Dawn had yet to break. The scattered party regrouped in the courtyard below the slope and went no farther.
The courtyard wall was low. Snow piled at its base, covering the bottom row of bricks.
A row of people sat under the eaves. The film crew leaned against the pillars, eyes closed, still clutching their bundles.
Only two carts remained. One was missing a wheel, one end of its bed thrust into the snow.
Kiyoshi crouched on the steps and laid his notebook open on the ground.
He skipped the earlier pages and turned straight to a blank one, touching his pen to the paper.
The first entry was the voice that had answered from inside that night.
The second was the password. It changed every three days, and the method for changing it was written only in his notebook. No one else had it.
The third entry took him the longest. He remembered the ring in front of the door.
Once all three were written, he added the same three words after each.
...All three matched.
Sakura came over from the far end of the eaves, holding a roll of bandages.
She slapped it down on the step in front of him with a sharp crack.
"Bandage yourself first."
Kiyoshi looked at his hand.
There was a cut across its back. He had no idea when he had gotten it.
He murmured assent, picked up the bandage, and wrapped it twice around the cut.
Halfway through, he paused and waited.
...No one under the eaves spoke.
Sandayu crouched beside a cart wheel, a board tucked under his arm, his head bowed. He said nothing.
Kiyoshi finished the last wrap, tied a knot, and went back to his notebook.
An empty space remained under the eaves where the sample footage