Andrew Markham’s Reviews > 1Q84 > Status Update

Aomame is settling into the safe house and steps on to the balcony to get some air when she notices a man sitting on the slide in the park across the street staring at the moons. She briefly thinks it might be someone watching her but her gut tells her it’s Tengo, putting her in a mental bind. After hesitating for a moment, she goes downstairs to find he has left and reflects on the strong feelings she just had.

Tengo is reeling from realizing there are now two moons in the sky, like he had described in Air Chrysalis. While trying to reconcile what it all means he gets a feeling Aomame is also looking at the same two moons.

Aomame reads air chrysalis, notices a voice that sounds more like Tengo’s than a young girl’s in the writing and continues reading. The chapter continues with the synopsis of the plot of Christmas. After finishing the book, Aomame realizes that she is on a course to intersect with Tengo because of this book that he’s helped to write.

Tengo asks Fuka-Eri more about finding Aomame and is told she is nearby but he can’t just walk around to find her. After spending most of the rest of the day in silent contemplation with Fuka-Eri, Tengo leaves his apartment and heads to a bar before going to a playground. While sitting on a bench in the park, Tengo begins looking at the moon (which he hasn’t done in a while) and suddenly begins seeing two moons.

Aomame speaks with the Dowager about killing the Leader and how he had requested Aomame end his suffering. Tamaru called Aomame and told her a story where he protected another kid getting bullied in school and said he would protect Aomame the same way. As she begins to settle in to the safe house, Aomame finds a collection of books and begins reading Air Chrysalis, noticing her and Tengo are being drawn together.

Tengo wakes up the morning after the thunderstorm and calls Komatsu’s office to see if there are any updates from him. He discovers that Komatsu called in sick a few days before but apart from that nobody has seen him in a week. Tengo tells Fuka-Eri about his feelings for Aomame and she says she may be able to help find her.

Aomame covers the Leader in a blanket, tells Buzzcut and Ponytail he’s in a deep sleep and leaves. On the way to the safe house, Aomame learns the metro line she needs to take is out of commission due to the rain and suspects this could be caused by the little people. She eventually settles in to the safe house and reflects on what she’s done and how things have just monumentally changed.

Fuka-Eri tells Tengo to embrace her and hold her while the thunderstorm rages on outside. Tengo falls asleep and awakens paralyzed in a similar fashion to what The Leader had previously described. He has a vision of kissing Aomame back in the classroom many years ago and shortly afterwards, the thunderstorm subsides.

Aomame continues to talk with The Leader about 1Q84 and the little people and what it all means. The Leader also reveals that he knows Aomame and Tengo still think about each other romantically. He explains that she has a choice where she can kill him to save Tengo but likely die herself or spare The Leader but bring harm to Tengo instead. The chapter ends with Aomame plunging the ice pick into The Leader.

Tengo arrives home from the cram school and begins preparing Fuka-Eri and himself a simple dinner. They notice the weather beginning to turn stormy and Fuka-Eri says the Little People are becoming active and that “something is about to happen”. Tengo retells her the story of the Town of Cats which appears to be impactful to her and she asks him if they can go to a Town of Cats together because “they are one”.