Hanabishi Fusai no Taima-chou - CH 1.2

Her kimono was apricot-colored silk crepe with a pattern of undyed white roses, and it was matched with a dyed obi with butterflies drawn in the Art Nouveau style. She chose a fresh green color, the base color of the obi, for the obiage and obijime. The neckpiece was embroidered with roses, and the fastener was a silverwork butterfly inlaid with an emerald. Her haori was salmon-colored with a pattern of roses that seemed to overflow, and the bottom was a pale chartreuse dyed in gradations. All these kimonos and jewelry were the preferences of Chizu and her sisters.

When Suzuko went outside, she must not dress shabbily because she was carrying the name of the Takigawas on her back. That was what they told her. That was what they called appearances for the nobility. It took extraordinary finances to maintain it. That was why noble families with difficult circumstances formed familial relationships with conglomerates and nouveau riche. Even this emerald came from her half-sister’s marriage. The Takigawa family’s “front” couldn’t come up with that kind of money. The “front” was where the household finances were managed, and where assets were managed and invested. Even her father couldn’t use the assets of the family without permission, but since he was borrowing money in the name of the Marquis everywhere, the people of the “front” had no choice but to clean up after his mess. So, they had to tighten the purse strings in other areas.

Suzuko stared at the emerald on her fastener and suddenly recalled the gemstone on Viscountess Murotsuji’s ring. That pale yellow-green gemstone was most likely an emerada, a synthetic gemstone. Synthetic gemstones were inexpensive imported items that were appreciated in this time of recession, and although they were in fashion, it was somewhat strange that a member of the nobility, who cared about her appearance, would wear it in public. But it wasn’t any of Suzuko’s business if she wore that synthetic gemstone because she liked it.

As she sat in front of her mirror and had her hair done by a maid, she thought about the viscountess’s ring and the geisha ghost. Her hair was braided at the back, coiled at the nape of her neck and tied with a wide ribbon. The ribbons popular with young girls these days were mainly those made of French silk. Wider ones were preferred, so much so that women’s schools were said to have restrictions on widths. The ribbon Suzuko chose today was green. The ribbon, which seemed to reflect the fresh greenery of this season, looked lively even in the mirror. Her attendant, Taka, often bemoaned that Suzuko lacked the artless innocence of a maiden, so she thought she would look somewhat sprightlier with a ribbon like this in her hair.

Finally, she put on her English-made white lace gloves. This was due to a burn-like scar on the back of her left hand, so she always wore them whenever she went out. Even Suzuko didn’t know when or where she got the wound. That probably meant it was a wound she got before she could remember.

Just as she took her sea-green parasol in hand, her attendant, Taka, arrived. She was a woman in her forties, wearing a striped meisen silk kimono. She was an old maid assigned to Suzuko by her grandfather to teach her, who didn’t know the first thing about how a young lady should behave. She mercilessly hammered etiquette into Suzuko, and now she was able to act relatively like a young lady on the surface. She would nag her to use “gozaimasu” instead of “desu,” and to use “moushiwake gozaimasen” or “osoreirimasu” instead of “sumimasen.”1 Suzuko, who used to listen to her seriously in the beginning, now spoke in a more informal manner at home and talked back to Taka. She was scolded for her vulgarity in clearly speaking her mind, but when she shot back, “Then you should just keep a doll in my place,” even Taka gave up and no longer said anything about it anymore.

“It’s improper for a young lady to visit a gentleman’s mansion alone.”

When she said she was going to the Hanabishi estate, Taka had said so with a sharp look in her eyes.

“I’m not going to be alone. You’ll be with me, after all.”

“It’s not proper for you to visit a gentleman. It would be better if the young masters were with you.”

“My brothers won’t be here until Saturday afternoon. Besides, they must be busy. We can take Kirino with us, as usual.”

Kirino was a manservant. He was the young man she took along with her whenever she went to listen to ghost stories.

Taka sighed exaggeratedly, but finally answered, “Understood.” She didn’t think well of Suzuko’s collecting of ghost stories either.

