And that, I realized, was the most Japanese thing of all.

The final subtitle, before the screen faded to black, was: "Terkadang, pelukan di stasiun lebih intim daripada seribu malam di ranjang." – "Sometimes, a hug at the station is more intimate than a thousand nights in bed."

But I closed the laptop.

I scrolled down. The next link was titled: "Mantan Pacar Jadi Bosku - Part 3." The one after: "Istriku Tertukar di Supermarket." The absurdity returned. The curated fantasy reasserted itself.

But Page 13 was different.