Mei finished her rehabilitation, And decided to return to Yomiyama - not to take Naomi and Misaki back to Tokyo, but to accompany them.
In her mind, she left Yomiyama when the curse extended its reach around the world - through Kouichi's presumed death.
She also intended to spend some time in her old home, And decide what to do with Kirika's old store.
She was thinking of staying in Yomiyama permanently already, as Tokyo was too noisy for her.
Mei returned in the afternoon or so, but first she went to her biological mother to tell her that she intended to stay in Yomiyama, possibly permanently, as she was most likely widowed.
A few hours later, Naomi returned to her grandparents' house.
Naomi: Oh hello mom, I've already packed, when are we going home?
Mei looked at her daughter with astonishment.
Mei: But we are not going anywhere...
Naomi: And why?
Mei: First of all I don't like Tokyo, secondly don't lie to me, I know the curse of your class has begun.
Naomi: How?
Mei: I think I should tell you earlier about that
Naomi: About what?
Mei: In my day, the curse applied only to Yomiyama, however, as far as I can see, it already has worldwide coverage.
It began to occur to Naomi what her mother meant.
Naomi: No... You don't mean...
Mei sighed and looked into Naomi's eyes.
Mei: Yes your father is dead, most likely.
I've come to terms with it, I don't even know why he had to die, in the end it was most likely not an accident.
Naomi began to cry, and hugged her mother, she was devastated after the death of her father.
Mei was going to take her and Misaki for a serious talk about the curse but decided to wait until her two daughters had assimilated the information about Kouichi's death.
After about half an hour, Mei finally decided to ask Naomi.
Mei: Where is Misaki?
Naomi: Probably at work.
Mei: Something the other day told me that Misaki has a part-time job, may I know where she works?
Naomi: Misaki works as a maid at the Minamiyashiki estate
Upon hearing these words, Mei became suspicious; she had heard of the Yomiyama Group, after all, she herself was nearly killed by Tatsumi Hironiwa in 2007.
Mei: Is everything okay with her? Haven't you noticed anything strange in her behavior since she started working there?
And in general, how did she get the job?
Did she just go there and ask for the job? Or through the internet?
Naomi: You could have called us more often than once a month, mom.
Mei: Sometimes I like to be alone, but maybe I should actually check in on you more often.
Naomi: Naomi started working there because Michika Muneyoshi encouraged her to do so.
Mei: Muneyoshi you say?
Anyway, when does she usually come back?
Naomi did not know what to say, on the one hand it seemed reasonable to tell her mother that her sister often disappears for nights and returns in the morning, and sometimes avoids school.
She also wanted to tell her about her latest prank, when she texted at 4 a.m. that she was staying the night at Kana Ishigami's house.
However, she knew that her mother might have connected this to what she was about to see.
Therefore, she decided to keep quiet.
Naomi: It depends, most often around 6-7pm.
Misaki, however, was in the basement of Kirika's store, where she interrogated Shion, Michika had to control her to make sure she didn't accidentally kill her.
Shion, however, was defiant; most of the time, anyway, she gave up control for Izumi.
Misaki and Michika decided to go home, as it was another day in which they learned nothing from Shion.
Misaki entered her grandparents' house, with her mother already waiting for her there.
Naomi sat hunched over on the couch, clearly sad.
Mei's facial expression was the same as always, neither smiling nor sad.
Misaki was puzzled, and after looking around the room, she decided to speak up.
Misaki: Anything happened?
Mei: Your father is dead.
Misaki: F**k..
Misaki said it with a mixture of anger and despair.
Mei: I understand your despair, but I would advise you to avoid swearing, and certainly not in your grandmother's house.
Misaki: My father is gone! How the f*ck am I suppose to care what she thinks! He's dead! He can't even think about me! How the f*ck would he know how sad I actually am!
Mei: That still doesn't give you an excuse to act rude! I know that losing your father is difficult. Trust me, I do know how you feel. I've been through this too.
Misaki: Oh shut the f*ck up already!
Misaki's dismissive and vulgar statement made Mei, who was usually calm and mostly slightly sad for the first time in many years, enraged.
Mei: How dare you speak to me like that? I'm your mother. I brought you into this world. Show some respect. You need to be aware of what you're saying! What have I told you? Think before you speak!
Misaki headed her room without a word.
Stunned, Mitsuyo just stared dully at this, saddened that Mei had lost her husband, and seeing her granddaughter's behavior.
Mei remained alone in the living room, she looked at her hand when she still had scars from breaking a mirror at her house 27 years ago, when she learned about her sister's death
"Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on her, in fact, if I cared anything for Kirika I'd probably do the same..."
