The narrator and his wife are sitting in the sun, talking about the weather. The narrator wishes he could go to the beach and spend time with his wife. He feels like he's wasting his time in class, and he wishes he had more time to spend with her. He's not going to go with the "idiots" , he says, because he doesn't want to compete with them. The mayor of the beach asks the narrator why he always goes to the left instead of the right, and the narrator says it's because the mayor gets the "asahibun" or "red flag" at home. He says he knows the mayor is crazy, but he'd rather be at the beach than at home, where he'll get the message he wants. He asks the mayor not to leave him alone, but the mayor says he will see him later. He tells the narrator to "control yourself" and not to worry about his time. He wants to go swimming, but when he goes swimming, he always worries about how long it will take him to get there. This time, however, he just goes in the water. He thanks the mayor for saving his life.