Before they could understand what was going on, Shurei and Eigetsu found themselves being chased by members of the Seikin Gang.
They escaped into Kogaro, the number one brothel of the red-light district. There, Ryuki Shi, the King of Saiunkoku, was reunited with his beloved Shurei.
It was quite a heartwarming scene.
An Unexpected Surprise
Well? Aren't you going to tell me what you’re doing here? Actually I came to see your friend. What...to see Eigetsu? From what I understand, Shuei took him under his protection yesterday and brought him here to rest.
Lord Ran was in my room, but he was called out in the middle of the night, It turns out it was because the boy was being harassed by gangsters. Then, Miss Kocho, you mean the customer who left you early was actually General Ran?! He's got quite the nerve treating someone like me that way, don't you think? Ah… yeah. Excuse me sir...but...did I have anything taken from me back then? That's odd, you're like a completely different person from the boy I met yesterday. Well, see what actually happened. It's that Seikin Gang again. That poor kid What's wrong, boys? The loser in the drinking game pays for all the drinks. And ten gold coins, that was the deal. You got to be kidding! There's no way a little brat like you could drink so much! You must've cheated. You were the ones who insisted on the drinking match. How could I possibly have cheated? Being treated to free booze was certainly nice, But you could have at least picked a better quality wine for me. What... why you little jerk! I'm gonna strip you clean and sell you off! What the… One, two, three...! Wow, not bad. He barely had ten gold coins on him. Wait...that's...! I lost track of you for a little while after that, but when I found you later, you were half asleep. You insisted on going to the number one brothel in Kiyo so I brought you here.
You didn't appear to have anything stolen from you, however. But...! What was it you lost? Well...to tell you the truth... It was my admittance token! It seems those targeted me because of it. They said they'd already collected many, so it's possible that other people maybe...!
The gang is collecting them?! Is this true?! Yes. Those guys we encountered said so. Madam Kocho. Yes, what is it? A member of the Seikin Gang just walked in and surrendered himself. What?! In fact, it's someone we know, it's that kid who always comes here to see Miss Shurei. What? Santa?! Santa, you idiot! What kind of relationship do those two have? They've been friends ever since they were children. He's been hitting on Lady Shurei as long as I can remember. It's been tough keeping him away. I even had to throw him in the river during winter once. After that, I'm surprised he's here still hanging around her. I thought it would be cool. I wanted to have something special about me, that would impress the girl I like and earn her respect.
Not to mention prove to my love rival that I could do just as well as him. What does he mean by that? What are you going on about, Santa? For one thing I don't know the faintest idea who this girl you like is, but I can tell you that your logic is way off. If someone tried to impress me with... Hey, look at me, I've become head of a pack of thugs!...hahaha...Awesome, aren't I! Well, If I heard that, heck, I'd drop him so hard [hit bruise]! Now do you think you've outdone that love rival of yours by joining the gang? I didn't think so. I'm sorry. But what about my token, do you know if it’s at the Seikin Gang's stronghold? I think so, but they're planning to come here and make this place their new base of operations.
When? Tonight. So they'll be coming here, bringing all of those tokens with them? How convenient for us. Just a minute, Lord Ran. As you well know, the Seikin Gang is our quarry. The circumstances have changed someone. If possible, I'd like for us to handle the matter. NO! If we are not the ones who deal with the people, it will undermine our standing in the city. Miss Kocho. Then in that case, how about on the condition that we’ll back off as soon as we find what we're looking for?
I suppose that's fine. We were only going to give them a few more days free reign anyway. Shurei. Yes? Kocho was one of the underground crime bosses of Kiyo. She's the leader responsible for the red-light district. They say She's the heroine controlling the Gang Alliance from behind the scenes.