Mei began to reflect on her shared past with Kouichi, from grade 3-3 in 1998, through a friendship that turned into a relationship somewhere in 2004.
Mei began to think about all the years they spent together - when she was shot and Kouichi devoted all his free time to taking care of their children, as well as helping her fully recover.
Mei decided to leave the two daughters alone and start talking about the curse tomorrow.
Tomorrow was to be October 19, a Sunday, so Naomi and Misaki were to have the day off.
Misaki couldn't sleep, silently sobbing over her father's death, Naomi hearing the whole argument, however, decided to remain calm.
After a while, Misaki received a message from Michika.
-Come quickly to your grandmother/aunt's former studio, or whatever you call it, something is wrong with Shion!
That is, I think she has started to crack and will finally tell us something.
-Fuck off
Misaki put the phone down and continued trying to sleep.
Michika was left alone with Shion, injecting her with the drug through what she hoped would be an untangling of her tongue.
For the first few hours, Izumi, who was at the controls, was aggressive and began to threaten Michika
Shion: Michika... Muneyoshi... will you annoy me like your old man huh?
I remember him...
I don't even know who was more annoying...
Him...
How about Mei Misaki?
Wait a minute...
Wasn't she here by any chance?
About a couple of hours ago?
What?
Shion started laughing, and Michika recorded her gibberish with a dictaphone.
Shion: Do you know what it feels like?
Do you know?
When you're the only one who's still 15, and all your friends are dead or old?
When someone tells you to kill your own parents?
And creates a copy of you?
One that's not even close to the original?
The worst thing about it...
That...
Shion started laughing out loud maniacally again.
Michika: Who do you see in front of you?
Shion: Muneyoshi-kun?...
No...
Mikami-sensei?
No after all she has been dead for a long time...
A moment maybe...
Mochizuki-kun...
No...
Moment...
Patience...
This, that... no...
Who are you?
Michika: Shinigami
Shion: Shinigami huh?...
Where is your wings?
Hey…!
Oh my god….
You are Kojima-san?
I'm so sorry!
But…
But…
I couldn't control myself!
Shion told me to do it!
Believe me Saki!
I'm Izumi Akazawa, not Shion!
Shion Urushibara never existed!
Please forgive me Saki-san!
Yukari… please…
Michika: Who exactly do you mean?
Saki Kojima? And who else did you murder?
Shion: Kazami-kun, ehh... moment ...
And yes, my parents...
Yagami-kun...
Sakuragi-san...
Who else was there...
Ria Hironiwa?
Not a moment, what was her name?
I don't remember...
Michika: What did you just say?
Shion: Shinigami-sama
Let me out.
Let me ooout!
Michika's thoughts "Could it be that her two selves have shuffled? Or is Shion toying with me?
I'm almost certain that Ria Hironiwa was one of my grandfather's victims in 1998, or 1999.
Could it be!
No, impossible!
But!"
Michika: Shion, is Urushibara your real name?
Or, on the other hand, is your name Shion Muneyoshi?
Shion: Well, who knows….
Michika grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her.
Michika: TELL ME! NOW!
Shion: Woah Woah Woah, slower slower please….
I think I'm gonna…
I'm gonna….
Michika made a few steps away, she decided to stay overnight at this building with Shion.
Shion after 15 minutes of ranting while in a drug-induced high, mixing events from before 1998 with those of 2025.
For her, Yukari Sakuragi and Saki Kojima were the same person, as were Ken Yagami and Tomohiko Kazami, where in Tomohiko's case she sometimes confused his name, and referred to him in context as "Sakai-kun" or Inquisitor.
Shion: Hey remember how I shot Teshigawara?
He was leaning out at the time, and I shot him…
Michika: Naoya Teshigawara is alive.
I think you remember his daughter Ayumi?
Shion: Ayane?
Oh yes, she always played chess well...
Michika: Wait a minute, do you mean ...
Shion hung her head, Michika checked her pulse - she was alive.
Michika, however, knew that she might have given Shion too much.
Shion could have died of an overdose at any time.
"At least our class will be free of the curse."
Tough luck, you'll have to deal with it again next year.
Michika decided to wait another half hour, then checked Urushibara's pulse again.
"Hmm, strange she is still alive, what if?"
Shion, this time looking sober, abruptly lifted her head, and with frantic eyes, she drove her gaze into Michika.
Shion: BINGO!
Michika glared slightly, Shion started laughing.
Michika: What the hell?
