The Hanabishi family’s villa was a wooden Western-style building with a tower, white clapboard external walls, and slate roof, giving it an elegant appearance. It was said to be built in the American Victorian style. Surrounded by the forest at the foot of the mountain, the sound of birdsong echoed beautifully. An elderly couple and a young boy were standing in front of the entrance. Suzuko got out of the car, and Takafuyu introduced them to her.

“These are my adoptive parents, the Sasakis. This young boy lives nearby and came here to help.”

The couple and the boy bowed their heads. The husband’s name was Chouhachirou, the wife’s name was Kiku, and the name of the boy, who looked about twelve or thirteen, was Kojima Isamu. Both the Sasakis had a gentle appearance. Chouhachirou had an angular face and thread-like narrow eyes with drooping outer corners, making him seem like he was smiling. Kiku had a round face, and her plump cheeks and puffy-looking eyes gave her a mild-mannered air. Chouhachiro was dressed in a Western-style shirt and trousers, while Kiku was in a navy-blue kimono.

“A fine young lady has arrived at our home…will our hospitality be able to meet her needs?” Chouhachirou said, sounding nervous.

“Suzuko-san is looking forward to our meal,”

Right? Suzuko nodded without thinking when Takafuyu turned the conversation to her. Doesn’t this make me seem like a glutton? She realized after nodding.

“Do you like fish?” Kiku asked.

“I do. Whether it’s eel or horse mackerel, or boiled in soy sauce or flame-broiled.”

When she answered immediately, Takafuyu laughed. Kiku and Chouhachirou were also grinning.

“I’m very glad to hear that. I’ll put my skills to the test. Since you’ve come all the way to the seaside, please enjoy our delicious sashimi.”

Chouhachirou said enthusiastically, and Kiku also nodded.

“Takafuyu-san, shall I unload your luggage?” Isamu asked in an easygoing tone of voice. He was a boy with a clever-looking face. He had a close-cropped head and was wearing a striped kimono.

“Mm, I’ll leave it to you.”

Takafuyu’s attitude also seemed to be friendly. Both to this boy and the Sasakis, Takafuyu treated them amicably and was relaxed with them. This was a relief to Suzuko. His relationship with his adoptive parents seemed to be good.

Just then, the car carrying Taka and the others passed through the gate. When they got out of the car one after the other, it became lively all at once. Conversations were exchanged about what was inside the wicker trunks and where they were going to be carried, and the lively sounds of the luggage being unloaded and carried back and forth echoed through the quiet villa area. Suzuko was led into a parlor in the mansion and sat down with Takafuyu.

“I’ll have you look at your room later. First, let us have some tea, shall we?”

A breeze blew through the open window and made the lace curtains rustle. The footsteps of Taka and the others could be heard upstairs.

Kiku came into the parlor with a tray of tea in her hands.

“Lunch will be ready soon, so please wait a little bit.”

The tea was served with mantou buns. The mantous were large and dark brown, and when broken into two pieces, it was filled with brown sugar filling. The sweetness melted in her mouth. It was delicious. Takafuyu watched Suzuko eat them silently with a smile on his face.

Lunch consisted of sashimi and grilled salted fish that was locally sourced, miso soup with basket clams, and rice cooked with octopus and ginger. The fluffy sillago meat and rice soaked with the octopus flavor were delicious and warm. In the Takigawa household, hot food turned cold during the time it took to get from the kitchen to the dining room. Because of that, the miso soup was always dreadfully tepid. The Sasakis seemed shocked when she told them that and let out an astonished “Oh my, really?”

“Things seem to be rather more difficult for a marquis’s household,” Kiku said.

“I remember that you enjoyed the eel very much. Is it because they don’t serve hot food at your home?”

“I think it tastes good even if it’s cold. I’m just grateful to be able to eat it.”

It was just a matter of whether it was more delicious or not.

“There are many dishes that aren’t served hot, such as simmered dishes or aemono dishes. I wonder if this is done so that people like you can eat delicious food.”