Since she had the whole day, she rode to the Hanabishi estate in Kojimachi in an automobile. Daughters of the nobility didn’t walk around aimlessly. She heard that automobiles were less expensive to maintain than horse-drawn carriages, but Suzuko still felt restless and impatient about not walking on her own two feet.

The weather outside was clear and sunny, a complete change from the other day. There were many people out and about in this pleasant weather. This tranquil scene in the city made it hard to believe that until the beginning of spring, there was a severe epidemic raging in the city.

The epidemic that had been spreading around the world during the war had spread to the Empire as well in 1918, and it was commonly called the “Spanish influenza” or “the bad cold.” The first outbreak occurred from the fall of Year 7 to the spring of Year 8, followed by a second epidemic from the end of Year 8 to the spring of Year 9. The number of deaths was so great that cremations couldn’t be carried out in time, and the newspapers were filled with death notices framed in black. Of course, Suzuko wasn’t allowed to go outside during that time. Color posters endorsing masks and gargling were put up on street corners, and people also began to gargle carefully with salt water in the morning and evening. She didn’t know if the threat had passed or if the epidemic would return in winter. So she wasn’t entirely at ease, but seeing the people around her regaining normalcy relieved her mind.

“I thought Baron Hanabishi was in Yokohama? Will he be in Kojimachi when we visit him there?”

Taka was doubtful, but Suzuko had a hunch. Takafuyu would be there. He was waiting for Suzuko, who heard about the marriage proposal, to march in to ask what was going on.

That was what she felt. Suzuko’s intuition had never been wrong.

The Kojimachi and Akasaka neighborhoods were home to many residences of the nobility. Of the urban area surrounding the imperial palace, the small hills from north to west, including Kojimachi and Akasaka, were the so-called “Yamanote” area. When one went down the mountains, one ended up in Shitamachi, and Akasaka, where the Takigawa estate was located, was Yamanote, but Tamachi and other areas were Shitamachi. As the name indicated, “Yamanote” was the area on the mountains, on higher ground.

When Tokyo was Edo, the residences of hatamoto and the main and spare residences of feudal lords lined the Yamanote area, but they were all confiscated by the government in the Meiji era and turned into government and military land. They became government offices, residences for officials, and parade grounds. However, since the unused houses were left to fall into disrepair, the tiled walls collapsed, the mansions decayed, or were dismantled and carried away before that happened, and all that remained were weeds. In the early Meiji period, the abandoned residential areas were left to go to ruin and in terrible states. When the government tried to sell the land, there were no buyers. As the world settled down, the number of residents increased, and the area regained its liveliness and became what it was today. Suzuko couldn’t picture this area as a desolate field, but she had heard about it from the old man she used to live with when she was in Asakusa.

The Hanabishi estate in Kojimachi wasn’t an extremely large building, but it was a magnificent Western-style mansion. It was a two-story brick building with red brick walls covered with ivy. The corners of the building and the frames around the windows were made of white granite and had the Hanabishi crest carved into them. The entrance door and stained-glass windows were also decorated with the Hanabishi crest.

The Takigawa estate had both a large Western-style house and a traditional Japanese house, so Suzuko was surprised by the magnificent house, but compared to the dignified stateliness of the Takigawa mansion, this one had a strong sense of fashion consciousness. Even though they’re both Western-style mansions, there are differences between them, she felt.

However, perhaps it was the ivy covering the walls that made it seem strangely gloomy. Or perhaps it was because of Suzuko’s mindset.

Even though she hadn’t announced her visit, the gatekeeper promptly opened the gates just as the car approached. In front of the door, a young man dressed in a steward’s uniform stood there as if welcoming them. The car carrying Suzuko stopped at the porch, and a manservant opened the door. When Suzuko got out of the car, the steward bowed and said, “We have been waiting for you,” without asking her identity. From his appearance, he was still in his twenties, but he had the composure of someone past middle age. If he weren’t so young, she would have assumed he was a butler.

The entrance door with beautiful stained glass on the top part opened.

“Hello,” Takafuyu greeted her casually. He was wearing a light gray suit today. “I thought you would be arriving soon.”