So this is Kogaro, huh? Boss! Don't you think it's a little too quiet in there? They're probably just scared of us. Enough waiting around, let's go, boys! Yeah! All right, that's far enough! So you dared to show your faces here, did you? We give you a little freedom, and you act like you own the world. We'll show you what you get for messing around in our territory. And we won't go easy on you! Tonight, this place's been surrounded by all the bosses of Kiyo's underworld. Wait, what was that you just said? What the You'll regret that you ever dared step foot in here, now... Let them have it! Yeah! To think that Miss Kocho is one of the underworld bosses all this time. (I'm)glad now that I didn't take her up on her offer. You idiot, you don't seriously think she'd spend time with you, do you?! Hey, keep it down, your three. For Pete’s sake. Um...sir! I've been thinking I should go out there too, the item is very important to me. If I lose it, then coming to Kiyo will be a waste of time. the more important issue is, can you fight? No, I can't, in fact, I'm actually kind of weak. I'm pretty weak too. That means for the most part, the best I can do is search thugs who are already down. Thank you so much! Shurei, you come along too. Ah, okay. You and Eigetsu stay where I can see you, all right? What about me? I don't care about you. That wasn't in part of the plan at all, damn. Well, as long as I have these, I won't have to worry about money. It's not here. I'll use you as a hostage and get myself outta here. - Shurei! - Shurei! So you're the little snitch that sold us out! I'm so sorry, boss! Wait, no, that's not right. - Let go of Shurei! - Hang on Shurei! You damn brats! Why hello there Eigetsu? Is it my turn yet? Yogetsu. Please I beg you, save Shurei. That's not any of my concern, but still...!
The Story of Saiunkoku
Eigetsu! Eigetsu! Would you stand still?! Lord Koyu! Are you all right?! Yes. How dear, you bastard! Y-You! Eigetsu, look out!
I'm not Eigetsu. My name... ...is Yogetsu! Y-Yogetsu?! So he's the guy Shuei saw last night. Is that wine? It's not that he simply gets nasty when he's drunk. He becomes a completely different person! Here they are! This is it! - Help me pick them up, Shurei! - Okay! Admittance tokens...for the Final Exam! How dare you do this to people, Seikin Gang! Hey! Shurei! What! Shurei! Ryuki! Hey, woman! Be more aware of your surroundings next time! I did help you but only because Eigetsu asked me. Don't expect it a second time. And one more thing, Eigetsu's token isn't here. The alcohol is wearing off. Eigetsu! This young man's skills really are something. Quite impressive, I have to admit. Of course, my organization will be taking him in. Are you kidding? I was the first to set my eyes on him. I hate to break it to you gentlemen, but we had an interest in him first. And who might you be? What's your name? Ryuki. My name is Ryuki Shi. You have the same name as the king, huh? I guess that means we'll have to obey you then, right?
But anyway, the bottom line remains the same, we saw him first. Not quite. From the moment Eigetsu accepted this token, we had already set our own eyes on him.
A kid like this is a final examinee? But that means it would...damn, those Seikin bastards! A commendable sentiment, but I hope that next time you'll take action a little sooner. Your delay almost put us in a very undesirable position. To think they'd take examinees' admittance tokens, which they value more than their lives, and use them for blackmail purposes.
We trust that you'll give them the punishment they deserve. The one moment, are you allowing us to repay our debt to you by handling this matter from here on? That seems only proper. We do not bow before you simply because of the seat you occupy, Your Majesty. To me, personally, then? Indeed. We bow before you because you're the one who right the mistake we made. You were able to intervene before matters became irrevocable. And we bow to offer you our sincere apologies for failing to uphold our end of the agreement.
After today's incident, the Gang Alliance owes us a favor. But more importantly, for the time being, it would seem they have acknowledged us as worthy allies to have.
