The narrator tells us that he wants to stay at the Nogi estate until the wedding ceremony is over. He wonders if he's fallen in love with anyone, and he wonders if it makes him care more about himself. He asks Atsuko to memorize the names of all the guests who have been invited to the wedding. He also asks her to recite the titles of the people who will be named the next generation of the nogi. She memorizes the titles, but she can't memorize them all at once. He tells her that it's the first time that anyone has ever given him a title, and that he has to tell them the reason for his absence. He says that he'll tell them why, even if the reason means that the ceremony has been canceled. He's worried about it, because it seems that itaru is holding him back from taking over the family business. He doesn't have a mother, a father, or a grand father, so it seems unfair that he would have to take over all of the family's affairs.