Chapter 11 Summary

Naoko dies in August. Toru asks Midori to continue waiting for him. He packs some things and hops on a train, traveling to nowhere. He travels all across Japan, sleeping anywhere he can and taking odd jobs when he runs out of money. He calls Midori only once. He's been gone three weeks and missed the start of school. He can't get the vision of Naoko out of his head. He sees her, with him, in death.

One day, Toru meets a young fisherman and tells him he's grieving for his mother. The fisherman sympathizes with him and gives him food, sake, and money. Toru is impatient with the fisherman's memories of his dead mother, unable to get outside of his own grief. After the fisherman leaves, Toru thinks of his high school girlfriend and how badly he treated her. He is sick...