The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

terrifies me. I cannot shake the feeling that something important has slipped our minds, that we are forgetting something we cannot afford to. Whether everything can be transformed with such zeal is a question that will not leave my mind."
    Risai nodded. She didn't think such concerns unreasonable in the least.
    Kaei had originally been the minister-in-chief of Ran Province. Risai had heard that she was reputed to be a wise and thoughtful minister. The few times they'd chanced to meet had left Risai with the impression that she was a compassionate person with a deep respect for civility, prudent in character, and with a fine and attentive nature.
    That Gyousou had selected her as one of the six ministers of the Rikkan was only common sense. And yet the question had also reached Risai's ears: But as the Daishikou? The Ministry of Fall was responsible for consolidating and enforcing the civil and criminal statues, and for maintaining public order. At the same time, the Ministry of Fall handled foreign diplomacy.
    But doubts were also whispered about that her emotional nature was not a good fit with the mission of the Ministry of Fall.
    The Ministry of Fall was a cold, heartless ministry that required the levying of sanctions and punishments, and the issuing of commands and decrees with absolute impartiality. It was said that weeds withered in the face of the freezing frost of Fall and wilted beneath the fierce rays of Summer.
    To be sure, Risai felt nothing of a Daishikou's ironfisted intensity from the woman sitting in front of her, looking as fragile as a lost child.
    "I'd always been in charge of the Ministry of Education. I came here to do my best for the welfare of the people. I have not accustomed myself to judging and sentencing them. I know it's not simply a problem of getting used to a new role. If it was only my job, I could carry it out well enough. But I cannot help believing that I could not have been appointed to the Ministry by anybody aware of how unfit I was for the position."
    And yet-- she murmured to herself. She lowered her eyes. Once again her trembling fingers traced the rim of the glass. "After this, I shall have to judge a great many government officials. And I must do so in short order and without second thoughts. This frightens me. Even in the case of a criminal, can such expeditious action ever be good--?"
    Risai smiled. "Please. Drink your wine. Warm yourself." She looked on attentively as Kaei nodded and raised the cup to her lips.
    "Lady Kaei," Risai continued, "I think it is perfectly natural that you should harbor such apprehensions. To be sure, the Imperial Court is changing at a pace that would make anyone's eyes spin. The pursuit of wrongdoers is an indispensable part of the new Imperial Court, but I can't think of another example where such a fight could be concluded with a single blow. I think His Highness is a remarkable individual with a surprisingly headstrong will."
    Risai flashed a wry smile and Kaei responded with a grin of her own.
    "We soldiers believe in taking advantage when the opportunity presents itself. When the day of decision arrives, we must seize the day. At such moments, we carry the cause forward without hesitation. That is the way soldiers think. During a war, there is often no time for careful deliberation. Linger too long musing over a matter and the chance of a lifetime may slip away. That is why I can comprehend the decisions His Highness is making. I understand that we are standing at a critical moment in time, and we must act."
    With that, Risai smiled. "But asked whether I could be so determined, I do indeed have my doubts. Life is confusing enough by its own nature. Dragging things out makes nothing if not a lot of mud. That is a failing of people like myself."
    "Do you not feel a great sense of anxiety, Lady Risai?"
    Risai hesitated a bit answering, but thought it better to answer before Kaei caught on to any self-doubts. "I can't say there is anything I'm anxious about. I'm almost speechless with wonder at the sheer determination that has brought us to this juncture. But without a doubt, I have faith in His Highness's unflinching decisiveness. This conviction alone convinces me that purging the corrupt element in one fell swoop is the correct course of action. The faster the Imperial Court is put in order, the faster we can do right by the people."
    "Yes, I do understand that," Kaei said with a nod. "However, that sense of conviction--I cannot yet see