The exchange ball is coming up at the end of the year, and the narrator wants to know all about it. He's a freshman at the academy, so he's not used to the idea of going to a ball with other students. He asks the narrator if there are any etiquette rules for the ball, since it's so cold outside. The narrator doesn't know how to dress for a ball, and he'd like someone to explain to him how to do it properly. He tells the narrator that he and his friend are friends, and they live next door, so they're going to have a ball together. He wants to be sure that they don't get cold from the cold, but the narrator won't let him tell anyone. He says that the two of them live next to each other, and that they'll have to get used to it soon enough. He also says that he'll sleep with him when it'll be no big deal, because he can't see him under a coat. He adds that the narrator should stop wearing buttons on his clothes, since they'd be hard to survive without him. He then asks if the narrator thinks that the exchange ball will be a good opportunity for him to flirt with someone, since the narrator is a freshman, and it will be his first time at the school. The exchange balls are held every year among the other students from different countries, so the narrator has to go to the last dance, which is the most romantic part of the ball. He feels like he is being childish because he wants to find out how he feels for his friend, but he also wants to believe in the fairy-tale that it will all be okay.