The overhead fan was barely rotating, unfortunate as it was a particularly humid summer in Hansai Prefecture. With precision, the bookbinder unrolled the canvas bag, unveiling a perfectly preserved samurai sword. In hushed tones, he told her ‘This belonged to Saitō Hajime, captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi.’ It was not the flash of the blade that aroused her, but the shagreen hilt of the Katan Samurai sword that had once belonged to a great warrior.
