must be many clumsy things you’d look down upon.

What her husband had said came back to her.
The word “contempt” had surfaced before—tonight twice, though interrupted toward the end—he had said he wanted to become someone you wouldn’t look down upon.
……Shino could not love her husband—it had even grown to hate him.
But as for “contempt”—she herself had never even dreamed of feeling such a thing.

"What could he be misinterpreting? What part of me makes me seem that way to him?"

Shino placed her needlework on her knees and tried to recall all the days and nights she had spent with her husband up to now.

It was then.
Immediately came a furtive tapping of fingertips against the storm shutters outside the engawa, followed by what sounded like her name being called.
……At first she thought it was just wind rattling the door—the whisper of snowfall.
But then came a distinct low murmur—“Shino-san”—and with a chill cascading down her spine like icy water being poured over it, Shino scrambled to her feet and rushed out into the corridor.

“Shino-san… Shino-san.”

The voice was coming from right outside the storm shutters.

“It’s Tomonari. Please open the door, Shino-san.”

Shino trembled violently. *I mustn’t open it*—even as she thought this, almost unconsciously, her hands opened the storm shutters.
The snow had just begun to accumulate, faintly whitening the garden, when a black figure appeared and drew near, clinging to the opened doorway.

“Please hide me—not for my sake, but for the sake of the entire domain. They must not die. If you are truly a samurai’s daughter, you must understand this—I beg of you.”

Before Shino could clearly recognize him as Tomonari, she pulled him inside and closed the storm shutters.

“Are there any footprints left in the garden?”
“It’s alright. The snow erased them.”
“Just come this way, please.”

Tomonari was barefoot.
After quickly wiping [his feet], Shino led [him] to her living room, opened the storage closet, and ushered him inside.

“No one besides myself ever comes here.”
“I’ll bring something warm now…… There’s an old futon there, so please make yourself comfortable.”

Shino closed the sliding door, returned, and carefully inspected the tatami mats from the corridor.

Her husband would find out.

While meticulously wiping the soiled areas, she heard that warning somewhere in her mind.
Her husband would undoubtedly find out—there was no escaping those cold, merciless eyes.

He would undoubtedly find out.

Shino felt as if a hard lump had lodged in her throat and tried to swallow her saliva, almost retching.

As she was preparing porridge in the hearth room, she heard Kanosuke fussing and the wet nurse carrying him off to the toilet.
After that, everything fell into deep silence once more.
The one blessing was being separated from the child—Kanosuke and the wet nurse were in a room about five doors down the corridor, which turned at a right angle, and due to her husband’s preference, the servants too were kept far away.

But her husband would find out.

Shino took the completed porridge and went to the storage room.
Tomonari appeared to have been lying down; when he sprang up, there was an unpleasant odor from his hair and body, soiled with grime.
“I deliberately came to scope out this house; with the exits blocked, I figured the Inspector General’s residence would be safe—so I chose the tiger’s den instead.”

Tomonari took the spoon in the darkness.
In the lamplight streaming from the living room, his figure appeared faintly visible; his hair was disheveled and his beard had grown out.
His cheeks were pale and swollen, his face completely transformed.—He must have been starving—grimacing at the heat as he slurped the porridge while speaking rapidly in a low voice without looking up.

"It wasn't an assassination plot—Chief Retainer Iemaki and several close aides were involved in large-scale corruption surrounding the Aoi River improvement project.
There were also numerous instances of fraud with major landowners regarding tax collection.
When we tried exposing this to enact political reforms, information leaked somehow—they struck first and disguised everything as an assassination scheme."

“If it’s come to this, it’s a fight. In fact, I feel unburdened—I have the charge sheet right here.”
Tomonari tapped an area that seemed to be a belly band and said with a sharp laugh, “When their vigilance relaxes, I’ll escape and head to Edo. It’s for the sake of the domain, so I know this will trouble you, but I must ask.”

And for the first time, he lifted his gaze toward Shino.

Six

For about three days, her husband did not come near the house.

