The narrator asks his father if he's heard that his son is leaving his job at the school. He's surprised to hear that, since the school doesn't have any humans, they can do whatever they want with their students. The narrator tells his father that his mother recently told him that she's leaving the family business and wants him to take over. He wants to know if there's anything he can do in the world of writing. His father tells him that his passion will keep him going for the rest of his life. He tells the narrator to go home and confront his mom. He says he has something to tell her, but first he has to ask her why she is retiring. She sighs and says that she is getting old. He asks her what she does, and she says she always liked novels. He also says that if he were to become the next head of the family, he would tell him everything. She says she'll tell him if he becomes the next owner of the house. She tells him to focus on writing his novels.