He glanced around as he set them aside, wondering why only two pairs sat by the door. He checked his phone for the time. Akira had said the family meeting would begin at noon, and Hiro was actually two minutes late. Where was everyone else? He glanced out at the street, searching for cars or bikes he recognized. “Akira? It’s Hiro.” He moved into the living room and saw the door leading to Akira’s office stood halfway open. “Akira?” His brother, who was forty-three and twenty years his senior, emerged and smiled. “Hello, Hiro.” When no explanation was offered, Hiro asked, “Did I get my days wrong? Where is everyone?” Akira had been the head of the family for about three years, since the death of their father, and he’d only called a couple of family meetings since the reading of the will. Hiro had rearranged his schedule for this, so he hoped he hadn’t gotten the date wrong. “No, you’re right on time. I need to talk to you privately, and I knew it would be hard to get you here unless you thought it was important.”
