After the satisfying meal, a guilty pang crept into Shoji. He had been unnecessarily harsh to Liyun. He opened his fridge to get some beer. Vegetables, fruits, and other fresh ingredients occupied most of the shelves. There was also a box of milk and a carton of bottled juices with a ‘Drink Me’ note stuck on to them. Shoji ripped the label off and reached for a bottle of carrot juice. His kitchen staples normally consisted of only canned drinks and instant food. How had Liyun found the time to buy groceries, cook, and clean up in one day? She was like his mother, always able to put together a feast so quickly.

Stop that. He couldn’t afford to get comfortable with Liyun. She couldn’t stay with him for too long. He had to help her find a new place soon.

Returning to his room, Shoji passed the spare bedroom. The door was ajar, so he took a peek. The room was illuminated by the moonlight. Cardboard boxes filled up the space. Liyun had fallen asleep on top of one of them.

He went in and crouched next to her. She had a pen in her hand. A few stacks of magazines and a bunch of Post-it notes were scattered around her. What had she done? He took a magazine with some notes in it and flipped open the pages.

She had marked his articles.

Shoji kept over a thousand magazines in that room. It would take forever for her to go through them. He peered into the boxes. She had sorted them by publication title and date.

Liyun opened her eyes slightly. ‘Sorry, I still haven’t finished.’ Her voice sounded half asleep.

‘Stupid girl.’ Shoji got up and offered his hand. ‘Why did you sleep on the floor when there’s a futon behind you? Do you want to catch a cold?’

A grin slid across Liyun’s face. Instead of taking Shoji’s hand, she climbed on to the futon. Her movements were graceful and lithe. She must have been a cat in her previous life. Shiny black fur, long, curling tail, pointed ears, striking eyes. Yes, he could picture it well.

Before he left the room, Shoji told Liyun, ‘Thanks for the food. It’s the best I’ve had recently.’

‘I’m glad,’ she whispered, and pulled her blanket up over her.

He paused. ‘Also, about what happened earlier, it wasn’t you I was angry with.’ I was frustrated with myself, he wanted to say, but doing so would only confuse her. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.’

‘I know,’ she said, her eyes closing. ‘We’re the same, Shoji.’

He wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but it looked like she was already falling asleep. He planned to bring up the topic the next day, but when the morning came the thought had slipped from his mind.

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