The morning following the third of the three nights they'd spent together, Noriko smoothed her cotton yukata kimono and tightened its belt over the thin under-kimono she wore for sleep. She pulled a boxwood comb out of the pocket formed by her sleeve and regarded her new husband.

Yuta still slept, a small smile marking the perfect relaxation of his round face. He was kind even when he slept, she thought. She pulled the comb through her long hair and smiled in return. She had ...