‘I didn’t have much choice. I was in a panic. I didn’t know what was going on.’ Yoko bit her lip. ‘I thought it was safer for us to go separately. But then you never came to find me. I assumed you’d decided it would be better for us to be on our own until things settled down.’

‘How could I find you? You left without a word. You could have written me a note.’

‘But I did,’ she said. ‘I left you a note on the table. You couldn’t have missed it.’

•

After packing hastily, Yoko took a notebook from her drawer.

‘What are you doing?’ Mr Sato asked. ‘We need to go now.’

‘Just a moment, please. It won’t take more than a minute.’ She grabbed a pen from the desk. ‘If you can’t wait, you can leave first.’

The older man sighed. ‘Just be quick.’

She nodded and scribbled as fast as she could.

Shoji, the people in the company are after us. It’s not safe to remain in Akakawa. I’m heading to Kuromachi. I’ll wait for you there. After that, we can return to Tokyo together. Mr Sato is helping us. I have a feeling he is someone we can trust. – Yoko

•

Could it be … Shoji’s heart skipped a beat. ‘You don’t know about the fire?’

Yoko’s eyes widened.

‘On the day you left, there was a fire at the apartment. I knew the company was after me, so I couldn’t come back.’

‘No.’ She covered her mouth. ‘Then …’

‘I never saw your note.’

Yoko was silent. She looked down for a long time, then she started to shiver. Was she crying? No, she was laughing.

Shoji became flustered. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Don’t you think everything is hilarious?’ she said. ‘I waited so long, thinking you had left me to fend for myself. You probably thought the same about me too.’ Yoko’s laughter was getting louder. She covered her face with her hands. Tears seeped through the gaps between her fingers.

‘Yoko …’ he whispered her name.

‘I thought you’d abandoned me,’ she said, still covering her face. ‘Or worse, that they’d managed to get you. I was worried. I tried calling Jin’s apartment, but he had moved out. I contacted some of your friends too, but no one knew where you were. I even tried asking the university for your phone number in Fukuoka, thinking perhaps you might have gone back to your family, but of course the staff wouldn’t give me your personal details. I was about to go to the police, but Mr Sato advised me against it. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. I —’

He reached for her and hugged her.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Shoji said, whispering into her ear. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing.’