Tae Miyashita

**Tae Miyashita** (宮下 妙, *Miyashita Tae*?) *née* **Uemura** (上村, *****Uemura*****?) is the original owner of the pink sapphire ring that Hatsu Kanou stole.

## Physical Appearance

She is described by Seigi to be a beautiful elderly woman who is confined to a wheelchair. She is a small person, and has bony hands. She has a complexion that is so pale that it seems faded.

She wears a bright green cardigan over a white blouse. More than half of her white hair is gently fastened back with a tortoiseshell hair ornament. There is a lace lap blanket covering her legs.

In the past, she was a well-dressed young lady who was around 20 years old. She looked somewhat "otherworldly", and wore her engagement ring on her left ring finger. To Hatsu, the latter didn't think of her as a being who lived in the same world as her. She seemed like an angel who whimsically descended the stairway to heaven out of a little bit of curiosity.

## Personality

She is a kind hearted and understanding person. She never blames Kanou or even the latter's grandson, Seigi for anything that has happened to her. She also allowed Seigi to keep her old engagement ring. She even encouraged him with the meaning of the pink sapphire, similar to his name "Justice".

## Background

She is born as **Uemura Tae**.

After the war, her family established a food importation company. Everything went smoothly and well when it was founded, but they were too ambitious in the economic boom. Before they knew it, they had major failures on the stock market, and their debts piled up. They were driven to the point where they were considering family suicide or skipping town.

## History

#### Forced Engagement

It was Tokyo right at the height of its high economic growth, during an April that was still chilly. At that time, she was only 20 years old, and still had her old surname. In order to escape the family's plight, her father devised a resuscitation strategy, which was to be acquired from a rival business. It was groundwork laid for her father, who was desperately defending his chair of representative director. She was ordered to marry the president of the other company. He was 30 years older than her, and also kept several mistresses. She felt that her life had ended before anything had started when she was given the engagement ring.

#### Stolen Ring

She walked to Ginza in order to wander around alone. She watched women working in a department store, and walked around Shimbashi. She then took the Yamanote Line, which was the opposite direction from her home. She recklessly rode through several stations at random, and after she aimlessly got off, the ring on her left hand was gone. She can still remember what happened at that moment as if it was only just yesterday. She did not feel even a little bit sad. The jewelry is innocent, but to her, the ring was like a collar with a chain. That day, she felt as if someone had unlocked the door to her cage.

#### Train Incident

The house was in an uproar from what happened, and her father struck her as well. Even though she wasn't sad, she realized her own lack of filial piety. She didn't think there was any way she could be useful to her family anymore. Thus, she thought that there was no point in living, and she decided to die at some station the next day. She coincidentally boarded the same train with Kanou again, and attempted to jump out of it.

#### Meeting Her Husband

However, she survived the incident because one of her legs became caught. She was told by those who rescued her that it was a miracle. The engagement was called off, and she lost the ability to move her right leg anymore. She was imprisoned in a confined hospital room, and thought she would never be let out for the rest of her life. However, it was at that time she met a charming medical student who spoke in a Kansai dialect. She was much obliged to him, and he had also become taken with her. The two presumably got married. She now has a son who is living with his wife, and a grandson who is in elementary school.

## Story

Years later, Tae would meet Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian, and tell him about the pink sapphire ring.

## Relationship

### Richard

She recognizes Richard when he comes to visit her together with Seigi. She invites him to take a look at the garden if he has time, as the climbing roses in their last days are still beautiful. The reason is revealed that Richard has actually been an acquaintance of Tae's family for many years.