The chapter opens with Hiroshi's description of the wind as it hits her face. She rubs her face and her footsteps get heavier as she gets closer to her house. She wonders why she is so reluctant to return home. She asks her companion why he does not make time to talk when he is off work. He tells her that he is waiting for him. She tells him that she will ask him everything she is curious about. She says that she feels like he will ask her what the point of asking these questions is, but she can imagine what a mess it would be if she were this curious. He says that they have known each other a long time and that he had already worked in the business when she was younger. She guesses that he watched her grow lip. He may look young, but he is an old man. Hiroshi says that he thought they would stop somewhere along the way home, hoping for a date. He asks her why she has been avoiding him, and she replies that she thought it fine that she had forgotten. She feels sad when she left the shop because she felt like she would run away if she saw her. She blurts out that she is not suffering and that she does not want to hide her feelings anymore. She wants to hurry up and return home, but her hand is in her way. She tries to squelch her fears by saying that she wants to take care of her. He laughs at her and says she is worrying too much. She laughs and says that it is fine to worry.