How should she answer? As if searching for it, Suzuko looked up at Takafuyu’s face. He had a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes were unreadable.

“Please, come in.”

The entrance hall she was invited into had a vaulted ceiling, and bright sunlight was pouring in. Suddenly, there was a faint fragrance, and Suzuko looked around. There were doors on either side and a staircase in the corner at the end. There seemed to be a corridor on the other side. The rooms to the left and right were probably the public rooms like parlors, and the end of the corridor was probably the inner parts of the house. The fragrance seemed to be wafting from the back of the house. The smell was invisible to the eye, so it was entirely Suzuko’s intuition.

“The lady’s attendant, please come this way.”

When the steward indicated the door on the left, Taka raised her eyebrows as if to say, Preposterous.

“I shall stay with my lady.”

Suzuko couldn’t be alone with a man. The steward looked at Takafuyu as if looking for instructions. Takafuyu looked at Suzuko.

“You didn’t come here just to have tea with me, I presume. I intended for us to speak candidly with each other, not merely probing.”

Suzuko turned to Taka and said firmly, “Please leave me alone.” When she got like that, even the nagging Taka didn’t cross the line. She only let out a small sigh.

“Please come this way,” Takafuyu said and started walking. He was going the direction of the fragrance. When they turned the corner at the end of the hall, there really was a corridor there. The scent got stronger. Without a doubt, it was the fragrance she had smelled the other day. They walked down the corridor, and Takafuyu stopped in front of the door of one of the rooms.

“――Do you smell it?”

Takafuyu asked, and Suzuko looked up at him.

“It’s the same scent I smelled when we first met a few days ago…”

Takafuyu nodded without saying a word. His smile was gone. He opened the door. The strong, intoxicating scent filled the air, and Suzuko covered her nose with her sleeve. She had thought it was an elegant and refreshing scent, but here it was so strong that it was indeed suffocating.

On the other side of the door was a Western-style room about eight tatami mats large. The floor was covered in mosaic tiles, and the walls were also tiled. The room was dimly lit because of the extreme small and high windows, which were round stained-glass windows that depicted the Hanabishi crest. The only furnishings in the room were a shelf by the wall and a small table in the center with an incense burner on it. Peonies were painted on the incense burner. She wondered if the scent was coming from there, but there was no smoke. It seemed that it hadn’t been lit.

“This is an Iro-Nabeshima incense burner.2 It is custom-made.”

Takafuyu pointed at the incense burner, but Suzuko didn’t quite understand.

“Haa…”

“She won’t accept it unless it’s of the finest quality.”

“She?”

“You saw her the other day, didn’t you?”

“…The ‘jourou’?”

Takafuyu smiled a thin smile.

“Precisely.”

“Is that thing a ghost?”

“She will get cross if you call her ‘that thing.’ She is prideful. After all, she’s a jourou.”

“Is that jourou a ghost, sir?”

She rephrased her question. Takafuyu tilted his head a little.

“Rather than a ghost, she’s a vengeful spirit.”

“A vengeful spirit…”

Suzuko recalled the appearance of that jourou who ate the ghost.

“This will be a bit of a long story,” Takafuyu said, then turned his gaze to the incense burner. “I told you before that the Hanabishi family served as the chief priests of a shrine. A shrine on Awaji Island. Have you ever traveled to Awaji Island? It is a beautiful place. Let me show you around sometime. It is quicker to go by train, but a boat trip is also nice. Do you get seasick?”

“That isn’t what we’re—”

“”

“Then, we shall discuss that later. Yes—we are the chief priests of a shrine on Awaji Island. Apparently, we were the lords of the island in ancient times, but because it was an important point on the sea route, it was placed under the imperial family’s rule at an early date. We offered fragrant woods that drifted ashore to the emperor. That is why the island has been connected to the imperial family for a long time. And that island was also an island where nobles were exiled to. Such as the dethroned emperor of Awaji…Emperor Junnin, as well as Prince Sawara.”

She didn’t know either of those names. Her tutor had given her a general history lesson, but she didn’t remember it. But she did know they were nobles because they were an emperor and a prince.

