Nae had been in a psychiatric hospital for several weeks.

The hauntings in her dreams by her other version of herself were making it impossible for her to live.

Nothing was helping her, she was unable to function normally.

She would only fall asleep from exhaustion or after being given suitably strong sleeping and anti-anxiety drugs.
Nae managed to fall asleep; however, she saw her other version of herself again

Nae: What do you want again?

Nae(Nigtmare): Did you know that your turn has come?
You will die soon, you are drug devastated.
How much longer do you think you'll last like this?

a week? two? maybe even a month, but it will be vegetation and not life.

I can change that.

Nae: Just what do you require of me!

Nae(Nigtmare): I want to have control over you.

Don't worry, you will still be you, however, sometimes I will be the one in control of you.

Nae: Who are you?

Nae(Nightmare): A better version of you.
Then how? Are you going to survive to the end of the curse? Or to expire here alone?
I wonder how your father and sister's reaction would be.

Ai could break down after that, couldn't she?

Nae: All right, I accept that.

Nae(Nightmare): This is what I was expecting to hear.

Nae: I do it only for Ai and Dad, if I didn't have them I would rather die.

In grade 3-3 Kento Sakai announced his resignation as head of countermeasures, the new head was Kiyono Yanagi, who after reading Ryouma Asano's diary also sided with the non-existents.
Yui Suzuki resigned as countermeasures officer, and Kiyono Yanagi handed over leadership to Rika Fuyutsuki.

Rika: I am pleased to be a countermeasures officer again, listen everyone, since the curse has started, there is no point of ignoring other students.
Therefore, from today, no one will be considered a "non-existent entity" anymore.
And for clarity, here is the new countermeasures lineup

Rika Fuyutsuki – Head of Countermeasures

Kiyono Yanagi -. Countermeasures Head Deputy

Takuya Miyake – Suplementary Countermeasures Officer

Akito Yamazaki – Countermeasures Assistant

Tomomi Shiraishi – Countermeasures Assistant

Rika: I am counting on Sakai-kun to explain recent incidents.

Kento: Unfortunately, I have to admit that as head of countermeasures I have committed morally questionable acts.

I tried to take care of our class, I apologize that I overreacted, and abused my authority.

Some classmates were upset, Shun Iwamoto and Akito Yamazaki linked Yuu's being sent to the hospital to Kento's abuse of authority.

Shun: So was Shimizu-kun taken to the hospital because of you?

Kento: Unfortunately, yes, I wanted to get information out of him and, as a result, there was violence.

Shun and Akito stood up angrily

Rika: Iwamoto-kun, Yamazaki-kun would ask you to be calm, Sakai-kun voluntarily gave up his authority.

Yoshito: In fact, he used Kinjou-kun to do the dirty work.

Kiyono: Hey, but don't commit self-righteous acts!

Every month two people from our class or members of our families die.

I condemn Sakai-kun's decisions, however, he cannot be blamed for such decisions.

The class calmed down, Rika still thanked at the end all those who participated in bringing down Sakai.

She related that special thanks were due to Ayane.

This in many changed attitudes towards her throughout the class.

Many people who had a neutral stance towards her changed to a friendly one, and Tomomi Shiraishi, who disliked her as did many in her class even began to like her.

At the next lesson, which was taught by class 3-3 teacher Ichijirou Honma, Ayane was called by Nae, Ayane of course rejected the call as she was no longer ignored by everyone.

After the lesson, Ayane, Rika, Ai and Yui met on the rooftop.
Ayane called back to Nae.

Nae: Hello?

Ayane: Hi Nae, are you feeling better?

Nae: I'm feeling exquisite, I'll probably see you tomorrow.

Ayane: Yes? I am very pleased to hear that.

Nae: Plus, I have a surprise for you, Rika and Ai

Ayane: That's very nice, thank you..

Nae: See you later.

Nae had just come out of a psychiatric hospital, she had been there for two weeks, her sudden recovery was a miracle for the doctors, she was unrecognizable.

No one knew that an unknown entity had taken control of her.

Ayane was returning from school accompanied by Shun and Rika.
The atmosphere was very relaxed, no one feared the tyranny of Kento anymore, Takuya Miyake was allowed to remain an Supplementary officer, because he wasn't directly taking part in his actions.

Shun: Fuyutsuki-san, I think I would like to resign as an assistant.

