"Well, right now I just want to walk in the snow." She glanced at him, wondering if she still felt anything at all. "You know, it's a funny thing, but the snow tonight reminds me of a trip I once took, years ago, up north to Hokkaido. The innocence, the simplicity, it was all captured in that pure, endless white." She looked around them. "How could Tsukuba Science City even be part of the same country?"
He smiled. "As the tour books always say, 'Japan: land of contrasts.' Well, the old ways are going fast, Tam, except in our hearts. Some things will always be the same."
"Tell you the truth, that's what scares me the most. Things like the sword, which can cause this whole country to go crazy overnight."
"Ah yes, the sword. Matsuo Noda's magic talisman. You know, that's the real reason he'll be so hard to stop. What a
genius. He delivers it to the Emperor, almost the same way the Sun Goddess supposedly once did, and in the process makes himself a living god."
"Speaking of the sword, by the way, Matt is going over to the Metallurgy Lab tomorrow to see it. Live and prime time."
"Matt?"
"The lawyer I told you about."
"So his name is Matt?"
"Short for Matthew. Walton."