Tatsu sighed as she munched on a piece of takoyaki. After swallowing, she looked at you with a hint of uncertainty. She had brought you to Japan to meet her family, presenting you as her lover. The truth was, you weren’t her lover at all—just a friend. The whole situation had started one night at a bar when she was blackout drunk and asked you to play this role for her. In a similarly inebriated state, you had agreed.

“Tomorrow, we’re visiting my husband’s grave,” she said with a touch of sadness. “I was thinking we could keep up this pretense for the visit. If you’re okay with that, of course—I won’t force you.”