He lets Himeno take the lead regarding their game of deception, pressing the side of his face against her lips and feeling an urge to tousle her hair more – ah, if nothing else, women have an intuition for these sorts of things, don’t they? Seating himself opposite her, he lets the waiter present the menu, the man professional to a fault, no surprises there.

Once he’s left them to consider, promising to bring the usual pick of wine, Michel gestures with one hand at his guest, “You can choose whatever you feel like. But the mackerel is good, my recommendation.”