Summary

In Chapter Three, Mikami entered the Press Room. He noted the youthful faces present. The first reporter to speak, Tejima from the Toyo, asked Mikami for a “’proper explanation” for his “sudden departure yesterday’” (20-21). The press did not know (nor were they about to learn) about Mikami’s missing daughter; instead, they thought Mikami had a relative in critical condition. In response, Mikami apologized but did not correct their error.

Mikami then procured a copy of a press report concerning a car accident, in which a pedestrian was hit and injured by an eight-months-pregnant driver. Mikami told the press that he could not release the driver’s name because publicity might cause her too much shock, which might have an effect on her unborn baby. The press demanded more information. One reporter made the suggestion that the woman was maybe the “’daughter...