The chapter opens with a soliloquy by Haruki Murakami, in which he explains that he has just met his new class mate, Joji Yamalichi, who resembles one of his manga characters. Haruki is looking forward to deepening his friendship with Joji, and he wonders if he will say anything about the character. He wonders if Joji will use the character as a catch phrase. He also wonders if the character will say something about the grind grind grind that he is trying to achieve. The chapter ends with an exchange between Haruki and his friend, yamauchi, about the relationship between the two of them. .