Summary

In Chapter 8, eight months after their first meeting, Haida left for good. He told Tsukuru that he was going home to help with some chores, including shoveling the snow off the roof. He expected to be gone about two weeks but he never returned. Tsukuru learned later that Haida had requested a leave of absence from the school and that he never intended to return.

Tsukuru's mother pressed him to visit and he finally did, but mainly stayed at home for fear of encountering one of his former group of friends. As time passed, he tried not to masturbate because he always thought of Shiro and Kuro. Without masturbation, his erotic dreams intensified, always featuring Shiro and Kuro. When he was 21, he began a relationship with a young woman who spent weekends at his apartment. Tsukuru admitted that he wanted to have sex...