Kiku said again and laughed. She was a soft-spoken lady.

“I think for seasoned rice, it tastes better when you make the cold rice into rice balls than eating it plain.”

Takafuyu said, and Suzuko nodded. Those were delicious.

“Then, let’s make rice balls with the leftover rice.”

When Chouhachirou suggested that, Takafuyu looked at Suzuko and said, “That’s a good idea.”

“Let’s take them as a snack and go for a walk on the beach or the mountains.”

“I prefer the mountains.”

Takafuyu laughed at Suzuko, who stubbornly refused to go to the beach.

“In that case, we shall go to the mountains. The view is wonderful there.”

The Sasakis were smiling as they watched them. Suzuko could feel the love they had for Takafuyu just looking at their gazes. Takafuyu had spoken once about his relatives, especially about his parents, and then never mentioned them again. He probably didn’t want to. Suzuko didn’t ask him about it either.

""

“Come to think of it,” Takafuyu said after lunch, when they were relaxing in the parlor. “Suzuko-san, you also wear Western-style clothing, don’t you?”

“Eh? Yes, well…I did buy a few outfits with Chizu-san.”

“I’ve prepared some for you as well. I thought that it would be more comfortable for you to wear light clothing here.”

Yura arrived, carrying several boxes. Taka took them and laid them out on the table. When she opened them, she found clothes packed into them. A jade green one-piece dress with fluffy sleeves, a soft and white silk dress embroidered with pale blue flowers, a hat with a lace ribbon, white stockings and white leather shoes came out one after the other.

“You prepared them, you said…how did you know my measurements?”

“I asked Chizu-san.”

“When did you do that…”

Taka held one of the dresses against Suzuko’s shoulders. “Oh my, it fits perfectly,” she murmured.

“Please feel free to wear them whenever you like,” Takafuyu said with a smile.

“…Thank you very much.”

“Since our marriage is quite rushed, I thought you might not be able to get prepared in time, so I also prepared Western-style clothing and kimonos at the Hanabishi estate.”

He was very perceptive. Suzuko was a little relieved.

In the early afternoon, Suzuko and Takafuyu strolled around the mansion. Isamu came along as a guide and bag carrier. Suzuko changed from her best clothes into an unlined meisen silk kimono and walked along the mountain path with her white lace parasol in her hand. The path was cleared of undergrowth, fallen leaves, and stones, perhaps for the sake of people like Suzuko and the others, so it was easy to walk on it. The trees with the sunlight filtering through them swayed in the refreshing breeze, and birds chirped here and there. Pure clearness was all around them.

Isamu told them things like, “That cry is from a woodpecker,” or “That’s a flycatcher.” As its name suggested1, the flycatcher had beautiful lapis lazuli wings, and they gazed at it admiringly for a while. The birds perched on the fresh green branches looked more beautiful than any jewel.

While Suzuko was absorbed in watching the wild birds, Isamu asked Takafuyu, “Takafuyu-san, are you being bullied at the Tokyo mansion?” Suzuko turned around in surprise.

“I can’t be bullied. I’m the head of the family,” Takafuyu laughed.

“But…”

Takafuyu noticed Suzuko’s gaze and smiled.

“He’s worried about me because I was once chased out as an adopted child.”

That’s right, Suzuko realized. Some of the servants might not be happy with Takafuyu. Because his grandfather favored him heavily and tried to cut off his father and brother.

Even though he isn’t responsible for anything…

Unconsciously, Suzuko frowned.

“It’s okay,” Takafuyu told her when he saw her like that. Suzuko suddenly remembered that she had said the same thing on the train.

She wondered if Takafuyu was feeling the same way she had been feeling during that time. Suzuko looked up at his face and gazed into his eyes. Takafuyu turned his eyes away from her and pointed to the road ahead.

“Suzuko-san, we’ll see a nice view if we go over there.”

There was a break in the wall of trees, and the area opened up a bit. Takafuyu walked there.

Did he look away just now?

