The next morning, the Chairman leaves alone.

I watch him depart through a half-opened window, curious despite Ikeda-san's warning that girls who go around poking their noses into other people's businesses might just find their nose being snapped off. In his fine city-clothes and with a hat on his head, he cut a striking figure against the dusty front yard. He didn't belong in this dusty garden, but would fit right into the beautiful cities I haven't visited since mine and Satsu's great escape.

He didn't stay for breakfast, perhaps wanting to reach his office just in time for work. If I hadn't been doing my daily morning sweep, I wouldn't have noticed him slip out of the house as the sun began to rise.

Normally it would be rude to leave without notifying the owner of the house, but I suppose with Toshikazu-san still feeling unwell and his son being able to come up with an excuse for his departure, it wasn't a life-ending violation.

The Chairman turned his head back unexpectedly, right where the path from the house went from straight to crooked. Even from such a distance and with doubts about how good his eyesight was, I sensed our eyes meeting for just a moment.

I quickly stepped back into the shadows, clutching the broom to my chest.

Ikeda-san was even grumpier than usual after last night. The silver pins in her hair had been put back in storage, left to gather dust until the next honourable guest came to the house.

"Is Toshikazu-san well enough for breakfast?" I dared to ask.

The old woman turned her head and straightened her back from where she had been fanning the stove. I ignored the cracking sound of her bones. "He's not awake yet."

"Oh," I replied. Toshikazu usually rose a little after dawn, woken by the sun streaming through the windows because he refused to close the shutters at night when it wasn't cold. And he liked an early breakfast so he had more time to read. This was odd.

"Oh," Ikeda-san parroted back at me with a raised brow. "You should prepare the breakfast service for the Master and his son. It's not our place to worry."

I bowed my head. I wonder if she had been asked to loan me her family's kimono against her will, though I soon dismissed the thought. Toshikazu-san didn't seem like the type to care about his servants' appearances, an extension of his dismissive response to the idea of hosting his son. It was more likely that she enjoyed mocking me.

"Is Ikeda-san alright?" I asked while waiting for the rice to cook. It had taken some time but I could finally guess the moment when the rice in the pot would be soft, fluffy and ready for serving. If I had to choose another job after this, I had the experience to be hired as a cook's assistant.

There was a very long pause, where I wondered if Ikeda-san hadn't heard me. Then, she finally spoke, "He is tired."

That answer didn't satisfy me but I smelled the rice in the pot nearly reaching the perfect texture and soon forgot about it, distracted as I was with preparing the main dish. Not that our lone guest would appreciate it but we were making something fancy with two types of marinated fish. It was more elaborate than normal and I couldn't wait to sample the leftovers.

"Good morning, Chiyo-chan," Toshikazu greeted me with strange cordiality as I entered.

"Good morning," I replied softly.

Eyes politely lowered at the ground, I placed the tray on the floor before closing the sliding door. I couldn't properly take in the dining room until I picked up the tray and turned to face the table.

It was not my intention to look directly at Nobu-san, who was staring at me, as though he had been waiting for my entrance since I clattered my way through the hallway. In the stark morning light, his features looked even more hideous. What I could decipher from the healthy side of his face was impatience. My cheeks flushed for no reason and my fingers shook slightly.

It was only by some stroke of luck that I didn't drop the wobbling tray and drench the most important men in the house- one who had the power to end my career and the other who no doubt would delight in my embarrassment- in their breakfast.

"Somehow Ikeda-san, who must be in her seventies, is less clumsy on her feet than your servant girl," Nobu remarked while I neatly placed the dishes in front of the two, avoiding eye contact.

Although I was used to being berated by my previous employers and could hide my true feelings behind the mask of a placid smile, I could not stop my mouth from opening to undoubtedly say something that would make Ikeda-san slap the back of my head like a misbehaving child.

Luckily Toshikazu-san didn't give me the chance because he said mildly, "Leave her be."

Surprised and a little touched by my Master's defense, I made sure to bow a little lower than needed as I prepared to retreat.

"Why don't you stay for breakfast?"

"Father-" Nobu said sharply, scowling at Toshikazu-san, who had on a mask of his own. He looked very relaxed, like I ate with him every day. In reality, Ikeda-san and I had dinner with him once every few days at most, usually when we had some meat on the table. Never breakfast.

