“Shutting yourself away in a bookshop is fine,” said the cat in its rich, deep voice. “What worried us more was that you’d retreated into your own shell.” “My shell . . .” “Please do come out of it.” The cat spoke quietly, but its voice resonated to the pit of Rintaro’s stomach. “Don’t give in to loneliness. You aren’t alone. You have many friends looking out for you.”