Suzuko thought, but she silently followed him. As he had said, this place had a good view of the town of Hayama below and the sea beyond.

“This is Sagami Bay. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

As he said this, Takafuyu fanned his face with his boater hat. The sun was shining, and it was hot, but not humid, and there was a nice breeze. They decided to rest in the shade. Isamu spread out a straw mat, and Takafuyu and Suzuko sat on it. Isamu took out canteens and a package of rice balls from the basket he was carrying. The rice balls wrapped in bamboo sheath had a nice aroma. The rice balls, made from the seasoned rice that had been cooled down and had its flavor condensed, were still delicious. It was also refreshing to enjoy the view of the ocean below.

Suzuko spotted a prominent red roof in the seaside landscape. It was a Western-style building. Was that a villa too?

“Is that mansion with the red roof someone’s villa?”

“Hmm? Oh, the one by the coast?” The mansion looked to be built on the tip of a cape jutting out into the sea. “I wonder who it belonged to. Wasn’t it the villa of a noble family?”

“That used to be Viscount Sasao’s villa,” Isamu said.

“Sasao…they were a kuge noble family, I believe. You said it ‘used to be’ their villa. Does it belong to someone else now?”

“No one lives there. Because it’s haunted.”

Suzuko and Takafuyu looked at each other.

Since they were close to the mansion, Suzuko and Takafuyu decided to leisurely stroll there. They walked around the foot of the mountain and headed for the beach.

“I think it was just about a year ago. Viscount Sasao’s wife fell down the stairs of the tower and died. They say it was an accident. Not only that, but soon after, maybe a week or so? Viscount Sasao was run over by a train. He was so drunk that they didn’t know if it was an accident or suicide,” Isamu talked as they walked.

“What about the ghost?”

“Apparently, it’s the viscountess. It’s only a rumor, though. They say that the viscount’s death was due to his wife’s curse. It seems that the viscountess wanders around the mansion. That’s why the caretaker old couple are scared of it and chant the nembutsu2 every day.”

“Is it still Viscount Sasao’s villa?”

“I don’t know. I heard something about the family becoming ruined, but is that wrong?”

“Viscount Sasao’s family…I do wonder what happened to them.”

“I believe the Sasao family died out because there were no heirs. I’m quite sure that they were an urinke lineage.”

Suzuko dredged her memories of the stories she had heard from Chizu. She had heard various stories of noble families: families that had no heirs and died out, ruined families, families that relinquished their titles.

“Then, I suppose it’s a case where the family of the deceased had trouble selling the villa because of the fears of the ghost.”

“That might be—” Isamu was about to answer when the three of them stopped. They heard the sound of a bell, often used in Buddhist ceremonies, ringing. They also heard voices reciting sutras.

“That’s probably the nembutsu of the caretaker couple.”

There was still some distance to the cape, but the voices seemed to be carried on the wind. A Western-style mansion with a red roof was built on the cape. It was wooden, and the wall panels were painted white, making the red roof stand out more. As they approached, they could see that it was damaged by the sea breeze. Color was peeling from the roof and walls, spurring on the eeriness. There was probably no one who would repair it. There was a creaking sound, perhaps coming from the pillars of the terrace. The nembutsu and the sound of the bell overlapped there.

“I wonder…what kind of nembutsu is this,” Takafuyu muttered. “It’s not Buddhist. But a bell is being rung. Hmm…”

Certainly, the nembutsu they were hearing wasn’t the “Namu Amida Butsu” type. This was the first time she was hearing it. ――No, for some reason, Suzuko felt like she recognized it. Was it just her imagination?

There was no gate or fence to the mansion on the cape, just a pine forest to shelter it from the sea breeze. In front of the mansion, there was a small house that might be the residence of the villa caretaker. She wondered if servants once lived there. Standing at the entrance of the house, which was hidden by the pine forest, Isamu opened the sliding door with a cheerful “Hello!”

“We are from Baron Hanabishi’s estate. Might we have a word with you?”

