Aomame

The dowager says that she does not know who the Little People are. What she does know is that ten-year-old Tsubasa has been raped repeatedly by an adult man. Her uterus is damaged so badly that she is unlikely ever to have children. It is difficult to say at this point whether she will ever want to be close to a man again.

The dowager says that, regardless of whether Tsubasa would have chosen to bear children in adulthood, it was nobody’s right to “rob” her of her ability to do so. The dowager has personally resolved to adopt Tsubasa and see the rapist punished.

As the conversation progresses, Aomame gradually gets an impression of Tsubasa's situation. Her parents belong to a cult which is led by a guru whose identity is hidden from the outside world. People call him Leader, and his followers do his bidding unquestioningly—even handing over their prepubescent daughters when he asks for them. This is likely to continue for years unless someone stops him. Unfortunately, he is heavily guarded. Even many members of the cult have never seen his face.

Aomame and the dowager agree that a man like Leader should not exist in the world. However, neither has any idea how to get rid of him. The dowager is confident that her money can somehow open up access for Aomame into the cult. Privately, however, Aomame reflects that not everything is for sale. The moon, for instance, cannot be bought at any price.

Aomame wonders whether anyone can ever recover from an ordeal such as repeated rape in childhood. Aomame, who fled home very young, knows something of childhood trauma. However, her “will” allowed her to survive. Sexual abuse might well have broken this will and prevented her from gaining control over her own life.

That night, the dowager falls asleep next to Tsubasa’s bed. While both are unconscious, a group of Little People climb out of Tsubasa’s mouth. At first they are the size of a pinky finger, but they do a little twisting motion that makes them grow to a height of about one foot. Their clothes and faces all look alike. They creep under the bed and take out a small white object “about the size of a Chinese pork bun.” They pull threads from the air and weave them into the object, slowly making it bigger. They all work together in perfect harmony for several hours. As they work, two moons shine in the sky.