He reluctantly followed her. It was too early to leave, anyway. Yoshioka was still preoccupied. They took their seats at the bar. She ordered a bottle of beer.

‘You like Asahi Super Dry, don’t you?’ she said.

Shoji knew he shouldn’t drink beer after wine, but he said nothing. He’d been drinking more and more recently. Wine, beer, sake, any alcohol he could get his hands on, but nothing seemed to affect him. He couldn’t get drunk even when he wanted to. The increased amount only dulled his tastebuds, making him feel bad. A good drink should be appreciated, not downed mindlessly.

The bartender came and poured two glasses of beer. Liyun raised her glass.

She took a sip and turned to him. ‘Refreshing, isn’t it? You don’t mind me calling you Shoji, do you?’

‘Uh-huh,’ he mumbled. He hardly knew her, but whatever. ‘Up to you.’

‘How are things with your girlfriend? Did you manage to find her?’

Not his favourite topic.

‘I overheard you asking some people about her earlier,’ she continued.

This girl got on his nerves. If she had heard that, why did she ask whether he had found her? If he had, he wouldn’t be asking around.

‘You’ve been searching for so long. Are you sure you’re looking properly?’

He wasn’t. Or rather, he couldn’t. He hadn’t stopped looking for Yoko, but beyond making some discreet phone calls to mutual acquaintances, he couldn’t think of any other ways that wouldn’t endanger her life and his. He had thought of reaching out to her family, but she had seldom talked about her past. He didn’t know where they were. Once, she had told him she was originally from Iwate prefecture, but that was it.

•

‘My parents never got married,’ Yoko said. ‘My father left my mother when she fell pregnant. She passed away giving birth to me. There were medical complications, but also, she had always been sickly. Have I told you? She was only eighteen.’ She paused, narrowing her eyes. ‘I pity her. She was still a child.’

‘Then who did you live with?’ Shoji asked.

‘My mother’s older siblings. They passed me from one family to another. I was unwanted. They always said how stupid she was to get pregnant. I hated them. I studied hard so I could get into a university in Tokyo, leave my hometown for good.’

He reached for her hand. ‘You did well.’

‘Uh-huh.’ She nodded. ‘Let’s not talk about this again.’

That was the only conversation they had had about her family. Did they never talk about it again because she had asked him not to? Or was it because he didn’t want her to ask him about his life back in Fukuoka? Probably, both were true.

•

‘Shoji, I’m waiting for your answer.’

Liyun’s voice pulled Shoji from his thoughts. He gulped down his beer. He used to like Asahi Super Dry for its clean and crisp taste but, nowadays, it tasted bland and gassy.

‘It’s been so long,’ she said. ‘Don’t you think she has moved on with her life?’