Ayato was sent to a psychiatric hospital for some time.
Due to his recent mental breakdown.
The new year 1999 has arrived.
The previous year was remembered by the inhabitants of Yomiyama mainly due to the curse of class 3-3, and the brutal deaths of Ria and Kenshin Hironiwa.
The police entered the Hironiwa estate, the police officers interrogated everyone, but no one knew who killed Kenshin yesterday. One of the policemen said that Kenshin was killed from an old gun, just like Ria, and maybe the murderer is the same person.
Yuukichi entered the crime scene..

Yuukichi: If you are hiding the real perpetrator, how much do you want? Who's paying you to hide him? Minamiyashiki clan? or Anju? I can pay you more! Just tell me the truth!

Ota's facial expression turned sad, after a moment of silence Matsuda spoke out.

Keitaro: We're sorry, but we don't know who could be behind this, it's not one of the debtors or their families, we checked everyone, none of them have a collection of old weapons from World War II...

Kobayashi interrupted Matsuda

Akira: To be honest.. May I look at you attic Hironiwa-san?
Everything indicates that you are responsible for the death of your children.

Yuukichi couldn't stand it and punched Kobayashi in the face

Yuukichi: HOW DARE YOU!

Akira: This qualifies as assault on an officer

Yuukichi: Ah yes? someone please confirm then.

Tadao: You slipped Kobayashi...

Everyone supported to Hasegawa's version of the event.

Akira: So can I look in the attic?

Yuukichi: Look at this, but you won't prove to me that I killed my son and daughter. BECAUSE I DIDN'T DONE IT!

Yuukichi gave a a meaningful look at one of his boys.
Akira went to the attic, after him went Yuukichi's minion.

Yuukichi: Officer Kobayashi will probably want to check the condition of the weapon, so you may hear a gunshot.

Kobayashi opens the old a chests of weapons, then one man pointed a gun at him.

Yakuza soldier: Any last words?
Akira: Can I think about it for a moment? After all, these are my last words...

The yakuza member nodded

Akira: Okay, I know now.
Kobayashi took out one of his lenses.

Akira: Tomorrow you will kill Yuukichi, understood? Oh, and you won't kill me here.

Yakuza soldier: Of course, Huh? What am I doing here?

Akira: Mr. Hironiwa probably told you to make sure I didn't steal anything, Such weapons are of great value. Can I shoot?

Yakuza soldier: Yes

Kobayashi shot from Nambu pistol.

Akira: Oh, It still works, thank you..

Akira and the Yakuza soldier came down from the attic, seeing this Yuukichi got angry. Kobayashi he adjusted his lens, which he had taken out of his eye earlier.

Akira: Hironiwa-san, you have a nice arsenal upstairs, Arisaka rifles, Nambu pistols, and even some modern guns like AK-47.
In my opinion, the police and even the JSDF should be interested in this...

Yuukichi: Wh-What?

Tadao: What?!

Seiji: Huh?

Keitaro: This is too much... We cannot tolerate it or keep it secret. Mr. Yuukichi Hironiwa, you are under arrest.

Yuukichi: HARADA! Do something!

Harada (The Yakuza soldier) pulled out his pistol and pointed at Matsuda.

Harada: Stay still!

Akira fired at Harada from his service gun. Yuukichi ran to his room and locked himself.

Keitaro: Thank you Kobayashi, but the main suspect locked himself in his room.

Akira: So we have to ram the door, right?

Keitaro: Everyone! We must destroy the door!, use everything that would break this door!

Yuukichi commited harakiri, when the door was broken he was dying, Ota couldn't stand this view anymore and he vomited.

Seiji: He really did it…

Matsuda: It's the first time I see someone committing harakiri….
It's really terrfiying... Even I feel sick, and I've seen a lot already….

The next day the class 3-3 in New Year's activities honored the dead with a minute of silence.
Everyone believes that the curse will not return in the new year, since it was lifted in July. Everyone except Naoki.
He had in the back of his mind a premonition, or rather a belief, that the curse would return once more.
Mei noticed the unwashed makeup on Naoki's eyelid, her expression changed from serious to slightly amused.

