Kozuke

Current

**Kozuke (Yuuta Murakami)** was the leader of the Hebi Gang. He rose to power roughly six years ago and is referred to as "Master," by his underlings. He has known Mei since they were young and was a foreign hostage in the palace during his youth.

## Appearance

Kozuke is a rather good-looking man, with dark red hair and sharp golden-red eyes. His body is notably covered in tattoos with a snake (the emblem of the Hebi Gang) on his chest and a design under his left eye which he had since he was young.

His hair is kept loose, which is a style he has maintained from his younger days but has added a single braid which hangs over his right shoulder. He is also one of the tallest characters in the story.

He is often seen smoking *Gauhreth* in a Kiseru pipe.

## Personality

From his current appearances, Kôzuke is shown to be manipulative, cunning, opportunistic and ruthless, killing some of his men for disobedience but using the opportunity they provided. He is also mentioned to be dangerously unpredictable.

He is also notably obsessive when it comes to Mei to the point of being a borderline Yandere, in doing such as "marking" her, threatening her to stay away from other men and showing his own control over her. He also "baits" her with information he knows she wants more than anything and keeps look-alikes of Mei as concubines and "replacements."

However, even while doing so, his letters always remain cordial and almost affectionate while threatening her, calling her, "love," or "my love," and has admitted that even while kissing other women, he only thinks of Mei.

When he was younger, he was more relaxed and friendly and even had a playful sense of humor, showing when he teased Shibisaki for "being shy," and playing "guess who," with Mei. However, he was also mature for his age and could be serious, probably due to the trauma he underwent during his younger years.

## History

Born in the kingdom of Ashiroi, Murakami Yuuta was taken captive by the Blood King and was held in the palace for most of his early life. Placed under the care of Fujioka Asahi, who viewed him as a son, he learned herbology and spent a great deal of time around the royal prince, becoming a close friend of his.

He would attempt to escape the palace many times, successfully having done so and it was in this successful escape he would have the fateful meeting with Mei Kihara.

### Meeting Kihara Mei

When Mei was twelve and Kôzuke a few years older, they met while Kôzuke was running from the Blood Core and Mei happened to be in the capital with her elder brother, Daisuke, shopping for a new dress.

After he attempted to steal Mei's Kodachi, wrongfully assuming that it would be easy to steal a sword from a girl, Mei promptly beat him with her purse after chasing him.

Apologizing beforehand, in order to divert the guards' attention, Kôzuke kissed Mei, making the guard leave in embarrassment unaware that it was Kôzuke. After the guard left, Mei beat him with her purse in her own embarrassment for him taking her first kiss, yelling at him for "preying on a defenseless, young virgin's lips!" with Kôzuke retorting at the "defenseless."

In anger, Mei said that she was going to get the guards, which made Kôzuke beg her not too, explaining that they'd "want to take me back," even though he couldn't go back there.

Feeling commiserative, Mei asked if she could help him as he started to leave, saying that he didn't seem like a bad person and that he did apologize for what he had done. Offering to at least take him home, Kôzuke shook his head, saying that he didn't have a home, at least, not anymore and that he also didn't have any family to return to.

Mei tried thinking of other ways to help but Kôzuke thanked her, saying that it wasn't necessary. Mei, with her usual adamancy, insisted and said that she'd bring him food anyways at to meet at the same time and place.

Two weeks past, with Mei and Kôzuke shown to have become quite close to the point of Kôzuke playfully teasing Mei that the food she brought couldn't have possibly have been made by her as it was too good and calling her a "little girl."

Though they still didn't know much about each other, as Kôzuke said that she wouldn't be willing to help him if she knew who he was and that she was better off not knowing, he said that she was the only person he should trust in a world of people he couldn't. However, despite this, Kôzuke fell in love with Mei and asked her to marry him and become his "princess," when they grew older, saying that he'd take care of her like she did him.

Mei laughed when he said that she'd make a great wife and that she was also cute and agreed to marry him.

Promising to meet her parents the next day, Mei waited for him though he never showed up. Continuing to wait for days, weeks and presumably seasons, even though she never saw him again.
He was shown to have been unable to remeet with Mei, however, having been recaptured. Daisuke would note in his journals that he acted suspiciously compliant during this time, becoming close to Katsu, though he seemed to have been scheming his escape in order to be with Mei. A few years later, he would escape once more, never to return to the palace and founded the Hebi Gang, becoming a crime lord and starting a rebellion.

## Quotes

* *"I do not tolerate disobedience."*
* *"...Trust doesn't come easily for me. You're a very naïve girl, Mei. But, I suppose you're one of the few people in this world I should trust."*
* *"Should Mei die...it will be your life to pay."*
* *"It's finally restored, ready for its new king and queen. Now...where have you put my queen?"*
* *"You're really going to try to fight me? How cute."*

## Trivia

* Yuuta's name can mean (yuu)「  優 」 "superiority," "gentleness," combined with (ta)「 太 」 meaning "great, big".

## References

1. ↑ Episode 47
2. ↑ Episode 88
3. ↑ Episode 57
4. ↑ Episode 71