Sayo

Sayo (沙代) is a young teahouse worker in Osaka and a childhood friend of Kanji Yamashiro.

Sayo and Kanji (whom she calls "Kan-chan") have a long history together, but thier exact relationship is never detailed in the story, though at one point the two were lovers. Sayo happens upon Kanji in Osaka one day and immediately asks him for a large sum of money, saying it’s for the baby. Kanji panics and asks if the baby is his; Sayo quickly tells him that they haven’t done anything "like that" in years. Kanji agrees to give her the money after Sayo tell him that she plans on leaving the tea house and marrying the father; a masterless samurai turned carpenter who has been visiting Sayo’s teahouse for the past six months.

Unfortunately, the father of Sayo’s baby turns out to be Hatogi Toshiro, the man who killed Sei’s father and brother. She is unable to kill Toshiro, claiming that seeing Sayo and thier unborn child made her hesitate - Soji claims instead that it's her inexperience and she should just give up.

Distraught, Sei and Kanji later track Toshiro down, though Sei is captured and Kanji is killed in the process. In the end, Soji and Saito come to her rescue and Toshiro is captured. Though Sei offers him leniency, Toshiro takes his own life instead.

Upon returning to Osaka, Sei gives Sayo a large sum of money, saying that Toshiro had to go "on a trip" and that he won’t be back for some time. Sayo is understandably upset and doesn’t understand why he had to leave.