died or gone into retirement. Kobayashi himself had not known

which was true, but when he had made inquiries, through channels

known to certain trusted individuals, he had learned that the latter

was the case. Many lucrative contracts had been turned down. But

now this Morpheus, whoever he might be, had come out of

retirement, specifically out of respect for him. Kobayashi felt very

surprised and flattered. And he was even more surprised and

flattered when the call came and he learned that he was actually

going to meet with Morpheus face-to-face.

He was also surprised at the choice of the location. He might

have expected some out of the way bar or sex emporium in the

Ginza, someplace that might be more conducive to a secret“

meeting, someplace where two people might talk in a manner that

would not allow them to actually see each other, but he had not

expected this and he realized now that the choice had been inspired.

It demonstrated a unique knowledge and an understanding on the

part of the mysterious assassin. The House of Nihonto was a very

respectable establishment, catering as it did to some of Japan’s

finest and most influential citizens. It was also one of the few places

that was regarded as ”neutral ground“ by the various families of

the Yakuza, which were often in competition. It would be

unthinkable for any acts of hostility to occur here. It would be

regarded as a desecration.

Just the same, Takeo had insisted on their not taking any

chances. Kobayashi remained in the car while Shiro and Takeo got

out and walked across to the entrance of the shop. The doors of the

car behind them opened and four men got out. Two of them

followed Takeo and Shiro into the shop, while the other two

remained on the sidewalk, close by Kobayashi’s car, scanning the

street around them alertly.

The small shop was almost empty when Takeo, Shiro, and the

two men entered. There were glass display cabinets to the left and

in front of them, as well as one in the center of the shop,

square-shaped and about waist high. They held a glittering array of

steel, not common cutlery, but exquisitely crafted custom knives of

every size, shape, and description. There were ceremonial seppuku

knives and fighting tantos, as well as variations on the traditional