‘Yes, it is. If I’d never come here, he wouldn’t be in this –’

‘ENTER!’ boomed Masamoto’s voice.

They all looked at one another, terrified. After the hanami fight, Masamoto had marched them back to the school and ordered them straight to bed. They had hardly slept all night, for Masamoto had demanded to see all of them at first light, though Kiku and Yori had been been excused as innocent bystanders. Akiko had explained to Jack that a summons to the Hall of the Phoenix before breakfast meant only one thing – they were to be punished. They just didn’t know how badly.

‘Seiza!’ he said as they entered, all bowing as low as possible.

Masamoto was sitting upon a dais, a small black lacquered table at his side. A maid was clearing up the spilt tea, while another set up a fresh pot of sencha for him.

Behind him, painted in vivid colours upon a silk screen, was the image of a flaming phoenix, its wings dripping fire and its beak thrusting up towards heaven. Masamoto fumed like a live volcano, his scar crimson and waxen like molten lava. He waited until the maids had departed before speaking. Jack, Akiko and Saburo trembled as they kept their heads low to the ground.

‘Sit up!’

Masamoto examined each of them carefully, as if he were measuring the suitability of the punishment with their capacity to withstand it. Masamoto breathed deeply and Jack’s mouth went dry with dread.

‘Excellent!’ he said, a faint smile breaking through his fiery demeanour. ‘I was most impressed with the way you handled yourselves last night.’

They all stared at one another in confusion. Were they not going to be punished?

‘Saburo-kun, you are forgiven for your less than sober state. But only for the reason that you showed loyalty to your fellow samurai and your quick-witted sweep of that Raiden character proved to me that even in your drunken condition, you could function as a warrior.’

Saburo bowed profusely, unable to contain his relief at his pardon.

‘Akiko-chan, you are truly a lady of the Niten Ichi Ryū. It is only the bravest of warriors who stand tall in the face of danger,’ he said, glowing with an immense pride. ‘Jack-kun’s assailant must have been twice your size, but you didn’t hesitate. It was unfortunate that he was so bullish that he wasn’t felled by your mawashi-geri, but don’t worry, he’ll be waking up very sore this morning.’

Akiko bowed, letting out a quiet sigh as she too was let off the hook.

‘Now to you, Jack-kun,’ he said, and sipped upon his cup of sencha.

Jack knew that since he was the cause of the quarrel, he would not get away so lightly. He would undoubtedly suffer the full consequences of Masamoto’s wrath.