Shoji stubbed his cigarette out and went to the fridge. He reached for a carton of milk. When he unscrewed the cap, a rancid smell escaped. The rubbish bin in the kitchen was full to the brim. He poured the milk down the sink and used the carton to prod the piled-up junk until there was a little room and it would fit.

On his way to bed, he glanced at the living room. Books and magazines were strewn all over the floor. A pot with a withered plant full of cigarette butts stood alone on the balcony. Opening his bedroom door, he saw a mountain of crumpled clothes waiting to be ironed covering his bed. Had he always been this messy? Well, he had no incentive to keep the house tidy. He hardly had any visitors.

Shoji dropped onto the bed. He ought to tidy this place up.

Before long, he fell asleep and dreamed of Yoko.

In his dream, they were back in their bedroom in Akakawa. He was lying on their bed, and she was getting dressed next to him. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail and put on a white Adidas baseball cap.

‘Where are you going?’ Shoji asked.

‘Shinagawa Aquarium.’ Yoko grabbed a black canvas rucksack. ‘I won’t be joining you for dinner.’

‘What about work?’

She leaned closer and kissed him. ‘Today is my day off.’

He frowned. ‘Isn’t it a pain to travel to Tokyo just to visit an aquarium?’

‘Not really. I also need to run some errands. Do you want anything?’

Shoji shook his head. ‘Nothing. I’m fine.’

‘All right then,’ she said, walking out. ‘I might be late back. If you’re tired, go to sleep. Don’t wait for me.’

He stared at Yoko. From this angle, her back looked small and fragile and, somehow, he felt a strong urge to stop her going.

‘Yoko!’ he called.

She turned around. ‘Yes?’

He went quiet. He had no idea why he’d called her. He wanted her to stay, but why?

Yoko stared at him. ‘What’s wrong, Shoji?’

‘Ah, nothing …’ He paused, thinking of something to say. ‘I was wondering if I could come with you next time.’

‘To Tokyo? You can, but not today. You’ll take a while to get ready, and I need to leave now.’

‘That’s not what I meant.’ She was never going to agree. She always went alone. ‘Can I come with you to the aquarium?’

She tilted her head. ‘Why? You’ve never been interested before.’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Curious, maybe? What could be so interesting that you go there so often? Also, I’ve never been to the Shinagawa aquarium.’

‘But you lived in Tokyo for so long.’

Shoji laughed. ‘As a poor student, yes. I never had any spare cash to play around with.’