‘I can’t,’ Shoji said. ‘But I’d like to take the chance.’

‘You’re optimistic.’ Jin turned to face him. ‘When it comes to love, you’ll always be on the losing end. Mark my words. You shouldn’t get too serious.’

Shoji didn’t respond. He’d said what he wanted to say.

Further down the street, a red balloon flew up into the sky. A child had accidentally let it go. For a moment, it was so near Jin or Shoji could have reached for it, but neither of them did. They saw it float up, disappearing into the clouds.

Shoji looked at the little boy who had lost hold of it, expecting him to cry. But he didn’t.

Yet the episode left Shoji with a dull pain in his chest.

•

On their day off, Yoko and Shoji hunted for cheap household items and stocked up on food. Uncle Hidetoshi was right — Akakawa was a quiet town. Yet Shoji didn’t find it boring. The place had a relaxed atmosphere. It was charming. No heavy congestion on the road, no one walking in a rush. There were always plenty of seats on the buses and trains.

Or maybe it was Yoko. With her, even a visit to a cramped and dusty second-hand shop was enjoyable.

She picked up a red vintage phone with a rotary dial. ‘Should we get this? We’ve got no phone in our apartment.’

‘I’d prefer something more practical,’ Shoji said. ‘This is cute, but hard to use.’

Yoko put the phone down. They left the shop, walking aimlessly until she tugged at his arm in front of an electronic goods shop. Rows of televisions lined the storefront behind the glass window. Colourful signs advertised various discounts.

‘Let’s get the phone here,’ Yoko said, dragging Shoji in.

‘Do we need one? There’s a public payphone near the bus stop.’

She turned to him. ‘Absolutely. Otherwise, how will your parents call you?’

The automatic glass door opened and a smiling shopkeeper greeted them. A huge loudspeaker blasted cheery music. Shoji stood still amid row upon row of electrical appliances while Yoko talked to the shopkeeper. As she spoke, she gestured with her hands. He said something, she nodded, and they walked further into the shop.

In the four years that Shoji had lived in Tokyo, he’d never received a call from his parents. And that was what he wanted. He told his mother he would call her, but only did so once in a blue moon. As for that man, there was no way Shoji would ever call him.

He always avoided talking about his family to anyone. But one day …

No, not one day.

Soon. He stared at Yoko’s back. Soon, he would tell her about them.

She turned around and waved. ‘Shoji, can you come here?’

He walked over to her. Just not now. He didn’t want to spoil their time together by bringing up the past.

•

Shoji’s client — the only one so far — laughed when he told her how he had spent a whole day looking for the perfect phone. She poured a cup of tea for him. Earl Grey, her usual choice.