Characters
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Mana Higuchi (樋口眞奈 / ひぐちまな) – Pharmacist, 35 | |
| Former name: Mana Matsumoto (松本眞奈) | |
| Eiji Higuchi (樋口瑛士 / ひぐちえいじ) – Office worker, 37 | |
| Ren Kanzaki (神崎蓮 / かんざきれん) – Monk, former architect, 43 | |
| Makiko Sekine (関根槙子 / せきねまきこ) – Eiji’s colleague, 39 | |
| Sayo (小夜 / さよ) – Wife of the temple’s head priest, 60 | |
| Masahiro (将大 / まさひろ) – [Future ???] | |
| Ayako Matsumoto (松本綾子 / まつもとあやこ) – Mana’s mother, 59 | |
| Hiroshi Matsumoto (松本浩志 / まつもとこうし) – Mana’s father, 62 | |
| Noriko Fujiwara (藤原紀子 / ふじわらのりこ) – Hiroshi’s subordinate, 57 |
Episode 1
A Wife in Turmoil?
◇ The Husband’s Face I Never Knew
I’ve been working at the same company ever since I joined fresh out of college—decades now. I’m single, and to put it bluntly, I’m the “old maid” type. But I make sure the younger women don’t find me overbearing: I look out for them, keep their trust, and never gossip.
Still, during the company’s triennial retreat—where married employees are allowed to bring their spouses and children—the behavior of Eiji Higuchi’s wife was so abnormal, so far beyond the pale, that even I, the supposedly tight-lipped one, couldn’t help but ask him directly.
“Hey… did you do something to your wife? Or does she love you so much she’s terrified another woman will steal you away? Which is it?”
To me, it seemed more like she despised him.
Of course, I could never say such a thing straight to his face. Instead, I masked it with vague, provocative words that might pass as teasing.
Eiji Higuchi’s brow furrowed.
“Out of nowhere, why are you asking me something like that?”
I leaned closer, lowering my voice.
“Because on that trip, your wife said some incredible things to the younger women in the office. I couldn’t just ignore it.”
He looked genuinely doubtful, almost offended.
“That doesn’t sound like the Makiko I know.”
“Right? I thought so too. But it was so out of character, so shocking, it even stirred me, the calm, composed one, into speaking up.”
He frowned deeper.
“So? You’re dying to tell me, is that it? The shocking words my wife supposedly said?”
It was as if he couldn’t believe she could ever say something outrageous.
But I pressed on.
“Whether you expected it or not, you should hear it. Maybe it will shock you. But if so many people heard it, and the person most concerned—you—knows nothing… well, it bothers me. It eats at me.”
Sekine even clutched at her chest dramatically as if the memory weighed heavily on her.
Eiji Higuchi could only think: My wife—the docile, obedient, even overly affectionate woman I knew—what could she possibly have said?
Was it some crude joke? A slip of the tongue?
No—Sekine’s serious look suggested something more. She wanted him to ask. To plead with her: Tell me. What did my wife say?
He wasn’t eager to know, but in the flow of the conversation, he had little choice.
