[He... recalls it? The phrasing is so odd. She wants to believe she's just hearing it wrong, that he's being strange, because she's so... She's so gods damned close. He knows the right clan names, so surely-]

A kirin? No, I'm-

[It feels pathetic to want it so badly, but her hand still presses to her chest, flattening over breasts flattened as much as she could with binding, her auxiliary heart pounding uneven beneath.]

I'm a jinba.

[He should know that. She wants someone to know that.]

Where were the Matsui clan lands? Are they far from Echigo? Even lords from beyond the capital sent representatives to the Miyatsuta Stables for Auction Day...