[in the ensuing silence, he gets his answer. he's known for quite some time now that Yagyuu Hiroshi might just be every little bit as covertly competitive as he is, but there is no confirmation quite like this one. he goes on, reciting the rest--]

'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.'

[a pause. then, he chuckles, a little.] I'm not surprised you're not familiar with it-- it's only famous because of its lack of literary value.