context: also from book 12. Somewhat different, I am told, from how it turns out in the anime.

Yuushun covered his forehead. The amount of things to do was endless. Up till now it had just been the opening skirmishes. Even though things were just beginning from here, he was in this state.

Suddenly, someone grasped his wrist firmly.

Yuushun raised his head and stared. Neglecting his work as always—-

‘Reishin, what are you doing here now?”

For some reason Reishin was insane with rage. Even Yuushun had little recollection of seeing Reishin this wrathful.

“Yuushun, I’ll say this one more time. Step down as Prime Minister.”
“Nope.”
“Step down.”
“I don’t want to.”
“But your face has turned the color of a child orange!!!!!”

Child orange? Yuushun thought a bit, and when he realized that he was talking about green oranges before they ripen, burst out laughing. Then Reishin raised the corner of his eye.

“This is not the time to laugh! Look, after these few months you’re like this. It’s not something I shouldn’t say. That idiot king is totally unqualified to be your lord! Not even noticing a bit that you’re in this condition–”

“As I’ve tried to make sure he didn’t notice, that’s only natural.”

“Even so he should have realized! And now he’s going to Ran province?! Why’d you let him do something so foolish?!”

“Because I think this is now necessary for the king. Also, more than anything else, this is a quiet time.

It was as if the king had, little by little, become trapped wandering in a exitless maze. …Yuushun had had such a realization. Just a little bit was okay. He wanted to leave the court. The case of General Ran had also become a convenient pretext. And so he had allowed it.

“You know how much the king only thinks of himself!! That’s why he can’t see anything. Leaving everything in this half done state, he’s run off pushing everything onto you.”

“Indeed. Just like the old me.”

Reishin still hadn’t let go of his wrist. Yuushun’s ice-cold, fragile, arm was being more and more heated by anger. That idiot king relied endlessly on Yuushun, did he intend to completely wear him out?

“He’s different from you!!”

“No, it’s the same thing. Reishin…. Ten years passed before I returned. Even if I can’t give his majesty that much time, even just a little bit….”

The more Yuushun covered for Ryuuki, the more irritated Reishin became. He had no value great enough to make Yuushun speak for him to this extent. There was no way he could. From the beginning that kid–

“You didn’t go and just toss all the work you should have been doing aside!”

“….You are saying that? Secretary of Civil Administration.”

Yuushun looked straight at Reishin. Reishin snorted amusedly.

“You want me to get to work?”

Reishin was not at all apologetic. Reishin did not really have much of a reason to run away. He just didn’t do it because he didn’t want to. He didn’t feel bad about it. The work of the Civil Admin bureau was not at all, to Reishin, “a duty.” He didn’t care about the king or the country. The priority he placed on them was extremely low. He had only taken the civil service exam for the sake of manufacturing a reason not to be sent back to Kou Province by Shouka. The responsibility for knowingly placing a man like Kou Reishin in the position of Civil Administration Secretary belonged to the previous king and Shou Taishi. Reishin, who was only obsessed only with his brother, would never become a loyal minister, but in turn, he would also not become a corrupt minister. He would not misuse the great authority of his post, or manipulate the personnel issues. Saying that was now what was necessary, Shou Taishi appointed him. But still, even when Reishin did work, he became conceited. When he looked at Yuushun, even more so. But—

“If you step down as Prime Minister, I’ll go right back to work. Those are my conditions.”

Yuushun closed his eyes. They were going endlessly in circles.

Seeing this, Reishin pulled out his last trump.

“And if that brat doesn’t come back”?
“…”
“Even if he comes back, you don’t know in what state he’ll return. The Nine Hued Cove is such a place.”
“That seems to be so.”

The Nine Hued Cove, a sacred precinct where various traditions remained. It was under the direct control of the Hyou and Ran clans, and no one was allowed to enter it. No matter what happened in that place, not a shred of responsibility would be attached to either the Hyou or Ran clans. Even if the king were to meet with a suspicious death, the court could not pursue any investigations. Actually, up till now many kings and princes had proceeded to that place, and died or returned mentally warped.

At this time, if he went to Ran Province, certainly he would go to that place. And to make matters worse, the king was insecure. ….Yuushun clearly understood that why the king was wavering. Even so, he had no intention of saying anything. If Ryuuki didn’t return, then there was no helping that. Yuushun had only one duty.

“Even if he doesn’t return, that is up to his majesty. I….. must sim@ly wait here. Reishin, I shall not accept your conditions. Although I’ve said so endlessly, I will absolutely not step down as Prime Minister.”

