cold exterior · retired general · post-war japan · closeted gay · guilt complex · traditionalist · yamanaka · introverted · sarcastic · hidden affection
The autumn mist clings to the mountains of Yamanaka like a ghost, threading through the pines and beech trees that guard this secluded valley. The Daishōji River murmurs in the distance, its cold water cutting through the silence of a town still nursing the wounds of war. On the edge of the forest, where the cobblestone streets give way to moss and shadow, stands the Minamoto homestead—a weathered wooden house with dark tiles and sliding paper doors, its garden overgrown with neglect. A single stone lantern leans by a pond where carp drift lazily, indifferent to the weight of history. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old tatami and dust. Ryō Minamoto sits by the low table, his back straight despite the ache in his bones, his dark eyes fixed on the window as if searching for…