‘I see … Well, this place isn’t bad. Clean and cheap. I’ve been here a few times. Most importantly, the coffee is free. I can’t sleep without drinking a few cups. Strange, isn’t it? People usually drink coffee to keep awake, not to help them sleep.’

‘Uh-huh.’ Shoji wasn’t in the mood to chat, but he wasn’t sure how to walk away without being impolite.

‘Travelling, wasn’t it? Where did you go? All around Japan?’

‘I lived in Akakawa for a couple of months.’

‘Why Akakawa? It’s just a small town.’

Shoji shrugged.

‘Let me guess. You got sick of the crowded city and wanted to experience suburban life but ended up getting bored to death.’

Not wanting to give too much away, Shoji ventured no opinion.

‘What’s your plan now, Arai?’

‘I need to find a place to stay, and a job,’ Shoji said. ‘What about you? What do you do?’

‘I’m a junior editor at a magazine publisher. We’ve got some travel and in-house publications. Small circulation, nothing fantastic, but the people are friendly and the office has a fancy coffee machine.’ Yoshioka took a sip of his drink. ‘Though, right now, it’s out of service.’

A publisher? Shoji hesitated for a moment, but there was no harm in asking. ‘I don’t suppose there are any openings in your company?’

Yoshioka frowned a little. ‘There are, but are you sure you want to work there? It’s just a small company. Unlike me, you graduated from university, didn’t you?’

Shoji nodded, remembering rumours that Yoshioka had had to drop out because of a family situation. ‘I want to be a writer. Perhaps a journalist or a columnist. My degree is not related, so it’s hard to get in.’

‘I see,’ Yoshioka mumbled. ‘You were one of the more hard-working first years in our club. You still write? That’s good. My company is always looking for part-time writers. The pay is not high, but if you can do the job well and fast, you can earn a reasonable amount.’

Shoji couldn’t believe his luck.

‘You can give it a try.’ Yoshioka grinned. ‘Also, I shouldn’t say this but, if you want, you can rough it at the office until you find a place to stay. We work long hours. Sometimes, when we’re on deadline, we sleep at our desks and wake up the next day to continue working. There’s a cheap public baths near the building. It’s convenient. Since you can doze off in an internet café, you should be able to sleep there too. I normally stay if I have to work late, but tonight, no coffee.’

Shoji looked down at his cup. Everything was happening so fast.

‘Are you good at English?’ Yoshioka asked.

‘I’m all right. I took a few elective courses in English.’

‘Great. We need people like you,’ Yoshioka said. ‘Follow me, I’ll give you my business card. Today is Monday, so you can come to my office on Wednesday. I’ll talk to my boss about you tomorrow.’