The chapter opens with a description of the new normal behind the wall, which was built to prevent the spread of the plague. The narrator wonders if this new normal is caused by the fact that the plague still exists in the area. He wonders if someone he loves is infected, and wonders if she is upset about something. He thinks that they are going for a picnic, and he wonders if they ate some of the sand that they were eating. He falls asleep, and when he wakes up, he sees that the boy is about to cry. He makes some rice balls, and they eat them together. He says that he did not want to leave the work to the boy, so he made just a little rice ball, too, and that he thought it would be nice to eat them with him. He asks if they heard about the picnics, and remembers that he said that the past was the focus of the present. He smiles, and says that morning classes are over. He tells them to keep a distance from each other, and tells them that he will send them a message later.