‘As you know, there’s not much to do in Akakawa. But back then, it was even worse. We only had a cinema, a small shopping mall, a public library, and a few karaoke joints. Bars were strict about not allowing high school students in, especially when we were in school uniform.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘My family ran a public swimming pool. Once a week, it was closed for maintenance, but my sister and I had secretly made a duplicate key. By the time school was over, the cleaner would’ve left the premises. My sister and I, and our boyfriends, would discreetly slip in and have the entire pool to ourselves.’

Mizuki closed her eyes, remembering. Shoji pictured her with three other high school students, laughing and shoving each other.

•

The young Mizuki in her school uniform inserted an oversized key into a big lock. The door opened with a creak. Four teenagers entered. The swimming pool building was empty. The air was tepid, and the smell of chlorine lingered. White tiles gleamed in the warm afternoon sun that filtered in through the glass windows. The pool water glistened, translucent and still.

The four of them wasted no time. They dropped their school bags and took their shoes and socks off. The boys rolled up their trousers and the girls tied up their hair. Sitting by the edge of the pool, they dipped their bare feet into the cold water.

•

‘We loved spending time there,’ Mizuki continued. ‘Umi, especially, loved the pool. Sometimes she would get into the water, even in her uniform. She’d jump in and sink to the bottom, curling herself in and wrapping her arms around her knees, like a foetus. She could stay in that position for a long time.’

‘What about you?’

Mizuki shook her head. ‘I couldn’t swim that well.’

•

One afternoon, the four of them had gone to the swimming pool as usual. But on that day, Umi wasn’t her usual self. Her head hung low and she was quiet.

‘What’s happened?’ Umi’s boyfriend whispered to Mizuki.

Mizuki shook her head. ‘I don’t know. She’s been like that since class was over.’ She remembered that, earlier, they’d received their mock exam results. ‘Maybe she failed the test.’

‘Really?’

She shrugged. She wasn’t sure either, but it was unusual for Umi to look gloomy. She wondered what she could do to cheer up her sister.

Mizuki signalled to the rest to keep quiet. She tiptoed towards Umi, who was sitting on the ledge of the pool. The two boys understood her intention. They slowly inched over to Umi from behind and, together, they pushed her into the water.

The water splashed as Umi plunged into the pool. The three of them laughed.