Arashikage Kanae is the Masayuman widow who teaches Cassie lessons in the Masayuman language daily. She is 48 years old and has been a widow since Cassie has known her. She is strict but fair in her method of teaching, and is dedicated to teaching Cassie and others the language and customs of her homeland.

It is through Kanae that Cassie met Koga Akira. Kanae was teaching him calligraphy lessons daily in the timeslot before Cassie's when Cassie first started her language lessons with Kanae. The shrewd widow knew what was going on between the two almost as soon as it began, and while she made it known to Cassie that disapproved of this liason, she still kept what she knew a secret. It wasn't that she disliked either of the two youngsters, but she knew there would be disappointment ahead for them, given Akira's status within his family and clan, and Cassie's lack of a tie to her blood relatives.

In this respect, when Cassie told Kanae her father's name during a conversation one day, it seemed that Kanae recognized the name, but she didn't say much about it other than “how interesting” and “do not mention his real name to anyone else from Masayume”. She prodded Kanae for more info, but Kanae refused to elaborate. So, Cassie took this to mean either he was in some kind of trouble or some people were looking for him, neither of which was probably good for her.