Shino brought Kanosuke with her when necessary and let him play in her own living room.
It was in the midst of this that Ryohei suddenly returned home. He said nothing in particular, ate a meal, changed clothes, and promptly left again……Her sister arrived on the fifth day.
As soon as she came and sat down, Fumiyo began speaking about the jailbreak as if announcing a grave matter.

“I hear seven people broke out of prison. Three were captured at some gate, another at the bridge, then one more at the highway checkpoint—so five in total—but it seems Tomonari-sama and one other managed to escape.”

“But how can you be sure it was Tomonari-sama who escaped?”

“They say officials are stationed at the Nishihara residence—five of them keeping watch day and night. But it’s alright now—it’s already been five days.”

“Why would he do such a thing? What crime could he have possibly committed?”

“There must be a reason! He would never do anything wrong!”
Fumiyo said this angrily, shaking her shoulders.
Shino nearly revealed Tomonari’s presence but, deciding it wasn’t yet time, maintained her feigned ignorance until the end.

Around the seventh day, her husband’s duties returned to normal. The investigation had likely been called off. He wore a tense, irritable expression, showed little appetite, and flew into such rages over trivial matters that it startled those around him. ……To Tomonari, she brought porridge three times a day and opened the window for him in the middle of the night. It seemed simple enough—timing her movements between others’ comings and goings—but the constant tension, coupled with the terror of thinking “if discovered—”, left her unable to sleep deeply. Day after day of this wore Shino down until both body and spirit lay utterly exhausted.

One midnight when the temperature was high and rain fell around two o'clock, she slipped out of her bedroom, cleaned Tomonari's chamber pot, and returned to the storage room's entrance—only to find Ryohei entering the living room still wearing his sleepwear.
When Ryohei appeared there suddenly without making a sound—manifesting abruptly—Shino let out a startled cry and froze in place, still clutching the paper-wrapped chamber pot.

“—What are you doing?”

Ryohei looked this way with glaring eyes.

“—What is that you’re holding there?”

“Oh! You startled me!”

Shino gasped heavily.
Gasping more heavily than necessary, then smiling quite naturally,

“This is not something a gentleman would understand. Please go over there. To suddenly come into such a place… My heart is still pounding so.”

Having said this, she deliberately left the sliding door open and entered the storage room.
If Ryohei took two or three more steps this way, Tomonari would be discovered—even a single cough would spell the end.
She nearly grew dizzy, her heart pounding up into her throat as sweat streamed from under her arms.

“Looks like I couldn’t sleep. Let’s have some sake.”

With these words came the sound of her husband settling into the living room. Shino replied “Yes,” waved to Tomonari, and exited the storage room.

——He had noticed.

Shino was certain of it. There was no precedent for drinking sake this late—he must have noticed something and planted himself there deliberately. Yet contrary to expectations, she found herself growing calm. At any rate, it wouldn’t be long now—when discovery came, she would simply kill herself. If possible, let Tomonari escape…… As Shino prepared the sake, she secretly loosened the pouch containing her dagger, positioned it for quick drawing, and slipped it into her obi.

“I’ll pour you one too.”

When the preparations were complete and she sat down, Ryohei first drank, then offered the sake cup to Shino.
As she received it, Shino’s hand trembled.

“What’s wrong? You’re trembling terribly, aren’t you?”

“It’s because you startled me just now—I’m trembling so amusingly, you see.”

“It’s as if you’ve been caught doing something wicked.”

“Yes, that may be the case.”

Shino looked at her husband with seductive eyes.

“Since I was seen with something that should never meet your eyes, sir—but you’re also to blame for barging in so suddenly.”

“Is this really something worth getting so defensive over?”

Ryohei smiled thinly and glanced her way.
Shino’s head began to swim.
She wanted to scream.
To throw open the storage room door and shout at full volume—Look here! He’s right in this room—
To shriek—It was me who hid him!
The impulse surged so violently she nearly rose, but at that moment Ryohei shook his head and spoke while cradling his sake cup with bored indifference.

“Women do fret over such trivial matters.”

And then, as usual, he drank in silence with an icy expression and soon retired to his bedroom.

