When these important figures ascended the castle, the country samurais would come running to see the scene. It was a common sight to see the formations of these world-renowned families, and no one would have suspected a thing.
To make the act more natural and less suspicious, someone even chatted up the young girl working in this tea stall, eliciting frequent girlish laughter from her.
Sakai Tetsu no Suke, who was responsible for overall command, Ogata Shiroshige, who was to witness Ii Naosuke's death, and Saito Kanmon, who would deliver the 'Execution Letter' to the Senior Councillor post-battle, held up oil-paper umbrellas, cloaked, and disguised as passersby, following from afar at the rear of the Ii Formation.
The wind blew even fiercer.
Cascading down ever more chilly silver grains.
...
...
Inside the palanquin, Ii Naosuke breathed warm air onto his icy hands.
At that moment, a gust of wind carried a single, pristine snowflake through the palanquin window.
