Sakyuu You

**Sakyuu You** (左丘曜, *****Sakyuu You*****?) is a musician affiliated with the Bustard Residence. He was a colleague of Kippuku Shihitsu.

## Biography

### Early life

You joined the Bustard Residence since he was eighteen years old. Another young man named Kippuku Shihitsu also joined the Residence at around the same time. They both played the lute, but Shihitsu was already celebrated as an accomplished lute player. Shihitsu, despite being skilled, was an anti-social man who spent all his time honing his craft and didn't make friends with those around him. You was jealous of his skill, but also feared him because it seemed as though playing the lute was his sole reason for hie existence.

Shihitsu stopped receiving invitations to play at banquets due to his personality, so he devoted more and more time to practicing in his room. His peers filed complaints, but he didn't stop. One day, You finally confronted him and wrestled the lute out of his hands. They restrained Shihitsu and locked him in his room. Shihitsu banged on the door and shouted for his lute, but was quiet by nightfall. The next day, they found he had hung himself.

After the funeral, You realized that he forgot to put Shihitsu's lute in the casket. That night, everyone in the Residence heard the sound of Shihitsu's lute playing again. Terrified, they decided to burn Shihitsu's lute immediately, and the playing stopped. You was afraid that Shihitsu might come back again, as he was the one who took Shihitsu's lute away. He asked a maid to dispose of Shihitsu's few remaining belongings, not knowing that his cloth mask was still around.

### Volume 2

#### The Man in the Mask

Afterwards, You continued working as a musician, performing at banquets and rituals. In recent years, he chose to focus on training young musicians instead. He learned that the mask still existed, and that it might be haunted by Shihitsu's spirit, after a young man who returned from playing the lute for the emperor, Ka Koushun, told him what happened. A few days later, a messenger came to the Residence to ask one of the musicians to play a five-string lute. You told him his suspicions and volunteered to be the musician. He played the lute, which confirms that the ghost is in fact Shihitsu. He tells Koushun and Jusetsu about Shihitsu. Jusetsu assuages his feelings of guilt by telling him that he prevented Shihitsu from turning into a demon by snatching his lute away from him.

In order to send Shihitsu's soul to paradise, Jusetsu has You play the lute to attract the spirit out of the cloth mask and into a different lute, which will be burned using her magic. Despite his fear, You agrees and Shihitsu's spirit is finally put to rest. Afterwards, You bows to Jusetsu, thanking her for her help.

## Appearance

You is an aging man dressed in an ashy green robe. Most of his hair is gray and tied up into a topknot. He has a narrow face. Both his face and hands are dry and deeply wrinkled. He has long and beautifully-shaped fingers from being a veteran lute player.

## Personality

You is a man with a deep sense of responsibility and a strong conscience. Even though he didn't like Shihitsu, he still worried about him and made the effort to take away his lute when he saw that he was killing himself by playing it.

## Relationships

### Kippuku Shihitsu

You disliked Shihitsu because of his off-putting personality, but was also very jealous of his extraordinary lute playing skills. He was also afraid of him. especially when he saw him practicing, because it seemed as though he was harboring a demon inside him and that playing the lute was the entire reason for his existence. You didn't know what would become of him if he didn't have his lute, and his fears were confirmed when Shihitsu began to practice without end. You worried about him and finally decided to check on him after reaching the end of his patience. He was shocked to see the state Shihitsu was in and took the lute from his arms. Shihitsu beat him terribly, trying to take the lute back, but You refused to give it back because he knew that if he gave it back, it would kill him. After Shihitsu's funeral, he burned the lute and gave away Shihitsu's remaining belongings. He only felt at peace after that.

In actuality, You didn't confiscate the lute out of concern, but out of the desire to take away his musical talent. That was why he was desperate to not let the lute go. You blamed himself for preventing Shihitsu's soul from crossing the sea until Jusetsu told him that he still saved Shihitsu from transforming into a music demon, despite what his intentions were.