The nembutsu ceased. Only the lingering sound of the bell remained. The paper sliding door opened and an old man appeared. His color was bad, and his dark hair was streaked with gray. The cuffs of his trousers poked out from beneath the hem of his faded blue kimono. In the back, they could see an old lady looking at them with an anxious expression.

“Baron Hanabishi…the one with the villa at the foot of the mountain…?” The old man asked in a hoarse voice.

“Yes,” It was Takafuyu who answered. He took off his hat and greeted them. “I am Hanabishi Takafuyu. Has any member of Viscount Sasao’s family visited here?”

Now learning that he was the baron himself, the old man who had been standing got onto his knees. “Ah, so you are the baron?”

“No need to be so formal. I merely decided to stop by while I was out walking.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. No one from Viscount Sasao’s family has visited. Do you know the viscount…?”

“I heard that he passed away. So, who manages this villa?”

“It belongs to the madam’s relatives. We have been entrusted with the management of the property.”

“By madam, you mean——”

“Lady Mineko. She was from the Furuya family. Furuya is written with the characters for ‘falling arrow.’ The ones from Kofu.”

“Oh! She was from that Furuya family?”

Suzuko didn’t know which Furuya family that was. Were they famous?

Takafuyu looked at her and explained simply. “They are a wealthy family from Kofu. They belong to the Koshu conglomerate. They were originally wealthy silkworm farmers.”

“I see, so the daughter of the Furuya family married into the Sasao family.”

Often, it was a marriage between a kuge noble and a wealthy person. Sometimes the daughters of kuge families married into wealthy families and vice-versa, but in recent years, many daughters of kuge families married into the newly-rich who made their fortunes from the Great War. It seemed to be a kind of trend, and was often criticized in the newspapers, pitying the princesses of the noble families for becoming the sacrifices of poverty.

Viscount Sasao’s family also seemed to have welcome the daughter of a wealthy family as a bride due to poverty.

“A servant of the master’s family told me that the madam came with an enormous dowry. This villa was also brought by the Furuya family. That was why the master was not on an equal level with the madam…oh, no, my apologies, I shouldn’t have said that.”

The old man scratched his head.

“I’ve heard that the viscountess died at this villa.”

When Takafuyu said that, the old man’s face paled.

“Yes, that’s correct…she fell down the stairs. The master said she slipped…”

“The viscount? He witnessed it?”

“That’s what he said. He rushed in here with an expression of panic, telling us to summon a doctor right away. But it was no use calling a doctor. She was already dead.”

“I see…”

Takafuyu stroked his chin with a finger, looking deep in thought.

“I hear this villa is haunted,” he got to the main topic.

The old man’s shoulders slumped, and he hung his head.

“You knew of that? I suppose that’s no surprise. There are rumors about it. When I first saw the madam’s ghost, I was so shocked and horrified that I lost my head and ran to the police station. Even though there’s nothing the police could do about a ghost. And so, the ghost commotion spread to everyone around us. The Furuya family scolded me. They told me not to talk nonsense. But then, from time to time, the ghost would appear. I saw her with my own eyes.”

“How does it appear?”

“Eh? Oh, well…she walks around. Inside the mansion. We only see her from the outside, but she seems to be wandering around, going back and forth from room to room. She doesn’t come outside. …For now.”

I see, Takafuyu murmured.

“We’re very afraid that one of these days she’s going to come outside and attack us…” the old man was trembling. “We wanted to quit being the caretakers, but it’d be difficult to find work if we did quit, so we have no choice but to stay.”

“You chant the nembutsu everyday?” Takafuyu asked.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. We have to do it. The madam became a ghost—”

What a strange way of putting it, Suzuko thought. Takafuyu seemed to think so as well. “You say ‘the madam,’ but what kind of lady was she?” he asked.

“Ah, no…it’s nothing…” the old man mumbled and let his gaze wander.

“Stop it with that, you,” the old woman suddenly spoke from the back. “You don’t know if Furuya-san will scold you again for saying strange things.”

