Tokyo, 1890

Three days.

That had been the amount of time since her husband Yasuhiko had failed to return home.

As Momoe busied herself with embroidering what would hopefully be a lovely white tablecloth, she reflected with worry on the event that had led up to his disappearance. He'd gotten into a violent argument with her parents-in-law about his supposed lack of ambition and unwillingness to pursue a political career like his father.

"You pathetic, useless, good-for-nothing swine!" Her father-in-law had eventually screeched, banging his arthritic fist so hard against the dining table that it shook. "You have no right to call yourself a Tanimura!"

"If that's what you think, father, then so be it..." Yasuhiko had responded after a long silence, shocking everyone, including Momoe, who'd been hoping the whole time that he would back down for the sake of maintaining harmony.

Without further hesitation, he'd turned and strode out of the room, then made his way through the foyer towards the mahogany Victorian-style doors. She'd tried too late to give chase - by the time she ran out into the expansive and well-kept front yard, it was as if he'd disappeared into thin air.

The hopeless situation had been enough to make a winter afternoon somehow seem even colder, and as she'd trudged back to the house, breathing heavily and watching puffs of vapor dissipate, only one thought had run through her head. This isn't the first time. He'll drink away his sorrows, and tomorrow, it will be as if nothing ever happened...

Back in the present, a sharp and sudden prick of pain in her finger almost made Momoe drop her embroidery. She pulled her digit out from beneath the white cotton and, sure enough, spotted a single drop of blood upon her fair skin.

Wherever you are, please send me some word soon. I cannot keep living like this, she implored silently, bringing her finger up to suck on the wound while wanting nothing more than for the stifling tension within this house to fade before she went mad.

******

It happened a week later. Saburō, the young groom employed by the Tanimura family, came running frantically through the estate grounds with the bay mare Kuri in tow, along with a disheveled bearded man who Momoe did not recognize until he was but a few meters away.

"Yasuhiko..." she managed to murmur, letting go of the thick futon she'd been trying to hang out before running forth to embrace him. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much..."

Unfortunately, he did not say a word in reply and stared at her with bewilderment when she let go. Her lips quivered as she turned to Saburō in confusion.

"What's wrong with him? Does he not recognize me?"

"Well, when I found him-" Saburō began to explain, only for Yasuhiko's intense eyes to light up. His thin lips curled into an unnerving smile as he stepped forward to take her by the hands.

"Fret not, my darling wife," he crooned, his slimy tone and fetid breath making Momoe's skin crawl. "Your husband Yasuhiko has returned, and with a bath and some grooming, he will be as good as new. So let's put the past behind us, shall we?"

"Y-Yes," Momoe stammered, trying with all of her willpower to stay calm. "That is a splendid idea. We should tell your parents this news. Heaven knows that they regret mistreating you..."

Yasuhiko released her hands, his uncharacteristically wide smile showing no sign of fading. "Oh, yes, my parents. Lead the way, wifey..."

Momoe gave Saburō a glance of uncertainty. Something was far from normal about her husband's current demeanor - he was never one to smile so freely, and he always addressed her by name rather than the term of affection he had just used.

Her mind ached for a credible explanation, and she found one in the fact that he'd been missing for a whole week. Perhaps, he had been so starved of companionship that any social interaction was now enough to fill him with euphoria.

Yes, that makes sense, she thought before dismissing Saburō and heading off with her changed husband.

******

As the initial jubilance in the household faded, Momoe expected Yasuhiko to come into conflict with his parents again, but nothing of the sort happened. On the contrary, where he had once resisted their wishes with unparalleled tenacity, he now obeyed them as if nothing could bring him more joy.

Her nights with him changed too. She'd become accustomed to him taking little more than a few dispassionate thrusts and releasing his seed early, so when he exercised patience and made an effort to please her as well, the feeling that arose within overwhelmed her to such a degree that she just had to cry out.

Afterward, she'd let go of the sheets and placed a hand to her mouth in shame, expecting Yasuhiko to mock the unbecoming sound she had made. Instead, he smiled and reached out to brush aside the stray hairs upon her forehead.

"I'm glad that I've made you scream," he murmured while wrapping his arms all the way around her torso. "It's a husband's duty to make his wife feel good."

The firmness of his embrace prompted Momoe to gasp. She stared up at his broad but handsome face, unsure of whether to break herself free or simply give in to her base desire. "You... you've never said anything like that in the past..."

"I do now," Yasuhiko replied before pressing his lips gently to hers. The bristle of his mustache tickled her skin as she closed her eyes and surrendered to his control, allowing him complete access to her body until the morning.

******

Momoe became heavy with child and eventually gave birth to a plump baby boy in autumn. Yasuhiko bestowed upon their new son the admirable name of Hideo while her mother and father-in-law celebrated their long-awaited status as grandparents.

As someone who had lost her father to war and knew how it felt to go hungry, Momoe made an effort to breastfeed Hideo whenever she could manage. As a result, the child gained weight and grew into a carefree little fellow who would squeal with excitement every time Yasuhiko returned home after a long day at work.

Life was idyllic, and Momoe would have continued to enjoy her good fortune without question if it hadn't been for the strange incident that occurred one morning in late November.

She had placed a wriggling Hideo in the new black stroller before setting out to visit a market located in the nearby town of Naitō-Shinjuku. All had been normal as they'd passed through the well-kept front garden and politely greeted Saburō, the groom, but no sooner had the two of them reached the cypress-lined road outside the estate, the sight of a dark brown swarm made Momoe freeze in alarm.

It was a gaze of raccoon dogs, scurrying their way straight towards her and Hideo. She pushed the stroller forward in haste, only to hear loud chittering behind her.

She spun around with wide eyes as the furry creatures surrounded them both. Her chest tightened in fear, and she checked the inside of the stroller to make sure that Hideo was alright before anxiously waiting for the raccoon dogs to disperse.

However, much to her growing confusion, they all rose to stand on their hind legs, then threw themselves upon their swollen bellies as if bowing down to a shogun or a member of the royal family.

Memories of Yasuhiko's odd behavior resurfaced in Momoe's mind. She swallowed, glancing at the face of each raccoon dog while recalling a tale from her childhood and realizing the possible truth behind Hideo's conception.

No, it can't be true, she denied. It's madness! Madness!