Mei: You have make-up on your eye...

Naoki: Really?

Mei: Oh, and by the way, what happened to Anju-kun two days ago?

Naoki: He had a mental breakdown

Kouichi approaches Mei

Kouichi: Mei... I have to tell you something, Muneyoshi-kun, I think you should know about this too.
But… Muneyoshi-kun Do you have a moment?

Naoki: I guess I have

Kouichi: If I don't come back after 5 minutes, it will mean that Misaki-san is to blame for everything. The whole massacre and even the death of her own sister.

Naoki: What the hell are you talking about?

Kouichi: You'll see..

Kouichi went to the school rooftop despite the cold weather, Mei went after him, Kouichi walked through the railings on the roof.
And turned back to Mei.

Mei: What's that supposed to mean? It's January, and you've gone beyond the barriers...

Besides, what were you going to tell me?

Kouichi: I'm going to jump.. Mei

Mei: You're kidding?

Kouichi: No

Kouichi took a step towards the edge of the building and let go of the railing, but slipped. Mei quickly grabbed his hand.

Mei: Are you stupid?

Kouichi: I'll explain it to you as soon as I get to the roof...

Kouichi tries to climb through the icy surface, but he fails...

Mei: Why the f*ck did you do that? Did you want me to lose another precious person to me?

Naoki opens the door and he saw the entire situation.

Mei: Muneyoshi-kun please help me!
Her voice was clearly concerned and more firm and loud than usual. She is clearly concerned about the current situation and she cares about Kouichi.

Naoki: I'm only going to help you because I want to know what Sakakibara told Ayato that caused him to have a mental breakdown.

Naoki helped Mei to lift Kouichi, they saved him.
Mei slapped Kouichi's face hard.

Mei: Why did you do this?

Kouichi: I received information that your sister did not die of leukemia, but her death only looked like that...
Also, they policeman who interrogated me in November said that you might stand behind the massacre in July..

Mei: And you believed him?

Kouichi: Not necessarily, but it sowed a seed of uncertainty in me about you. That's why I wanted to see if you would help me or push me..

Mei: You're not as important to me as Misaki was when she was alive, however you are more than a friend to me, I think we discussed that at the Christmas party?

Kouichi blushed a bit.

Kouichi: Y-yes

Mei: Did you think I was some kind of masochist? That the death of important people is something exciting for me? No, it's painful, it makes me feel more and more dark and empty.

Especially since apart from you and Misaki, I don't have or have ever had such people.

Naoki: Could you tell me who in the police told you this?

Kouichi: Honestly, I don't remember, it was a middle-aged man, with black hair with a tint of green, and blue eyes.

Naoki flinched a bit.

Naoki: Are you sure that his eyes were blue?

Kouichi: Yes, I remember that... unfortunately I don't remember his name...

Naoki: Were they greener or blacker than mine?

Kouichi: I think it's darker but I'm not sure... Why do you ask?

Naoki: Nothing, I just thought of something

Mei: What else did that policeman tell you, Kouichi?

Kouichi: He also said that our testimonies did not match, But I doubt this is true.

Mei: Then he probably lied about my sister too, even though she did die quickly. However, the curse has its own rules.

Naoki: Believe it or not, her death clock didn't indicate she would die soon.

Mei: So you have the same skill as me. You called it the death clock, right? You are wrong here, it was obvious that she would die soon.

Naoki: You are a woman, I don't know if you are related to me, but only women inherit this ability, of course there are exceptions, for example me. That's probably why you use this skill better than me. Or someone changed the death clock.

Mei: What do you mean?

Kouichi: So Mei's ability comes from your clan?

Mei: Do not interrupt us Kouichi….

Naoki: For example... someone could have poisoned her.

Mei: But why? Would her death benefit anyone?

Naoki: Theoretically no, however her family was in debt to the Hironiwa clan. But the head of this family, his son and daughter are dead.

