Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 31.

I decided that it was high time I went to talk to Nanami. I am aware that it is entirely my fault she is here and entirely my fault that she felt she had no choice but to leave Yuika's employ. If I had been able to get to Dying Crane sooner, perhaps Yuika's demands upon Nanami would not have escalated so badly. On the other hand, if I had never decided to interfere at all, Nanami would still be safely ensconced at Pale Twilight. Then again, even Nanami might admit that being up here with her grandmother, answering to no one is a darn sight better than being beaten by my mother for absolutely no offence other than breathing...
I had to lie to Yuika of course, because she is still blissfully ignorant of the fact that I brought Nanami here and I did not feel I  could not tell her that I was going to talk Nanami into coming back without revealing my ulterior motives.
Perhaps I could just tell her the truth but I doubt that she would be at all understanding. When she is not completely vacant, she is still as petulant and unreasonable as ever only without the charm she possessed as a child. Occasionally, I see glimpses of that charm but I wonder if she is too damaged to ever recover completely.
It seemed quite ridiculous to arrive at the village in a palanquin and since I really have no status here, I thought that borrowing a horse would be a reasonable alternative since I really did not want to walk to the village; I have done quite enough walking in the past few months. I left after I had eaten a huge breakfast; Yuika rarely eats breakfast and if she does, it is a few mouthfuls of rice and some fish but I find that if I do not eat a full meal to start the day, I am no use at all. Nonetheless, I was still ravenous by the time I arrived at the village. Nanami always refers to it as a village but in fact, it is quite a bustling town and it took me some while to find her. I was just about to find a tavern in which to sit and eat something for lunch when I caught sight of Nanami going into a merchant's shop.
We had a long talk over some food and a tankard of ale but she will not be moved. She is happy with her grandmother and little Daisuke and they have set up a small business taking in laundry. She is her own mistress now and in no hurry at all to be subject to Yuika's demands again.
I have returned to the House with a somewhat heavy heart. I cannot manage Yuika on my own and yet I have no sway here; there is no one in whom I can confide and no apparent reason for my interest. I must tread carefully. Perhaps I can simply tell Yuika that I have been talking to the Diplomats and that I have heard some things about the financial state of the House which have concerned me... I must give this some serious thought.