Koumei turned his head as Ka Koubun struck him with another glare. He readjusted the feathers on his fan absentmindedly, focusing his attention mostly on how the rumors about Kou that were floating around could be fought.
"Stop ignoring me!" Ka Koubun demanded, face contorted in unhidden rage. Whatever it was he was angry about, Koumei didn't care in the slightest.
"Very well. What do you need?" He asked sharply. Ka Koubun recoiled a little, obviously not having though this far ahead. Koumei waited, silently amused, as he tried to figure out the words he wanted to use.
"L-look here, Lord Strategist, you may be Kougyoku-hime's brother, but I've always been the closest to her! I've always been by her side: her most trusted and reliable ally! So d-don't go trying to steal that place from me!"
"Weren't you going to stop calling her "hime"?" Koumei deadpanned. He shifted a little to get into a more comfortable position for heavy thinking.
To say Ka Koubun was irritated would be an understatement. Koumei almost laughed; he'd always been so very easy to bait. Not that he was trying to bait him, of course.
"I-it's a habit okay!"
This time Koumei did chuckle a little.
"Fair enough." Ka Koubun was about to respond, but Koumei continued.
"Don't worry. However shady and trouble-making you may be, you've always been honest, and I know that you would never do anything to hurt Kougyoku." Ka Koubun's jaw slackened.
"K-Koume-"
"That's not to say I trust you, but you're too much of a full-hearted fool to take advantage of Kougyoku like that."
Ka Koubun grumbled a little at the title Koumei had graciously given him, but swung around and began to stalk away. With his back to Koumei, he gave a little smile.