This is certainly an unexpected surprise. Pardon me, but is that my exam token? No it isn't, Shurei, have you found it yet? I'm afraid not. When the other Eigetsu came out he insisted that it wasn't here with the others. But he fell asleep before he could tell me where it really was. Eigetsu? I'll drink some wine! But I thought you couldn't have alcohol. I'll get Yogetsu to come out, and then you can ask him!...Where you played... I'm not ganna let you do that! I have no choice, they won't give me another token, I have to find it no matter what! I know, and I understand how you feel, but...! Um... Excuse me. Please pardon my intrusion. It's Santa's father! Oh, Miss Shurei, it's been a while, it's so good to see you again. As always, I must thank you for being so good to my foolish wayward son. Well then, to my business, is there a Mr. Eigetsu To in the building? I-I'm Eigetsu To. Yes, yes, it was you! Thank you so much for the order you placed at my store last night. It was truly an honor to have such a fine, upstanding young man visit our store. to think we were visited by the youngest person in history to pass the Provincial Exams. I was happy to be of service. My admittance token! Did Yogetsu...Ah, no, did I give you this? Have you already forgotten? I went a little overboard today, it could lead to trouble. Please deliver this along with the wine. Otherwise, the man was likely to end up losing it in the chaos. Send them to the number one brothel in Kiyo. Late tomorrow evening should do. Those were your words, were they not? By the way, here is the bottle of wine you ordered. You certainly have discriminating taste. Even the king himself rarely enjoys wine of such quality if I do say so myself. And of course one bottle alone costs ten gold thirty silver coins. No wonder you had so little money. Now then, since my third son seems to be intent on sleeping like a baby, I'll leave him to it. When he wakes up please be so kind as to tell the boy to walk home by himself. We hope you’ll patronize our humble store again in the future. Eigetsu To. From Seika village in Koku Province. Suikyodo Temple serving as your sponsor. At age twelve, you topped the Koku Provincial Exam, this year you'll be taking the Final Exam at only thirteen.
we're glad your token was returned to you. Do well and pass the exam, then please come and serve me. Then you are...! Yes sir! That goes for you too. I'll be waiting for you. So, today is your last day, isn't it Shurei? Yes, thank you for everything you've done. Like I said before, I have a gift for you. A complete makeup set, with instructions on how to apply it. It's very beautiful Miss Kocho, but I don't wear makeup. We had a promise, didn't we? Got that? As I said a promise. Otherwise, I'll be forced to tell Mr. Hong and Seiran that you've been working in the red-light district.
Now that you mention it, I was wondering do you know Seiran and my father? Yes I do. I first met your father a little while after you began working here. One day he visited me all on his own. Wait, you mean that father knew I was working here?! He was very polite, he bowed his head deeply and said to me, "Please take good care of my daughter." What?!He said that? He said, "My daughter was only recently lost her mother." From here on in, she will encounter many things that I, as a man, will not understand.
That's why I'm asking you to take good care of her. Then. Not long after that, I got a visit from Seiran as well. He said exactly the same things that Mr. Hong had said, and then left. I couldn't help but laugh about it. Seiran was here too? So that's how he knew about Kogaro. All right, it's done. Take a look. Remember this well. Makeup is the war paint of a woman. Whenever you find yourself head into battle, make sure you wear it. That way, you'll be certain that you’ll never cry. If you cry, your makeup will run. And no matter how little you applied, your face will end up looking disgraceful.
That's why, no matter how difficult things get, you'll keep yourself from crying.
You're heading into battle, aren't you? Give it all you've got. Your courage and determination make me very proud to have known you Shurei. Thank you, Miss Kocho. Come on, don't you start crying, and remember... No matter what others say, you must never lose pride in being a woman. Even if you find yourself on the same stage as men, don't try to become one instead be a woman, and do all those other things that men can't. And if anyone gives you a hard time, be sure to tell me. If he dares come to the red-light district, I'll give him a beating he won’t forget before I throw him out!
Coming from you, I know that's not supposed to be a joke. Of course it isn't, I'm being quite serious, I'm not the only one either. The same goes for Mr. Hong and Seiran. You are surrounded by people who care about you and want you to succeed. Go forth, Shurei. One day, you will become a wonderful woman. Here I go, I'm going to fight with everything I've got. Am I making a big mistake? I was so determined to open the exams to women that I didn't really think about what it could mean for me personally. Shurei said she wants to become an Imperial Court Official, and I know she’d fulfill her duty, without question.
Yet I can't help but feel that it's different from what I want. We'd be closer, but somehow I sense that there'd be more distance between us. Your Majesty. In the end, the circumstances don't matter at all, no matter what you might think, it doesn't change how difficult it is to try and attract someone's affections towards you.
