As the fire continues to rage, Hirohito and his men try to put out the flames, but they are interrupted by the clatter of a cough and the sound of the fire engines approaching. Hiroshito realizes that he will soon be gone from the house, and he is worried about the safety of his family. He is also worried about his feelings for his daughter, and about his relationship with his father. He feels that he is a pawn in the family's game, and that he has no right to rule over his daughter. As he is about to leave, he coughs and asks his father to remain calm. He then asks his daughter if she is calling him, and she replies that she is. She is choking on her father's arm, and when he tries to pull her away, she is choking again. She says that she came to look for her earrings in the fire, and her father did not tell her that he put them in her room. He says that he was the one who ordered Kyogoku to put the earrings there, but he is not satisfied with the way he heard the story. He wonders if there is anyone in the house to save his mother, and if there was anyone there to push him away, and dies alone.