Liyun walked to the bed and sat there. ‘I knew Yoko.’

‘That’s hardly surprising,’ he said, feeling relieved it was only that. He sat down in the chair in front of her. ‘The three of us used to study at the same university. You’re also around the same age as her. It’s only natural that you knew her.’

‘That’s not it,’ Liyun said. ‘I knew Yoko from way, way back.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She used to date my brother.’

Something wasn’t right. ‘But your brother, didn’t he …?’

‘Yes, he passed away,’ she said, ‘drowned during a diving trip.’

Shoji stared at Liyun.

‘In the beginning, I approached you because I was curious what kind of man Yoko was dating,’ she said. ‘After my brother’s death, she acted as if nothing had happened. She even got herself a new boyfriend. You wouldn’t know this, but he went on that diving trip because he wanted to make a video proposal for Yoko. Something that would suit her, he said.’

Her name … No wonder she hated it.

‘My brother loved Yoko. She was everything to him. I didn’t expect her to mourn him forever, but she was way too nonchalant about his death. She cut her hair short, wrote her name differently, and got into a new relationship. Not even a month had passed when she started to go out with you. Didn’t my brother mean anything to her?’

Liyun’s breathing was rapid.

‘I hated how you and my brother had both been so foolishly in love with her. The second time we met, I learned that you were still waiting for her, even after she’d been gone for so long. Someone like Yoko, who could simply move on from one man to another, didn’t deserve you, or my brother. I wanted to punish her, to take you away from her.’

Shoji sighed. It all makes sense now. He waited until she calmed down before speaking.

‘Yoko didn’t forget about your brother,’ he said. ‘She kept on blaming herself. I bet that’s why she changed her name. Why did she go out with me? Who knows? Perhaps she was trying to get over him. But trust me, he was always on her mind.’

Liyun looked up. Her eyes glistened. ‘What makes you so sure?’

‘Back when I was with Yoko, she always made it a point to visit the aquarium often. I used to wonder why, but now everything is clear. She missed him, and she blamed herself for his death. Even after we had moved to Akakawa, she still made frequent day trips to Tokyo just to go to the aquarium.’

Liyun had said nothing. Was she listening?

‘What happened to your brother was an accident,’ Shoji said. ‘You can’t blame Yoko for that.’

Liyun looked down and crossed her fingers.