Chapter 5 Summary

Naoko thanks Toru for his letters and tells him she's thinking about him. She feels she hasn't been fair to him, but she is wounded and flawed. She is undergoing therapy and feels she's improving with the simple, structured life at the sanatorium. She at least is well enough to write, something she hasn't been able to do. About seventy people live in the sanatorium, quietly and close to nature. Naoko plays sports, and the staff plays along with the patients. She feels that everyone is warped, doctors and patients alike.

The patients also raise vegetables and serve them at meals, and Naoko says the food is delicious. Her doctor wants her to interact with outsiders, and Naoko asks Toru to come visit her. Toru reads the letter over and over. He calls Ami Hostel, the sanatorium where Naoko is staying, and makes...