However, being in a completely alien country and lacking the ability to speak or understand the language, the strain has taken a toll on his sanity. He ends up travelling with Suzu and her friend Seishuu during their journey to Kei, though they are separated afterward. As he continues to lose his mind, Asano questions the reason he was ever brought to Kou and seemingly can't find a reason for his life to go on. He finally finds Youko again, and she tells him about her adventures and how she's decided to stay and fight for Kei. She asks him to work for her and the resistance, and he accepts as his last chance of redemption. However, while performing a mission for them, he is fatally stabbed by an enemy and loses consciousness in Shoukei's arms before he dies of his injuries. In the novels, Asano does not exist and Youko attends an all-girls school. Ritsuko Nakajima is the mother of Youko Nakajima and the wife of Masashi Nakajima. Ritsuko is a well-meaning mother who despite her stern manner cares greatly about her daughter. Despite her own personal preferences such as which schools she wants Youko to attend, she usually goes along with her husband's decisions as a dutiful wife. Because she doesn't want Youko to stand out or be mistaken as a delinquent, Youko's mother worries about Youko's naturally red hair and often tells her to cut it or dye it black. While her classmates generally saw Youko as a timid pushover or other negative views of her general indistinguishability, Ritsuko tells her husband that Youko was well-behaved, gentle, and predictable. In the anime, Ritsuko eventually learns of her daughter's fate from Yuka Sugimoto when she returns from the Twelve Kingdoms. Although she was saddened that Youko will not come back, she is satisfied to know that Youko is doing well where she is. In the novels, it is unknown if her mother ever learns what became of Youko. Masashi Nakajima is the father of Youko Nakajima and the husband of Ritsuko Nakajima who is implied to be a salaryman. References Twelve Kingdoms