Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

The next morning, Takako refuses to get out of bed early, and she and Momoko get a late start to their hike. The trail is unpredictable and Takako struggles to keep pace with Momoko, who is in much better shape. Takako frequently asks for breaks, which Momoko denies, saying they cannot waste time because they will lose light on their return trek. 

When they finally rest, Momoko teases Takako about how little endurance she has. Takako then marvels at Momoko’s own endurance, saying she will be in shape even as an old lady. Momoko laughs this off, joking that it is unlikely, saying, “I’m sick. And pretty soon I’ll start to fall apart” (125). Though Takako asks what she means, Momoko resumes the hike with no explanation. The women barely speak until they reach the peak.

As they look out over the land below them, seeing Tokyo in the distance, Takako finally asks Momoko why she left Satoru. Momoko explains that before she met Satoru, she was with another man in Paris, and became pregnant. Momoko, who never had strong family bonds, was overjoyed to have a child. However, when her partner told her that he already had a family, she could not bring herself to have the child and ruin others’ happiness. Momoko had an abortion, though she regretted it. 

Later, while she and Satoru were together, they tried to have a baby and could not for nearly a decade. Eventually, Momoko did become pregnant, and she and Satoru were happy. When the baby was stillborn, Momoko believed that it was punishment for how she handled her first pregnancy. As time went on, Satoru found purpose in the bookshop, but the sadness of what happened never left Momoko. Finally, she left, certain that the sadness she felt was a betrayal of Satoru.

When Momoko and Takako return to the inn, Takako heads for the hot bath. Momoko joins her, and when she walks in, Takako notices a scar on her stomach. As she looks at Momoko in the water, Takako reflects on Momoko’s pain. She gives Momoko a hug and holds her. Momoko laughs and embraces Takako back, the women staying in each other’s arms for a long while.

The next day at the inn is calm, with most of the guests gone. Takako and Momoko enjoy the day, and before turning in for the night, Momoko suggests they take their time to leave the next morning. 

As they lie in the dark, Takako asks Momoko what she meant when she told Takako that she is sick. Momoko explains that she is not in danger of imminently dying, and that she is thankful that she will have the time to say goodbye. She reveals to Takako that she recently had her uterus removed and is in the process of receiving a treatment plan. Momoko needs to be careful in monitoring her condition over the next few years, but there is no pressing danger.

Takako asks if Momoko’s illness is the reason she returned to Satoru. Momoko shares that when she was in the hospital, she had a dream in which she was drifting out to sea, and when she looked to the shore, she saw Satoru waving. She lost sight of him, and drifted across the ocean, alone. When she woke up from the dream, Momoko cried and realized that she needed to see Satoru again. Momoko tells Takako that she does not plan on telling Satoru that she is sick, and swears Takako to secrecy. 

The next day, when they return to the city, Takako asks Momoko what she will do next, curious if she will leave Satoru again. Momoko tells her that she is returning to the bookshop, but will not make any other promises.

Two days later, Satoru calls Takako and tells her that Momoko is gone and left a note for Takako. Takako rushes to the bookstore and opens the note, which reads, “Thank you. Please take care of yourself” (137). Takako rips up the note. Angry, she breaks her promise to Momoko and tells Satoru everything about Momoko’s illness and their trip together. 

When Satoru tells Takako that he does not want to lose Momoko, she tells him to go after her. She is certain that if he does not find Momoko and tell her how he feels, Momoko will never return. Takako pushes Satoru to think of where Momoko may be, and after a moment, he is certain that he knows where to find her. Satoru rushes out while Takako watches the store.

After nearly a month away, Takako returns to Saveur and sees Wada again. Takako awkwardly joins him, worried that he is still waiting for his ex-girlfriend. Wada surprises her when he takes out the book she left the last time they spoke. He explains that when she left it, he tried to leave it with the coffee shop owner, but the man refused, saying he knew nothing about Takako. 

Wada explains that he kept coming back to Saveur, hoping to see her and give it to her, and that in the month he waited, he read the novel. Takako laughs, realizing how happy she is to see him again. Wada tells Takako he is also glad to see her and offers to pay for her coffee.

On a day off from work, Takako goes to visit the Morisaki Bookshop. The week before, Satoru called and asked her to visit, saying Momoko wanted to see her. Satoru did find Momoko after she left, at the temple that hosted a memorial service for their child. When Momoko saw Satoru, she collapsed, crying, and he held her, telling her that he needed her. Satoru asked Momoko not to leave, and though she did leave that day, she promised to return and talk through everything with Satoru. A year later, Momoko returns to the bookshop and to Satoru.

When Takako reaches the bookshop, she finds Sabu at the counter and is greeted by Momoko. Momoko teases Takako about having a boyfriend. When Takako asks who told her, Sabu confesses to hearing it from the Saveur owner. Takako is even more embarrassed when Satoru walks in and Momoko immediately tells him about Wada. 

After Sabu leaves, Momoko thanks Takako for telling Satoru her secret, even though Takako did break her promise. Momoko pinches Takako’s cheek like she does to Satoru, and she asks if Takako will help her shop for dinner. Takako happily agrees and the two walk out on to the street together.