Hello, Universe

The girls rush through the woods, trying to locate the source of the screams they heard. Much to their surprise, they stumble upon Chet sitting against the trunk of a tree. Although he won’t admit to having cried out, he sullenly tells them he’s been bitten by a snake. Valencia insists on examining the wound, which Chet has wrapped with the pillowcase. Since she is knowledgeable about snake bites, Valencia is convinced that Chet wasn’t bitten by anything poisonous. She advises him to go home and disinfect the bite. As a parting shot, Valencia says, “And for the record, my name is Valencia, not deafo” (259). Both Kaori and Gen now know Valencia’s real name. 

Kaori, Gen, and Valencia continue their search for Virgil. Valencia picks up the pillowcase that Chet discarded, not wanting to litter the woods with it. Kaori admires the way Valencia handled the snakebite problem and proposes that they go into business together. She says, “I know about the spiritual world and you know about the natural world. It’s the perfect partnership. That’s probably why fate brought us together as friends” (262). Valencia is secretly pleased to think that Kaori would regard her as a friend.