Naoki: She is my cousin

Ayane: Huh?

Naoki: At least on paper.

Ayane: What do you mean

Naoki: I don't think that I should be telling you her secrets, ask her herself when she will regain conciousness.

Ayane: Oh okay, I understand.
But, why does she got shot?

Naoki: She was there, in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I'm grateful.

Thanks to her eye, I was able to restore my memories.

Ayane: I am curious about where this ability of our eyes came from.

Naoki: Our grandmother - Kaguya probably knew, maybe even our father. However, I doubt that Kaito knows anything about it.

Ayane: Looking at it logically, theoretically a lot of people should have this ability...

Especially the descendants of the aristocracy, however, this skill is unique only to the Muneyoshi clan, I assume that only men can pass it on, or it is a recessive gene.

Naoki: I don't know, it's possible.

Ayane: Are you sure you don't want to leave Yomiyama?

Naoki: Tatsumi Hironiwa is imprisoned, so The Hironiwa clan has no leader, and the Minamiyashikis are neutral towards me.

Ayane: Why isn't Uncle Kaito targeted by them, anyway?

Naoki: He is a doctor, and in a few times he has saved the lives of members of the Hironiwa clan as well as the Minamiyashiki, so he is treated differently.

Besides, a couple of times he even performed surgeries for them secretly.

Ayane: Oh I see.

Naoki: Anything else you want to ask?

Ayane: Do you still keep in touch with the Hiiragis?

Naoki: Mainly with Sachio but also with Nae and Ai sometimes, what's the matter?

Ayane: Haven't you noticed that Nae has been acting strangely lately?

Naoki: I shouldn't tell you this, but Nae spent three weeks in a psychiatric hospital.

That's still short, everyone thought she would stay there for a long time, unfortunately.

Ayane: Nae has been in a psychiatric hospital all the time?
But, it is still strange.

Naoki: Even though it was all artificial, I feel grief over the deaths of Ikuyo and Shuuhei.

I was not born as Hirota Hiiragi, however, living as him allowed me to experience what I never had.
I guess that's why I still keep in touch with the Hiiragi family, so I knew about Nae's mental condition.
However, we also cannot exclude the possibility that Nae is an extra.

Ayane: Few people in this class would keep their sanity, it's starting to become logical, but to that point?

Naoki: Can you please explain to me?

Ayane: My friend has a rare disease, she will not live long and because of the curse she may even die this year or next.

That's why Nae came up with the idea to kill 2 people a month at a time to delay her death.

Naoki: Saving one person is a much more reasonable option than trying to save the entire class.

Ayane: But to murder his classmates like that?

Naoki: There is no other way, unfortunately.

Ayane: In 1998, after all, you, as well as Mrs. Sakakibara and her husband, broke the curse. right?

Naoki: I was in a coma at the time, in addition to how I removed my right eye I lost the ability to remember extra ones.
That's why I don't remember how they did it.

By the way, about Nae. You can use your ability on her after all.
And ask her if she is saying these things for real.

Ayane: I know, but I don't know how to use it well yet.

Naoki: You have to look deep into someone's soul, and then…
Assume your power over your target.

Ayane: It sounds pretty scary...

Naoki: As you think

Naoki started to leave the cemetery.

Soon, however, he turned toward his sister.

Naoki: Give me your number, or at least an email.

Ayane: I already have it saved.

Naoki: If you want I can show you something soon.

Ayane: And what will it be?

Naoki: You will find out on the spot

Ayane: And can we now? I ran away from school, and Yuuna is probably still at home.

Naoki: Just use your ability on her

Ayane: But...I

Naoki: Fine, get in my car.

Ayane and Naoki drove to Yamegawa, which was the historical seat of the Muneyoshi family before the founding of Yomiyama, got off near the ruins of the family's old mansion, abandoned in 1913.

Near the ruins was an old cemetery where the graves of members of the Muneyoshi clan were located

Ayane: A cemetery?

Naoki: Here are the graves of our ancestors, before 1945, together with the Anju, Minamiyashiki and Hironiwa clans, held tetrarchic rule over Yomiyama and surrounding areas.
In the past, as far as I know, there were fights between these clans, which were only alleviated by the defeat of the clans and the imposition of obedience on them by the Shogunate.
The problem with clan influence is that it is impossible to eradicate.

Always, whether directly or from the shadows, the clans will rule the territories, in harmony with each other or not.

Ayane: But what are we here for?

Naoki: It all started here

Ayane: The curse?

Naoki: Perhaps, but I mean our clan, and our supernatural ability

Ayane: Oh.

By the way, why don't you have an eye and a right arm?