Shion: Congratulations, my granddaughter.
You guessed it was me...
I wonder who told you that, because it certainly wasn't Naoki.
Michika: Really? You make such jokes about the death of your own son Shion?
Shion: I've been living in these prisons for 26 years now, until 2005 I couldn't do anything, I was just an observer, I saw the lives of many additional...
However, 2005 was a different year.
I started hinting at Atsumi Takeshita, with whom mentally unstable Emi Aihara was in love.
Takeshita agreed to have Aihara murder all countermeasures.
And then step by step, I manipulated him so that he would ask Aihara for more murders.
I don't think there has been a more tragic year in the history of this class right?
Back then, 24 out of 25 students of this class died (if you count the fact that one boy ended up in a vegetative state), I only spared Kaori Hasegawa, because I really liked her father when I still was a human. Good score right?
I noticed then, in the following years - in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 that I could have much more influence on my vessel.
And in 2007 I took control of Nae Hiiragi.
However, I was stopped, which didn't stop me from trying further.
However.
I decided to kill inconvenient people for me as Shion Muneyoshi.
I killed Sakuya Terauchi in 2011 and Kanae Ichinose, I think in 2014, in this way.
Sakuya Terauchi used to work with me in the police force, so I decided to get rid of her.
Ichinose-sensei, on the other hand, is a different story.
I did it out of sheer boredom.
I decided that it would be funny if the whole class started to get scared.
Only because I didn't want to provoke the curse, in 18 years the curse never once attacked 3-3.
Until I heard this name - Sakakibara.
When I first heard it from Ayumi Teshigawara, I already knew that I would give them hell.
However, I wanted them to be alone first before I would deprive them of their lives as well.
Only you had the right to survive this year Michika...
Well, see you next year Michika...
Michika was shocked after hearing all of it, she remembered all of this suspicious disappearances and deaths, that wasn't connected to class 3-3
Sakuya Terauchi… commited suicide at 44.
No, you killed her and after your vessel disappeared in March official explaination was changed!
Kanae Ichinose…. shot by unknown student (probably) at 38.
Wait… but why you killed Aki Shigekawa?
She died not so recently… in September 2024?
Shion: She blogged "Secrets of Yomi," then in 2024 I returned as Erika Matsunaga. And I decided to kill her, she knew too much about the clans, she could still blow my case anew.
Michika checked her phone how much of it was recored, she saw that her phone died, and Shion started laughing.
Shion: Surprised?
I saw that when you injected this into me, that you had about 40% of your battery.
The only thing you have on me is a narcotic babble.
Besides, I can still switch with Izumi, who will act like she is innocent of everything, so how do you like it?
Michika: Damn…
But just tell me one thing, how is it possible that there were two people this year?
The first was Tohru Ogata, and then it was you.
However, from June to August you were both, how is that possible?
Could it be that your being split into those that were present in Tohru and Izumi?
Shion: Izumi?
Oh… I'm not her…
I created a whole new person, using her photo and creating her profile on UMessage as Tohru Ogata, but you know what's funny?
Ogata deliberately agreed.
Michika: He never had friends, so I guess you appeared in his mind as a hallucination or something?
Shion: Exactly
Michika: How the hell Shion had materialized then?
Shion: Naomi Sakakibara recognized my existence
Michika: Yeah, but…
Shion Urushibara never existed right?
Shion: No, only her personal informations…
Her body existed as Izumi Akazawa, and since Naomi had her image as Shion Urushibara, thus I got materialized, quite similar how Misaki Yomiyama done it back in 1972.
Michika: Oh, that girl from the legend?
Shion: No, he was a guy actually.
And I also killed him, his parents, and his younger brother..
Michika: Why?
Shion: It disturbed me, all the luck my mother, and your great-grandmother activated it, is that the whole class considered him alive.
It was not natural, moreover, like the history of our clan.
The roots of the curse should be found there, I don't know in the late Sengoku period.
Michika: I guess the drug still has an effect on you.
Shion: No, in the past this curse was limited to our clan only, and was called the curse of primogeniture.
Always the firstborn child died at birth, however, I was an exception, maybe because my father - Umenosuke Muneyoshi - did not belong to the main clan line.
And the curse most simply expired, however.
My venerable mother, before her untimely death in 1975, transferred it to Yomikita, to be exact, Class 3-3.
Michika looked suspiciously at Shion, The whole story seemed strange to her, and most likely created under the influence of a drug.
So she left the building with the idea of visiting Sakutarou Anju.
"What if it's true after all, colored and discolored by the narcotic but still?"