“Even if they were exiled, they were nobles, so they couldn’t be left alone. There must be someone to take care of them. So, a woman of the Hanabishi clan performed that role. Emperor Junnin died on the island, and Prince Sawara died before reaching the island, but such souls would go wild. Particularly Prince Sawara, who turned into a dreadful vengeful spirit. The role of consoling them also fell to a woman of the Hanabishi clan. As a miko.”

“Miko…”

“For these kinds of things, there are regulations for everyone. It’s all written down in texts like the Engi-Shiki.3 They are called the ‘mikannoko.’ It is written with the characters ‘御’ (on) and the ‘巫’ in 巫女. It means ‘child of god.’ So, from generation to generation, the women of the Hanabishi clan served as mikannoko to appease the vengeful spirits associated with Awaji Island. However…”

Takafuyu pointed to the incense burner.

“At some point, there was a reversal.”

“Reversal?”

“The one who was supposed to appease ghosts have become a vengeful ghost herself.”

Suzuko blinked her eyes.

“Why?”

She sounded naïve, like a small child. Takafuyu suddenly smiled, and she looked away.

“We don’t exactly know why it happened. The mikannoko goes to the imperial court once a year, and it is said that she was killed on the way there. She was carrying fragrant wood to offer to the court, so there are stories that say she was attacked by pirates or betrayed by court officials. In any case, the mikannoko was killed, and her blood soaked into the wood. The emperor lamented her death and conferred the third rank onto her, but the mikannoko turned into a vengeful spirit and possessed the wood—that’s how the story goes.”

Suzuko looked at the incense burner. “In other words, that vengeful spirit is from the Hanabishi family.”

“Correct. The legend suggests that the Hanabishi clan has its own personal trading network, which feels quite suspicious.”

“Huh?” Suzuko tilted her head.

“That fragrant wood is called agarwood, and it isn’t produced in Japan. The fact that we could offer it to the imperial court once a year meant that we must have obtained it through trade, since we couldn’t wait for it to drift ashore once in a while.”

“Oh…”

Takafuyu smiled wryly.

“Agarwood is very precious and expensive.”

Suzuko was getting increasingly confused.

“It’s wood, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Is that expensive?”

“”

“Considerably.”

“Hmm…”

I don’t really understand the things valued by the nobility, she thought.

“But you can’t even eat it…” she murmured without thinking. Takafuyu took a breath and laughed out loud.

“Haha. You’re right.”

She was a little surprised to hear his unexpectedly bright laughter. Suzuko cleared her throat.

“So, do you mean that the vengeful spirit of the Hanabishi clan woman was the jourou I saw the other day?”

“Yes, she was.”

“It looked to me as if that jourou had eaten that ghost.”

“That is the crux of my story.”

“Huh?”

“She eats ghosts. That vengeful spirit eats ghosts, so perhaps it is cannibalism. Or perhaps not. Well, putting that aside, she eats them.”

“Why does she…”

“We don’t know,” Takafuyu said matter-of-factly. “We don’t know, but that’s the way it is. So we, the descendants of the Hanabishi clan, must feed her.”

“Feed—” In other words, Suzuko understood. “In other words, you give her ghosts?”

Was that the scene I saw the other day?

“Exactly,” Takafuyu nodded strangely happily. “It’s helpful that you understand so quickly.”

Suzuko could understand because she could see the whole thing from beginning to end.

“The Hanabishi clan must find ghosts and give them to her. Otherwise, we will be cursed.”

“Cursed…even though you’re from the same clan?”

“It’s because we’re from the same clan. She’s pestering us to fulfill our role. If we don’t…”

“What will happen?”

“We’ll die,” Takafuyu turned his head to the side and gave a sad smile for a moment. “They all died. My grandfather, parents, older brother.”

“…”

Suzuko furrowed her brow and clasped her lace-gloved hands together.

“My grandfather and the others, well, there was a time when they fed her properly, but then there was something like a family quarrel. They couldn’t focus on feeding her anymore. And then, they died. I don’t know to what extent they were cursed, but that’s the way it is with curses, you know.”

Takafuyu smiled a cold, thin smile.