"I do not wish to disturb your morning," I interrupted Nobu, causing the scarred man to turn his scowl towards me. "Excuse me."

"I insist."

"I must refuse, as I have already eaten my morning meal," I push back, narrowing my eyes at Toshikazu. What was the cause of this odd behaviour?

Toshikazu inclined his head.

Halfway through standing from my kneeling position, my stomach makes a rumbling noise. Mortified, I could hardly stop my foot from catching the other and I tumble onto the floor, dropping the empty tray with a clattering noise. I had tripped on my own feet.

What's wrong with me? I thought in despair as I hastily pushed my body up to a sitting position with my hands.

"She turns clumsiness into an art."

I blush at Nobu's unkind remark. My body felt so hot with embarrassment that it rivalled the fire burning in the stove.

"I could see why you would let her stay on your household," Nobu said, directed to his father, but looking at me the whole time. "She must be quite… entertaining."

"Have some tea to calm yourself," Toshikazu said, with a stern look at his son, already pouring from the pot. I was expecting to be scolded, as he did have a bit of a temper when it came to making mistakes, but his lips quirked up slightly. It was a proper smile when it came to the old man.

"Please, you do not need to serve me," I said, lowering my head in shame.

"I insist," Toshikazu repeated, pushing the filled cup in my direction.

"Thank you," I said, though I did not take it.

To my left, Nobu huffed and grabbed his chopsticks. I suppose he had lost interest already and wanted to fill his stomach.

"What a lovely bowl of rice," Toshikazu said, looking down at his bowl.

If I had been drinking tea, I would have choked at the unexpected compliment. Perhaps the old man was feeling unwell. It was a regular bowl of rice to me.

"Don't you agree?" Toshikazu continued, with a pointed look at his son.

Nobu, who was clearly waiting for the eldest person at the table to start so he could, grunted in agreement. His gaze flickered towards me before he looked away.

"You are in a good mood today, Toshikazu-san," I couldn't keep it inside me anymore. I had to point it out.

"Well, blame it on the appearance of my only son at my breakfast table. Five years and not a single visit. You are a sight for sore eyes."

It did not sound sincere even to me, and I had unintentionally given him an opening.

Nobu swallowed. With the unscarred side of his face facing me, he could almost pass for a regular man, handsome in his own way, gearing up for an argument with his father.

"I had work," he said. "I sent you letters, enough money for you to survive the Depression and keep the household afloat. You have people to care for you."

"It is no replacement for a son."

"You never want to visit me in the city. I would have welcomed you into my house."

"You think that I am a nuisance."

"When you're acting like this I do. Calm yourself, Father."

That only made Toshikazu less calm. "You are ashamed of where you came from. You made that clear five years ago."

This sounded intensely personal, but I remained frozen in place, hoping they had forgotten about me. I spared a thought for the cup of tea, which was getting colder by the second. Drinking it may turn their attention towards me.

"It was one newspaper, Father," Nobu sounded exasperated. "They took my words out of context."

"You didn't let me converse with your business partners at the Company's anniversary dinner."

"Because they're all dull and uninspired and would have brought you closer to death with their talk of nothings. I know you hate empty flattery."

"Five years and you couldn't spare the time to visit?" Toshikazu-san circled back to his first point.

"I sent you letters!" Nobu was also repeating his previous points.

"Once a month!"

"I am a grown man, with real responsibilities. We're building a company."

"Once a month!" Toshikazu said again, with more passion. "Am I not worthy of your time? Do you wish to ignore your own father's existence?"

"Well, I'm here now and after this treatment you may expect me back in ten years, you stubborn old man."

Breakfast hardly seemed like the time to have such intense arguments. It was strange to see my normally calm teacher so incensed. Now I had no doubt that Toshikazu was Nobu's father since he clearly inherited his sharp tongue, which could be excused with old age for his father, but in his middle-aged son only made him seem disrespectful.

They weren't even touching the food Ikeda-san and I worked so hard on.

I wanted to snap at them to stop, but I held my tongue, thinking of how Ikeda-san would have handled this. I had a sip of the tea and sighed quietly.

