will learn from her experiences. Sairin is the current Kirin of Sai. Because she is well-known and beloved in Sai for possessing a kind heart and gentle nature, she was given the name . Before selecting Kouko as the monarch of Sai, Sairin had chosen a king known as Shishou (砥尚, Shishō), who climbed Mount Hou after the death of the king who preceded him. At the beginning of his reign, he presented Sairin with the royal treasure of Sai, a jewelled branch called the kashokada (華胥華朶), as a promise to rule his country well and bring about prosperity. However, during his twenty-year reign, his actions caused Sairin to contract shitsudou. Realizing he had lost the way, Shishou ascended Mount Hou to abdicate the throne and took his life. Sairin chose Kouko as the next king and continues to always carry a branch with leaves on it, as a memento of the broken promise Shishou had made to her that he would govern his country well. Kingdom of Tai inhabitants The following characters reside in the Kingdom of Tai: Taiki Taiki Takasato is the Kirin of Tai, though is not fully mature and is actually a heina (an immature Kirin), and Koki (a rare black Kirin). Like Youko, Shouryuu, and Enki, he is a taika from Hourai; as a result, he is known by the name . His nickname, , derived from an alternate pronunciation of "Takasato" and was given to him by Gyousou after Taiki chose him as the new King of Tai. After many years in Hourai, Taiki is eventually taken back to the Twelve Kingdoms in order to fulfill his role as the kirin of Tai. However, when the kingdom of Tai falls, both the King of Tai and Taiki go missing. Fifteen years before Youko Nakajima's arrival in the Twelve Kingdoms, Taiki's ranka had been blown over to Hourai by a shoku. He is returned to Mount Hou ten years after his disappearance, after being found by Enki. Taiki is cared for and educated in his role as the kirin of Tai by his nyokai, , but is initially unable to transform into his beast form because he had been in human form for so long. He eventually chooses Gyousou to become king; while Taiki is uncertain of his choice and initially terrified of Gyousou, he eventually realizes that his fear was recognition of the "aura