She was safe.
He hadn’t noticed.

With a deep relief and deflation that felt as though every muscle in her body were coming apart, Shino found herself unable to stand for some time…….
That night, she slept soundly for the first time in ages.

Perhaps it was the relief of not being detected by her husband even in that perilous moment—her morning awakening felt refreshing, her mind pleasantly clear, and her body seemed filled with vigor.

After seeing off her husband as he departed for the castle, Shino brought a meal to the storage room where Tomonari announced his desire to escape.
From Ryohei’s manner at work, she inferred their surveillance had somewhat slackened.
Even were this not so, he explained that letting too many days pass would disrupt their arrangements.

“Those captured at Tatsumon Gate were decoys. We deliberately had three of us draw the pursuers’ attention so we could escape in the confusion, but if two among Kaji, Ōi, and Iwamitsu were caught, there’s no telling who managed to get away—and I can’t keep waiting here alone indefinitely.”

“You had arranged to meet somewhere, didn’t you?”

“It’s a landing called Makiyama downstream on the Aoi River—it’s already been over ten days.”

After considering this, Tomonari laid out his plan.
It would be on a day of rain or snow: have Fumiyo come accompanied by attendants, have her bring a set of servant’s clothes and rain gear, have Tomonari put them on, and have the attendants slip out under the pretense of going to fetch something from the family home.
Fumiyo would stay until dusk and return during the hectic evening—that was the plan.

“I’ve considered various plans, but there seems to be no alternative to this one. After consulting with Fumiyo, I must ask you to make these arrangements—though I know it’s an imposition.”

“Understood. Then I shall call my sister.”

Shino nodded and stood up.
As she listened，she concluded that this was indeed the best method，and so she immediately sent a messenger to her younger sister.

Fumiyo’s astonishment was tremendous. Then she clapped her hands together and raised her voice, tilting back her signature upturned nose, her cheeks flushing red with excitement as she fidgeted excitedly....The fact that Tomonari had fled into Shino’s embrace seemed to delight her immensely; now she appeared determined to take on a role in helping him escape from here. For Fumiyo, this seemed to evoke a heart-pounding interest akin to reading a highly stimulating story.

“Tomonari-sama really is brilliant! Infiltrating Mr. Stone Buddha’s place—it takes such cleverness and courage! Sister, you did splendidly too! How brave you were! Marvelous! I feel so relieved now!”

“Do take this more seriously. A single misstep could mean neither Tomonari-sama nor I would survive.”

“Sister…… hey,”

Fumiyo scooted closer on her knees, grasped Shino’s hand, and stared fixedly this way with desperate eyes.

“If you discuss it with Tomonari-sama, won’t you escape together with him, Sister?”

“My goodness, what are you saying?”

“I truly believe it’s the right thing—I’ve known all along.” Tears welled up glistening in Fumiyo’s eyes. “That you loved Tomonari-sama—that he loved you too—no, don’t try to hide it, I’ve known all along! The two of you must be together—that way you’ll both find happiness. Sister, please muster your courage once more—we only get to live once!”

Shino closed her eyes while her sister held her hand.
Her husband’s face appeared.
The cruel eyes. The emotionless voice. And that chilling smile.
As she dwelled on the vision, a sudden chill ran through her, and she hunched her shoulders,

“Thank you, Fumiyo. I’m happy.”

She whispered.

“Humans can’t live twice…… I’ll try to find courage. Truly, thank you.”

Fumiyo shed tears as she pressed her wet cheek against her sister’s hand, her shoulders shaking with sobs that sounded almost like laughter. ……Shino gazed up at the sky with eyes wide as if her pupils had dilated.

Three days later, it began to rain from before noon.

The temperatures had remained high for some time, and it had been said there would be little snow that year, but that day brought a severe frost from the previous night. By morning, the sky lay blanketed under snow clouds, and the ice showed no sign of melting.
It must have been the chill; Ryohei complained of a stomachache, decided to take leave from work, and dispatched a messenger to his office.

It’s going to rain today—what a nuisance.

