At a ramen stall behind Shimogamo Shrine, the protagonist meets Higuchi, who claims he is a god of matchmaking and that Akashi will be bound to either the protagonist or Ozu. The protagonist reflects on joining the tennis circle as a freshman, only to become embittered upon learning its membership was composed entirely of couples; abetted by Ozu, he spent the next two years sabotaging the relationships of his clubmates. He came to like Akashi, and had promised her to take her to the ramen stall behind the shrine. Higuchi tells the protagonist to confess his feelings to Akashi during Gozan no Okuribi, but he fails to do so.