Satsuki relates how she met Hitoshi while on a field trip in their sophomore year. They liked one another instantly, and were in love for a period of four years. Because of their different class schedules, however, the only time they had alone was on the bullet train. During one of these moments, Satsuki gave Hitoshi a bell that once belonged to her cat. Hitoshi loved the gift and kept it on him all the time. The bell came to symbolize their relationship, so much so that Satsuki could hear the bell even when Hitoshi was not around. Satsuki also mentions that, though they were very much in love, Hitoshi always had an ephemeral quality about him, as though he were drifting away or not of this world. In hindsight, Satsuki wonders if this attribute foreshadowed his death: Hitoshi died from a car accident one night when he was twenty, leaving her alone and grief-stricken.

Satsuki attempts to find some solace in life, but realizes that Hitoshi was her life. She tries to busy herself with friends and schoolwork, but the minute these things end, she is back in her depression and wishing more than anything just to get a glimpse of Hitoshi again.