Shino found herself at a loss, but sure enough, before eleven o'clock the rain began falling; by afternoon it had grown considerably heavier—and through that downpour came her younger sister.

7

"Uemura is resting today. What should we do?"
As soon as they faced each other in the parlor, Shino said, "The storage room isn't far from the bedroom, and Uemura has sharp ears. If he notices, it's over."

"We're doing this."
Fumiyo declared without hesitation, "If we act decisively, even demons will flee! Fortune lies with heaven!"

Then, lowering her voice, she asked.

"About that discussion—have you had it?"

"Yes, I'll tell you later."

Shino nodded and stood up with a purposeful air.

It was finally decided to carry out the plan.
Fumiyo brought Kanosuke over and began playing with him in the living room and hallway.
During that time, Shino had Tomonari prepare in the storage room and, seizing an opportunity, let him out through the back door.

“I will go to Sumikawa to retrieve something.”

The plan had been to say this and slip out through the gate.

The servants’ quarters were next to the entrance hall, so circling around from the back carried many risks of being spotted by the gatekeepers. Their only hope was the rain—whether he could slip through safely remained uncertain.

"I have caused you tremendous trouble."

When preparations were complete, Tomonari said this and looked at Shino with a gaze that seemed to devour her.

“I cannot predict what lies ahead—perhaps I may cause you even greater trouble... But please believe me—I had no choice but to do this. And to the extent of my power, I intend to prevent you from suffering misfortune. Shino-san... No matter what happens, stay strong and wait for me.”

“I pray for your success.”
“I’ll prove it can be done. Then… next time I’ll come to meet you openly.”

Without a moment to hesitate, Tomonari took Shino’s hand, clasped it firmly, and smiled quietly.

No sooner had she sent him out through the back door than Shino timed the interval, went to the entrance hall, slid open the shoji screen, and looked toward the gate.
A young retainer emerged from a side room as if investigating something, but when she waved her hand, he immediately withdrew.
At that moment, Tomonari appeared in the front garden.
Wearing a raincoat and a deeply tilted sedge hat, he walked briskly toward the gate with a stooped posture... Shino felt her breath catch.
In her heart, she clasped her hands together and prayed to god.

Tomonari safely exited the gate.

“It’s done.”

Shino, having returned to the parlor, upon saying this to Fumiyo, slumped down there exhaustedly, let out a sigh as if drained, and once more muttered in a low, dazed voice.

“It’s completely done.”

Fumiyo stayed until dusk.
The rain had turned to snow, but through that snow she made her way home with a borrowed lantern in hand.
Since there had been people coming and going over time, the gatekeeper did not seem to notice.
Nothing particularly suspicious occurred.

Immediately after the New Year, a messenger arrived from Edo: Iemaki Saibee was placed on standby, and Watanabe Chikara, the second-in-command, assumed the role of acting Chief Retainer.
Of course Shino had no understanding of such matters, but she at least perceived this development was not unrelated to Tomonari.
He must have successfully escaped and reached Edo—Chief Retainer Iemaki's standby status could only be proof of that.

“Congratulations, Sister. You finally did it.”

Her younger sister came to visit and clapped her hands as she said.

“I thought it might be possible—but it really is Tomonari-sama! The clean sweep is beginning—everything’s being cleared out! No matter who rises or falls, a new wind is blowing through! Sister, you must keep your courage... I’ll help you in any way I can—this is finally your chance to live truly as yourself!”

“There’s no need to worry anymore—I’ve found my courage.”

“It will work out for sure—promise me! With this, my dream will come true.”

Fumiyo came every few days and brought various news.
From Edo arrived second and third messengers; among the senior retainers, Sado Kōzaemon and Numano Matazō were suspended from duty, while chief elder Kobayashi Michinosuke was ordered into confinement.
Next came word that her maternal uncle Matsushima Geki would act as chief elder, and that her brother from her family home had been appointed senior retainer overseer. [...] Amid these turbulent changes, Ryohei gradually became unable to remain composed.
At first there were many guests holding secret talks until late into the night, and he himself would often go out after dark and return around midnight.
When these activities suddenly ceased—no more guests arriving, no more outings—his vitality visibly diminished and he began to sink into despondency.

