Summary

When Chapter 14, "Night Song," begins, two years have passed, and Nori has just turned 16. In the house, each occupant has begun to live their own lives. Akira has graduated school and has found a position in the Tokyo Philharmonic. Alice writes home begging to be allowed to return while Will takes part in piano competitions and continues to pursue a sexual relationship with Nori. In response, Nori "agoniz[es] over the insane mix of feelings that fought for dominance inside her" (265). In her free time, Nori continues to read her mother's diary learning how Seiko was betrayed by her lover and forced to return home to marry and have children.

Nori's reading is interrupted by Ayame who tells her that Akira wants to speak to her. Akira tells Nori that he will soon go to study in Vienna for nine months with a...