Chapter 59

Although I’d been on a small tour of the building the first time I’d met Tomichii, I’d never been to his office, and was surprised to find it furnished in a very traditional Japanese style, the room sparse but ornate in the carved woodwork, cherry blossom painted screens and cushioned areas around low tables.

On one of these tables sat a tablet-style device similar to my own, but the rest of the table was also acting as a display. This was clearly where he worked. Another table near it held a tea set and other tools, including a neat stack of paper and a pen.

The room smelled of incense and spices, but we didn’t do more than move through it, towards a shut door on the far side. Tomichii ran his wrist over a small scanner set by the door and then pushed it open, as if he’d just unlocked it. I waited patiently beside him as he did so, and then let him lead me inside. As the interior was revealed, I tried not to gape, but it was hard.

The light had come on as soon as we’d walked inside, b