"He opened fire as he came through the door. He pushed it inward with the toe of his boot. I anticipated the moment and managed to tumble from my bedding as he opened up. One shot nicked my scalp. Fortunately, I had my Ceska at hand. I snapped off three rounds and caught the assassin in the head, neck, and shoulder. Then the kill button split his skull." Machiko considers all this, but the mention of the Ceska briefly distracts her. Ryokai has always favored the Ceska 120 as a backup pistol. Its eccentric design appeals to him. Since their earliest days together at the GSG academy, he has always been intrigued by things that are quirky or unusual. His interest in the kiseru is just another example. He has quite an extensive collection of these ancient weapons, which resemble pipes for smoking tobacco, but are generally a meter in length, made of iron or steel, and come equipped with a handguard. They were used as truncheons by feudal-era yakuza, who, being of the common classes, were forbidden the use of swords.