Summary

In Chapter 10, Fuyuko “started spending” most of her time “in bed” (172). Telling Hijiri she “wasn’t feeling well,” she requested fewer assignments (172). She lost track of time. She stopped “meeting Mitsutsuka” and “quit drinking” (173). Sometimes she sat in a chair, stared out the window, and wondered “what had brought about this awful state of mind” (173). Eventually she realized she liked Mitsutsuka. She wondered if her inability to articulate her feelings had caused her despair.

Weeks passed. Hijiri called less often. Mitsutsuka never called. One day, Fuyuko got up and took out all of the clothing Hijiri had given her, little of which she had examined before. Most of it was unworn and expensive. In the pocket of a coat, she found the “card for a restaurant called Ne Laissez Pas,” which she stowed in her drawer (177). She hung up the new clothes and put...