The narrator returns to his parents’ house. To his surprise, his father’s health seems “remarkably unchanged.” His parents want to organize a “special celebratory meal” (102) to celebrate the narrator’s graduation from university, but the narrator is reluctant. The importance of his degree is made apparent when the narrator’s father confesses that he was scared he would die before his son graduated. Furthermore, the narrator’s mother suspects that her husband is mistaken about the speed and extent of his recovery. The plans for a party are abandoned following news of Emperor Meiji’s poor health. With the Emperor sick, a party seems to be in poor taste.

Stuck in the countryside during the “very boring summer” (106) and missing Tokyo, the narrator writes many letters. As well as writing to his younger friends, he writes a letter to Sensei. While he waits for a reply, he watches his father’s condition deteriorate. At the same time, the Emperor’s life seems to be at an end. The narrator’s father studies the newspapers for any information about Emperor Meiji and becomes obsessed with their shared plight. The obsession concerns the narrator and his mother.