This drew Nobu's eyes to me and he stopped in the middle of his next point.

Taking advantage of the lull, I said, polite as you please, "The tea was much appreciated. Thank you for an entertaining morning."

That last sentence I said with a smile at Nobu, one of those smiles I used when hiding my pranks from Satsu. Like cherry-flavoured shaved ice wouldn't melt in my mouth.

Nobu closed his mouth and flattened his lips into a line. Toshikazu, on the other hand, gave me another rare barely-noticeable smile in return. "Indeed."

Thankfully I walked out of the dining room with no further incidents and when I returned to collect the dishes only Nobu remained, staring blankly in the direction of Toshikazu's faded silk screen with the painting of a mountain range. He didn't even acknowledge my presence, which stung me a little before I realised that this was Nobu I was distressed by. I'd rather be ignored than have to struggle with the unservant-like urge to push him over something whenever we spoke.

With Ikeda-san off to the village for some small errands after serving two lunches separately, I had a short break in-between chores to visit Toshikazu's study.

It was where most of the books were kept. I suspect my Master knew that I occasionally ventured into his private room while he was out on a walk. I had never been the type to like walking for the sake of it. It always seemed like an idle person's activity, though Toshikazu-san would bring something along to read and pass the time at the pond.

I was focused on rereading the available medical texts, looking for an explanation of my sister's gloomy yet irate state after giving birth. It couldn't possibly be explained by her having too much wood in her spirit. Her sadness was tangible. When Satsu was pregnant, I had not been above badgering Toshikazu-san to purchase more updated versions, to which he told me to visit a library. I had replied that the closest library was in a city, miles and miles away from this sleepy village. He had more books than the nearest villages in a ten-mile radius combined. Reading was a luxury here. Toshikazu looked angry at that so I didn't push him further.

I had read everything there was about pregnancy in the book collection, which consisted of three thick tomes. Seeing that Toshikazu wasn't even a doctor, I didn't quite know the reason behind even having more than one medical text and having books on Western medicine at that, when he was so cautious of anything foreign.

I was flipping through one of Toshikazu's many poetry books to eliminate thoughts of my sister's suffering (often I thought he had made a living as a writer when he was younger but Ikeda-san neither confirmed nor denied this theory) when the door panel slid open.

It was Nobu.

He looked just as surprised as I was to see him. Under different circumstances I would have laughed at his expression. Instead I stood and bowed, putting on my polite mask.

"What are you doing here?"

"Reading," I replied, waving the book a little.

Nobu scoffed. "You read?"

I bristled- he didn't have to sound so shocked. "Would it surprise Nobu-san to find that even poor servant girls have the ability to read?"

Nobu tilted his head, a movement that reminded me of his father. I was expecting him to kick me out of the study when he asked, gesturing at the book, "Is it for self-improvement or pure enjoyment?"

"I am only passing the time."

"Both then," there was a note of amusement in his voice. I wasn't aware that he could feel that without making a joke at someone else's expense. "You're fortunate that my father isn't here to catch you slacking off," he must not know about the lessons. "What are you busying yourself with?"

I held up the book so he could see it. Nobu stepped closer, until he stood half an arm's length before me, peering at the title.

"One of my mother's favourites," he said, before looking at me. "She liked old poets like Hitomaro, said reading their poems made her feel like she was speaking with them."

I must have appeared confused, because he elaborated, "Their experiences were the same as hers, their emotions familiar. Like they were reaching across oceans of time to hold her hands and tell her that she wasn't alone in the world."

"Does Nobu-san feel the same?"

Nobu snorted and took a step back. That was answer enough. I allowed myself to inhale deeply. The closeness just then unnerved me. He smelled faintly like the lemony incense we burned to keep the bugs out of the house. "I doubt any poet out there, past or present, could look at my life and write a poem that stirs the same emotions."

"Nobu-san is too humble," I protested, widening my eyes. "The Chairman only told a small part of your story but from those small memories I'm sure any poet who knew your full tale would compose a fine poem. It might even become a song."