So what if Shurei does become a Royal Court Official? What difference does that make? As far as your concern Your Majesty, you still have to take the same action and stay the same course, don't you? You're right. You're absolutely right. A woman’s taking the National Exam? And there's a kid here too. Everyone is gawking at us like we're a couple of rare animals, aren't they? Has another rare animal arrived or something? Wait a minute, don't tell me, that's... ...Ryuren! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Oh, this is Ryuren, General Ran's brother. He's also taking the Final Exam with us. Ryuren, I'd like you to meet Eigetsu To, he's... we're friends, right? Yes. Any friend of Shurei's is a friend of mine. Eigetsu To, from now on, you're my kindred spirit, too. Look around us! Even the weather is giving us an approval to our meeting, the snow is blessing our friendship and our bright future ahead! So let's go, let's march on together, into the Final Exam, and into battle! We definitely have to pass, okay? That's right, definitely. So, let's get going. By the way, I mean to tell you, you look really pretty with your makeup on! Noway, I know I'm lousy at applying it, so there's really no need to flatter me, Eigetsu. The results of this year's National Civel Service Examinations shocked everyone. Standing above all other examinees and impressively taking first place position, Eigetsu To, age thirteen, was awarded the title of Jogen.
He thus became the youngest person in history to pass the National Exams. Second place, and the title of Bogen was awarded to Ryuren Ran, eighteen years old, and an incredibly gifted eccentric.
And third place, along with the title of Tanka was awarded to Shurei Hong, age seventeen.
Thus the winter of the third year of the Jochi Era saw the birth of Saiunkoku's first female Imperial Court Official.
Next Episode The dream I never thought would come true...has been realized. I've taken my first step in becoming a Court Official. I wonder what my first assignment will be? What? Cleaning the toilets?
They escaped into Kogaro, the number one brothel of the red-light district.
There, Ryuki Shi, the King of Saiunkoku, was reunited with his beloved Shurei.
It was quite a heartwarming scene.
An Unexpected Surprise
Well?
Aren't you going to tell me what you’re doing here?
Actually I came to see your friend.
What...to see Eigetsu?
From what I understand, Shuei took him under his protection yesterday and brought him here to rest.
Lord Ran was in my room, but he was called out in the middle of the night,
It turns out it was because the boy was being harassed by gangsters.
Then, Miss Kocho, you mean the customer who left you early was actually General Ran?!
He's got quite the nerve treating someone like me that way, don't you think?
Ah… yeah.
Excuse me sir...but...did I have anything taken from me back then?
That's odd, you're like a completely different person from the boy I met yesterday.
Well, see what actually happened.
It's that Seikin Gang again.
That poor kid
What's wrong, boys?
The loser in the drinking game pays for all the drinks.
And ten gold coins, that was the deal.
You got to be kidding!
There's no way a little brat like you could drink so much!
You must've cheated.
You were the ones who insisted on the drinking match.
How could I possibly have cheated?
Being treated to free booze was certainly nice,
But you could have at least picked a better quality wine for me.
What... why you little jerk!
I'm gonna strip you clean and sell you off!
What the…
One, two, three...!
Wow, not bad.
He barely had ten gold coins on him.
Wait...that's...!
I lost track of you for a little while after that, but when I found you later, you were half asleep.
You insisted on going to the number one brothel in Kiyo so I brought you here.
You didn't appear to have anything stolen from you, however.
But...!
What was it you lost?
Well...to tell you the truth...
It was my admittance token!
It seems those targeted me because of it.
They said they'd already collected many, so it's possible that other people maybe...!
The gang is collecting them?!
Is this true?!
Yes.
Those guys we encountered said so.
Madam Kocho.
Yes, what is it?
A member of the Seikin Gang just walked in and surrendered himself.
What?!
In fact, it's someone we know, it's that kid who always comes here to see Miss Shurei.
What? Santa?!
Santa, you idiot!
What kind of relationship do those two have?
They've been friends ever since they were children.
He's been hitting on Lady Shurei as long as I can remember.
It's been tough keeping him away.
I even had to throw him in the river during winter once.
After that, I'm surprised he's here still hanging around her.
I thought it would be cool.
