One year later, Akari Asahina finds herself in the middle of a street in the East Asian country of Mongolia. She is running in the dark and has no idea where to go. She asks the street sweeper if she has eaten anything today, and the sweeper tells her that she has. She then gives her the clothes that she washed the night before, and she thanks her for saving her from danger. She tells Akari that she sees a tiny light in the darkness, and that it is her name, asahina, which means "little light" in the old Chinese dialect.