Kou, Reishin
Summary
Reishin serves as the head of the Kou family and leads the Civil/Public Administration Department, a position he has held for approximately fifteen years. He is the younger brother of Shouka, the uncle of Shuurei, and acts as both the employer and adoptive father of Kouyuu. Reishin originally adopted Kouyuu simply because his older brother had taken in a child, wanting to share in that experience by adopting a random child as well. However, Shouka later revealed to Kouyuu that Reishin truly considers him his own son. He maintains a close friendship with Kijin, partly because he is permitted to be around the masked individual and is responsible for crafting Kijin’s various masks. While Kijin views Reishin as crafty, coolheaded, and cold-hearted, Reishin typically presents himself as cheerful, easy-going, and occasionally childish, often playing tricks on other officials. He tends to overreact and get carried away, such as when he flooded Shuurei with every type of medicine available during her illness, regardless of relevance. Despite struggling to find the courage to reveal his true relationship to Shuurei, he is fiercely protective. This was evident when he threw his fan with murderous intent at Ryuuki after the emperor expressed his desire to win Shuurei’s affections. To keep his identity hidden from her, Reishin insists that Shuurei address him as "ojisan," a term for an uncle or middle-aged man, rather than using his name.