Naoki: My right arm was amputated by Kaito, and my eye was removed by myself.

Ayane: By yourself? But why?

Naoki: An overuse of my ability had to end like this in my case.

Ayane: Huh?

Naoki: I had two different types of eyes, at first glance they were the same, however, one allowed me to see the color of death, and the other on mind manipulation.
You, on the other hand, only have the ability to manipulate minds, just like Shion and most of the men who were from the Muneyoshi clan.

Ayane: So this ability varies by gender?

Naoki nodded

Naoki: Men mostly have the ability to manipulate minds, and women have the ability to manipulate death, and seeing its color.
From what Kaito told me, it appears that our grandmother - Kaguya fully possessed both skills in both eyes, making her the most powerful known member of this clan.

Ayane: Returning to the overuse of ability, is that facing me as well as you?

Naoki: Did Shion visit the eye doctor often?

Ayane: Yes, but it was probably not serious.

By the way, I suspect that since I have both eyes compatible I shouldn't have as strong a side effect as you have.

Ayane and Naoki chatted and walked through the cementery for some time until they got back to Yomiyama.

Ayane was walking toward her home when she met Rika and Midori.

Rika: Ayane?
Why did you escape from school today?

Ayane: That's a long story eheheh...

Rika: Long story?
Will you tell me about it later?

Ayane: I don't mind it.

Midori: The curse attacked today, by the way, Fortunately, no one was killed.

Rika: Oomiya-kun almost fell from the window.
But Shimizu-kun and Shiraishi-san saved him.

Ayane: Luckily

Rika: However, we are setting ourselves up for the possibility that someone may die soon, after all, no one has died yet in July.

Ayane: And is everything alright with Nae?

Rika: I think so, although lately she seems more aloof from others and a bit "weird"

Midori: Sakai has been trying to avoid her lately, they seem to have started talking to one another more often, but I guess he doesn't like it.

Ayane: Do you think she is trying to horrify him?

Rika: She's probably just teasing him, although in the past she never did that to anyone.

Midori: In theory, any one of us could die, she may have wanted to express her opinion of Sakai before she dies.

Ayane: By the way, why is Ai not with you?

Rika: Ai sticks to Nae's company, and lately I think she has been hanging out with Yasuda-kun and Yanagi-san.

Ayane: Rika, can I talk to you in private?

Rika: Yeah sure

Midori: Then I'll be on my way.

Ayane and Rika were left alone with each other, Ayane stressed before asking Rika about her health condition, Ayane took a deep breath and asked Rika

Ayane: Rika, is it true that you are incurably ill?

Rika: Huh? No where did you get that idea?

Ayane: Please, be honest with me.

Rika: I'm healthy, at least I think so.
Where did this thought come from?

Ayane: Believe it or not, Nae told me this, probably so as not to disturb her in what she is about to do.

Rika: What are you talking about?

Ayane: Listen to me carefully

Nae intends to kill 2 people at a time for a month to survive.

She was going to hide it under the guise that she is doing it for us, but in fact she is doing it for herself...

Rika: W-what?
Nae is going to kill 18 people in total?

Ayane: I'm not kidding Rika...

Today she told me that my brother may die...
That's why I ran away from school lessons, I'm more concerned about how she knew my brother would be at the cemetery.

Rika: Your brother lived for 9 years as Nae and Ai's cousin.
They probably still keep in touch with each other.

Ayane: I doubt he would have said that to her
Besides
he also went to class 3-3 in 1998-1999 along with Mrs. and Mr. Sakakibara
Unfortunately he doesn't remember how they lifted the curse then.

Rika: So do we have to wait until Mrs. Sakakibara awakens from her coma?

Ayane: Yes

Rika: So Nae is not teasing Sakai for any reason... probably trying to drive him to suicide or insanity.

Ayane: She wouldn't get her hands dirty, at least directly.

Rika: That is, the fact that she has recently stopped hanging out with us is no coincidence either.

Since she doesn't hang out with us, Ai wouldn't hang out with us not too often like before.

Ayane: We need to find a way to break the curse as soon as possible.
There's a chance we'll be forced to find it on our own.

Rika: Apart from Mr. and Mrs. Sakakibara, do we know anyone from class 3-3 in 1998?

Ayane: Unfortunately no, the only thing other than Sakakibaras that connects me with class 3-3 from this year is where I live.

Rika: Your house?

Ayane: I know it sounds stupid but yes.

In 1998, a mother and her daughter lived there, but unfortunately both of them died due to a curse of our class.

Rika: Then I'll have to ask the rest of class tomorrow.
Maybe there is a small chance that one of our classmates know someone from that class.