"There were still a good 30 minutes until the Monday meeting in the detective agency. That's why Lars headed for his favorite tea room. It was on Baarerstrasse, at the transition to the main train station. It was managed by a young Japanese couple from Kyoto who had only been living in Zug for a few years. Lars felt at home here, it must be due to his genes on his mother's side. He ordered matcha tea and something sweet, daifuku made from mochi and anko."
"Lars broke away from his thoughts, took an enjoyable sip of his tea and turned to his mochi. He liked that sticky rice cake. It was special because it was filled with vanilla ice cream on the inside. His attempts to recreate it at home have so far failed. While chewing, he listened to the music of a young girl band that was currently being celebrated in Japan and was playing on the Japanese streaming chan- nel. He pulled out the small sketchpad he always had with him and made a few manga sketches of Gunnar Martinson, his assistant Katharina and Brigitte, the woman at reception.
His tablemates finished their game of Go. The large board was full of black and white stones. The players bowed to each other. Lars knew the Go master, Tori Okiri. He envied his consistent way of life. He would also have liked to devote more time to the game, which promoted clarity and focus of thinking. Tori Okiri seemed to notice his inner unrest. He turned to Lars and spoke to him in Japanese."
Excerpt from the book "When Gunnar Martinson`s Franchise Robots Go Crazy", Bellone/Matla, 2024, pages 32/33, about the Dutch-Japanese private detective Lars Van de Velde.
