In the Civil Administration Minister’s room, there was the sound of a fan waving. Reishin was the only one in the room. There, it was so quiet that even the sound of his fan was audible. By the order of You Shuu, ministry officials no longer made any attempt to draw Reishin out. Every day, Reishin simply stayed in that empty room, where no one came, nor any work was done. However, this day was slightly different.

“Out of the way! Do I need some trivial permit or something?”

Realizing that the angry voice from outside was that of his friend, Reishin turned his face towards the door.

“Hey, Reishin!!”

As expected, the one who shook off the guards and burst into the minister’s office, stomping heavily, was Kou Kijin.

Kijin briskly went up to Reishin, and seized him by the collar across his desk.

“What the hell are you doing, you bastard??!”

Reishin lifted his eyebrows irritably.

“Let go of me.”
“You aren’t doing anything about Vice Minister Li—you aren’t doing any work, and you’re leaving all the decisions to You Shuu. At this rate, not only Vice Minister Li and your positions, but even Yuushun’s position as Prime Minister will get worse! There’s no way you don’t know this!!!”

Reishin, still with his brows raised, wordlessly grabbed Kijin’s arm and forcibly removed his grip from his collar.

“And so what?”

Behind his mask, Kijin was at a loss for words.

And so what?

“You…You know what will happen—”
Even though he knew, he didn’t do anything? He didn’t try to help Vice Minister Li, and he was ignoring all of his work. And far from helping Yuushun, he was pushing him into an even tighter spot.

“You…You know how much Yuushun has helped us!”

Houju, as well as Reishin, had always been the odd ones out. At the time of the exam, when they came to Kiyou and met Yuushun, they found for the first time someone they could call a friend. No matter what woeful or foolish things they did, Yuushun accepted them with a smile, although sometimes he really did get angry.

If they hadn’t met Yuushun, Houju and Reishin would not have become friends either.

So even though he could help Yuushun, who he liked so much, with just one action…

“I misjudged you, Reishin!! Why have you stayed as minister up till now?”

“Houju, you musn’t!”

Vice Minister Kei, who had come after him, desperately clung to Kijin, who was going to strike Reishin, and stopped him.

“Please stop! The Censorate will have its eye on you!”

“Guh—”

Hearing the shout of his deputy, Kijin stopped his fist just before it could connect. He fixed a glare upon Reishin’s frozen-hard eyes. Kijin realized it was all useless. When Reishin’s eyes were like this, no one could move him. Suddenly, an amused sigh fell upon the room.

“…Oh dear, I thought there was a commotion…is this the Finance Minister? Has our minister again caused you some trouble? I must apologize, even though he isn’t doing anything, simply by being here he is being a nuisance.”

“You Shuu-dono…”

The ever calm Vice Minister Kei raised a brow at You Shuu, who had just entered.

“What is with that way of speaking? He is your superior. Please speak of him respectfully!”
“Yes, that person is still my superior. That is something I would like dealt with soon.”
“You Shuu-dono!”
“Vice Minister Kei, unhappily, I am the sort of person who, if I do not respect someone, even if they are my superior, has no desire to show them a bit of reverence, as you already know well.”
Vice Minister Kei knew that You Shuu had formerly been a candidate for Civil Admin Vice Minister.
He was a youth possessing a lively intelligence, who gave off such an aura that anyone would turn and look at him, if they simply passed by him.

Although he had undeniably always had had a disrespectful way of speaking, he hadn’t said something this disdainful before.

As if You Shuu had heard what he was thinking, he sighed once again.

“Vice Minister Kei. I have quit expecting anything of that person. That is all there is to it.”

He had even stopped being angry at him.
Kijin who stopped Vice Minister Kei from replying.

“It’s as he says. Let’s go, Yuuri.”

“Houju….”

Kijin took Vice Minister Kei by the arm and dragged him out of the room. They walked into the corridor, and when they came to a place where there was no one around, Kijin stopped and took off his mask.

Tears were trailing down his white cheeks. Wordlessly, Kijin was bitterly weeping.

“Yuuri….We had promised. Long ago, that always…Reishin as well—”

Ten years ago, Yuushun had volunteered to go to Sa Province, and was about to leave.

In those days, to take up office in Sa Province meant death.

