“Oh come on, you know how it goes,” Hokuto says with a tut. Everyone wants to know who this person is that her brother writes about. Because of course, it must be about somebody. The lyrics are too personal, too deep to be about an imagined fictional person.

“People have very romantic notions of what goes on in a songwriter’s head. Inspiration must come from experiences lived, apparently.”

Hokuto pushes around the vegetables with the saibashi to make room for the meat. All whilst glancing surreptitiously at her brother to gauge his reaction. Is this song about someone she knows? She suspects as much, but doesn’t want to press. Too much, anyway.