‘Pretty convincing, wasn’t it?’ Uncle Hidetoshi said once they were in the lift.

‘Uh-huh,’ Shoji said. ‘Where did that story come from?’

He laughed. ‘A movie I watched recently. A psychotic fan terrorizes a young, handsome writer. A beautiful hotelier comes to his rescue.’

They exited on the fifth floor. The door to Shoji’s room was directly opposite the lift.

‘Why don’t you tell me who you are running away from?’ Uncle Hidetoshi used the key to open it. ‘I see that you didn’t bring any luggage. Did you leave in a hurry?’

A sudden heaviness overcame Shoji as he entered the room. What had happened came flashing back. Mr Odagiri in the shadows … the fire … and Yoko’s worried face before she left the apartment.

‘You don’t look good,’ Uncle Hidetoshi said, pulling out a chair. ‘Take a seat.’

The older man got his nephew a glass of water. Shoji gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.

‘Better?’ Uncle Hidetoshi asked.

Shoji nodded, placing the empty glass on the table. ‘Thank you.’

‘Tell me what happened. What are you doing here in Akakawa? I haven’t seen you in years.’

‘I’m sorry, I should’ve come to see you as soon as I arrived, but …’

Uncle Hidetoshi waved it away. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

He sat on the bed, opposite Shoji. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Shoji glanced at his surroundings. The hotel room was small but adequate. It had everything he needed — a queen-sized bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a dressing table with a matching chair. There was an en-suite bathroom too.

‘The woman at the reception counter reminds me of your mother,’ his uncle eventually spoke. ‘I bet Yurie still wears kimono all the time.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘How is she now? Is she well?’

‘Yes, she’s healthy.’ Though the last time Shoji had seen his mother was close to five years ago, before he’d moved to Tokyo.

‘That’s good.’ Uncle Hidetoshi nodded a few times. ‘Health is the most important thing for people our age.’

Uncle Hidetoshi was Shoji’s mother’s cousin. They used to be so close, almost like brother and sister. A long time ago, Uncle Hidetoshi had served under Shoji’s father in the Japan Self-Defense Forces, just like most men in the family. He even introduced Shoji’s parents to each other. But then one day Uncle Hidetoshi had a big disagreement with Shoji’s father. It was more than a decade ago, and Shoji couldn’t remember what had happened. But the fallout was bad enough that Shoji’s mother had cut all connections with Uncle Hidetoshi.

Uncle Hidetoshi moved to Tokyo and joined the police force. Later on, he was transferred to Akakawa. Shoji pitied him. His wife had passed away giving birth to their only son, and the son, too, had died when he was around two years old. Uncle Hidetoshi was pretty much on his own in a quiet, little town. Who would’ve thought that, one day, Shoji would end up in Akakawa too?