I don't work badly with you, but I think this position should be held by someone with whom you have better ties.

Rika: I accept your resignation, I'm sorry but I can't keep you.

Shun: I just thought Kobayashi-san would perform this function better than me.

Ayane: Huh?

Rika: Actually, you're right, me and Kobayashi-san have known each other since we were little kids.
It would be ideal for us to work together.
Ayane
Are you in, Ayane?

I don't think there is anyone better for this position than you, Ayane.

Countermeasures is in the process of reorganization, if a second assistant's spot became vacant I would like to take Nae.
Then we would make an ideal team.

Ayane: Well, but some people will blame me when someone dies from our class.

Rika: I understand, but they will mostly hold a grudge against me or Yanagi-san and not against you.
So what is your decision Ayane?

Ayane: Alright, I'm in

Rika: Great, in that case you are officially my right hand from tomorrow.

Ayane: I'm glad. Heheh.

Suddenly, Ayane was called by a mysterious number.

Ayane: Huh? Who's that?

Rika: May I see? Maybe it's someone from our class?

Ayane: Have you given my number to anyone?

Rika: Probably not, but I know the numbers of most of our classmates.
Rika after examined the number that called Ayane
Rika: I don't recognise that numver.

Ayane's thoughts: Perhaps it is Mr. Sakakibara?
Rika: That guy, you are working for?
I heard about what happened to his wife

Ayane: Yes, she has survived, though.

Ayane finally answered the phone

Ayane: Umm, excuse me, who's calling?

Naoki: It's me, did you write down my number?

Ayane: And where did you get mine?

Naoki: I took it from your sister.

Ayane: Yuuna is quite distrustful, will you tell me the truth?

Naoki: I managed to deal with it.

Ayane moved away from Rika and Shun for a moment.

Ayane: Yuuna is not a puppet!

Naoki: Yeah, Yeah anyway.
I tracked down Kaori Hasegawa, the only able-bodied and free calamity survivor from 2004 and 2005.

Ayane: Do you think she might be hiding something?

Naoki: She could or she couldn't, we don't know.

But there is a possibility that she knows something subconsciously.

Ayane: I hope this will work on her.

Naoki: By the way, I found out about the Kuriyama incident in April.

Do you know what happened to him today?

Ayane: N-no

Naoki: He hanged himself, are you behind this?

Ayane: W-what? Why are you accusing me?
I didn't done that!

Naoki: Let's assume I trust you 60%, however, I was going to kill him, Kuriyama could have known something about the resurgent yakuza led by the Hironiwa and Minamiyashiki clans.

Ayane: Are you going to fight the yakuza?

Naoki, please leave Yomiyama! You are also exposed to the curse!
You are my brother, whom I never knew about my whole life, I don't want to lose you...

Naoki: I'm not stupid, I won't go out to them, I'll work in secret.
I'll call you when I will know more, bye.

Ayane: Bye..

Ayane returned to Rika and Shun.

Iwamoto noticed the fear on Ayane's face.

Shun: H-Hey Kobayashi-san, are you alright?

Rika: You look pale Ayane..

May I ask who called you?

Ayane: Iwamoto-kun, I'm sorry but I would like to talk to Fuyutsuki-san for longer.

Shun: Oh, okay nevermind.

Shun left and Ayane went home with Rika.

Ayane: Rika, do you remember Kuriyama?

Rika: That madman who couldn't accept defeat and tried to kill us?

Ayane: Yes

Rika: What's with him?

Ayane: He hanged himself.

Rika: Wait what?

Ayane: From what I know, he was associated with the Yakuza.

Rika: Did the person on the phone tell you that?

Ayane: Yes

Rika: I wonder who it could be...
Did this person introduce themself to you?

Ayane: Do you trust me, Rika?

Rika: Of course what's the matter?

Ayane: Nae and Ai's cousin is actually my brother...

Rika: Wait, are you Nae, Hirota and Ai all family?

Ayane: No, the real Hirota Hiiragi died in 1998, my brother was adopted by the Hiiragi family and took on his identity.
I recently found out that I belong to the Muneyoshi clan.
I may be targeted by the yakuza run by the Hironiwa and Minamiyashiki clans.

Rika: The Great Clans?
I thought their influence was cut off in 1999.

Ayane: That's why they are now trying to rebuild it.