“It’s growing dark… a boundless, murky darkness.”

He would mutter these soliloquies or sit motionless staring at the wall while letting out heavy sighs.

Lord Yamato-no-kami Sadaaki returned to his domain in late February.
A few days later, Ryohei received a summons and did not return home.
According to her sister’s report, Ryohei had apparently been imprisoned in the castle jail—alongside him were five or six others who entered the prison: a tax official named Harada Ichinojo, district magistrate Kawaguchi Daisuke, Sakamoto Kazuemon, and more.

She did not want to know the details of the judgment.
The Uemura residence had its gates closed and guards posted; apart from leaving behind the wet nurse and a single maid, all family retainers and servants were dismissed.
The only visitors were her sister coming occasionally from the back, and even that required secret permission—she could never stay long, leaving immediately after saying what needed to be said.

“Sister—terrible news!”

One day, Fumiyo came and said breathlessly.

“Tomonari-sama has been appointed as Inspector General—there was an official notice yesterday!”

“So… what’s so terrible about that?”

“Oh, to you, Sister, this might mean nothing—Tomonari-sama is the Inspector General.”

In Shino’s mind, a sorrowful whisper was heard at that moment.

A vast, hazy darkness grew.

Even after Fumiyo had left, that voice kept whispering plaintively in her head, never fading away.

It was the next day when Tomonari visited somewhat openly. Shino sent the wet nurse as an intermediary and refused to meet him, claiming she felt unwell. He came again after about three days, but even then sent the wet nurse in his place to convey: "Until my husband's sentence is decided, I will meet no one." Tomonari must have thereby perceived her feelings.

"Through your efforts we achieved domain reform—this debt extends beyond myself to become an entire domain's salvation. I will absolutely take responsibility for mother and child. Please care for your health and maintain your resolve."

Tomonari left a message to this effect.

The divorce notice from Ryohei arrived in mid-March. Officials from the inspectorate came, three of Ryohei’s distant relatives gathered, and they compiled an inventory of the household goods while setting apart all of Shino’s belongings. The divorce notice was dated December of last year—a consideration to prevent implicating Shino when Ryohei faced grave charges. Whether this was Ryohei’s own will or someone else’s suggestion remained impossible to ascertain.

Shino returned to her family home accompanied by Kanosuke and Sugi the wet nurse.
Kanosuke had grown attached and would not leave Sugi; even when Shino held him, he would soon want to go back to the wet nurse, and at night he wouldn’t sleep unless his bed was next to hers.

“Look at how you’re coddling him as a mother!”

Mother said impatiently.

"You must separate Sugi and start over—since you all slept alone from when you were babies. If you keep clinging like that, he’ll grow up timid and frail."

"Yes, I do think so, but…"

Shino answered with a lonely smile.

“I will do so in due course… once I’ve regained a bit more strength…”

But there was no indication she intended to proactively follow her mother’s instructions. Since her old room was being used by her sister-in-law, she slept and lived alone in a detached retirement residence. Her brother and his wife, her mother, and her sister all attempted to lift her spirits by inviting her on shrine visits and country outings; whenever free, they would gather to play karuta cards or sugoroku board games. Shino never outright refused, but she would not consent to going outside, and during games would soon plead fatigue and withdraw.

“Since it no longer concerns you, you must put all matters with Uemura behind you and resolve to find happiness from now on. You’re still young, after all.”

“I do think that way, but... I can’t change my feelings so quickly.”

Shino answered as before with a quiet smile.

“Please let me stay like this a little longer. I’ve been settling down bit by bit, so I’ll recover my strength soon... I’m still young after all.”

As May and June passed, Shino gradually grew brighter in demeanor and began doing things like applying makeup.
She spent entire days in the main house, handling kitchen knives in the kitchen, laughing and chatting animatedly with her mother, sister-in-law, and sisters... Tomonari never once visited, nor did his name ever come up in family conversations.
However, behind the scenes, negotiations seemed to be progressing from both sides—this was occasionally revealed in the undertones of Fumiyo's words.

