By the time I graduated from university, I had moved out from my parents' home into a shared apartment complex a little further away. Though rare by then, the building still had communal toilets and shared kitchen facilities, but residents could also request to have meals prepared at the landlord's private residence. I decided to have breakfast and dinner with the landlord's family. The property manager was quite young, so I suspected there might be some special circumstances, but I never got around to asking. One Sunday evening, I was invited: "Rie-chan, I made curry—come over and eat?" I grabbed a plate and headed to the back entrance. Instead of serving me there, I was invited inside: "Tonight, why don't you eat in our dining room?" Over dinner, we talked about various things, including why he, being so young, was working as a caretaker. He explained that his marriage during college hadn't worked out, so he returned to his parents' home with his son, Tetsu-kun. They officially divorced three years ago, and with no motivation to find a regular job, he continued managing the property. When I asked if he'd consider remarrying, he replied, "Hmm, not for a while," and as I finished eating and got up to leave, he asked, "Can I come by later to borrow a book?" I said, "Sure," and returned to my room. Though we both sensed mutual feelings, we never acted on them, occasionally chatting instead about favorite novels or authors. My parents had allowed me four years of freedom at university with the condition that I return home after graduation. As my graduation approached, I began murmuring, "Mr. ○○ (the landlord's name), I don't want to be separated from Tetsu-kun..." but he just smiled wryly and said, "There are plenty of better men out there." After that, my student days came to an end. Even now, after returning to Tokyo, we continue exchanging New Year's cards.