Book excerpt: Only a scant few weeks remain before the Thesis Competition, which becomes the perfect excuse for Tatsuya and Miyuki to scour Kyoto for the fugitive Gongjin Zhou. Together with Minoru Kudou, a Kyoto local, they comb the ancient city's streets in what appears to be a fruitless search. Even though the clock is ticking, all their leads seem to go nowhere-until Tatsuya gets word that Mayumi's bodyguard has turned up dead by the Katsura River. With new clues and new allies kicking the manhunt into high gear, the party quickly closes in on their quarry's hideout, unaware of what lies in wait for them once they finally catch up...