“In the past, there was a move to exorcise her because she was a vengeful spirit, but there was a setback. She couldn’t be exorcised. ——Well, I’ve told you many things, but what I want you to understand now is that you have no choice but to accept marriage with me.”

“Why?” She asked in a harsh tone, but Takafuyu just smiled like he wasn’t going to answer her at all.

“It’s because she chose you. Now that you’ve been chosen, you can’t escape from her anyway.”

“Eh?”

“You can smell a scent, can’t you? Even though there’s no incense burning. She has taken a liking to you. She chooses the wives of the heads of the Hanabishi family. It has to be someone she likes. Perhaps it is because you can see ghosts. Please see this as fate and give up.”

“Huh…eh? Wait, what are you—”

She chose me to become the bride of the head of the Hanabishi family.

Suzuko’s mind couldn’t keep up. Finding Takafuyu’s faint smile eerie, she backed up. He immediately took her left hand.

“It isn’t a bad match for the Takigawa family, either. Your father would be glad to have more financial support. Your brother, the heir to the family, is, contrary to your father, a very upright man. I heard he works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I’ve met him before. We got along quite well, actually. I haven’t yet met your second brother, who works in the Ministry of the Imperial Household, but I have heard of him. Your brothers are reliable and secure.”

At this rate, he must have been researching the Takigawa family inside out. Suzuko brushed off his hand and glared at him.

“When you look at me with those eyes, I’m afraid that you might see right through me.”

Takafuyu said, his face showing no signs of fear. In fact, Suzuko was the one who was horrified by what he said next.

“The name ‘The Clairvoyant Girl of Asakusa’ suits you well, I see.”

Before she could think, her body was moving. Suzuko spun around and ran to the door. Just when she grabbed the doorknob, her hand was pressed down from above.

“You don’t have to be afraid.”

The soft, gentle tone of his voice was even more frightening.

“I have no intention of revealing your true identity to the world. It would be very troublesome if it were known that the Senrigan Girl who caused a sensation at that time was settled into a noble family, wouldn’t it?”

“…How did you find out?”

“An old friend of mine is a newspaper reporter. But, I was only half guessing, tricking you into revealing the truth. I was trying to connect the Psychic Girl who suddenly disappeared six years ago to you, who can see ghosts. No one could have connected you two unless they knew you have that power. And there are no photographs left behind.”

Before being taken in by the Takigawa family, Suzuko worked as a “clairvoyant.” Clairvoyance (senrigan)4 referred to the power to see a thousand ri into the distance, and specifically, to mysterious abilities such as guessing what was happening at a distance, to seeing through hidden things, and putting images on photographic plates through sheer willpower—being able to do thoughtography. Around the end of the Meiji period, a woman who claimed to possess such abilities appeared and became the talk of the town. The uproar, which excited the public and involved scholars and intellectuals, ended with a bad aftertaste with the deaths of two clairvoyant women, and subsequently disappeared.

In Suzuko’s case, she didn’t see through things or do thoughtography. She simply guessed the other person’s past or found what they were looking for. Even so, she gained quite a reputation. It was probably because she was a child, not yet old enough to know what she was doing. The reason she was able to do such things was because the ghosts told her. However, she also used more deceptive methods, such as guessing from the other person’s words, actions, or appearance.

“The reason this old friend of mine remembered the Clairvoyant Girl who disappeared six years ago was because they remembered an incident that happened around that time. There was an unsolved massacre in an Asakusa slum. Three poor people were killed. They were the ones using the Clairvoyant Girl to make money. And from that day on, the Clairvoyant Girl disappeared…”

A smile appeared on Takafuyu’s lips, but his eyes weren’t smiling.

“If it was revealed that you are the Clairvoyant Girl, it would create more trouble than just a mere scandal, wouldn’t it? I don’t know what that would be, though.”

Suzuko bit her lip.

“Is that, by any chance, the reason you collect ghost stories? Of course, if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t pry any further.”

Takafuyu removed Suzuko’s weak hand from the doorknob and released it. He smiled gently.

“Now, let me ask you once again. Will you marry me?”

