In the novel and drama CD, Shūei's brother(s) Setsuna Ran sent him to Kiyou as a child to assist one of the princes (later identified as Prince Seien). He encountered the young prince under attack in an alley and tried to help him, but Shūei's sword fighting skills weren't strong enough to defeat the assassins, and Seien told him that he was weak and useless. Seien even defeated Shūei in a sword battle in front of Setsuna Ran and Emperor Senka. Humiliated, Shūei retreated back to Ran province and trained hard with his childhood best friend Jin Shiba. However, by the time Shūei returned to the capital, the prince who mocked him had been banished for treason; his elder brothers ordered him to track down Prince Seien's whereabouts, but he was unable to do so.