I wanted to have something special about me, that would impress the girl I like and earn her respect.
Not to mention prove to my love rival that I could do just as well as him.
What does he mean by that?
What are you going on about, Santa?
For one thing I don't know the faintest idea who this girl you like is,
but I can tell you that your logic is way off.
If someone tried to impress me with...
Hey, look at me, I've become head of a pack of thugs!...hahaha...Awesome, aren't I!
Well, If I heard that, heck, I'd drop him so hard [hit bruise]!
Now do you think you've outdone that love rival of yours by joining the gang?
I didn't think so.
I'm sorry.
But what about my token, do you know if it’s at the Seikin Gang's stronghold?
I think so, but they're planning to come here and make this place their new base of operations.
When?
Tonight.
So they'll be coming here, bringing all of those tokens with them?
How convenient for us.
Just a minute, Lord Ran.
As you well know, the Seikin Gang is our quarry.
The circumstances have changed someone.
If possible, I'd like for us to handle the matter.
NO!
If we are not the ones who deal with the people, it will undermine our standing in the city.
Miss Kocho.
Then in that case, how about on the condition that we’ll back off as soon as we find what we're looking for?
I suppose that's fine.
We were only going to give them a few more days free reign anyway.
Shurei.
Yes?
Kocho was one of the underground crime bosses of Kiyo.
She's the leader responsible for the red-light district.
They say She's the heroine controlling the Gang Alliance from behind the scenes.
So this is Kogaro, huh?
Boss!
Don't you think it's a little too quiet in there?
They're probably just scared of us.
Enough waiting around, let's go, boys!
Yeah!
All right, that's far enough!
So you dared to show your faces here, did you?
We give you a little freedom, and you act like you own the world.
We'll show you what you get for messing around in our territory.
And we won't go easy on you!
Tonight, this place's been surrounded by all the bosses of Kiyo's underworld.
Wait, what was that you just said? What the
You'll regret that you ever dared step foot in here, now...
Let them have it!
Yeah!
To think that Miss Kocho is one of the underworld bosses all this time.
(I'm)glad now that I didn't take her up on her offer.
You idiot, you don't seriously think she'd spend time with you, do you?!
Hey, keep it down, your three.
For Pete’s sake.
Um...sir!
I've been thinking I should go out there too, the item is very important to me.
If I lose it, then coming to Kiyo will be a waste of time.
the more important issue is, can you fight?
No, I can't, in fact, I'm actually kind of weak.
I'm pretty weak too.
That means for the most part, the best I can do is search thugs who are already down.
Thank you so much!
Shurei, you come along too.
Ah, okay.
You and Eigetsu stay where I can see you, all right?
What about me?
I don't care about you.
That wasn't in part of the plan at all, damn.
Well, as long as I have these, I won't have to worry about money.
It's not here.
I'll use you as a hostage and get myself outta here.
- Shurei!
- Shurei!
So you're the little snitch that sold us out!
I'm so sorry, boss! Wait, no, that's not right.
- Let go of Shurei!
- Hang on Shurei!
You damn brats!
Why hello there Eigetsu? Is it my turn yet?
Yogetsu.
Please I beg you, save Shurei.
That's not any of my concern, but still...!
The Story of Saiunkoku
Eigetsu! Eigetsu!
Would you stand still?!
Lord Koyu!
Are you all right?!
Yes.
How dear, you bastard!
Y-You!
Eigetsu, look out!
I'm not Eigetsu.
My name...
...is Yogetsu!
Y-Yogetsu?!
So he's the guy Shuei saw last night.
Is that wine?
It's not that he simply gets nasty when he's drunk.
He becomes a completely different person!
Here they are!
This is it!
- Help me pick them up, Shurei!
- Okay!
Admittance tokens...for the Final Exam!
How dare you do this to people, Seikin Gang!
Hey!
Shurei!
What! Shurei!
Ryuki!
Hey, woman!
Be more aware of your surroundings next time!
I did help you but only because Eigetsu asked me.
Don't expect it a second time.
And one more thing, Eigetsu's token isn't here.
The alcohol is wearing off.
Eigetsu!
This young man's skills really are something.
