Yari (耶利) is Taiki’s Daiboku and formerly one of Rousan’s retainers. She did not serve in the palace during Emperor Kyou’s or Gyousou’s dynasty. While her youth and lack of status makes her seem unassuming, her poise and obvious experience earns the respect of her close colleagues. Upon meeting her, he thinks to himself, “that little girl is no ordinary person.” Boushuku uses the extremely respectful “-dono” to address her and says that picking a fight with her is a mistake.
BACKGROUND
Yari was one of the koushu, but because her master said she had potential, he sent her to see more of the world beyond the Yellow Sea. It is not specified when during Asen’s dynasty she arrives to work under Rousan. She is Taiki’s age and when she first meets Kouryou and Taiki, it is revealed that she was not yet listed in the Registry of Wizards. In the novel, she is described as a slender girl with keen dark eyes who carries herself with confidence. Boushuku estimates her to be around Taiki’s height.
ASEN’S DYNASTY
Yari is the one to bring news of Taiki’s return as well as the announcement of Asen’s ascension to emperor to Ganchou after sending off a blue bird to an unknown recipient. Despite her amicable relationship with Ganchou, she displays indifference toward Asen and Gyousou, pointing out that both had murdered their fair share of civilians and that they both probably though that the end they were working toward was justified. Not long after Taiki meets with Asen and formally returns to Hakkei Palace, her unknown master summons her with orders to serve in Taiki’s retinue. Yari initially refuses this order out of loyalty to her master and reasons that since her master and Taiki were working toward the same goal, it wouldn’t matter which one she serves. However, her master points out that Taiki needed to be surrounded by people he could trust before Chou’un increased the “security” around his living quarters. Yari eventually agrees to serve Taiki, but only to decide whether or not he was truly worthy of her loyalty.
Upon Taiki’s request for a Daiboku who could share Kouryou’s workload, Keitou introduces Yari to them, and Kouryou immediately recognizes that she was perfectly capable despite her age and lack of status. She takes the night watch and remains in the main hall with Shouwa during the day. A few months pass before Taiki decides to pay Asen an unannounced visit, and Yari is one of the people he confides in along with Kouryou, which speaks volumes to the trust he has in her character. She agrees to stay behind and watch over Nightingale Villa, but she also suspect that Kouryou intends to shadow Taiki out of concern for the young kirin’s safety. When her suspicions are confirmed, she promises to trail Taiki in his place as she has more experience sneaking around the Rokushin and doesn’t have as much to lose as he does should she get caught. Yari not only successfully watches over Taiki as he makes his way through Hakkei Palace, but she also discovers the jisen roosting. However, guarding Taiki is her priority, so she isn’t able to hunt the jisen at that moment.
Yari’s interest in Taiki is already piqued by his unexpectedly cold and cagey behavior, but her respect for him increases as well. For example, when Chou’un appoints Shison to be Taiki’s Naisai out of sheer spite, she remarks that it was a pity that the Taiho had to deal with someone as crude as him. When Taiki suggests that he, Kouryou, and Yari into the Rokushin again—this time to confirm his suspicions that the prisoner in the Inner Palace is in fact Seirai—she agrees with the plan readily and provides advice as to how they could sneak in. She also confirms that Juntatsu is safe to confide in and that the jisen were the cause of the mysterious illness spreading throughout the palace. When speaking to Kouryou as they’re preparing to leave, she reveals that she is one the koushu, as well as Rousan. She also admits that while she respects and is intrigued by Taiki as a person and as her master, she doesn’t revere him or Gyousou the way most people did.
When Seirai urges Kouryou to leave Hakkei Palace and make contact with Eishou, Yari agrees that he should be the one to leave since he wouldn’t need to establish his bona fides with the General. Once Kouryou leaves, Yari helps Taiki back to Nightingale Villa and informs Juntatsu that Kouryou had escaped the palace. Asen pays Taiki a visit the next day, but Yari doesn’t try to stop him from making Taiki prostrate to him, though whether this is done to avoid drawing attention to herself or out of interest to see how Taiki will react is unstated. Ganchou arrives at Nightingale Villa several days later, and Yari explains to Taiki that he couldn’t make contact with him earlier because he had officers that were under house arrest. However, once Kouryou escaped Hakkei Palace to get in touch with Eishou, Yari sent a message to Ganchou informing him that Taiki was short a Daiboku.
