The apartment was quiet, except for the sound of the television — one of Liyun’s bad habits was leaving the television on even though no one was watching. On the screen, a busty young girl tried to convince him that eating a special vanilla pudding would help him to lose weight. Yeah, right. He reached for the remote control and turned the television off.

The door to Liyun’s room opened.

Eri emerged first. She wore a classic white shirt paired with a sensible grey pencil skirt.

‘Finally!’ she exclaimed. ‘I thought you’d been abducted by aliens.’

‘I got caught in the rain.’

‘He’s always late, rain or shine,’ Liyun said, coming out behind Eri. ‘We’re starving. Why don’t you get changed and, after that, we can have dinner together?’

‘Ah, yeah,’ Shoji mumbled. He looked at Eri. ‘I’m sorry you waited so long.’

‘Don’t worry. I had a nice time talking to Liyun and helping her prepare dinner. She’s a great cook.’

‘Yes, she’s wonderful,’ he agreed.

Liyun blushed. ‘Tonight is just a simple affair. I whipped it up quickly.’

‘Don’t be too modest. It’s amazing.’ Eri turned to Shoji. ‘Wait until you see it yourself.’

He laughed. ‘Now I’m excited.’

‘You’re lucky we’re not neighbours, otherwise I would come over every night.’

‘And we’d pretend to be away,’ he said, making his way to his bedroom. ‘Back soon.’

When Shoji returned, the table had been set beautifully. Liyun was hovering around, putting down the last pieces of cutlery while Eri poured white wine into three glasses. On the table was a gorgeously plated fish on top of a bed of quinoa shaped like a leaf, garnished with sliced fruit and herbs.

Shoji took one of the seats. ‘Anyone care to explain what this is?’

‘Eri brought white wine,’ Liyun said, ‘so I thought we should have fish to complement it.’

Wow, they were already on a first-name basis, Shoji thought.

Liyun gestured to the fish. ‘This is pan-fried kinmedai served with herbed quinoa and golden kiwi. I’ve just used what we had in the fridge.’

He had known that she was excellent at cooking Asian cuisine, but he hadn’t expected her to be adept at creating fusion dishes too. ‘What’s the herb?’

‘It’s thyme,’ Eri chimed in, taking the seat opposite him.

Liyun sat next to her. ‘Give it a try.’

‘Uh-huh.’ Shoji took a cut of the fish and put it in his mouth. The flesh was perfectly tender. And that distinct aroma, could it be … ‘Did you use my sake?’

Eri clapped her hands. ‘Correct.’

Shoji chuckled, digging his spoon into the quinoa. He took a spoonful. The herbs gave the grains a refreshing sour taste, and the sweet kiwi balanced the flavour so well. ‘Liyun, you should open a restaurant.’