Quite impressive, I have to admit.
Of course, my organization will be taking him in.
Are you kidding? I was the first to set my eyes on him.
I hate to break it to you gentlemen, but we had an interest in him first.
And who might you be? What's your name?
Ryuki.
My name is Ryuki Shi.
You have the same name as the king, huh? I guess that means we'll have to obey you then, right?
But anyway, the bottom line remains the same, we saw him first.
Not quite.
From the moment Eigetsu accepted this token, we had already set our own eyes on him.
A kid like this is a final examinee?
But that means it would...damn, those Seikin bastards!
A commendable sentiment, but I hope that next time you'll take action a little sooner.
Your delay almost put us in a very undesirable position.
To think they'd take examinees' admittance tokens, which they value more than their lives, and use them for blackmail purposes.
We trust that you'll give them the punishment they deserve.
The one moment, are you allowing us to repay our debt to you by handling this matter from here on?
That seems only proper.
We do not bow before you simply because of the seat you occupy, Your Majesty.
To me, personally, then?
Indeed.
We bow before you because you're the one who right the mistake we made.
You were able to intervene before matters became irrevocable.
And we bow to offer you our sincere apologies for failing to uphold our end of the agreement.
After today's incident, the Gang Alliance owes us a favor.
But more importantly, for the time being, it would seem they have acknowledged us as worthy allies to have.
This is certainly an unexpected surprise.
Pardon me, but is that my exam token?
No it isn't, Shurei, have you found it yet?
I'm afraid not.
When the other Eigetsu came out he insisted that it wasn't here with the others.
But he fell asleep before he could tell me where it really was.
Eigetsu?
I'll drink some wine!
But I thought you couldn't have alcohol.
I'll get Yogetsu to come out, and then you can ask him!...Where you played...
I'm not ganna let you do that!
I have no choice, they won't give me another token, I have to find it no matter what!
I know, and I understand how you feel, but...!
Um... Excuse me.
Please pardon my intrusion.
It's Santa's father!
Oh, Miss Shurei, it's been a while, it's so good to see you again.
As always, I must thank you for being so good to my foolish wayward son.
Well then, to my business, is there a Mr. Eigetsu To in the building?
I-I'm Eigetsu To.
Yes, yes, it was you!
Thank you so much for the order you placed at my store last night.
It was truly an honor to have such a fine, upstanding young man visit our store.
to think we were visited by the youngest person in history to pass the Provincial Exams.
I was happy to be of service.
My admittance token! Did Yogetsu...Ah, no, did I give you this?
Have you already forgotten?
I went a little overboard today, it could lead to trouble.
Please deliver this along with the wine.
Otherwise, the man was likely to end up losing it in the chaos.
Send them to the number one brothel in Kiyo.
Late tomorrow evening should do.
Those were your words, were they not?
By the way, here is the bottle of wine you ordered.
You certainly have discriminating taste.
Even the king himself rarely enjoys wine of such quality if I do say so myself.
And of course one bottle alone costs ten gold thirty silver coins.
No wonder you had so little money.
Now then, since my third son seems to be intent on sleeping like a baby, I'll leave him to it.
When he wakes up please be so kind as to tell the boy to walk home by himself.
We hope you’ll patronize our humble store again in the future.
Eigetsu To.
From Seika village in Koku Province.
Suikyodo Temple serving as your sponsor.
At age twelve, you topped the Koku Provincial Exam, this year you'll be taking the Final Exam at only thirteen.
we're glad your token was returned to you.
Do well and pass the exam, then please come and serve me.
Then you are...!
Yes sir!
That goes for you too.
I'll be waiting for you.
So, today is your last day, isn't it Shurei?
Yes, thank you for everything you've done.
Like I said before, I have a gift for you.
A complete makeup set, with instructions on how to apply it.
It's very beautiful Miss Kocho, but I don't wear makeup.
We had a promise, didn't we?
Got that? As I said a promise.
Otherwise, I'll be forced to tell Mr. Hong and Seiran that you've been working in the red-light district.
Now that you mention it, I was wondering do you know Seiran and my father?
Yes I do.
