Yaichirou gets as far as a polite smile before he fully registers what Kou said. The smile petrifies on his face, clashing with his obvious horror.

"You mean to say that you're here against their will?"

It's unfathomable to him that Kou would not only disobey them but gleefully flaunt his disobedience. What about his obligations to the family? What about the Ichijo's business? The part of Yaichirou that was well-trained by years of formalities wrestled with the part of him that was floored by Kou's mind-blowing irresponsibility, but it didn't take long for the latter to win out. After all, it's obvious that the boy before him is not the sensible heir of the Ichijo family that he knew.

"Are you insane?"