Prior to his departure for Finland to see Kuro, Tsukuru is swimming laps at the familiar pool. It allows him to calm his thoughts and concentrate just on the rhythm of the motion of his swim strokes. While swimming laps, he sees the feet of another swimmer and immediately feels that they belong to Haida. After he finishes, he waits on the pool deck, but the man turns out not to be Haida.

Tsukuru chats with Sara, who asks him if he will try to contact Kuro ahead of his trip, which he insists on not doing. They promise to see each other once he returns. A few days later, while shopping for a gift to bring to Kuro, Tsukuru sees Sara walking and holding hands with a man in his fifties. What bothers Tsukuru the most is that she is laughing and smiling. He feels sorrow, not jealousy at seeing Sara with another man. At home, Tsukuru decides to play the Liszt record, and as he does so, the memories of Shiro and Haida return to him.