Chapter 23

⁠​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌⁠Kenji Asano was a very complex human being—Western on the surface, but with his own personality always glimmering through at the unexpected moment. He seemed to capture the best of both worlds: the forthrightness of an American and the intuitive self-confidence I've come to think of as a hallmark of the East.

The Japanese are a subtle people, in the finest sense of the word, and I normally feel sli