Summary

Noriko says she ran into Jiro Miyakes, whose family had withdrawn from marriage negotiations last year, and this makes Masuji Ono nervous about his daughter’s shamelessness in talking openly with Miyake about her new negotiations, which are not really as far along as she might believe. Masuji Ono says he had run into Mr. Miyake shortly before the negotiations broke off, and he wondered whether seeing Miyake at the low-class place of employment made him so self-conscious the family withdrew.

During that meeting, though, Miyake told Masuji Ono the president of his company had committed suicide out of guilt for his actions during the war. Miyake says the president’s death gave everyone relief, and a path toward the future. Miyake says the refusal to take responsibility is “the greatest cowardice of all” (p. 56). and this is the phrase Ono’s son-in-law Suichi...