Rika: Maybe talk to Dr. Muneyoshi about this?

Ayane: I don't know how he will react to my presence.

Rika: I think he will react positively.
It is worth a try.

Naoki entered the hospital to visit Mei.

Mei still hadn't woken up from her coma, Kouichi was by her bedside.

Kaito: Her condition is improving.

Kouichi: That's a relief, doctor..

Kaito: She should wake up soon, unless there are some complications from the surgery, a piece of her brain had to be removed, it could have damaged some of her abilities.
However, everything indicates that she will function normally after waking up.

Kouichi: What do you mean, doctor?

Kaito: She may have a little trouble speaking.
At worst, she may be mute.

Kouichi: Oh my god..

Naoki: The important thing is that she's alive, you shouldn't break mentally, Sakakibara-kun. It's pathetic.

Kouichi: It's easy for you to say that when Mei's sister died, you didn't even shed a tear, you treated it as an insignificant fact, and then you left Mei as if she was nothing to you...

Naoki: Kaito, is there no one around?

Kaito: Probably not, but if you're going to say something, I advise you to be careful.
Forgive me, but I have other patients yet.

After these words, the doctor left.

Naoki waited 5 minutes , then looked out the door.

He made sure no one was around and spoke to Kouichi

Naoki: In an act of revenge, I killed Kenshin Hironiwa and also tried to kill my father.

I did it for Fujioka, but also for Mei.

Kouichi: Wait. You killed Kenshin Hironiwa?
How about Ria and Yuukichi Hironiwa?

Naoki: I knew Ria Hironiwa, and as for Yuukichi, I had nothing to do with it, Shion probably forced him to commit seppukku in desperation.
I have to apologize to you for one thing, it's true that I was in their sights, but it was Mei who was shot, not me.

Kouichi: So it was the Hironiwa clan's revenge on you?

But how did they know it was you who killed Kenshin?

Naoki: They take revenge on me because they can't on my father, and Kaito is neutral, killing him would be a mistake.
They don't know that I'm the one who killed Kenshin, the Clan war between Muneyoshi clan and Hironiwa clan reignited since that day.

No one knew that I was the one who killed Kenshin, even Kaito nor Mei don't know about it, That's why I'm ruling out other options.

Kouichi: May I ask why did you kill him? I don't understand how his death was supposed to avenge Fujioka.

Naoki: Old times...

I suspected him of contributing to her death, however, the truth was quite different.

Kouichi: If Misaki were alive she would currently be my sister-in-law.

I think you can tell me...

Naoki: Mei didn't tell you?

Kouichi: About what?

Naoki: The Fujioka family was indebted to the Hironiwa clan,

Despite being only 17 years old with the help of two bruisers, Kenshin was already a debt collector.

He often made life miserable for her family, even though they had reached a settlement.

In addition, Yukiyo and Koutarou helped pay off much of the debt, however, Mei had to be turned over to them.

Kouichi: That last one I already knew, So the end result was that at that time you killed an innocent person?

Naoki: Just because the Fujiokas reached an agreement with the Hironiwa clan doesn't mean everyone was so lucky.

Kouichi: So Kenshin was a murderer?

Naoki: Probably yes, I don't know who was indebted to the Hironiwa clan, but there were a couple of disappearances from 1996 to 1997.

The bodies were never found.

Kouichi: So then…

Naoki: Yes, you are right children were often killed by the Hironiwas.

This was to intimidate debtors.

It is possible that if it had not been for Yukiyo's offer then Mei both as well as Misaki could have been killed so that their parents would have been intimidated into paying the debt.

Naoki: Did you and Mei used to visit Yomiyama after you graduated from middle school?

Kouichi: A few times I came, and when we became a couple two years ago we came more often.

Naoki: Have things changed much?

For a few years, I lost my memories, and I also didn't frequent Yomiyama.

I think I only visited Yomiyama once since 1999 as Hirota Hiiragi.

I don't want to say anything, but it's getting late.

Ayane has school, she can't take care of your son to late hours.

Kouichi: Ah, indeed. I've been sitting here for probably 2 hours.

I completely forgot about Mizuki.

Naoki: Mizuki? Why didn't you name your son Misaki?

Kouichi: Mei wanted that if a boy was born it would be Mizuki, and a girl would be Misaki.

Naoki: Nevermind, later

Kouichi: Yeah, bye.