The next morning, the alarm went off in Lisa's hotel room. She was lying on her back, half covered by a messy sheet, her cheek pressed into the pillow. She woke up but didn't open her eyes.
"Masu, please, turn off the alarm…" she said in a sleepy tone. But there was no response.
"Masu? Are you awake?" Lisa asked, still not moving from her comfortable position in bed.
"Mhhh, come on, Masu, don't play dumb, I know you've been awake for a while," she said, reaching her arm toward Masahiro's spot with the intention of playfully punching him. But her fist went right through empty space and fell onto the cool mattress, as if no one had been there.
Lisa's eyes shot open, and she jumped out of bed, finding the bed empty before her.
She quickly scanned the small hotel room, and her fear was confirmed.
"Not again…" she whispered, disheartened.
She hastily dressed, gathering her hair into a messy, poorly done bun and forgetting to apply the light makeup she always wore before going out. She grabbed her purse with the bare minimum and rushed out of the hotel.
She went to the parking lot to get her car, but then realized her keys weren't in her bag, and the car wasn't there.
"Where the hell did he go with my car? My god, what's happening, Masahiro…"
Lisa was visibly worried and realized she didn't recognize her husband in his recent behavior. Yet, that afternoon when they checked into the hotel, she had convinced herself that Masahiro's pain had settled enough to keep him stable. It was clear now that she had been wrong—there was something deeper in this whole situation.
Without wasting time, she took the first subway to Ryoka's house, hoping she might find him there, or at least that Ryoka might know something.
When she arrived in front of Ryoka's house, something seemed off at first glance. Lisa clearly remembered how she had seen the house the first time: clean, well-maintained, a true source of pride for its owner. Now, it was a different story: the garden was overgrown and untended, the path was full of weeds, and the house's main facade had cracks in the paint, with even exposed bricks.
Still, she didn't give it too much thought—her priority was finding her husband.
Lisa knocked on the door. No one answered. She began knocking repeatedly, one, two, three times, each knock more frantic than the last. She was getting impatient.
"Come on, Ryoka, open up. Where the hell are you?" she continued knocking.
"Were you looking for me?"
Ryoka appeared behind her without making a sound, almost as if he had teleported in that very instant. Lisa flinched and turned to face him, meeting his cold gaze and strange grin.
"There you are, Ryoka. Where have you been? Is Masahiro here with you?"
"I'm happy to see you too, Lisa. No, Masahiro isn't here, why would he be? Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" he replied coldly and completely out of place.
Lisa felt uneasy and started to fidget.
"No, Ryoka, don't you understand? He disappeared from home last night. But at least, have you seen him?"
"Mhh, seen him? The last time I saw him, he was leaving my house with you, my dear. But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back."
"How… how can you be so calm? Don't you see how shaken he's been lately? He's not even answering the phone…"
"Lisa, relax! He'll be in touch soon! Why don't you come inside for the cup of tea I mentioned? You need to calm down, you're clearly upset."
"No, Ryoka." Lisa was furious. "I won't stop until I find my husband, and if you don't want to help me, I'll manage just fine on my own."
She hurriedly left the cold place, with more questions than answers. Ryoka's behavior had only infuriated her and didn't convince her at all. She was starting to believe Ryoka wasn't the good friend he pretended to be.
She took the subway again, knowing exactly where to go next: the house.
She rushed into the subway, but in her hurry, she took the line in the wrong direction without realizing it at first. When she finally got off, she found herself facing tall walls and a large iron gate.
"This is the Kyoto cemetery... damn, I took the wrong direction. How stupid."
At that moment, Lisa had a sudden thought.
"What if he's here...?"
Maybe Masahiro had gone to visit his mother's grave or to check on the preparation of his father's tombstone. She was already there, and she had to put her doubts to rest.
She entered the cemetery, and in every direction she looked, there were tombstones and graves. She began searching for Masahiro's mother's tombstone. She had been there once years ago, but it had been too long to remember its exact location.
After a short, solemn walk, respecting the place, among the graves, she finally spotted the name of the Kuni family.
"Akiko Kuni, 1964-2002"
"Oh, Mrs. Kuni… since you passed away, Masahiro hasn't been the same. But now… what should I do...?"
Lisa barely held back her tears and continued walking in front of the row of tombstones, reading each name until she came across one that made her freeze.
She read that name over and over.
"No… how… it's not possible…"
She brought a hand to her mouth in shock, stepping back from the name carved into the stone. She couldn't believe what she had just read.
Lisa started running toward the subway: she had to go back to that house.