“No, I wasn’t,” the old man quickly stood up. “That’s all I can tell you.” He bowed his head to Takafuyu and retreated into the tatami room. The paper sliding door closed with a snap.

There was nothing they could do now, so Suzuko and the others left the villa caretaker’s house and started walking back.

“Takafuyu-san, did you always like ghost stories?”

Isamu, who didn’t seem to know about the Hanabishi family’s circumstances, looked up at Takafuyu questioningly.

“I’m the one who likes ghost stories,” Suzuko said.

“Huh, really, miss?” Isamu’s eyes widened. “That’s so surprising.”

“I’m also interested in them. I’m a priest, after all.”

“Hmm…? Do you do exorcisms too?”

“In some cases.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that. Then, shall I go around the neighborhood and ask more about the ghost story here?”

“That would be very helpful. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Leave it to me.”

Isamu, looking happy to be relied on, puffed up his chest with pride and patted it.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing I want you to ask about.”

“What is it?”

Takafuyu pointed to the villa caretakers’ house. They could hear the sound of the nembutsu again.

“About that nembutsu.”

That night, after getting out of the bath, Suzuko suddenly stopped in the corridor. A picture on the wall caught her eye.

Many of them depicted the beautiful scenery around here, but family photos were also mixed in. There was a photo of the Sasakis when they were younger, and a photo of a boy. The boy must be Takafuyu. She recognized him immediately because of his face. His expression was hard, and his lips were tightly pursed as though he was on guard. Although he had a lovely face, he looked like an obstinate boy.

“We took this picture right after that child came to our home.”

Suzuko was inwardly flustered when Kiku’s voice came from right next to her. Suzuko was so entranced by the photo that she hadn’t realized that Kiku was standing right next to her.

“We took the picture as a memento, right in front of our house in Yokohama…”

Kiku stared at the photo with narrowed eyes, perhaps remembering that time.

“How nostalgic… At that time, Takafuyu-san was like a stray cat that was constantly on guard at all times. It was pitiful, but also adorable. Of course I felt terribly sorry for him, but I found him even more adorable.”

“Pitiful…are you referring to how he was caught in the feud between his parents and grandfather?”

“Yes. Those people were truly…”

Only then did the mild-mannered Kiku furrow her brow in indignation. “Especially the master at that time. He committed that deed by force. But, if it weren’t for that, Takafuyu-san wouldn’t have been born…”

By force—. There was something off about those words.

“I know that he is his grandfather’s child, but was his mother a mistress? Did his grandfather force himself on a maid?”

She had heard so many stories of masters who raped maidservants, to the point where she even wondered if there were any employers who didn’t lay their hands on maids. Once they became pregnant, they had no choice but to give birth, since abortion was punishable. Some masters would feign ignorance and blame it on another boy, so the women would become dispirited. Suzuko wondered if Takafuyu’s grandfather had been that kind of master.

Kiku fell silent. Her profile was dark. Although they weren’t related by blood, her expression was strangely similar to Takafuyu’s.

“Have you already lit the Hanabishi family incense?”

After a while, Kiku opened her mouth and asked her that. Suzuko understood that she was asking her if she knew about Awaji no Kimi or not.

“I haven’t lit it myself yet, but I’ve heard mostly everything about that incense.”

Kiku nodded and smiled. It was a friendly, gentle smile.

“You are a very level-headed young lady, so we are relieved. That child makes one uneasy at times…and despite appearances, he’s stubborn. Even during tough times, he looks fine. I’m worried about whether or not he is doing well at the Hanabishi estate. But, if you are on his side, he would be reassured as well.”

The fond tone of her voice naturally brought a smile to Suzuko’s face. Putting aside whether or not she was truly at ease being Takafuyu’s wife, it felt good to come in contact with the people who had treated him with love and affection, as if being wrapped in a pure and warm breeze.

I’m glad I came here.

She honestly thought.

Get ready for the “there’s only one bed trope” in the next chapter (they’re married but still)