He’s an asura wearing the mask of a gentle bodhisattva, Suzuko thought.

After visiting the Hanabishi estate, Suzuko’s days became depressing. The Takigawa estate suddenly became busy with their regular merchants from kimono fabrics shops and jewelers arriving with smiling faces. They were there to place orders for wedding clothes and trousseaus.

Suzuko was going to be married to Takafuyu.

She had no other choice after what she was told. It was a threat wrapped in silk.

Since permission from the Minister of the Imperial Household was required for a noble’s marriage, the ministry had to be consulted, but since both families were nobility, it was unlikely that they wouldn’t be allowed to marry.

Staring at the commotion around her as if it was happening to someone else, Suzuko’s face was gloomy.

“It’s natural to get depressed before you get married,” her older half-sister, Yukiko, said with a self-satisfied expression.

“We’ll pick for you, Suzu-chan, so you can rest,” Asako, her other half-sister, said happily as she spread out the fabrics on the tatami. The two of them were twins. Their faces were identical, but not so much that they were completely indistinguishable.

“For these kinds of things, it’s much more fun to pick for someone else than for yourself.”

“That’s right, you can pick without any responsibility.”

They were speaking however they liked. Her two sisters visited more frequently than before when they learned that Suzuko’s marriage had been decided. Suzuko had no idea what to choose, whether it was for her wedding clothes or her trousseau, so they were a great help.

“Will the ceremony be held at the Imperial Hotel?”

“The announcement tea ceremony and banquet will be held at the Peers’ Club.5 The ceremony will be held somewhere else, I’ve heard. You see, it’s a shrine family, after all.”

“Oh my, don’t tell me that it’s going to be at the shrine on Awaji Island?”

“How will it be?”

Asked by her sisters, Suzuko answered, “I don’t know.” In fact, she truly didn’t know.

Wedding ceremonies nowadays had shifted from holding the ceremony at home to being Shinto weddings. The first Shinto wedding ceremony took place when the current emperor was still the crown prince. This influence led to the creation of a form of Shinto wedding at Hibiya Grand Shrine in the same year.6 This led to the popularization of the simplified Shinto wedding ceremony among the general public.

For the nobility, they must also announce the marriage to their friends and acquaintances in addition to the ceremony. Because of the large number of people, it was divided into a tea ceremony and banquet. Just thinking about it made Suzuko feel weary.

“Let’s elaborate on the embroidery for the bridal robe. Gold and silver embroidery with uprooted young pines will do. The lining should definitely be red. An elegant vermillion. For this kind of thing, it’s lovely to make it look old-fashioned. As for your hair, you’re going to wear it in the shimada style, so we must have good quality tortoiseshell hairpins made for you.”

“I think it would be more auspicious to use tortoise shells and cranes.7 Perhaps we should also make fukusa with a pattern of pine, bamboo, and plum.8 And we must order plenty of lined and unlined kimonos to be made.”

Perhaps because her sisters were about ten years older than Suzuko, they treated her like a nice-looking dress-up doll from the time she was taken in. They both told her happily, “We wanted a cute little sister.” “But we only have little brothers who aren’t cute in the slightest.”

“Don’t get too excited, Sisters.”

The two “little brothers who aren’t cute in the slightest” had come to the tatami room where Suzuko and the others were in. The overserious-looking young man was the heir, Yoshitada, and the sullen-looking young man was the second son, Yoshimi. Today was Sunday, a public holiday, so the two men who worked for the government were also staying at the estate.

“The trousseau shouldn’t be too lavish, lest it creates a great stir.”

“Yoshitada-san, you never stop saying dull things, do you.”

“The heir has a lot to deal with, poor thing.”

Yoshitada sighed. He was used to this kind of treatment.

“I’m against it.” The one who said that was Yoshimi. Both Yoshitada and Yoshimi were handsome young men, but Yoshitada resembled their father and Yoshimi resembled his mother, Chizu. However, it was only in face, and the two of them didn’t resemble them at all in personality.

“Oh, Yoshimi-san, do you prefer a lavish trousseau then?”

