"Now and then adapted" is the title of this chapter, which is set in a cafe in Yokohama, Japan. It's the middle of the day, and a young woman named Mariko is sitting in the cafe with a friend. She's been hanging out with a guy named Francis, who's just returned from a week's worth of flirting with another guy named fabian. Mariko tells her friend that she's bored with guys, and that she doesn't want to make any real progress in her relationship with a man. She tells him to have sex with whomever he wants to, but not to expect to make progress with anyone else. She also tells him that she expects to make a "real connection" with someone, but that's not the case. She says she'd rather just have sex, and not expect anything in return. She then tells the friend that he's wasted the night at an inn, and she asks him if he is sick. He says he was talking to a guy the night before about how his body is no longer able to handle the things he used to do, like drinking and smoking. He also tells her that he turned 30 the other day, which reminds her of how young she was when she was younger. She asks if she'll be able to talk to a girl in her class, and he says he'd be happy to tell her that as an adult, he has dated a bunch of guys who don't seem to be interested in marrying her. He then tells her to tell the girl that in the future, she will have friends who will cheer her up. He goes on to say that the girl is too young to be his friend, and so he'll have to find a new one.