Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 28.

I made sure that I was in the room when the Diplomats arrived this morning. Yuika barely pays any attention to what they are actually telling her and I do not believe for a fraction of a stick that they tell her what she needs to know in order to run the House. In their defense, I suppose they have had no proper direction since before Itsuki was removed from her position.
Even though it may mean that Yuika decides that allowing me to remain here is more bother than it is worth, I am afraid that I could not stop myself from interfering with their reports. I feigned interest in the taxation system and by asking several pointed questions, I believe I have highlighted the fact that not enough tribute is being paid by the tenants. Whether Yuika has realised what I did or not, I do not know. She said little once the Diplomats had left other than to enquire less than subtly about my relations with Yuuta.
I did not bother to ask how she found out about Yuuta. If Dying Crane is anything like Pale Twilight, she knew before he even knocked on the door of my chamber; everyone knows absolutely everything about everyone else's business. I can hardly be shy about it after what I have done in the past few months. Yuika did not say what she thought and I did not ask; it does not really matter other than that I should not like to be treading on her toes in that sense. I do not think that Yuika is interested in any kind of relationship though, There was a time when rumours about her sex life were rife about the Kingdom but since I have had Nanami in her employ, I have come to see that almost all of them were precisely that.
I am unsure what my next move should be. However, the hour grows late and I tire so I shall sleep on things and perhaps I shall have answers in the morning.

Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 25.

The weather has taken a definite turn for the worse. I do not relish the thought of travelling to Purple Lighting during the winter and so I believe I have resigned myself to remaining at Dying Crane until spring. If Yuika does not change her mind and have me thrown out, that is; even a few sevendays by horse would likely finish me off.

I have been watching Yuika's servants very closely for the past day or two, trying to find someone who could replace Nanami in my network. There is absolutely no one I can see who could possibly be trusted to keep me informed; Yuika will only have two of her servants in her chamber to see to her needs and Atsuko is completely loyal so she is out of the question. The little one, Chiko, I think her name is, does not appear to say 'boo' to a goose, is absolutely terrified of Yuika and has yet to so much glance in my direction when she has served us tea and I cannot see any potential in her. I cannot use anyone who cannot get close to Yuika so my options have been severely limited. I intend to ride out to see Nanami in a day or two and see if I cannot persuade her to return to Yuika's service; I know Yuika is missing Nanami although she would never admit it, of course. 

I have yet to come up with any sort of plan regarding the idiotic group of Diplomats Yuika has employed and I see now why it was easy for Itsuki to run riot and rule Dying Crane as she did while Yuika was under the influence of the opium since absolutely no one else has any idea at all how to do anything about the House. I have not been here long enough to begin interfering openly and my heritage carries no weight here anyway. In fact, it likely gives me less influence since I have never run my own House... Still, none of that changes the fact that something must be done or Dying Crane will be bankrupt and Yuika at the mercy of the other Houses by Spring.

Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 24.

Having written that I tire of keeping secrets, I am afraid that I have been snooping again. I have had a very good look around Dying Crane; I have found the library and it contains some extremely interesting scrolls. I have glanced through one or two and I fully intend to spend some time reading as many of them as I can. Somewhat less encouraging is the fact that I have discovered the true state of Dying Crane; the Diplomats are at each other's throats and cannot agree on anything at all, the farmers do not appear to have been paying their tribute for months, the servants seem to do exactly as they please and there seems to be no accounting at all for the House finances.
I do not quite know what I will do about it but I do not think I can leave things as they are. Perhaps I can find a way to make things right without her knowing... I am certain that she would not thank me for prying into her affairs so I must be clever about it. This requires a considerable amount of thought...

Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 22.

I have finally had a proper conversation with Yuika. I cannot put my finger on it precisely but something changed between us; almost a tangible shift in the air that surrounds both of us. We talked for a long while about my reasons for leaving home and I think that Yuika finally believes that I can be trusted.
She confided in me a little about what Shigeru Fallen Sakura has been up to and her fear of him is still evident. I did not tell her about my network and the fact that I already knew a great deal about it of course; I would likely have found myself out on the road again as quickly as I could have said 'chopsticks'.
Sometimes I do tire of keeping secrets though...