Out finished his manuscript, the narrator tells Akiyoshi that he's decided to go on a month-long trip to collect his manuscript. He's also decided that they'll meet at a restaurant in the middle of the day. The narrator is worried about what will happen to him on the trip, since he hasn't been anywhere in a long time. He wants to know what's wrong with him, especially since he doesn't seem to be in a good mood. He asks if he'll be able to get two tickets to the restaurant, since it's so early in the morning. He also asks if there's anything he can do to make himself feel better about the whole thing. He says that he can't do anything about it, but he'd like to talk to him about it later. He tells him that he has never been anywhere since school, and that it looks like they're about to start their trip to the hot springs. He compares the two of them to two people who wear casual clothing, and he says that's why he wants to chase after them all the more. He then asks if Aki's eating real crab meat, which is what he thinks is a reward for his hard work. He wonders if this is really the real thing, and then he asks if the room has its own air-bath. He thinks that Aki is going to do something weird in the room, but then he realizes that his glasses are fogged up.