It's been a while since we've seen the narrator, but he's back from his trip to Japan. He's bummed out that he can't go out with his sister, who's going to be back from her business trip later that day. He tries to think of a way to make himself feel better, but his sister won't let him do it. So he decides to rub the scent of yanagi on his body. He doesn't know how to do it, but it's a good idea, since he'd rather be alone than with his " useless sister" .