The faint light of dusk slipped thinly through the gaps in the bamboo blinds. As you walked along the corridor, she spotted a familiar figure across the garden. It was Koremitsu, his black hair loosely tied, wearing a deep purple sokutai robe.* But—beside him stood an unfamiliar woman.

On his profile was the same soft smile that he turned toward you. A small, sharp pain struck deep in her chest. you quickly hid herself in the shadow of the blind, averting her eyes from the two figures. —It was not uncommon for a husband to visit other women. That was simply the way of things in this Heian world.