The man stood there silently, probably thinking that I was being far too flattering and working too hard get on his good side. I give him my most winning smile, which brought a dark look onto his scarred face. Actually-

I looked at him again. The furrow of his brow and slanted mouth- two signs I previously interpreted as anger, seemed to be a permanent part of his features. If you paid close attention to his eyes, he didn't seem as frightening at he appeared. There was fire in his eyes but it didn't always burn. Right now the fire inside was calm, like the controlled wood fire that we used for cooking in the kitchen.

"I was actually trying to find my Father," Nobu said, looking away. I placed the book of classical poetry atop one stack on Toshikazu's crowded desk. "I hoped to speak with him before I left."

I shouldn't expect him to stay another night, but it still unsettled me that he would leave so soon. I said as much to him.

"I have urgent business to attend to," he replied, sounding sincerely disappointed. "I wouldn't leave otherwise- it took 5 long hours of travel to get here in the first place. Might as well spend a few days in the old house."

"Why not wait for Toshikazu-san to return?"

"I'd rather find him before the sky fully darkens."

"Toshikazu-san is on a walk."

"I should have suspected," Nobu rolled his eyes. "Where to?"

"The pond."

"Which pond?"

"Forgive me, Nobu-san, but I was not aware that there was more than one pond."

The fire burned a little brighter. "But you would know the path to the one he most frequents?"

"Yes."

"Lead the way, Chiyo-chan."

Nobu offered me his arm before we started on the unpaved path to the pond. It was such a foreign gesture to me that I nearly forgot how to react. I gingerly tucked my hand into the crook of his arm, mimicking what I recalled of a few geisha I had seen around Kyoto in my youth.

Since the house was situated in the outskirts, there wasn't anyone to see. Ikeda-san would think it most inappropriate for a servant to be touching their Master's son in a way reserved for well-bred ladies and to accompany them without an escort. I resolved not to tell her after we returned.

For all I blushed and how my skin grew warm when embarrassed, I had naturally cool skin and always caught the chill in the air even towards the end of spring. I felt Nobu's warmth through my palm even through the layers between our bare skin and welcomed it. It was as pleasant as keeping a hot sweet potato to heat my pockets and warm my frozen fingers in winter.

And he was so silent it baffled me, though I had known him for around a full day and didn't have the full measure of him yet. Sensing that I was having trouble keeping up with his longer strides, he slowed down to match my pace. This too baffled me. I was actually starting to enjoy walking- it was warm, quiet aside from the occasional animal noise, and the fresh air was invigorating.

We were walking deeper and deeper into the forest until we reached a fork in the path, which now resembled a thin line of pale dirt. Bringing us to a stop, I tried to remember the right path. Was the right path… the right path?

I squinted to the right and then to the left. Trees everywhere. Dappled sunlight falling across Nobu's scarred face. The path that was supposed to guide us nearly completely gone as it stretched further.

"It must be left," I said to Nobu.

He sniffed the air, like it would help. "I think it's the right."

I pursed my lips. "It feels like we should go left."

"If we're choosing based on feeling, then I say we go right. Left feels unlucky."

"Nobu-san," I pulled myself up to my full height, which- to my utter dismay- barely reached the bottom of his chin and aimed a fierce look at him. "Toshikazu-san likes to go to the pond on the left."

"Who am I to argue with that?" Nobu replied, looking down at me. Was he teasing?

"If you're so confident, maybe we should split up, Nobu-san," I huffed, letting go of Nobu's arm. "We'll meet back here."

Nobu rolled his eyes towards the sky. He looked like he was either thinking of what to say or sending a prayer to the gods. I waited patiently for his response. Finally, he said, "I'll follow you. We'll go both ways together."

"It would be more efficient if we went our separate ways," I tried to argue one last time.

"How will I find you if I get lost?" Nobu murmured, raising his eyebrows.

I frowned at him, not bothering to wear my neutral mask, "That would mean we'll both be lost because if I don't see you here when I find Toshikazu-san, then…"

I trailed off. Nobu smiled like his father, I realised. It was there if you cared to look for it.

"Perhaps your plan is better, Nobu-san," I said grudgingly. Before he could say something contrary, I stormed off to the left, not waiting for him to catch up.

It wasn't a good idea to stomp somewhere in the woods without looking because my foot connected with an exposed root and I lost my balance, arms starting to flail.

