「Listen, Tanaka-san,」A heavy set, middle-aged man, with square glasses and a prominent widow's peak said to his far younger employee. The man, in his mid-twenties, appeared rather nervous, and was so eager to please that he nodded immediately. 「The Yukimuras are one of our largest shareholders, so I want you on your best behaviour. You know about the software, but please mind to stay respectful at all times.」

Kazuo Tanaka nodded again in response to his boss's words, well-aware that this could be the biggest opportunity of his life. A moment where he could prove that he was an asset to the company, not a liability – and perhaps set himself on course to a top career.

「Of course Satou-sama. I understand.」He made a quick bow in respect.

「I knew you would.」The boss responded, before pulling back the sleeve of his dress shirt and checking a large, metal watch for the time.「We should head out, the taxis are arriving soon.」

Kazuo made another bow, but felt the palms of his hands get slightly sweaty. He gripped his briefcase tighter, suddenly aware of the ridges of the plastic. His heart began to pound now it dawned on him that he would be meeting one of the richest men in Japan, within the next few hours. In his head he went over everything he had prepared, all the knowledge that could possibly be asked from him to clarify.

Three taxis brought their delegation of seven up North from Sendai. He had to share the taxi with two others, but they did not speak much, unless it was to run over a detail or document. If anything he preferred it that way.

The road they traversed carved through the suburbs, that mainly consisted of individually walled houses and apartments, before gradually curving through green mountainscapes scattered with smaller towns. It took a little over an hour to arrive, and in that time the overcast skies settled from grey to blue, to inky black. By the time they came to a standstill in front of a large iron gate, darkness had obscured the surrounding mountains, leaving only their faint outlines and the shape of treetops visible.

He watched through the window, as a man in a black suit approached the gate from the other side. The heavy iron set into motion, albeit slowly and allowed the man to approach the first vehicle. A brief conversation seemed to be all that was required for them to be allowed in.

「Nervous, Tanaka-san?」His coworker asked, breaking the slightly tense silence. He assumed he had to be, otherwise it would not have been so obvious – but he pushed through it, sitting up straight and allowing himself to breathe deeply.

「I will manage. Thank you Akayama-san.」He nodded firmly, making sure to look his coworker in the eye to ensure that he knew he was not scared. Yet somehow he found himself craving a cigarette.

The car came in motion, the last of their group to do so. As they passed through the gate, a large house came into sight. The modern building consisted of at least four floors, its straight angles of glass and concrete a stark contrast with the sprawling mountainside against which it stood. It was imposing, and much like it dominated the surrounding nature, it also demanded one's gaze.

Behind some of the glass shone golden lights, and he saw the silhouettes of several people: both inside, and awaiting them at the front door. Once more he felt his heart pound, but he chose to ignore it. Instead he looked over the grounds, the sight of the neat yet flowing gardens, dotted here and there by electric lanterns, far less intimidating. Until their taxi turned in front of the house, and there was no way he could ignore it.

He stepped outside in the heavy, waterlogged air. Its crispness surprised him, the slight chill nearly sweet to the taste as it filled every corner of his lungs – far different from the city air he was used to while living in Sendai. But he wasn't given the time to be distracted by such things, already faced with the personnel of the Yukimura family. Now he was actively looking, he saw several guards.

Another man in uniform greeted his boss, and guided them all further into the home through a set of double doors. The atrium was a large, open space, reaching from ground floor all the way up to the final floor. A glass roof spanned across, then took a sharp corner downwards at the very back – like a waterfall of sky and scenery that divided the house into a left and right side. In the second half, furthest away from the front door, the atrium widened suddenly until the dimensions were square; in that space he saw a set-up of couches and bookcases.

He wasn't allowed to gawk however, as everyone in his company moved to take off their shoes at the entrance. Immediately he did as well, remaining quiet while the butler guided the group further through a hallway on the side.

As the last to take off his shoes, he was left to trail behind. Still awestruck, he couldn't help but take a glance back into the atrium. He saw the impressive ceiling again, but as his gaze moved down, he was suddenly caught a boy with glasses peeking through the bars of the third floor walkway railing.

The boy didn't look directly at him, instead more curious about the group as a whole – and while all the other personnel was distracted by their leave, he took his chance and quickly darted across to the other side. In a flash of red pyjamas and bare feet, he was gone.

For a moment it stunned Kazuo, but he was quick to realise it was probably something innocent; he'd been a boy after all. Sneaking about was just a part of childhood, and if the boy did get caught, it would be a matter for his parents: he had no place in this.

So he turned around and joined the others, who now had a lead on him. When he got closer, he noticed that their secretary slowed, until the slender man walked beside him.

「Please refrain from gaping, Tanaka. It would be impolite.」The words were spoken softly, as if disappointed.

「Yes of course, I apologise.」Kazuo answered with a bow, as much as he could while walking. The secretary didn't respond, instead giving him a nod that his apology was adequate. Realising that he couldn't risk looking like a fool any more, he straightened his back and vowed to not let himself be so easily distracted again.

The room they were led into was constructed in the same modern way as the rest of the home, with a glass wall that looked out onto the base of the forests, but decorated more traditionally Japanese. Several soft covers and pillows were laid out around a low, square table. The walls had been panelled with wood, and decorated with simple but effective art to give the room a warmer, welcoming flair that the glass and concrete construction couldn't achieve on their own – the only exception was a large screen, that could be connected to a laptop to show data.

Immediately Kazuo understood that was his job for the coming meeting. With permission from the butler, and his boss alike, he set up the small laptop he had brought. After the test, he ran through the files they’d require: schematics of how the software worked, designs of the interface, and several excel sheets with data of how the software was expected to perform and reduce costs. But even after all that, there was still no sign of the person to whom it was supposed to be presented.

After a long few minutes, another member of the household staff entered – a woman this time. She quietly whispered something in the ear of the butler, who nodded and dismissed her softly.

「My apologies, Yukimura-sama appears to have gotten caught up in, urgent matters, this should not last too long. Could I bring you some beverages?」The group agreed to that, but once the butler had given a deep bow with the intend of leaving, Kazuo sheepishly raised his hand. The butler glanced up at him – and so did everyone else.

「Could I perhaps use the bathroom? Before we start?」He asked softly. The butler nodded, which eased him some, since he knew he was quickly becoming the odd one out.

「Of course, take the stairs up at the very end, then take a left until you reach the bathroom.」

Immediately Kazuo gave the butler a grateful bow, and darted out of the room.