2. Why does Gohtaro hesitate to enter the café?
(a) He is afraid that going back in time will be dangerous.
(b) He is not sure that the stories about the café are true.
(c) He is not sure that he wants his daughter to know the truth.
(d) He is afraid that seeing his old friend will be too sad.

3. What is Gohtaro's daughter's name?
(a) Haruka.
(b) Aiko.
(c) Tomoko.
(d) Kasumi.

4. What does Gohtaro notice about the young girl in the café when he travels back in time?
(a) She has a brand new backpack.
(b) She looks a lot like Miki.
(c) She uses bits of French when she speaks.
(d) She avoids going near the ghost chair.

5. What is the woman in white doing when Gohtaro is talking with Kyoko and Kazu?
(a) Clearing tables.
(b) Drinking tea.
(c) Reading a book.
(d) Polishing glasses.

Short Answer Questions

1. What amuses Kazu and Kyoko about Miki's backpack?

2. In her lyrics on page 56, to what does Miki compare Nagare?

3. Where did Miki get her red backpack from?

4. What causes Gohtaro to panic when he first realizes he has returned to the past?

5. What did Kinuyo give her son when he left for Kyoto?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Haruka's plan to marry mean that she will inevitably discover her true parentage?

2. What happens to Gohtaro physically when Kazu pours the coffee?

3. Before Gohtaro goes into the past, what is his plan to deal with the revelations that will occur upon Haruka's marriage?

4. What item does Kazu offer the ghost, and how do her emotions change during this encounter?

5. How does the juxtaposition of the made-up lyrics to Miki's song with Kyoko's emotions after her confession about her brother highlight Kyoko's distress?

6. When Gohtaro tells Shuichi, "Haruka has decided to get married," how does the narrator explain Shuichi's reaction, and what does the reader later learn is the real reason for his reaction?

7. Why does Gohtaro want to travel to the past?

8. Why does Kazu sound stern when she tells Gohtaro, "You know that even if your return to the past, reality won't change, right?" (13)?

9. When Shuichi tells Haruka in his message, "If it is for you, I can do anything," what does this foreshadow (36)?

10. What reason does the narrator give for Kiyoshi asking his question of the café staff?

(see the answer keys)

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