The narrator and the narrator's friend Hiroshi are on their way to the hot springs resort town of Aomori, where they plan to stay for the night. Hiroshi tells the narrator that he picked the resort because he wanted to get away from the city as much as possible. The narrator is bummed that he can't write because of his studies, but he's also excited about the prospect of going back to school. He's already written a title for himself in mind, and he'd like to write some stories about his trip to the Alps. Hirohito's wife, Hibiki, has sent him a message saying that Hiroshio has a cold, and she thinks it's caused by him drinking too much the night before. He tries to drape his coat around her, but she won't let him do it. She's worried that he'll freeze to death in the cold, so she tells him to go check the city. The blizzard picks up, and they don't know where they're supposed to be. They're bummed that they didn't have a place to stay, but Hiroshito promises to find them a place. He also promises to take care of them if they have any problems.