ƒŽ‘•–•ƒ‹††‹†ǯ–ǡ„—t I stopped myself. I thought maybe I did understand herȄand I had an idea why. Dz‡…ƒ—•‡™‡ǯ”‡‘’’‘•‹–‡•ǡdz•ƒ‹†Ǥ Dz‡ǯ”‡‘’’‘•‹–‡•ǫdz•Š‡ƒ•‡†Ǥ Dz‡ƒŠǤˆ‹‰—”‡‹ˆ‹–ǯ•ƒ‹†‡ƒ™‘—Ž†‡˜‡”–Š‹ǡ–Š‡‹–‹‰Š–„‡ something you do. I tried one out, and I ‰‘–‹–”‹‰Š–Ǥdz Dz”‹…›Ǥ‹†›‘—Ž‡ƒ”–‘–Š‹Ž‹‡–Šƒ–ˆ”‘›‘—”„‘‘•ǫdz •Š”—‰‰‡†ǤDzƒ›„‡Ǥdz ‡™‡”‡‘ˆ–™‘‘’’‘•‹‰˜‹‡™’‘‹–•Ǥ‘”ƒŽŽ›ǡ™‡™‘—Ž†ǯ–Šƒ˜‡ any need or expectation of having anything to do with each other. Until just a few months ago, our only connection was that we inhabited the same classroom, and our only point of contact was her raucous laughter springing into my ears. She made such a racket that, despite my disinterest in other people, I immediately recalled her name when I saw her in the hospital that day. Being my opposite, she must have made an impression. She drank her café au lait while intermittentlyȄand needlesslyȄ ‘ˆˆ‡”‹‰Š‡””‡ƒ…–‹‘•ȋDz—ǨdzȌǤ†”ƒ›„Žƒ……‘ˆˆ‡‡‹•‹Ž‡…‡Ǥ Dz‘—‹‰Š–„‡‘–‘•‘‡–Š‹‰ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†ǡDzƒ„‘—–—•„‡‹‰‘’’‘•‹–‡•Ǥ At the yakiniku place, you kept eating flank and sirloin. But the whole point ‘ˆ‰‘‹‰–‘›ƒ‹‹—‹•–‘–”›†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–…—–•Ǥdz Dz–”‹‡†–Š‡ǤŽ‹‡†–Š‡‘”‡–Šƒ‡š’‡…–‡†–‘ǡ„—–ǯŽŽ•–‹…™‹–Š normal meat. Deliberately ea–‹‰ƒŽ‹˜‹‰„‡‹‰ǯ•‘”‰ƒ•Ȅthat sounds kind ‘ˆ‘•–”‘—•ǡ†‘‡•ǯ–‹–ǫ‘†‘‡•†—’‹‰ƒŽŽ–Šƒ–•—‰ƒ”ƒ†‹Ž‹–‘ …‘ˆˆ‡‡ǡ™Š‡‹–ǯ•ƒŽ”‡ƒ†›’‡”ˆ‡…–ƒ•‹–‹•Ǥdz Dz†‘ǯ––Š‹‘—”‘—–Ž‘‘‘ˆ‘‘†ƒ–…Š‡•—’Ǥdz Dz‘–Œ—•–ƒ„‘—–ˆ‘‘†ǡdz•ƒ‹†Ǥ We sat in the coffee shop for about another hour. Nothing else we –ƒŽ‡†ƒ„‘—–™ƒ•‘ˆƒ›‹’‘”–ƒ…‡Ǥ‡†‹†ǯ––ƒŽƒ„‘—–Ž‹ˆ‡ǡ†‡ƒ–Šǡ‹ŽŽ‡••ǡ or our time left in this world. So then, what did we talk about? Mostly, she talked about our classmates. I assumed she was trying to get me to take interest in them, but I could safely say her experiment ended in failure. Š‡ƒ––‡’–™ƒ•Š‘’‡Ž‡••ˆ”‘–Š‡•–ƒ”–Ǥ™ƒ•ǯ–ƒ„‘—––‘–ƒ‡ interest in my classmates or their simplistic love stories. I knew of tales far less boring and mundane. Surely she must have noticed how I felt, as I ™ƒ•ǯ––Š‡–›’‡‘ˆ’‡”•‘™Š‘…‘—Ž†Š‹†‡Š‹•„‘”‡†‘Ǥ–‹ŽŽǡ–Šƒ–•Š‡–”‹‡†