In this short scene, the narrator tells us that his wife, Kusakabe, is in love with a young man who is 12 years younger than her. He tells her that the man has been pursuing her for a long time, and that she is being pursued by him because she is younger than him. He asks her why she is there, and she tells him that he meant her "univer sity" , which is the place where she works. He then tells her to hurry up because he has a lecture to give, and he wants her to leave before the man digs too deep. She tells him to go, but he says that he has been worried about what he has written, and they need to talk about it. He says that they have not been able to communicate well in the past few days because of the distance between them sitting in the lecture hall, but that they will be able to do so in the future. She asks him to help her find a solution to her problem, and when he does not respond, she asks him what he should do. She says that she has been trying to get him to give her some material, but has not received any response. She then asks him if he is engaged to her, and if he will date her with the goal of marriage. He replies that he is not engaged, but will consider her as one of his options.