Summary

Masuji Ono says he is not as wealthy as the appearance of his house would suggest, but the Sugimura family, the previous owners, solicited a low bid from him—and a few others—in what they called an “auction of prestige”. The most prestigious applicant would get the house at the reduced amount the family named. Masuji Ono says he won the auction, but he sounds surprised at his own success, and the new high esteem in which he is held.

Years later, after the war, one of the sisters comes to visit Masuji Ono at the house, and he shows her the damage from the war, describing in detail the gardens her father had built with exquisite artistry.

Masuji Ono has two daughters, Setsuko, who is married, with a son, Ichiro, and Noriko, who is not married. They come to visit him in...