Reishin violently struck the desk. The vibrations caused Yuushun’s water cup to bounce, and it fell to the floor and shattered. Reishin did not bat an eye at this. He was so angry everything in front of him was red. Always…. Things were always like this. As he was not his elder brother, there was no way his words would be effective.

“I told you to step down as Prime Minister! Alright, there’s no expecting me to change. I shall never change. Not even a little bit. Not even with a backscratcher. ”
“I know. It’s not as if I said I wanted you to change.”
“W..Why don’t you say that? If you told me to change….”

Yuushun was surprised.

“You would change for me?”
“I would think about it.”
Yuushun was moved. He never believed he would hear such words from Reishin. But…
But even so, it was no good.
“Reishin, I understand what you’re thinking. But, I told you. I never considered asking you to change. I know full well that you hate the king and the royal family as well, but more than anything, you are the head of the Kou house. This is a position far more constrained than Kouyuu-dono’s. When push comes to shove, you’ll take the Kou house’s side, and that can’t be helped. Please don’t be confused about me. I am not confused about you either. Unlike Kouyuu, I have already made up my mind. I will not step down as Prime Minister. ”

Reishin’s eyes flashed. But then in a moment, his eyes became cool.

“Can’t be helped… It can’t be helped? And that is your position?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Then I understand. I understand well.”
Reishin glanced at Yuushun as if seeing another person, then left the room.

Yuushun took his cane, and began to gather the fragments of the shattered cup from the floor. As he gathered a few, one of them got caught on his finger, which became stained with blood. Yuushun smiled bitterly. It seemed that he himself had been moved as well. Yuushun looked at the wrist that Reishin had grabbed. There was still the red mark left by his fingertips. As Reishin felt no interest in politics, the day when they would be unable to agree was bound to come. Reishin himself understood as well. When it came down to it, he would never choose the king. Thus, Yuushun as well, could not change for Reishin’s sake.

Even if he were to break with Reishin.

Some appropriate clapping welcomed Reishin as he exited the Prime Minister’s office.

“What a passionate lover’s quarrel. I thought someone had cheated on someone else.”

“Ryou Anju. You are always coming and going, aren’t you? Right now my mood is as bad as it can be. I’ll make you leave this world. ”

“But really, the one in trouble is Yuushun. Neh, Secretary Kou. I have always thought it very mysterious, but perhaps you know nothing of Yuushun’s origins?”

Reishin, who had been about to leave, stopped.

“Don’t address Yuushun without an honorific.”

“So you don’t know. That’s why you take such an arrogant, shameless attitude.”
Reishin slowly turned to face Anju. What was this?

“Yuushun’s origins have been entirely erased. Why do you know that?”
“Because Kouki and I came to serve at court before you did.”
Before Reishin could open his mouth, Anju began to walk.

“From before I had thought that it was fairly impressive that you would associate with Yuushun without shame, but now the mystery is solved. It’s because you don’t know. I’m now instead impressed by the broadness of Yuushun’s mind, that he would befriend you without saying a thing.”

“What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about?~ Since Yuushun has deliberately hid it from you, isn’t it better not to pry very much? If you knew, possibly you’d become unable to meet Yuushun face to face again. Plus, since you’ve clearly and totally dumped, now more than ever, I think it’s not necessary for you to know.”

Reishin’s eyes grew cool. Continuing to say it would be better not to know carried a deep meaning.

Ryou Anju. A master at wrapping smoke around people and manipulating them. A man who was just simply good at talking would be unimpressive, but it would be impossible for anyone in the world other than this man to maintain a neutral position while working as the deputy of Ou Ki, the leader of the noble faction.

“I am not confused about you either.”

Reishin did not question him further. He simply put his back to the Prime Minister’s office.

“–Just as you say. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“That’s right. You have always acted as if the whole world revolved around you. Just now I heard the sound of you breaking something, and right now Yuushun is probably cleaning it up alone, dragging his leg, but that doesn’t matter~.

Anju lightly waved his hand.

“Then goodbye, Secretary Kou.”

Reishin did not reply, and neither did he turn a second time towards the Prime Minister’s office. His cold expression, from which others nicknamed him the “Secretary of Ice,” was still unchanged. Reishin would not change. He would never in his life serve the royal family which continued to make use of his elder brother. He would be happy to cast it away entirely. If Yuushun would not choose him, then that was no longer necessary to him.

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