“I’m not talking about that,” Yoshimi frowned when Yukiko asked him. “I’m talking about Suzuko’s marriage to the Hanabishi family. There’s something strange about them.”

“I’m sure they don’t want to hear that from us, though.”

Yukiko said, and Asako laughed. “Don’t interrupt me,” Yoshimi said, irritated. Somehow, Suzuko had the feeling that of all her siblings, Yoshimi was the closest to her in nature.

“Three generations of that family died in succession, and the second son who was sent out as an adopted child was summoned back to inherit the title. On top of that, even his mother died.”

“Even in our family, Yoshitada-san’s mother and Suzu-chan’s mother also died young. A lot of people also died during the recent influenza outbreak. People die more easily than you think,” Asako replied unexpectedly calmly.

“That’s right,” Yukiko agreed solemnly. “Several employees at my husband’s company had passed away. They were at the prime of their careers.”

“I’m telling you, that’s not the issue,” Yoshimi scratched his head. “I don’t like that baron. He’s fishy.”

Yoshimi and Suzuko really were close in sensibility.

Yukiko laughed lightly.

“Yoshimi-san, you don’t like him because he’ll take your little sister away from you. You said the same thing when Asa-chan and I got married.”

“No, it was different with you—”

“You probably just don’t like merchants,” Yoshitada said. He was extremely weak against his two older sisters, but he spoke considerably firmly to Yoshimi and Suzuko.

“Baron Hanabishi was sent out as an adopted child and raised in a merchant family, so he is a shrewd man of the world. However, he isn’t a man who is only good on the surface. He is a thoughtful person. I know him personally, so I can vouch for his character.”

Yoshitada-oniisama is so good-natured.

Suzuko thought as she looked at Yoshitada’s serious face. Perhaps it was because he had grown up without any difficulties, but when he heard about other people’s hardships and tragedies, he sympathized with them and tended to be partial to them. She was worried that he might fall for a scam in the future. Suzuko wasn’t the only one who thought it would be better for him to get a wife of firm character as soon as possible.

“I think Suzuko would be better off with someone broad-minded like that, rather than someone who only has a good pedigree and doesn’t know the ways of the world.”

I was half-threatened and forced to agree to this marriage, though.

Could that be called broad-minded? She was sure that Takafuyu was a worldly man, though.

“What’s the matter, you don’t look happy. Are you not willing to get married?”

“…I think you should think about your own marriage rather than mine, Onii-sama.”

Instantly, Yoshitada’s behavior became suspicious. His gaze wandered around. “N-Not yet for me. I’ll get married when I’m thirty or forty.”

“Oh no, Yoshitada-san, you should consider the feelings of your future wife. For the heir to the Takigawa family, your future wife must be a young maiden. She would be marrying an old man who’s thirty or forty years old.”

“Ugh…”

Yoshitada was at a loss as to how to respond to Asako’s words. “Marriage is a hassle,” Yoshimi said and turned away. Both of them were unmotivated to get involved with women because they had watched their inconstant father.

“”

“Yoshitada-san, come to Karuizawa this summer. I’ll introduce you to the younger sister of my husband’s school friend.”

“No need for that, thank you.”

“Yoshimi-san seems to have a keen nose, so he’ll be fine, but I’m worried about you. You might get deceived by a bad woman.”

I agree, Yoshimi and Suzuko both nodded.

“That’s—enough talking about me. You were discussing Suzuko’s wedding preparations.”

“Oh, yes. I wonder how we came to this topic.”

Yoshitada flipped through some of the design books and catalogues on the low table. “What’s this? A ring? Is that even necessary?”

“Oh, that’s mine,” Asako took the design book from his hands. “I was thinking about buying one for summer.”

“Business must be going well for you.”

“Thankfully,” Asako laughed. Sketches of cool jade and crystal rings filled the book. Each was as delicate and beautiful as a Japanese-style painting.

“I think I’ll get a jade ring to go with my obi fastener. Jade and pink tourmaline are still popular for fasteners, but not so trendy either. Diamonds are too stuffy-looking for summer. I don’t like them too much, they’re too glaring.”