But, Yuushun would not die. They would wait for Yuushun to return. He would definitely come back.
So, for Yuushun’s return, they would rise in the ranks. Kan Hishou, and Ran Province Governor Kyou Bunchuu also promised this. So that in various places, when Yuushun returned, he would have someplace to go.

And then someday, once again, beneath the flowers, not missing a single person, they would play go and drink together.

They had waited for that someday to come.

“Reishin, you only took the national exam for the sake of your brother, but even though you have no desire to be promoted, at least until Yuushun returns, do your work properly. Okay? You should be able to do that much.

At that time, certainly Reishin had agreed.

Although it was bothersome, he would do it if it was for Yuushun.

“Okay, but not because you told me to. It’s because it’s for Yuushun.”

So, that suitable man, when sounded out by Prime Minister Shou, accepted the post of Civil Administration Minister.
For that reason, he, who had no interest in affairs of state, had continued to serve for such a long time as Minister.

Although he had cut corners, had worked diligently enough so that the Censorate did not watch over him. Yuushun had finally returned, and then everything had begun from this time.

Kijin did not understand at all what Reishin was thinking.

“Why?…..”

“….Houju…”

Vice Minister Kei recalled the time when he had heard that Kouyuu was becoming the Vice Minister. You Shuu had unexpectedly gone to visit him, and deeply bowed his head.

“Please, from here on, look after Kouyuu as a fellow Vice Minister. Sometimes, if you can, please check on him. I can no longer watch over everything by his side. Minister Kou is really an idiot and there’s really nothing that can be done about him, so please don’t count on him. ….He is conspicuously young, but Li Kouyuu is the official who I have the greatest hopes for. I know that there are many areas in which he is still insufficient as the leading Vice Minister, but even so, I believe that he can sufficiently perform this great task.

Within this was not a smidgen of personal interest.

Formerly he had had love for and pride in his favorite disciple. And behind his sarcasm towards Minister Kou, there had certainly been respect.

…Unmistakably, for this past half year, Minister Kou had behaved strangely.
Faced with this hardened attitude, Vice Minister Li had given in inch by inch. It seemed that he had gradually lost the will to force him to do work. ….It was not that Vice Minister Kei did not understand why You Shuu had given up on both of his superiors as lost causes.

Vice Minister Kei knew of You Shuu’s great pride in being an official. He was one of the few true nobles still left. He believed that those who had power must use it for the sake of the powerless, and the lowly masses. So, for him, Kou Reishin, who one had to say was at the top of the list of the powerful, but while possessing all that ability and authority, did not try to use them for anyone’s sake, merely playing at tricks, and in the end abandon his work—and the fact that Vice Minister Li had not been able to do anything, for You Shuu, this was probably enough of a reason to dispose of both of them.

Vice Minister knew what You Shuu privately thought of the fact that the Kou and Ran clans did not share their ample power and human resources with the entire country, but instead only used them as a weapon within their own lands and in national politics.

He could not say that You Shuu’s judgment or actions were mistaken.

No matter how you looked at it, the one who was mistaken in his conduct as one of the highest officials who had been given great power, was not You Shuu.
Houju should have already known. However, he was probably unable to acknowledge it. This was not what Houju had hoped for. He believed that Yuushun would return, and the three of them would together continue casually their everyday lives. He had been always been waiting for that day.

However, this was no longer possible.

Within this machinery which had gone haywire, it was now too late to obtain everything.

Something dropped from Houju’s sleeve. It seemed to be a paper which was all crumpled up. It appeared that Houju had been holding it. Vice Minister Kei picked it up. Houju said nothing. Vice Minister Kei, reading his mind, carefully smoothed the paper out and began to read it.

His breath caught in his throat. He now understood why Houju had visited Reishin today, and why he had advanced upon him in a fury. The seal of the Kou [meaning the yellow] clan, the Mandarin Duck and Flowers, had been impressed upon it, meaning that this was an order from the clan demanding absolute obedience. If one went against it, one could even face being thrown out of the clan. Houju had crumpled up and thrown away the document ordering him to resign as Finance Minister, and immediately return to Kou province to observe the situation.

…Houju had already chosen.

To cast aside his house, remain at court, and to become, until the last, one of Yuushun’s few allies.
And to part with Reishin, who had not chosen Yuushun.

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