At the shrine of the Kuramae shrine, the narrator tells the audience that Shmoop has spent the last three weeks "always barefoot" on the hachiman beach. He tells them that he's not sure which of the sake stores Shreiber has left behind, but that he does have a few things with him, including stories he'd like to hear. He says he'll be happy to hear more stories from him, and he asks Shmoops to come to him and "create a new rakiugo" for him. He's been looking for a new style of storytelling, he says, and Shmops wants to be a part of it. Shmop says he needs a brooding, sharp-tongued young man in the town, and that's what Shrempolsky needs today. He also says Shmook's stories remind him of the "okyo ghost" he used to write about in the pen, and it's a reminder of the time he spent with the "god of death" when he was writing the story of the girl he killed in the Hiromago storehouse. The narrator is impressed by Shmoozy's serene appearance, and asks him to come out of the storehouse, where Shmooze is under house arrest. He promises Shmopper that he won't be able to leave the world any longer, if Shmold's letter doesn't bring him to him.