soul_campaign | Fourth Erhu Song | Video

[This morning, Shuurei is on her balcony and looking up at the sky. It’s nice that the weather has cleared although she still finds the grinning sun weird.] That thunderstorm a few days ago was unexpected. [Her smile is a bit pained as she recalls that evening.] Do they occur often here this time of year? They were only during the summer in Saiunkoku.

[Agency Filter]

Greetings. [bows] I spoke to Lord Miles some time ago but with everything that has happened recently, there hasn’t been a good opportunity to introduce myself yet. My name is Shuurei and I’ll be helping with investigations when I’m not busy with my clerk duties at the Watch in the evenings.

I worked for the Censorate back home and was a bookkeeper before becoming a government official so I’m used to searching through old records and ledgers. [She had helped discover embezzlers and art forgers that way.] I would be happy to assist with any research needed for cases and look forward to working with you. [smiles]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Welcome to the Agency, Miss Shuurei. I'm Light Asahi and I look forward to working with you.

[nods] It’s nice to meet you, Light. [She hadn’t really spoken to anyone at the Agency yet other than Edgeworth so it would be good to get acquainted with her new colleagues.] Did you also work as an investigator in your country?

[ He lets out a soft laugh. ]

Something like that, I suppose. I've done some detective work before and intend for it to be my career ultimately, but I have yet to enter the field in an official capacity.

Ah, are there still exams you need to pass before you can be an investigation official? [Although Shuurei had passed the Imperial Exams to become an official at 17, many didn’t pass the week-long exam until they were older.]

Yes, more or less. Exams are definitely a part of the curriculum, but the overall course work is what matters in the long run.

In essence, not much has changed from your time and mine. Our intellectual capacity is still challenged and tested before we can take part in any cases on an official level. Of course, there are exceptions...

There are schools to help prepare for the exams in your country? That's wonderful. There wasn't such a thing in Saiunkoku. [She herself had been tutored by her father and Lord Kouyuu. And those from wealthy families might hire tutors but commoners like Eigetsu often had to study for the Imperial Exams on their own.]

Exceptions? How so? [Shuurei becoming an official had been rather exceptional since women weren't allowed to take the Imperial Exams before and she had been the first to ever pass.]

Well, exceptions are rare. Sometimes people with family already in that line of work may get their foot in the door or sometimes extreme intelligence may play a factor in allowing someone to bypass schooling altogether.

But as for your previous question, yes, there are schools to help prepare. Education is highly sought after for people my age back home. Though, to be honest, I may have preferred the way your world did things. The exams must have been difficult to pass without the schooling to train you.

[ And Light would have liked the challenge. ]

I see. The first sounds a bit like how nobles were able to be appointed as officials before the exam system was established.

[She nodded, listening to his explanations. It wasn’t within the scope of her Censorate duties but perhaps, she could work towards the establishment of special schools to help prepare examinees when she returned to Saiunkoku.]

Oh, I didn’t have to study all alone. Father guided my studies as I was growing up. And Lord Kouyuu tutored me for several months before the exams; until that time, he had been the youngest person to ever pass the Imperial Exams. [She smiled, thinking of the men who had helped her prepare for the exams.] But you would rather study by yourself? Why? [She looked a bit confused, wondering why he would want to do such a thing if his world had better opportunities for education.]

[ Light offers her a smile. ]

Well it sounds as though you had some wonderful help to gear you toward passing the exam.

[ And after her question, he shrugs slightly. ]

It's more of a personal preference of mine than anything to study alone. I feel as though I can learn best when it's in the solitude of my own room with nothing but books surrounding me.

[ He laughs a bit. ]

And I suppose I would like the challenge of your exams. It seems as though only a select few can pass them, and I'll confess I'm something of a competitive person.

[She smiled happily since her father was her favorite person in the world.] Yes, father encouraged me to study even though women weren’t allowed to become government officials when I was growing up. And Lord Kouyuu was a great help.

Oh, I see. I suppose quiet can be good at times. [Some quiet would have been nice in the last few weeks before the exams. She, Eigetsu, and Hakumei had been stuck staying in a dorm with that noisy peacock Ryuuren. Whenever he wasn’t sleeping or eating, he was terribly playing his flute!]

[She nods.] Yes, the Imperial Exams are considered difficult. They’re only administered once a year and last a full week. And those who wish to take the Exams are usually required to pass a series of provincial exams over the course of a year. Although I was permitted to take the exams after only an aptitude test.

It sounds very impressive, Miss Shuurei. With those qualifications, it's no wonder you wound up in the Agency. I'm certain you'll be able to contribute a great deal.

Fourth Erhu Song | Video | February 11, morning

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

video; agency filter

[video; agency filter] Sorry for the lateness! It's been crazy here

[video; agency filter] It's alright! Work has been draining my RP drive. ;A;