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square-jawed visage a tiny bit, giving the impression, almost, of a smile. Only an hour ago, Mai had seen that face and bowed, to no one in particular. They'd probably hold the wake tonight, and then cremate the body tomorrow. This very moment, the hearse was probably well on its way to the family's house in Sagami Ohno. Ando wished he could watch Ryuji's body turn to ash. He had the strange feeling that his old classmate was still alive.
     
     

4
     
    They were to meet at the benches near the library. Ando finished auditing a lecture at the law school on the main campus, checked his watch, and then headed for the appointed spot.
    Only the day before, Mai Takano had placed a call to the M.E.'s office. Ando happened to be there-it was his turn on autopsy duty again-and when he heard her voice on the phone, he instantly recalled her face. It wasn't all that unusual to get calls from relatives or friends of people he'd worked on, but usually they were calling to ask about the cause of death. Mai had a different reason for calling. She said that on the evening of the day of the autopsy, she'd slipped out of the wake early and gone to Ryuji's apartment. She'd needed to set in order an unpublished manuscript he'd been working on. In the process, she'd discovered something that bothered her. She hinted, subtly, that it might have something to do with Ryuji's death.
    Of course, Ando was interested in anything of value she might be able to tell him, but he was also eager to be in the presence of her pristine beauty again. He'd told her he had to attend a lecture on the main campus, but after that he could make time for her. She could tell him all about it then.
    He'd told her when the lecture was scheduled to end, and then she'd suggested the place.
    The benches in front of the library, under the cherry trees.
    He'd spent two years on the main campus getting his general education requirements out of the way, but he and his friends had never used these benches as a rendezvous point. His future wife, who'd been a liberal arts major at this university, had preferred to meet under the gingko trees.
    Before he even got close to the benches he recognized the woman sitting there as Mai. Her one-piece today was a primary color, making her look younger than she had at the M.E.'s office ten days ago. He circled around in front of her to get a look at her face, but she was immersed in a paperback and didn't look up.
    He accosted her, with intentionally loud footsteps, and she raised her head.
    "Ms Takano?"
    She started to stand up, saying, "Thank you for… the other day." She plainly couldn't figure out quite how to greet a man who had just dissected her lover.
    Ando was holding a briefcase. His hands looked nimble and his fingers long and thin enough to proclaim what he did for a living.
    "May I sit down?"
    Without waiting for her reply, he sat down next to her and crossed his legs.
    "Have the test results come back yet?" she asked in an inflectionless voice.
    Ando glanced at his watch. "How are you for time? If it's okay with you, why don't we go have a cup of tea? There are a couple of things I'd like to ask you."
    Without a word, Mai stood up and tugged at the hem of her dress.
     
    They went to a cafe of her choosing. For a student hangout, it was surprisingly quiet-it felt more like a hotel lounge. They sat at a table next to the window, where they could look out onto the street, and the waitress brought them water and hot towels.
    Mai didn't hesitate before ordering. "I'll have a fruit parfait."
    Surprised, and unable to settle on anything, Ando could only say, "Coffee for me." Ten days ago, he'd gotten an impression of meekness from her. That was beginning to change.
    "I love fruit," she shrugged after the waitress left. For a moment, Ando thought she'd said I love you, and then kicked himself for indulging in such a ridiculous fantasy. A man of your age!
    It was truly a gorgeous fruit parfait, nestled on wafers and topped with a