A strong grip across my waist pulled me up and against a firm chest, saving me from falling on my face onto some jagged pebbles. Feeling winded, I turned my head back to see Nobu staring at me before he let go as though reacting to brushing his hand against a hot metal pot. He probably thought touching a lowly servant as repulsive as I found his face, though he proceeded to offer his arm to me wordlessly.

"Thank you, Nobu-san," I said gratefully, taking his arm more willingly this time. I was glad he didn't make another remark about my clumsiness. I don't think I would have taken one politely.

"Watch your step," he warned and I took it seriously, keeping an eye on anything that might be a tripping hazard.

"There's the pond," Nobu said. I lifted my head. I had only been to this pond once, to see if it had frozen over during the winter out of curiosity. It was different when it wasn't covered in ice. Sunlit ripples across the clear water where I could make out small black fish. Frogs chirping and birds warbling. Unless you were reading a really good book, it would be easy to get distracted, I thought.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted for Toshikazu-san at the top of my lungs. I heard Nobu let out a chuckle, which he disguised as a cough when I sent an unamused look his way.

"It's a small pond, Chiyo-chan," Nobu tried to explain the reason for his sudden mirth. No sign of Toshikazu anywhere.

It meant that he was right. How terrible.

To his credit, Nobu didn't really gloat as we made our way back to the fork in the path to take the left road, but the lines around his eyes were more prominent, like he was suppressing a smile.

"You know there are more ponds around here," Nobu spoke as we passed another tall tree. "We might not even find my Father in this area."

"I know what I'm doing," I tried to sound less snappy, probably to no effect. "He always comes here."

Perhaps catching my uncertainty, Nobu pressed, "You mustn't have been working for my Father for long. Are you concealing the fact that you have no memory of this place?"

"I walked with him in winter," I retorted. I remember being chilled to the bone, strolling with Toshikazu, who looked unaffected by the cold. It was understandable that I barely recalled the path he took and which pond he preferred, as I was busy not freezing to death, trembling with every gust of wind. "I have a rough idea that this is that area. Have some faith in me, Nobu-san."

Nobu fell silent again and I carefully kept my gaze forward. A feeling of unease had settled across my shoulders. What was a man of his status doing with a girl like me, treating her with such propriety yet being quick to argue with her like they were not complete strangers? Was it because his scars repelled other women and he sought any company that would have him? I didn't want to linger on those thoughts, although I was already starting to be suspicious of his intentions.

But I couldn't very well ask him if he wanted something from me, so I struck up a conversation. "Has Nobu-san ever wandered in these woods?"

Nobu turned his face towards me as though surprised that I would speak. After one day, I was almost used to the burn marks on his skin and barely flinched.

"When I was a child, yes."

"Reading all those books and living with nature at your doorstep. Simple pleasures are best enjoyed when young. It is when one if older when pleasure becomes more complex."

I didn't have to try hard to inject my tone with some wistfulness, because I would have traded everything if my sister and I could have lived this life instead of working endlessly to survive.

"You do not seem to be past that age where you can't enjoy those same pleasures," Nobu said slowly, like he wanted to figure me out. I would wish him good luck in that regard because I was hardly able to do that myself sometimes. "Pleasures you call simple do not fade as you grow. Only the time one has to partake in them becomes shorter and rarer. The resulting feeling becomes more intense as a result."

I shrugged my shoulders slightly. "Then you are wiser than I. To know how to enjoy such pleasures."

"And what pleasures do you think I partake in?"

Though worded flirtatiously, Nobu's sudden flat tone made me think he was annoyed with something.

I looked at him from under my eyelashes in an attempt to soothe him. "Whatever Nobu-san desires."

My companion makes a snorting noise, turning his head away. "You have a mastery of inane statements."

"Inane?" I said indignantly.

"Have you been reading many dramatic novels?"

Was he saying that I sounded like I was acting? I was only trying to make conversation. I glared at him. "No, I haven't, because your Father doesn't have any and I've been rather busy looking for a solution for my sister."

I shouldn't have blurted it out as it was impolite for a servant to be so candid, but this gave him pause. "Is she facing a serious problem?"

"I don't believe it is serious- in the eyes of men," I answered truthfully. "She is unwell after giving birth."

"Have you spoken to a physician?"

