“A gentleman’s relationships are always as clear as water.” This quotation from the Book of Rites meant that a faithful and righteous gentleman preserves a dry and disinterested attitude even toward his closest friends, yet his fidelity is very deep. He does not show his friendship by taking the other’s hand or embracing him, nor does he let the weaknesses of each party drag them into problematic affairs. Of course this is referring to the friendship of one man for another, but Ryōma wanted to apply this principle to the relationship between a man and a woman as well.
