The more Miyo saw of the old capital, the more its differences from the capital became apparent.
The area around the station left a relatively modern and stylish impression, with the Western-style buildings standing out. If she went just one street over, however, she would find rows of old-style buildings, and she would happen upon several old shrines, temples, and pagodas with just a short walk. On top of that, the mountains were far closer to the city than in the capital, which left the townscape feeling cramped. Miyo was shocked to hear there were even temples up in the mountains, too.
By contrast, the building stock of the imperial capital was much newer.
While the downtown area had row houses that had been there for a long time, on the major boulevards, there were rows and rows of red brick buildings. Though there were shrines and temples, too, their numbers were nowhere near on par with that of the old capital.
Dressed in a finely patterned kimono embroidered with sky blue silk, and her hair tied in place with a hairpin featuring a hanging silver goldfish, Miyo aimlessly walked at Kiyoka’s side while holding a parasol.
A meeting with Komon wasn’t going to happen right away, since he also served as the head priest of the Ikukuni Shrine. So today, they were making good on Kiyoka’s promise and roaming around the city together.
“Just looking around isn’t boring you?” he asked.
“Of course not. Simply experiencing the old capital is exciting,” Miyo said.
The contrast between the vibrant summer greenery and the dignified texture of the wooden temples and red torii gates was beautiful.
Spring had flowers, summer had greens, autumn had falling leaves, and winter had snow. Each season brought its own unique style of scenic beauty at any time of year. When Miyo imagined the old capital in different seasons, she couldn’t help but want to witness them all.
The two stopped by different shrines and temples as they saw fit, offered their prayers, and then continued walking.
“Look, a cat.”
Spying a black-and-white speckled cat lying in the shade on the side of the road, Miyo broke into a big smile.
“Here, kitty,” She tried calling to it from afar, but the cat leisurely licked its front legs and didn’t even look at her.
“How cute.”
Miyo heard a wind chime’s tinkling carry on the faint wind.
“It’s so peaceful…”
“Sure is.”
Her offhanded murmur had gotten a reply out of Kiyoka.
The scenes she saw in Izuko’s dream were still etched in her mind.
If that was really a glimpse into the Miyakoujis’ past, she felt like the gulf between it and the tranquil town she saw before her would make her unsure what to believe anymore.
Kiyoka had invited her out today by asking, “Want to go out for some fresh air?”
He had realized something heavy was weighing on Miyo. Similarly, she had decided to indulge his consideration for her. It was far too depressing to be alone with it all.
She went to his side and gently took his hand in hers.
“Let’s go, Kiyoka. There are still so many places I haven’t seen yet.”
They moved from savoring tea and dango dumplings in a teahouse they chanced upon to strolling the garden of a highly revered temple.
Though it was hot, their date in the old capital was so much fun that she hardly noticed the temperature.
After taking in the sights for a while, Miyo and Kiyoka returned to the area near the Miyakouji estate and decided to take a break in a nearby park.
Several similarly old, timeworn estates lined the neighborhood surrounding the Miyakoujis’ property.
Nevertheless, even from afar, the size and the age of the Miyakouji estate stood out. Its size alone spoke to how deeply entwined the family was with this city.
Komon’s warning belatedly came home to her.
The Miyakoujis’ tendency to pick on new relatives was only scratching the surface of their ugliness.
“Sorry, Miyo, can you wait a moment?”
She cocked her head at Kiyoka’s remark.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m getting a message from the capital. It’s probably just a periodic check-in, so it won’t be anything serious. I’ll wrap it up quick.”
A familiar made out of white scrap paper glided smoothly through the air and landed in Kiyoka’s hand.
“In that case, I’ll wait for you here.”
“Thanks.”
Kiyoka left Miyo’s side and went over to the inconspicuous shade of a tree. He wanted to avoid attention since the content of the message might touch on military secrets.
She sighed slightly as she watched him depart.
Miyo was a bit scared to be alone, as she might start fixating on things she didn’t need to think about.
Little did she know someone had been waiting for the exact moment she was by herself.
A shadow suddenly cut off the sunlight that had been beating down on her.
Miyo looked up and saw three men glaring down at her with nasty, impure looks in their eyes.
Her eyes widened in shock at the abnormal encounter.
“Um… May I help you?”
“You’re Kudou’s wife, yeah?”
He seemed to have asked a question he already knew the answer to. His tone made it sound rhetorical. Something was very off.
On top of this, Miyo got the impression she had seen these men before. They weren’t acquaintances, yet they were somehow familiar.
“I am his wife… Forgive me, but who might you be? What do you want with me?”
Right after Miyo spoke, the men all exchanged glances.
“You hear that? ‘Who might you be?’”
“Yeah, I heard her all right. Unbelievable. The nerve of her to screw with us—to look down on us.”
“She’s basically saying our faces aren’t even worth remembering. Mr. Wood was right.”
Miyo felt a chill as she watched the men speak to each other in open animus toward her. This wasn’t normal. Everything she had said had been perfectly reasonable and polite, and yet they had taken her response in the worst possible light.
“Hey, you wanna come along with us?”
“What?”
Miyo felt as if their eyes were slithering over her entire body.
“If you really are an Usuba girlie, you should be getting hitched to someone in the main family instead of a Kudou. That scumbag ain’t right for a girl like you.”
“I wouldn’t even mind taking in a girl a bit past her prime if she was a beauty like you, neither.”
Miyo felt her body run cold to the core, as if doused in ice water, and she froze up.
What on earth were these men talking about? It was clear to Miyo that these men seemed to be from the Miyakouji family, but they had been speaking like she was beneath them this whole time, and she found the discussion about who was suited for her to be wholly indecipherable.