"It doesn't seem like a matter of the body, more an inexplicable state of her mind."

"Her mind?"

He seemed genuinely interested as I explained her situation to the best of my ability, including my concern for Ichiro, my nephew.

"Do you think it will pass?"

"I believe it's just starting," I sighed, looking down at the ground and startled. "Oh! We've reached the fork in the path."

"What an achievement," Nobu said. Without thinking, I grinned at him, even though I sensed that he was being sarcastic. He blinked at me, looking a bit apprehensive.

"Nobu-kun, Chiyo-chan," someone called our names. I raised my head to see Toshikazu, walking stick in hand, making his way towards us.

I practically yanked my hand away from Nobu's arm and bowed hastily as he neared, wiping the smile from my face.

"There's no need to send out a search party for me," Toshikazu said drily. "I'm old but not incapable of walking on my own two feet."

"Father," Nobu greeted. "I requested to speak with you after lunch."

"I received the message from Ikeda-san," Toshikazu replied. "Anything you say, important as it may be in your view, can wait after my afternoon walk."

The old man turned his gaze on me. His eyes were piercing and his wrinkles became more pronounced as he squinted at me. "Did he take you away from your chores?"

"It's alright, Father," Nobu stepped in. "I asked your servant to come with me as a guide."

It was his turn to be put under scrutiny. "A guide to paths you walked as a child? Do not try to fool me."

"You let me take us in the wrong direction?" I also turned on him. "When you know better than I?"

Nobu brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "I didn't want to spoil your fun."

How childish he made me seem in front of my Master. I felt another unwanted glare making an appearance. He looked at me impassively. Let him think I was rude for a servant- he was ruder than any man I had ever met.

"Chiyo-chan," Toshikazu said in his usual stern manner that could quash rebellions. "Thank you for accompanying my son. I will speak in private with him now."

I nodded respectfully at the two men and started to walk along the path. After a few steps, I turned my head and took a quick glance at father and son. They were roughly the same height, though Toshikazu stood with his back a bit hunched. Each had a faint look of exasperation on their features. I picked up my pace, in case I overheard the beginning of what was no doubt another argument.

Nobu left without ceremony like his friend. He told Ikeda-san he was able to escort his own way to the train station, which was lucky for me, as I don't think I could stand being in his company again. I couldn't tell when he would warm me and when he would burn me.

I asked Ikeda-san if he had an imbalance of fire in him. It was a very personal question and one she did not dignify with a proper answer except a huffy warning about believing in old superstitions and curt demand for me to get back to work.

A few days later there was a delivery for Toshikazu at the house. It was an express package of ten books straight from a famous Kyoto bookseller. Most of them were the latest history texts, which made me wonder if my Master was a retired historian. Buried under the whole pile was the odd one out. It was the only one not in Japanese so I asked Toshikazu if he could read the title, since he wouldn't order books that he couldn't read. It was in the language of the white men, he told me, published so recently that it hadn't been translated into Japanese yet.

"What is it about?" I asked, turning page after page of alien text. There were some diagrams in the thin book as well.

"There is no Japanese term for it," Toshikazu said thoughtfully, looking at the title. "Perhaps my son made a mistake with the order, since I did not request any medical research."

My heart fluttered. "Whatever do you mean, Toshikazu-san?"

"It is poorly translated as illnesses in the minds of pregnant women," He replied, sounding oddly unsure of himself. I wondered when he had learnt a Western language. "A fairly new subject, according to the abstract."

"Can you translate the rest?"

"I am not fully fluent in English," Toshikazu sneered at the book as if it had offended him. "I shall send it back."

"You can't return a gift from your son," I pleaded, holding the book to my chest.

Toshikazu exhaled deeply and with a look of resignation, told me to send it back to Kyoto for a translation.

"Might as well learn something from it," he muttered. I was somewhat cheered by this, until he followed it up with a matter-of-fact statement that most translations took months to complete and weren't always perfect.

Author's note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! It took so long to upload bc of the line breaking method FFN uses to separate paragraphs (but then once I post it, they don't even seem to show up?). It was so annoying! Anyway we see more of Nobu, who in my head, looks more scarred than the movie version, though he still has both arms (in the book, he has a stump for one arm). Hope you enjoyed this update.