‘Why can’t you admit that, in your eyes, no one would ever be good enough for her?’

Mr Sato paused before answering, ‘Probably. You can never understand a father’s sentiments.’

Shoji desperately tried to free himself. ‘Yoko will never forgive you for this.’

‘Not if she never finds out.’ He inched closer. ‘Do you know what I love most about dead people?’ He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘They’re the most discreet creatures. The dead don’t talk.’

Shoji felt the water filling up the tub. ‘Even if you got rid of my letter, there’s no guarantee Yoko wouldn’t look for me in Tokyo.’

‘I know,’ Mr Sato said. ‘Which is why I’ve left a message at her workplace.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She’ll be the first to discover your dead body. That will spell a clean end to your relationship.’ He sighed deeply. ‘It’s always difficult when you don’t get proper closure, isn’t it? We both know that.’

The water had now reached Shoji’s ears. He started to panic. ‘Let me go!’

‘Ah, there is one more thing I want to tell you,’ Mr Sato said. ‘Listen carefully. That incident you tried so hard to erase, it wasn’t your fault. You just happened to be unlucky. But don’t be afraid. With your death, you’ll finally be released from the guilt you’ve been carrying all your life. You’ll find the peace you’ve always longed for. This old man will bear that burden, just as he should’ve done from the start.’ He stood and looked down at Shoji. ‘I don’t like what I did, but it had to be done. I was just following orders. Try to consider this a privilege, Mr Arai. Not everyone gets to die listening to music fit for a king.’

Chuckling, Mr Sato walked away.

Once the sound of his footsteps had faded, Shoji frantically tried to pull his hands free.

The rope was still too tight. His whole body remained numb and the water continued to fill the tub. He didn’t have much time. If he could sit up, he would survive this. But he couldn’t move. Was there nothing he could do?

Shoji closed his eyes. His mind drifted, and he recalled his conversation with Mizuki.

They were in Professor Goda’s office. Shoji was on the sofa, while Mizuki stood near the window. The morning sun highlighted her long hair.

She turned to him and asked, ‘Do you know how long it takes to lose consciousness under water? As little as two minutes. In four to six minutes of drowning, a person can sustain permanent brain damage.’

He watched her running her fingers along the window frame.