He shrugged. ‘Mine is just an old apartment. I’m sharing it with a friend.’

‘Is it nice to have a housemate? Do you get along with him?’

‘Her, actually,’ he said. ‘I live with a girl, but she’s just a friend. Nothing romantic.’

Eri narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah,’ he said, avoiding her stare. ‘There’s nothing between us.’

Her face brightened. ‘Hey, why don’t you come over to my place one of these weekends? Ask your housemate along. We can watch a movie and have popcorn, or play some board games. I’ll order KFC. As a thank you for treating me tonight.’

He gave her a puzzled look. ‘What, like Christmas? But it’s still summer.’

‘Doesn’t matter. Let’s just pretend,’ she insisted. ‘I’ll write down my address.’

After they parted ways, Shoji went to look for a place to smoke. As he lit up his cigarette, he thought of what Eri had said. Was there a way to help Mizuki? No, he had exhausted all his options. But it felt as if there might be something he hadn’t noticed. What was that?

By the time he finished smoking, the last train had departed, so he spent the night at an internet café.

•

Shoji climbed the staircase to the third floor and walked through the corridor towards his apartment. Before he reached it, the door opened. Liyun craned her neck.

‘Welcome home,’ she greeted him.

He scratched his neck. ‘How did you know I was coming?’

‘I heard your footsteps on the staircase. Tap, tap, tap.’ She used her fingers to illustrate her point. ‘The rest of the occupants take the lift. You’re such a health-conscious person.’

Shoji said nothing. He climbed the staircase out of habit. The apartment he’d lived in Akakawa with Yoko had had no lift.

‘Did you drink with Yoshioka until you missed the last train?’ Liyun asked. ‘You smell of alcohol.’

He took off his coat and shoes. ‘I did, but not with Yoshioka. I was with an old friend from Fukuoka. We used to work together.’

‘Don’t tell me it’s a woman,’ she teased him. ‘Is she cute? Did you spend the night with her?’

‘Why do you need to know? It’s none of your business.’

Liyun was quiet, then mumbled, ‘Whatever.’

Something was off with her. He knew it, but he couldn’t be bothered to find out what it was.

Shoji went into his apartment. The television was on, showing a children’s cartoon. A blue cat robot took out a pink-coloured door from his magical pocket. ‘The Anywhere Door!’ the robot announced. The children around him cheered. They went through the door and came out on to a beautiful beach.

‘You’re watching Doraemon?’ he asked.

‘Not really,’ she said. ‘I just leave it on while I’m doing housework.’