Sensei begins to make his way to New Hope Cathedral, along the way thinking to himself about the type of person he is. He finds himself at a loss as to why his body habitually feeds itself on the "fruits of his heart", likening it to cannibalism. Using this metaphor, he feels he understands better, as he too would cannibalize something he loves to stay alive. He ponders, for a moment, if this is what he does already with his students – Rather than literal cannibalism, though, he feasts on their feelings and worries.
Upon stepping into New Hope Cathedral, he finds Yasu in the middle of prayer. She blessed various things, such as spring and autumn, but her utterance of Sensei's real name causes him to speak up. Yasu explains that her God told her his real name, and proceeds to ask why he feels the need to hide it. He avoids the question, asking why she wants to know. Yasu clarifies that it is not she who wishes to know, but her God, whose interest in Sensei grows every day. However, she's noticed that Sensei's disinterest in "unburning light" grows every day as well, and asks why he feels the need to "bind himself with chains" – He can be more than he is now, but only once the thing that's been following him is consumed. This briefly piques Sensei's interest, having been paranoid about being followed for days now, but once Yasu clarifies that everyone is followed by something, he retreats to his usual skepticism.
After he once again dismisses Yasu's religion as nonsense, she foretells the approaching change in seasons, which shall bring a period of "dormancy". She asks Sensei why he thinks Kumon-mi only has two seasons, summer and winter, and informs him that it's because spring and autumn have been taken by forces that strive for her God's omnipotence. This has left the city with only two extremes, white and black, everything and nothing. Two forces play a game of tug-of-war with each other for power and while logic would dictate that "everything" would win, there's more to this struggle than just these two powers. The rope which is being tugged plays importance – If it were to snap, it'd leave the answer as to who "wins" ambiguous. Hearing all this, Sensei is incredibly confused, outright telling Yasu he doesn't understand her rambling. Yasu asserts that since he's the son of someone who did understand, he should too and that his confusion is contrived. This spurs her into religious fervor and she begins to praise the coming season, wondering aloud if winter shall return, or if one of the "stolen seasons" will return at last.
Sensei, meanwhile, is caught on the fact Yasu seems to know something about his birth. Upon asking what she knows, he "blacks out", finding himself and Yasu in front of a familiar bench. She tells him that he is the product of something wonderful and that, had she known him "back then", she would've loved and cherished him instead of letting him wander astray. She informs him that it's not too late to be guided to salvation and that all he needs to do is let her be his shepherd. In awe, he tells her she's insane, and that she can do nothing for him. She simply tells him she can and commands him to "return". On command, Sensei is transported somewhere else, a room with a nostalgic atmosphere. Now thoroughly confused, he meekly asks Yasu how she's doing this. She bluntly responds she's doing nothing, returning the two to New Hope Cathedral. She elaborates that he only sees the things she wants him to see because, deep down, he believes what she says is true; He believes the visions he sees are real, and he knows that Kumon-mi isn't a place of logic, but something much more terrifying.
She asks once again if Sensei will join her in praise, warning that his time to choose is running dry. Sensei reminds her he doesn't believe in God but, when faced with the overwhelming amount of information, decides to take a seat next to Yasu. Yasu laughs eerily in joy and predicts that while he's been saved from ruin, something else might be lost instead.
Sensei falls asleep on one of the pews, waking up halfway home.