It's winter, and the snow has started to melt, which means it's time for the narrator to talk about the effects of snow on people's lives. He's worried that the melting snow will turn into dirty water, which will make people hate each other even more. The narrator points out that one year ago, there was a hotel construction site in his neighborhood, and people in the neighborhood fought against it, but when it opened, everyone went to the new hotel, which was a huge success. He compares this to the way people used to fight against gambling, but now they all go to gambling because of the snow. He doesn't believe in the "gray snow melting society" anymore. He says that he's lost faith in the gray snow-melting society, which is full of people who hate one another and who don't want to work with each other. One day, the narrator sees Gunji and Akira walking down the street, and he asks them if they're getting along as a couple. They reply that they are, and that they've been together for a long time. He tells them that his ex-boyfriend, who used to complain about his next-door neighbor's loud neighbors, is now complaining about his neighbors' noisy neighbors, and his neighbor wrapped himself in a towel to get rid of the water dripping from the next door's roof. He adds that this is all too common in the snow-melted world, where people just break up because they can't afford to work together. He also says that since last year, he has received a lot of text messages from him, including the word "balding" , which he kicked in the shin earlier in the year when he wasn't looking. He promises to never forgive anyone who kicked him, and says that