Yuushou has already left for Kan’you Mountain and has been reported as missing in action by this point. Recognizing that Bun Province’s government is in need of reform, Asen chooses to send Keitou as the Province Lord with the appearance of agreeing with Taiki’s nomination. As he prepared to leave, Yari stresses the importance of hunting down the jisen in the Provincial Castle and keeping the charm she gifts him on his person at all times. Thus, she is grieved when she finds out that Asen treated him like a member of Taiki’s retinue and brainwashed him with a jisen either before or on his way to Bun Province. Once it is revealed that Asen was aware of Taiki’s lie, the guards on duty at Nightingale Villa are changed and Kakei was executed for alleged treason. Taiki immediately sends Juntatsu to the village of Touka with Tora—Enki’s suugu—and because Ganchou and Yarj are part of Taiki’s inner circle, they remain by their liege’s side.
GYOUSOU’S RESCUE
Yari inspects the security measures around Kouki the day before the execution and sees that the guards weren’t making an active effort to properly check the visitors for hidden weapons. Sensing Asen’s growing confidence as well as assuming herself that it would be nigh impossible for what remained of Gyousou’s retainers to make a dent in the security, she returns to Nightingale Manor to Ganchou.
RELATIONSHIPS
Rousan
While serving as Rousan’s retainer, she treats the Minister of Winter with deference and, yet speaks her mind and feels comfortable enough to refuse orders as is shown when Rousan first commands her to join Taiki’s retinue. She wants to continue serving Rousan instead of Taiki because it would mean she would no longer answer to Rousan, but it isn’t until she becomes Taiki’s Daiboku that she realizes that Rousan’s way of accomplishing her goals wasn’t necessarily the best even if she had the right intentions. When Taiki asks Yari if they could trust Rousan, she doesn’t give a reply, nor does she give Kouryou a straight answer when he poses a similar question.
Ganchou
Yari has a friendly relationship with Ganchou—no doubt because of his deep ties to the koushu—and speaks bluntly with him, even to the point of implying that he and Gyousou were no different from Asen when it came to slaughtering civilians. She visits him periodically while he’s in house arrest and is the one to bring news of Taiki’s return to him. Ganchou treats her like an equal and values her opinions when she’s bringing news to him and when they’re working together as Taiki’s Daiboku, even when it seems like there’s no hope.
Taiki
Taiki treats Yari as a close friend. He shares his plans with her and trusts her not only with his safety but also with his deepest thoughts. Like most koushu, Yari doesn’t treat Taiki with reverence but finds him to be an interesting person and contrary to her expectations of what the Black Kirin would be like. She reciprocates his friendship and, when he implies that he wants to die at Gyousou’s side, she decides to honor his final request out of dedication to him without question.
Kouryou
Kouryou recognizes Yari’s extraordinary ability despite her age and lack of status upon first meeting. Likewise, Yari acknowledges that Kouryou is an outstanding soldier. Kouryou was more careful while Yari tended to be more outgoing, but their personalities and approaches to their work balanced each other out.
Keitou
Yari doesn’t explicitly express her thoughts on Keitou and vice versa, but the two treat each other with mutual respect. When Keitou leaves for Bun Province, she makes sure that he takes all precautions regarding the jisen and asks after him when Taiki reveals that Asen knew he was lying the entire time.
Shouwa
Yari is aware that Shouwa isn’t entirely loyal to Taiki, but she maintains her silence as it’s clear that the lady-in-waiting isn’t making a real effort to spy on Taiki. She maintains a cordial relationship with her, but doesn’t grieve deeply when she concludes that Shouwa vanished because she was brainwashed by the jisen.
The Nightingale Villa Soldiers
The soldiers who initially guard Nightingale Villa (Fukushou, Gogetsu, Boushuku, etc.) treat Yari with respect and are friendly with her in the few interactions shown in the book. When Asen orders a turnover in the guards protecting Taiki, Yari remarks that while the new soldiers aren’t cold, they weren’t as likely to strike up friendly conversation or even offer a smile as the soldiers they’d replaced.
