‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Somehow, I always feel that you’ve built an invisible wall around you that no one can get through. Such a pity. I wanted to get to know you.’

He shifted his eyes. ‘There’s no such thing. You’re just imagining it.’

Liyun gave a fleeting smile. She returned the apartment key. ‘Take care, Shoji.’

He nodded. ‘You too. Call me after you’ve settled down.’

With those words, they parted ways.

A couple of hours later, Shoji dragged himself to the kitchen and checked what Liyun had left for him. Inside the pot was Japanese curry. Slow-braised beef ribs in herb-infused tomato sauce with carrot, daikon, and potato. The rice cooker was on, keeping the rice warm. He took a plate and scooped a portion. Sitting at the table alone, he thought the kitchen was unbearably silent. He didn’t finish his meal, leaving the dirty dishes in the sink for another day.

After that day, Liyun never called Shoji. The only things she left were the white curtains patterned with tiny roses she had bought after she’d moved in with him.

•

For the next couple of weekends, Shoji made it a mission to find the secret spot Liyun had told him about. It took him some time to find the river — five weekends, to be exact.

During his search, Shoji had taken the Namboku Line towards Kita ward. Whenever he passed a station around a residential area, he would get off and wander around for a couple of hours. He could have found the place sooner if he had checked the map, but he wanted to stumble across it by himself, even if doing so would take him weeks, even months.

Shoji wiped the sweat from his forehead. A black and white cat meowed and ran towards a grass field. Another grey cat followed. Both of them vanished near a crack on the low wall that separated the grass field and a stream. For a moment, he wondered if the crack was one of the portals that led to the cats’ paradise.

Looking at the flowing river, Shoji was certain he’d finally found the secret place Liyun had told him about. The setting sun gave off an orange glow and made the water glisten. The wind blew into his face as he walked through the field. When he finally reached the crumbling wall, he stopped and took a deep breath.

He climbed the barrier and sat on the wall, gazing at the stream. The water wasn’t deep, but it flowed steadily. He sat still in silence as the night swallowed the sun and its rays disappeared over the horizon. The place became dark, illuminated only by the light that came from the rows of warehouses a distance away. Occasionally, the wind would rustle the wild grass.