“I agreed to it, Sister.”

One night in August, Fumiyo came to Shino’s retirement quarters and said with her characteristic nose in the air.

“No matter how many times I refused, he wouldn’t listen—he was so earnest that I was swayed, and since you’d find happiness too, Sister, I thought this was the time to make a clean break.”

“That’s the person we spoke about once.”

“Yes, it’s a man named Takei—his given name is Buemon, which I disliked.”
Fumiyo pursed her lips into a frown and said in an affected voice, “Takei Buemon it is—yes, Buemon it is.”

Then she burst out laughing, clutched her stomach, and writhed with laughter.

The crimes of Iemaki Saihee and others were determined in the latter part of December of that year.
This corruption case unexpectedly expanded in scale, with several criminals emerging even among wealthy farmers. Iemaki Saihee was ordered to commit seppuku; two senior retainers were stripped of their status, three received strict house arrest, and seven others were exiled—alongside perpetual confinement, stipend reductions, and house confinement—with sentences handed down to twenty individuals in total.
...The punishment of senior retainers required shogunate approval; Yamato-no-kami submitted the necessary notification for this purpose and, having completed the New Year celebrations a month earlier than the scheduled sankin-kotai, immediately departed for Edo.

Chapter 8

The judgment was publicly announced on March 5th.

Ryohei Uemura was sentenced to exile; he would be expelled through Sekiya Gate two days later, on March 7th.
On the night before, when Fumiyo went to the retirement quarters, she found Shino taking out men’s and women’s travel attire and in the midst of wrapping various small items.

“What are you doing, Sister? Shall I help you?”

“Thank you, I just finished.”

“You’ve brought out these travel clothes—it’s as if you’re going somewhere, Sister.”

“Because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Shino placed the wrapped items aside, looked at her sister, and smiled. “—We must depart before dawn tomorrow. I had to prepare everything tonight.”

“Oh, Sister, what are you saying?”

Fumiyo tried to laugh but abruptly paled.
Her sister’s calm expression, composed smile, and resolute posture… Fumiyo let out a cry and tried to stand to call their mother.
Shino stopped her and said in a low voice, “Don’t tell Mother.”

“I don’t want Mother or anyone else to know—there’s something I want only you to hear.”

“Sister… you’re going, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I will go—with Uemura.”

Shino placed her hands on her lap, lowered her eyes, and spoke in a calm, quiet voice.
"You once said, didn't you—that I wasn't happy. You were right. Soon after going to Uemura's household, I began to think this marriage was a mistake, and even after Kanosuke was born, I couldn't feel love like a married couple. In the end, I even came to hate him."

Shino honestly confessed everything.
Ryohei, who wouldn’t even let her nurse their sick child as she wished; his selfishness in always trying to keep Shino by his side without any emotional or spiritual consideration for her… She laid everything bare—how she had become overwhelmed and begun to hate him from the depths of her heart.

“If I hadn’t felt that way, I don’t know whether I would have hidden Tomonari-sama. At the time—to put it dramatically—I even felt like I was getting some kind of revenge… But I was wrong. I was so full of resentment toward Uemura that I never once tried to understand his true feelings.”
“Uemura was a lonely, pitiable person.”

Shino told her sister almost verbatim about Uemura’s midnight confession.

“The child shares my blood and yours, but you and I were originally strangers.
What you desire and what you think—I can’t fully comprehend them to the depths of my heart. That is unbearable.”

“Because of my nature, I can’t feel at ease until I’ve convinced myself.
By having intimate time alone together—to know you from the deepest depths—I wanted to make you my wife in both body and soul.”

He said that he was of humble origins.
He said he feared being despised by Shino.
Why? He had loved Shino.
From now on he would become someone who wouldn’t be despised; he pleaded with her not to despise him—after over five years of living together and even having a child, had making such a confession been merely self-centered thinking?

