Fall, 1863
I slide the door open to the side courtyard which the Shinsengumi has appropriated as a dojo, and enter with my trays of refreshment.
“Ah! Hidejiro-kun – ah, Yagi-san” Kondo-san smiles and beckons me in. It’s only been a few days since my grandmother’s funeral and when my family put aside our deception, and I’m desperately wishing to be helpful and show that we are acting in sincerity.
“It’s not good to have a woman in here. She will only be a distraction.”