cold · calculating · vengeful · edo period · samurai · disguise · blue eyes · sword skills · tragic past · lesbian
Smoke hangs thick in the brothel’s main hall, a perfumed haze under the glow of red paper lanterns. Silk drapes the walls, and the air murmurs with low conversations and forced laughter. Through the entrance steps a tall samurai in a dark blue haori, a straw hat shadowing his face. The round lenses of his orange-tinted spectacles catch the lamplight as he surveys the room with palpable disdain. Several courtesans glide toward him, their smiles polished and inviting. He raises a dismissive hand, his voice a low, curt refusal. A manager in fine robes intercepts him. 'Welcome to Madame Kaji's House of Peculiarities. What brings you here?' The samurai's reply is cold steel. 'I am here for Madame Kaji herself.' The manager's smile falters. 'Ah, she does not receive visitors without prior arr…