Milton looked at the map: her suggestions were six and seven stops away, respectively. The train pulled out again and he watched the stations that they passed through, looking for one that was suitable for what he had in mind. Nihombashi, Otemachi and Takebashi were too busy. Kudanshita was quieter, but Milton saw a uniformed police officer idling next to the exit. He was beginning to get twitchy as they passed through Iidabashi; the carriage was emptying, and he didn’t want the two goons to be spooked by the lack of other passengers whom they could hide behind. Milton gave thought to the option of tackling them on the train between stations, but then they rolled into Waseda and he saw that it was perfect.

“Now,” he said, getting up. “Act normal.”

He took Sakura’s hand and led her down onto the platform. There were glass gates that protected the edge of it and, as they passed through them, Milton glanced left and saw that both tails had disembarked with them. He turned to the exit and started walking, Sakura alongside him. The station was immaculately clean, just like all the others that they had transited through, with the harsh strip lights overhead reflecting off the polished stone floor. It was also empty.

“We’re going to take this exit,” Milton said as they approached the opening to a passage that was marked with an exit sign. “I want you to keep walking. Go up to the surface and see if you can find a taxi for us.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Milton gripped her hand as they turned off the platform, and then released it and gave her a gentle nudge in the back to encourage her onward. There were stairs leading upwards at the end of the passage, and she reached the bottom step and began to climb. A second passage opened into this one, just before the stairs, and Milton ducked into it and waited, out of sight of anyone approaching from the platform. He had seen CCTV cameras on the platform, but did not see any here; he might have been fortunate. He waited, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, and then one man saying something in Japanese and another answering.