Summary

In Chapter 7: 2:43 a.m., the narrator takes us to a nearby office where Shirakawa, the man from the photograph Kaoru just printed, is typing at his computer. He is intent on his work and looks respectable, but the narrator assures us that he is the man who beat up the prostitute, and adds that he had to do it. Shirakawa’s wife calls him and they chat for a while, and she asks him to pick up Takanashi low fat milk on his way home. The chapter breaks and Takahashi is in a convenience store picking out Takanashi regular milk, an apple, and a fish cake. He goes outside and eats on a bench, then walks off.

Chapter 8: 3:03 a.m. takes us back to Eri’s bedroom. At first it looks the same, but then we realize that her bed is empty. We...