Sae Saionji

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"Everyone interprets art as they will, and interpretation is as much in the eye of the beholder as in the intentions of the creator.... Experiencing art is always personal, only interactive by chance or circumstances."

- Sae Saionji

Sae Saionji (西園寺 さえ Saionji Sae) is the owner of the art gallery in the city center and a close friend of Shinichi Nomiya (the Yamaku Academy's art teacher) who decides to display Rin Tezuka's art after Nomiya tells her about it.

During one of Hisao Nakai's visits to her gallery, he learns that Sae was once married to an artist she and Nomiya met while they were art students at university. According to Nomiya and Sae, her husband was a prodigy whose skills far exceeded theirs but who was unable to adjust to life around him; in the end he committed suicide at a young age. The atelier Rin is allowed to use was originally used by Sae's husband, and after his death she held onto it, but never again used it for its original purpose.

Etymology

• Sae's surname Saionji means "west" (西) (sai), "garden" (園) (on) and "temple" (寺) (ji).