•

Shoji spent the next day cooped up in that tiny hotel room. Mrs Katsuragi brought him takeaway food from the convenience store three times a day. In the morning, she also thoughtfully included a cup of coffee.

Unlike Shoji’s mother, Mrs Katsuragi was a woman of few words. She would knock on the door, pass him the food, and leave. Her manner was discreet, yet courteous.

But by the third day, Shoji was overwhelmed by boredom. He couldn’t sleep. He was always restless, especially when night came. Tossing and turning on the bed, he listened to the distant sounds of vehicles, feeling lost, missing Yoko.

This is what it feels like, being cut off from the rest of the world.

He was so frustrated that he felt like screaming, but he knew he shouldn’t make any noise or cause any trouble.

To channel his pent-up energy, he did hundreds of push-ups, day and night. Pressing the cold, hard floor, Shoji exhausted himself until he collapsed. After that, he took a long, warm shower. The ritual helped to make him feel calmer, but only to a certain extent.

Shoji knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Holing up in that small room was driving him crazy. He had to get out. He had to find Yoko.

Please, please, just be safe, until I can find a way to get to you.

•

On the fifth day, someone knocked on the door at around seven in the morning. It was Uncle Hidetoshi.

‘Good morning,’ Shoji said.

His uncle came in without returning his greeting. His breathing was heavy. The white shirt under his grey suit looked even more crumpled than last time. A black coat was slung carelessly across his arm.

‘Can I get you a drink?’ Shoji asked.

Uncle Hidetoshi put his coat on the bed and pulled out the chair from the dressing table. ‘Don’t bother. I’m only staying for a short while.’ He gestured to the bed. ‘Take a seat. I need to talk to you about this situation of yours.’

From his tone, Shoji knew it wasn’t going to be good news.

‘You’ve got yourself into a tight spot,’ Uncle Hidetoshi said. ‘When you told me what had happened, I had a bad feeling. Kazuhiro Katou and his family hold considerable power around here.’

‘Was he the person behind the fire?’

Uncle Hidetoshi scratched his chin. ‘Hard to say for sure, but I’m inclined to believe you might be right. Thankfully, it wasn’t a big fire. No one was injured. Everyone managed to evacuate in time. From what I understand, it might have been caused by an issue with the building’s construction. For safety reasons, all the residents have been asked to move out while the case is being investigated. That being said, for your safety, I would advise against returning there to retrieve your belongings.’

He tightened his fists. ‘We can’t let him get away with this. I want to file a police report.’

‘Listen first.’ Uncle Hidetoshi gave him a stern look. ‘The police aren’t going to do anything. They won’t take your case. He has spies in every station. Even if they did, Kazuhiro Katou is meticulous. He won’t let you get your hands on any evidence that might implicate him. You’ve got zero chance of winning against him.’