“People have their own natures. Uemura carried an insecurity about his humble origins—his innate disposition became even more skewed. Though he loved his wife, he didn’t know how to show it like others would—or perhaps knew but couldn’t… Uemura had talent and achieved success, yet he lacked true friends—no one liked him; everyone always kept their distance—without solace, lonely, unable to love his wife as others might… He was truly a pitiable, desolate man.”

“I understand, Sister. I truly understand about Mr. Uemura.”

Having said this, Fumiyo pressed her sister’s hand.

“But just because he’s pitiable doesn’t mean you should spend your entire life in unhappiness for his sake! Tomonari-sama loved you—don’t you think his remaining unmarried all this time was because of that? …Once your ties with Uemura are severed and this commotion settles down, he wants to marry you after a year or two passes… He’s been consulting with Brother and Mother about it since earlier. Tomonari-sama still loves you now, and you must still care for him too—isn’t this the time for true happiness to come? Sister… I beg you—Fumiyo begs you—please don’t make yourself unhappy.”

“Thank you, Fumiyo. I’m happy.”
Shino pressed her eyes with the fingers of one hand.
Yet her voice was calm, composed with solemn tranquility.

“But I will still go with Uemura. I understand the feelings with which he wrote that divorce letter—Uemura loved me, and he still loves me now… And in this world, I alone can understand Uemura’s heart and love him… This time—this time—we can become a true married couple.”

The following March 7th at 10 a.m.

Surrounded by prison officials, Ryohei Uemura arrived at the Nawate pine grove near Sekiya Gate.
When exiles were numerous, it was customary to release each person separately.
After handing over a woven hat, three hundred mon coins, and two swords, they formally declared the terms of exile and escorted him to confirm his departure until he crossed the domain border.
……Yet once the officials finished their declaration and saw Ryohei begin walking, they immediately turned back toward the castle town.

Ryohei walked blankly through the pine grove with dragging footsteps.
Emaciated, with sunken eyes and pale lips, he hunched his sharp shoulders forward—the very picture of a broken man.
Dappled sunlight filtering through the bright sky cast shifting patterns across his face, appearing and vanishing…… Just as he was about to leave the pine grove, Shino—dressed for travel—emerged quietly from the shadow of a pine tree to his right.
Ryohei stopped walking and narrowed his eyes as he looked over suspiciously.

“I have been waiting for you.”
Shino said this and looked up at her husband.
Ryohei still seemed not to understand—he lowered his head and shook it faintly, then looked at Shino again, suddenly contorting his face fiercely.

“Shino—what will you do?”

“I will accompany you. I have brought your travel preparations—please change into them.”

“Didn’t the divorce letter reach you?”

“It was my inadequacy—I was a selfish, unworthy woman. But I will reform myself from now on—I believe I can become a good wife. I beg of you—please take Shino with you.”
With these words, Shino covered her face with her sleeve and sobbed, her shoulders trembling.
……Ryohei remained silent.
However, Ryohei must have understood Shino’s words, for after a while, he murmured quietly as if to himself,

“Taking you along would make you unhappy. I ought to refuse—I must refuse—but I can’t… I want you with me. In this world, you’re my only ally, Shino… Will you come with me?”

“You… I am happy.”

Shino shouted and clung to her husband’s chest.
Ryohei threw the woven hat he had been holding and embraced his wife’s shoulders with both hands.

“If you stay with me… I can live again… One more time…”

And he fiercely clutched his wife.

Not long after, Ryohei and Shino—having changed into travel attire—walked eastward along the path flanked by fields, side by side.
The spring sun glittered with such brilliance it felt hot, and the yellow of rapeseed flowers blooming across the fields appeared to blanket the earth as if ablaze.

“Kanosuke will be alright.”

“Yes, Sugi and my mother will look after him… Once we’ve settled down, we’ll come to bring him back.”

“It’s bright—radiant to the point of extravagance.”

“This is the first time.”

Shino said this and looked up at her husband with a coquettish smile.

“That you and I, just the two of us, are setting out on a journey together like this… It makes me so happy.”

Two butterflies that had strayed from the rapeseed field fluttered playfully after Ryohei and Shino, as if chasing them.