Then there was Mizuki, whose name meant water. She was alive, but her sister had died in that bizarre swimming pool accident. Her husband had drowned too.

The third one must be Liyun.

‘Don’t worry, Shoji,’ his mother said. ‘You’re a strong swimmer, aren’t you?’

He swallowed hard. If only she knew what had happened to Mizuki’s late husband. ‘Is that why you were so persistent about me learning to swim?’

‘I only have one child. I did all I could to protect you.’

Shoji ran her words through his mind. One of the women with the water element in their names might be the person he was destined to be with, but getting close to them could end in death.

‘What are you planning to do now?’ his mother asked.

‘I’m not sure yet,’ he said. ‘Probably meet an old friend.’

‘You’re not trying to track down that girl, are you?’

He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want her to be worried.

‘Shoji, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Please stay away from her,’ his mother pleaded.

‘Nothing bad will happen to me,’ he reassured her. ‘I’m a strong swimmer, remember?’

30 Welcome to Singapore

CHAPTER 30

WELCOME TO SINGAPORE

Dragging a rolling suitcase, Shoji went to the Changi airport immigration counter and handed over his passport. The officer stamped the travel document and returned it to him. When their fingers touched, her hand felt warm. Or was it his fingers that were freezing? It had been colder on the aeroplane than he would’ve liked.

A few days ago, Shoji had gone to Yoshioka’s desk and asked his senior if he could take a one-week holiday.

‘Finally! I started to think you might be a robot.’ Yoshioka gave him a big grin. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Singapore,’ Shoji said.

Yoshioka’s eyes widened. ‘You have a passport, Arai?’

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Just got it today.’

‘Why so sudden?’

‘I’m planning to visit an old friend.’

Trying to get information about Yoko from the university had been extremely challenging but, thankfully, getting in touch with the swimming club alumni group had proved a lot easier, especially since Jin had Sachiko’s number. His mother had been right. She was kind of a celebrity, though she hadn’t become an actress or a model. She had built a name for herself as a fashion designer. Sachiko helpfully gave him the name of the student currently in charge of all alumni correspondence. Name-dropping went a long way and the girl eagerly gave Shoji everything he needed. Apparently, Liyun had returned to Singapore a while ago.

Yoshioka raised an eyebrow. ‘It seems strange. You’ve always avoided overseas assignments.’

Shoji shrugged. ‘Maybe I’m having a mid-life crisis.’