I first met your father a little while after you began working here.
One day he visited me all on his own.
Wait, you mean that father knew I was working here?!
He was very polite, he bowed his head deeply and said to me, "Please take good care of my daughter."
What?!He said that?
He said, "My daughter was only recently lost her mother."
From here on in, she will encounter many things that I, as a man, will not understand.
That's why I'm asking you to take good care of her.
Then.
Not long after that, I got a visit from Seiran as well.
He said exactly the same things that Mr. Hong had said, and then left.
I couldn't help but laugh about it.
Seiran was here too?
So that's how he knew about Kogaro.
All right, it's done.
Take a look.
Remember this well.
Makeup is the war paint of a woman.
Whenever you find yourself head into battle, make sure you wear it.
That way, you'll be certain that you’ll never cry.
If you cry, your makeup will run.
And no matter how little you applied, your face will end up looking disgraceful.
That's why, no matter how difficult things get, you'll keep yourself from crying.
You're heading into battle, aren't you?
Give it all you've got.
Your courage and determination make me very proud to have known you Shurei.
Thank you, Miss Kocho.
Come on, don't you start crying, and remember...
No matter what others say, you must never lose pride in being a woman.
Even if you find yourself on the same stage as men,
don't try to become one instead be a woman,
and do all those other things that men can't.
And if anyone gives you a hard time, be sure to tell me.
If he dares come to the red-light district, I'll give him a beating he won’t forget before I throw him out!
Coming from you, I know that's not supposed to be a joke.
Of course it isn't, I'm being quite serious, I'm not the only one either.
The same goes for Mr. Hong and Seiran.
You are surrounded by people who care about you and want you to succeed.
Go forth, Shurei.
One day, you will become a wonderful woman.
Here I go, I'm going to fight with everything I've got.
Am I making a big mistake? I was so determined to open the exams to women that I didn't really think about what it could mean for me personally.
Shurei said she wants to become an Imperial Court Official, and I know she’d fulfill her duty, without question.
Yet I can't help but feel that it's different from what I want.
We'd be closer, but somehow I sense that there'd be more distance between us.
Your Majesty.
In the end, the circumstances don't matter at all, no matter what you might think,
it doesn't change how difficult it is to try and attract someone's affections towards you.
So what if Shurei does become a Royal Court Official?
What difference does that make?
As far as your concern Your Majesty, you still have to take the same action and stay the same course, don't you?
You're right.
You're absolutely right.
A woman’s taking the National Exam?
And there's a kid here too.
Everyone is gawking at us like we're a couple of rare animals, aren't they?
Has another rare animal arrived or something?
Wait a minute, don't tell me, that's...
...Ryuren!
It's been a long time, hasn't it?
Oh, this is Ryuren, General Ran's brother.
He's also taking the Final Exam with us.
Ryuren, I'd like you to meet Eigetsu To, he's... we're friends, right?
Yes.
Any friend of Shurei's is a friend of mine.
Eigetsu To, from now on, you're my kindred spirit, too.
Look around us! Even the weather is giving us an approval to our meeting, the snow is blessing our friendship and our bright future ahead!
So let's go, let's march on together, into the Final Exam, and into battle!
We definitely have to pass, okay?
That's right, definitely.
So, let's get going.
By the way, I mean to tell you, you look really pretty with your makeup on!
Noway, I know I'm lousy at applying it, so there's really no need to flatter me, Eigetsu.
The results of this year's National Civel Service Examinations shocked everyone.
Standing above all other examinees and impressively taking first place position, Eigetsu To, age thirteen, was awarded the title of Jogen.
He thus became the youngest person in history to pass the National Exams.
Second place, and the title of Bogen was awarded to Ryuren Ran, eighteen years old, and an incredibly gifted eccentric.
And third place, along with the title of Tanka was awarded to Shurei Hong, age seventeen.
Thus the winter of the third year of the Jochi Era saw the birth of Saiunkoku's first female Imperial Court Official.
Next Episode
The dream I never thought would come true...has been realized.
I've taken my first step in becoming a Court Official.
I wonder what my first assignment will be?
What? Cleaning the toilets?