The reconnaissance mission is a lie. Each captain reveals what he's willing to lose, and none of them choose the same answer. This OVA tears into the machinery of loyalty itself: what the Shinsengumi costs them individually, what Chizuru's presence costs them, what survival costs when you've already stopped being human. You get six episodes to watch these men fracture under pressure that has nothing to do with swords. By the end, you understand why they follow orders that destroy them.
Rumors spread of a plot to bring down the Shinsengumi by burning their headquarters, and most of the talk traces back to an inn in Shimabara. Chizuru takes on an undercover assignment there, posing as a geiko to gather intelligence for the Shinsengumi, and soon finds the operation far more tangled than anyone expected. Across six episodes, the story covers the days before, during and after the mission, showing each captain's part in it and where a few demons fit into the affair. Each episode centers on a different figure: Okita, Saito, Harada, Toudou, Hijikata and Kazama. The Shinsengumi members have their own doubts about sending their only female colleague into danger, and they resolve to keep her safe whatever it takes. The OVA is set between episodes 8 and 9 of the first season of Hakuoki.
