History[]
When Kusari’s father was framed by Toujou Kikumaru twenty years prior to the start of the series, he was fired from the board immediately. The ordeal became a public affair, shaming him to the point of suicide, and Kusari was left alone and vengeful. In retaliation, Kusari founded his own company to compete with the company that ruined his family.
The Koukai Agency started out small with the help of Kusari's friend, Minami, who developed Warding charms to sell to citizens that couldn’t afford to wait for Wardens to take care of an Ayakashi problem. Kusari patented the charms, cornering the market and taking a good chunk of Kikumaru’s business. As he continued to grow his company, he began researching the small Warding groups that had risen and failed against Kikumaru, and one company in particular caught his attention- that of Moranaku Okuda's.
Okuda’s Warding company was one of the very few agencies that lasted more than five years, so when they dissolved, Kusari set out to strike a deal with Okuda and obtain what was left. He offered to sponsor a nursery to be run by Okuda that would operate publicly, as opposed to the privately-funded Warding schools of the city that excluded able students for lack of financial support. In turn, Okuda would assist Kusari in starting his own Warding program. Okuda’s students would also be offered guaranteed work within the Koukai Agency upon graduation should they not find work elsewhere.
From the Burning Tracks animatic, framed photos of Koukai's founding.
Kusari then began hiring Okuda’s old staff and building his program. Their partnership was a success, and Kusari began building the Koukai Agency tower as a symbol of his accomplishments in rivaling Kikumaru. His rapid progress and opposition of the customs set in place by Kikumaru also stand as a literal metaphor for the series’ modern vs. traditional theme.
Koukai's Probationary Service Initiative[]
Employees of Koukai seeking to become Wardens are enlisted into the Probationary Service Initiative, which serves as a long-term probationary period for future Wardens to practice building social service skills for the job. This program hands these future Wardens, dubbed Apprentices, the responsibility of running the entire first floor of Koukai Tower.
The function of the first floor is to provide vital information to the company regarding the needs of the people of Chuushu. As such, Apprentices serve as the all-important face of Koukai and work to represent its social connection to its customers. Apprentices are tasked with running more than just a business but a service that understands what Wardens do beyond fighting Ayakashi.
Kusari's Revenge Plot[]
As soon as his stake in the city was settled, Kusari sought out Toujou Kikumaru to begin his true path to revenge, offering Toujou the opportunity to take hold of Kikumaru Corp. by conspiring against his own father: if Toujou provides Kusari with the means to whatever he needs, Kusari would coordinate the assassination of Genjou and Ryosuke, leaving him to inherit the company, and then agree to merge the two major corporations. Toujou agrees, thinking Kusari is unaware that the one who betrayed his father was Toujou himself.