 She often travels away from their home to perform Reishin's duties as head of the Hong clan; consequently, she does not appear in the story until the 13th novel, when the news of Kōyū's imprisonment makes her return to Kiyo and meet Shūrei and Ensei.During this time, she reveals her identity to Shūrei as her aunt when visiting Kōyū in jail.She plays biwa to Kōyū, dissolving the trance cast by the Hyō clan.