[The webcam switches on, and we have a view of a garden terrace at twilight, a few bushes in bloom and a few early fireflies flitting about in the grass and trees.

[Muraki is lounging on a chaise lounge, dressed in a light, summer-weight shirt and slacks, collar open, reading through a pile of letters, a pitcher of something cool and bright with ice cubes on a table beside him. He'll reach behind it, picks up a glass, sips from it. He looks utterly relaxed and contented. But there's a big pile of letters for this to be a typical summer evening...

[He glances up and smirks at the camera.]

Would anyone care to help me open the mail that piled up whilst I was away on a working vacation?

So exactly how many worlds are there connected to this place? And how many people?

[He's grinning like the naive fool that he is. He's been told he's not allowed to leave home but he's always wanted to visit different worlds. Now he can do both!]