A few days later, in a radio address, the Emperor of Japan announces the end of the War by declaring surrender to the Allied Powers. Suzu, having grown accustomed to the single-minded focus of keeping the family alive, is forced to accept the reality of her losses and falls into despair. U.S. occupation forces, no longer the enemy, come to Kure and provide food. Suzu visits her grandmother Ito's family house in Kusatsu, a rural town to the west of Hiroshima and out of the affected area, to see her sister Sumi, the only survivor of Suzu's family. Sumi informs her of the fate of their parents: their mother had left for supplies and is presumed to be one of the 70,000 people who were killed instantly by the initial blast and shock wave while their father died a few months later after falling ill and succumbing to possible radiation poisoning. Sumi herself has fallen seriously ill from the radiation left behind by the fallout. Shusaku returns and meets with Suzu. They come across a little girl, a war orphan struggling to survive, and adopt her. Suzu regains her passion for life slowly, with the courage and affection of her friends and family. As the credits roll, their adopted daughter is shown growing up in the Hojo residence, sewing clothes, aided by Suzu in post-war Japan.