Escape from the sea bass's house and join Aiko.

The flight from Flatfish's house and the subsequent establishment of a life with Shizuko represents a critical turning point in Yozo's descent, a moment when his inability to assert his own will and his terror of human relationships propel him into a new form of dependency. Having run away from Flatfish's house after a frustrating conversation about his future, Yozo finds himself utterly without resources or direction. His only remaining contact is Masao Horiki, but when he visits Horiki, he is met with coldness and a clear signal that their friendship offers no real refuge. It is at this moment of maximum isolation that a woman visitor—Shizuko, a journalist from a magazine publisher—enters the scene. She takes an interest in Yozo, and he, without any plan or resistance, allows himself to be absorbed into her life. This event sets the pattern for the next phase of his existence: a life of being "kept," where his material needs are met but his spiritual and artistic self continues to erode.

Causes and Background

The immediate cause of the flight is Yozo's unbearable situation under Flatfish's guardianship. After the suicide attempt with Tsuneko, Yozo was expelled from college and sent to live with Flatfish, a family retainer who treated him with contempt and suspicion. Flatfish kept Yozo confined to a tiny room, forbade him to drink or smoke, and provided only old magazines for entertainment. The breaking point came during a rare dinner when Flatfish, in a roundabout and manipulative manner, tried to extract a statement of Yozo's future intentions. Flatfish's evasive speech—full of hints about money and rehabilitation but never stating the simple fact that Yozo's family would support him if he returned to school—left Yozo confused and desperate. Unable to bear the tension and feeling himself a burden, Yozo wrote a note claiming he was going to consult Horiki about his plans, and fled at dawn. This act was not a decisive rebellion but a panicked escape from a situation he could not confront directly.

What Happens

After leaving Flatfish's house, Yozo walks to Shinjuku, sells the books in his pockets, and stands utterly lost. With nowhere else to go, he forces himself to visit Horiki, an act he finds terrifying. At Horiki's house, he is treated with cold formality; Horiki makes it clear he has no time for Yozo and is about to leave on business. Just then, a woman visitor arrives—Shizuko, who has come to collect an illustration from Horiki. When a telegram from Flatfish arrives, revealing Yozo's flight, Horiki angrily confronts him. Shizuko, learning that Yozo lives in Okubo, offers a connection. She is twenty-eight, a widow with a five-year-old daughter, Shigeko, and works for a magazine publisher. Yozo, without any conscious decision, follows her lead. He moves into her apartment in Koenji, and she takes over the management of his life, including dealing with Flatfish and Horiki in a conference that formally severs Yozo's ties with his family. Yozo becomes a kept man, living off Shizuko's earnings and beginning to draw cartoons for her children's magazine.

Consequences and Aftermath

This new arrangement provides Yozo with a temporary stability but deepens his fundamental crisis. He begins to earn money from his cartoons, which allows him to buy liquor and cigarettes, but his gloom and depression intensify. He feels he has "sunk to the bottom," and sometimes, while drawing his comic strip, he is overcome with homesickness and weeps. His relationship with Shizuko is marked by a passive dependence; he accepts her flattery and care but feels increasingly trapped. The only relief comes from little Shigeko, who calls him "Daddy" and provides a semblance of innocent affection. However, even this is poisoned when Shigeko innocently says she wishes God would bring back her real father, revealing to Yozo that he is an intruder in their lives. The flight from Flatfish thus does not lead to freedom but to a different kind of prison—one of emotional and financial dependency on a woman, where his identity as a clown and a kept man becomes more entrenched. This period culminates in his eventual abandonment of Shizuko and Shigeko, a decision triggered by witnessing their simple happiness with a pet rabbit, which convinces him that he is only a destructive presence in their lives.