Kouichi: Are you talking about the harakiri incident?

Naoki: Yes.

Mei: What if there was someone who cared about the death of the Hironiwas and that Misaki's death was beneficial?

Naoki: Nonsense, though... No, it's impossible... This person has been dead for 12 years.

Mei: Who could it be?

Naoki: My father

Mei: Why would Misaki's death benefit your father? I understand the annihilation of the Hironiwa clan, I have heard about the murders in the 70's

Kouichi: Murders from the 70's? What are you talking about?

Mei: many murders occurred between 1968 and 1977. The victims were mainly from the Hironiwa or Minamiyashiki clan, probably Naoki's clan started this "war" in 1968, it ended with the massacre of his clan in 1977. If Naoki's father were alive, he would want to take revenge for the events of 21 years ago.

Naoki: I would doubt it, I know something that I can't tell you.

Mei: If it's important, you should at least tell me.

Naoki: It's not likely to be related to Misaki's death.

Kouichi: So can I ask you about this ability?

Naoki: So be it.. What do you want to know?

Kouichi: Is this ability hereditary?

Naoki: Yes, it is. Women from my clan had the ability to manipulate death. Men could manipulate minds, I have both skills, however I cannot use them fully, especially the male part.

Mei: So how did I acquire this skill? I got it when I was a little child. I didn't inherit it.

Naoki: So, in a sense, it has been transplanted to you.

Mei: No, I don't have a real eye under my eyepatch, it's a doll's eye.

Naoki: If you let me see them, I will tell you this secret.

Mei after a moment agreed to that, she showed Naoki her doll's eye, Naoki activated his visual ability in response.

Naoki: Can you see this?

Mei: You have birthmarks on your eyes... these birthmarks are the color of death, and they are different for both of your eyes. To be honest... it is the color of death in its purest form, at the same time you have no aura around you.. Which means you are 100% a living human being.

Naoki: What do you mean?

Mei: 'Extra' people in our class have a distinct aura of death around them, as do people close to death.

Naoki: Do you mean those who come back to life?

Mei: Yes

Naoki: Sakakibara break your neck and leave us alone for a moment.

Kouichi: H-hey! Couldn't it be nicer?

Naoki: No, beat it.

Kouichi walks away from Mei and Naoki leaving them alone.

Naoki: So do you want to know?

Mei: Before you tell me, can you explain to me why you hurt others with your words when they try to be nice to you? Yukari

Sakuragi and Aya Ayano wanted to be nice to you and you trashed them when they were still alive.
Why are you doing that?

You are not a person who is isolating yourself from society of your own free will, rather society is isolating itself from you.

Naoki: Friend? I thought you were a couple

Naoki smirked

Mei: The same can be said about you and Ayato.

Naoki: Anju may have crush on me, but I prefer girls.

Mei: Anju-kun and my sister were nice to you right? Misaki probably was quite intrusive even towards you.
Why didn't you hurt them somehow?

Naoki: Ayato knows the limit, and Misaki... she just...
Mei sees sadness on Naoki's face for the first time

Naoki: She was the sweetness of my life, even though I hate sugar and sweet things, she was the exception, she was my sugar.

Mei: How romantic..
I didn't think you could be like this...

Naoki: Anyway, do you want to know the truth behind 1977 incident?

Mei: Yes I want to.

Naoki: My father and my uncle murdered my clan in 1977. Kaito was in grade 3-3 at the time, which is why he believes that the curse attacks the great clans more fiercely. But it's not true, just a coincidence.

Mei: So your uncle could have murdered your family in 1986.

Naoki: I was the one who killed my uncle, Kiichisaburo laughed before he died when I said I was taking revenge for my family.

And denied all of this.
I was furious, so I finished him off instead of getting more information.

Mei: How old were you when you killed your uncle?

Naoki: 11

Mei: Did you feel any inhibitions about it?

Naoki: Kiichisaburo was just trash, he deserved to die. However, I regret killing him so quickly.