Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Content Warning: This section includes discussion of sexual assault, rape, and violent murder.

The narrative remains in the present. Tsukuru returns home to Nagoya for a memorial service for his father. The day following the service, Tsukuru decides to visit Ao at the Lexus car dealership where he works. At first, Ao does not recognize Tsukuru, but when Tsukuru finally speaks, Ao immediately remembers him. After some small talk, Ao agrees to meet Tsukuru at a coffee shop during his lunch break. There, Tsukuru confronts Ao about his rejection from the group. Ao is surprised and asks Tsukuru multiple times if he really doesn’t know the reason. Finally, he reveals that Tsukuru was banished because Shiro accused Tsukuru of rape, saying that when she stayed at Tsukuru’s place in Tokyo to save money on a hotel, he slipped something in her drink and then sexually assaulted her.

Tsukuru tells Ao that Shiro never visited him in Tokyo. Ao explains that nobody ever asked for Tsukuru’s side of the story because Shiro was so upset and visibly shaken by the experience, they had no choice but to believe her. Ao and Tsukuru discuss the old days and their friendship.