Over time Kanae observes that Takaki is always writing emails to someone, or staring off into the distance as if searching for something far, far away. It is obvious Kanae has strong feelings for Takaki, but he appears to be blind to them he simply regards Kanae as a good friend. She spends all the time she can with him, even waiting long after school for the chance to go home together. Kanae Sumida, a classmate of Takaki, had fallen in love with Takaki ever since she met him in middle school, but does not have the courage to openly confess her feelings. Takaki is now in the third year of senior high in Tanegashima, where the Tanegashima Space Center is located. As the train rolls away, Takaki regrets the loss of his letter, while Akari silently looks at a letter she had intended to give to him. Takaki departs the next morning, and they promise to continue writing to each other. Stranded in a shed due to the snowstorm, they fall asleep after talking late into the night. The two finally meet, and as they share their first kiss, Takaki realizes they will never be together again.
However, during the journey, he loses the letter, and a severe snowstorm continuously delays Takaki’s trip by several more hours. He also prepares a letter for Akari, revealing his true feelings.
When Takaki becomes aware that his family will be moving to Kagoshima, he decides to go see Akari since they will be too far apart to visit each other at all after he moves. The two keep in contact by writing letters, but despite the feelings that exist between them, they inevitably begin to drift apart. Upon graduating from elementary school, Akari moves to Tochigi, due to her parents’ jobs.