“I heard that diamond rings sold very well during the boom years of the war. That must be why you don’t want them anymore, Asa-chan.”

How contrary, Yukiko laughed. Asako shrugged.

“Well, I must admit that is the case. But since it’s my birthstone, I think I’ll own one at least.”

“Birthstone?” Yoshitada, who wasn’t familiar with jewelry, tilted his head.

“It’s your gemstone that’s determined according to your birth month. It was started by Mitsukoshi, wasn’t it?”

“Didn’t it originate in America? Mitsukoshi adopted it and turned it into a business.”

In 1913, rings that used birthstones were introduced into the market under the name “The Twelve Months Rings.” They were sold by the Mitsukoshi Draper’s Shop. That company thought up all sorts of business ideas.

“There are also synthetic birthstones. Do you know about them?” Yukiko asked.

“They’re called hope birthstones,” Asako immediately replied. When it came to ornaments, there was no one in this family more knowledgeable than Asako. There was no doubt that she was Chizu’s daughter.

“Synthetic gemstones are imported and cheap, right? They aren’t things for nobility to wear.”

Yoshitada’s face said, I know that much. Asako laughed.

“Just because they’re cheap, it doesn’t mean they are no good, Yoshitada-san. You wear them, so it’s fine if you like them.”

“Synthetic gemstones are trendy, they’re popular, Yoshitada-san,” Yukiko said.

“You can’t tell gemstones apart, so don’t be so careless as to say that in public. The ring worn by the lady in front of you might be that type of jewelry.”

“I won’t say it…”

Yoshitada looked tired after being verbally attacked by his two sisters because he inadvertently mentioned jewelry. He would probably never broach the subject ever again. Since Yoshimi knew this very well, he never cut in at times like this.

While listening to the talk about synthetic gemstones, Suzuko recalled the ghost at the Murotsuji estate again.

“I wonder if there have been any geisha murders recently.” She had meant to murmur that in her head, but she spoke it out loud.

“Eh, no, what? A geisha was murdered?”

Both Yukiko and Asako frowned.

“I think it happened about half a month ago,” It was Yoshimi who answered. He was flipping through a catalogue, looking bored. “It was a geisha in Akasaka. It was in the newspapers. I don’t remember if it was a robbery or a crime of passion, though.”

“Then, was the culprit caught?”

“I don’t know. I think they were caught?”

“…Was she killed in Akasaka?”

“I told you, I don’t remember the details. Read the newspapers.”

“But ‘half a month ago’ is too broad.”

“You’re so persistent. I remember reading about it in the morning paper the day after we all went flower viewing.”

“Then…” Suzuko retraced her memories. What day was it when they all went to see the cherry blossoms? Before she could remember it, Asako gave the answer.

“We went flower viewing on Saturday, April tenth. We were talking about how the cherry blossoms would be on full bloom on an auspicious day,9 how it was a warm and a perfect day for flower viewing. We dressed Suzu-chan in a sakura-colored kimono with a scale-patterned obi and talked about what an adorable Musume Dojoji she made.10 And after that, Yoshitada-san drank too much and got drunk.”

“You don’t have to remember unnecessary things, Asako-neesan,” Yoshitada had a sullen look on his face.

So, the article appeared on the following day, the eleventh. Suzuko wondered if they still had it.

“Old newspapers have many uses, so we probably still have it. Ask Ofuku,” Yukiko said. Ofuku was the head maid.

“I’ll ask her,” Suzuko stood up. Her siblings looked at each other.

“I hope you’re not getting interested in strange things again,” Yoshimi said. “It’s fine if you’re just reading the article, but don’t do anything scary.”

“Yes, ghost stories and murders and the like are dangerous.”

Asako and Yukiko both said. Suzuko’s sisters were understanding of her, but they frowned upon her hobby of collecting ghost stories. They were worried about her.

“Alright, I’ll get the newspaper from Ofuku,” Yoshitada stood up. “And that will be the end of it. Don’t tell us that you want to go to the house where the murder took place.”

“”

“…I wouldn’t say that, though…”

She mumbled, and Yoshitada said in a big-brotherly way, “That’s a promise,” and left the room.