Mr Sato chuckled. ‘Mr Arai, if you’re trying to negotiate, you should bring something to the table.’ He rubbed his gloved hands. ‘Shall we?’

Before Shoji could protest, Mr Sato had dragged him off the floor. He tried to thrash around, but he could only manage to wriggle a little. Mr Sato pulled him into the bathroom and threw him into the tub. This was it. Mr Sato was planning to drown him.

Shoji thought about his mother and how he had dismissed her concerns over and over. He could swim, but not when bound and numb. This time, it was over.

No. He couldn’t think like that. He had to survive this ordeal. It was too early to give up.

First, he needed to stay composed. He had to stall Mr Sato while trying to think of a way to get out.

‘How did you know I was here?’ Shoji asked.

Mr Sato smirked. ‘I always know where you are. I’m always watching you. I’ve been following you ever since you took shelter at the Katsuragi Hotel.’

All this time, he hadn’t been able to evade their clutches. ‘Why didn’t you kill me then?’

‘Because I wanted to make up for a debt from the past. After all, you did shoulder a price I should have paid. You might not believe me, but I’m a man of principle.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Of course you don’t. That was your defence mechanism, wasn’t it? You couldn’t forgive yourself for the grave mistake you thought you had made, so you locked the memory deep inside you and threw away the key.’ Mr Sato looked at Shoji kindly. ‘I tried my best to help you. I thought I could silence you with threats, but I was wrong. You’re planning to stir up trouble again. You should’ve stayed quietly in Tokyo, then we wouldn’t have needed to have this conversation. Instead, you came to Kisejima to look for Yoko Sasaki.’

A thought crossed Shoji’s mind. ‘You’ve never wanted me to be with her.’

Mr Sato gave Shoji a satisfied smile. ‘You’re starting to get the picture now. Yes, she’s better off here, away from you. You know too many secrets, and you tend to ignore the rules. You’re a ticking bomb. Being with you would only endanger her life.’

Something was off with the way Mr Sato was talking, Shoji’s instincts told him. He could do this. He had to find an opening and use it to his advantage.

Think, Shoji. Think.

‘I know you love her, but you’re not strong enough to protect her,’ Mr Sato continued. ‘I’m the only one who can watch over her.’