As he stood there seeing Sayo off, he suddenly heard a deep voice in his ear. ‘Good luck, Mr Proprietor.’ Startled, Rintaro turned and looked around, but of course there was nobody to be seen. He thought he might have caught a glimpse of the back of a tabby cat disappearing over the fence across the street but he couldn’t be certain. The street seemed just the same as it always was. He stood there for a moment before giving a little smile. ‘I’ll give it my best,’ Rintaro said. He looked up at the sky.
