Naoki has begun his rehabilitation, in addition, paperwork has been completed for him to return to the 3-3 class.
Beginning the third week of November, Naoki got dressed and left his house.
After going outside the gate, he spotted his friend Ayato, who was waiting for him.
Naoki looked at him, however it was not a friendly look.
-Ayato, what the hell are you doing here? You live...
Naoki did not finish when he noticed Yomiyama North's gakuran.
Seriously?
Ayato smiled.
-You know... you don't seem to have many friends in your class, I thought maybe...
-Reportedly, the Clans avoid sending their members to Yomikita because of the chances that those there will end up in the 3-3.
-You transferred after all.
-Because I had enough of the Nanchu morons.
Ayato wanted to say something, however, he realized something, and decided to change the subject.
-What high school are you going to Naoki?
Have you changed plans? or still Tokyo?
-I don't care, however I don't conceal that I have a sincere desire to leave Yomiyama.
-So no change?
-No, none at all.
-I understand...
-Which class do you go to Ayato?
-To 3-3, but it is supposedly already a normal class isn't it?
-I think so.
-You were really lucky to survive the poisoning, and avoid the curse.
-Do you believe that?
-I know and have known a few people from 3-3, mostly they are friends of friends but sometimes we will talk to each other, I doubt that the deaths of Ayano-san and Kawahori-kun were pure coincidence.
-I don't particularly care, I don't want to say anything but Ayano annoyed me.
-Maybe you should still rest for a while? You don't look well...
-Maybe.
Naoki and Ayato reached the school.
Ayato introduced himself to the whole class, and in turn Naoki went to his seat, however, Kouichi was sitting there, so he returned to Chibiki-sensei.
-Chibiki-sensei, where can I sit?
-You can sit between Sakakibara-kun and Teshigawara-kun.
-Right.
Naoki went to his new seat, when he sat down he was greeted by Naoya.
-Oh hello Muneyoshi-kun!
Have you recovered?
-Naoki looked at Teshigawara with disdain, and a silent wish that he would shut up.
-Yeah
-Since a long time?
Naoki completely ignored Naoya, scanning the classroom himself with his eyes - looking to see who died during the curse.
Then Kouichi decided to speak to him.
-So, you aren't a new student?
-No.
Kouichi was slightly amazed when he found out about this.
-No one told me about you, I am Sakakibara Kouichi, nice to meet you.
-Muneyoshi Naoki.
Naoki sat down in his seat. Ignoring Kouichi completely, his The look from his face told him one thing "when will you shut your mouth?".
The lesson passed, Ayato started talking to some students.
-Eeeh? Anju? Are you serious?
I heard that your family avoids sending its members to our school.
-Umm... Well that's true, but I guess it has to be the first time sometime doesn't it?
Ayato turned around when he noticed Mei, he felt like he was having a heart attack, he screamed and almost fell on the floor.
It seemed to him as if he had seen a ghost.
-Hey Ayato, it's not a ghost but Mei, she won't do anything to you.
Naoya joked, then helped him pick himself up.
- O-oh... I see...
- You can be scared of her sometimes, but you overreacted.
Unless you liked her?
-N-no! She just appeared behind me from nowhere!...
-No matter what, how about me, Mochizuki and Sakaki giving you a tour of the school?
-Sure, why not.
Naoya turned to ask Kouichi if he would show Ayato around the school, however, Kouichi went to the school library with Mei.
"Huh? I swear he was still here... a while ago." - he thought after which he and Mochizuki began showing Ayato around the school.
Kouichi and Mei were alone in the library, where they often enjoyed spending time since it was too cold to go to the roof.
-Hey Mei, did Muneyoshi-kun go to your school before?
-Yes, he went to 2-3, however, after that he had a coma.
He somehow avoided the curse, he just got really lucky.
-He doesn't seem like a friendly person, he kinda resembles you, Mei...
-I just don't care about others, Muneyoshi doesn't even recognize you as a person, we are all not someone but something to him.
Although, at least for me, he was really nice.
- Nice?
Kouichi was surprised, while feeling a bit of jealousy.
-No normal person would call it being nice, however, I could see it in his eyes, he looked at me like he was looking at normal person, he looked on others like they were a piece of garbage to him.
Originally, he was the one who was going to be a non-existent. However, his coma caused me to become the non-existent one.
-Was he always like this?
-I only knew him for a year.
Ayano once wanted to talk to him, he ignored her however this one did not relent.
Finally he got angry and asked her when she would leave him alone.
- Huh?
-He was a bit popular with some of the girls in that class.
Moreover, he came from the Four Great Clans.
-The Four Great Clans?
-Muneyoshi, Hironiwa, Minamiyashiki and Anju.
-What is Anju-kun too?
- Yes, however I don't think it's for such a trivial reason as aristocratic background that Muneyoshi would treat others like garbage.
Something must be behind this, but I'm not particularly interested in it.
I advise you to stick to not being interested in it, too.
He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would like it if someone followed him.
- Right, it's none of our business...
However, maybe he needs help?
- Who knows..?
After a few minutes, Naoki silently appeared behind Mei and Kouichi.
Kouichi startled a bit, however Mei just ignored the fact. Naoki spoke out as he arrived to their table.
-Misaki-san, can I talk to you in private? Naoki glared at Kouichi with a look like "Get the hell out of here."
Mei looked up at him.
- What do you want from me?
- I want to talk to you alone, can he leave?
- Ask him yourself.
- Sakakibara is it?
Kouichi nodded.
- Can you leave?
I have important things to talk over with Misaki-san.
I don't want you to overhear anything.
- Yeah, sure, no problem.
Kouichi got up and left, leaving Mei and Naoki alone.
- Did you want something from me?
Naoki took a letter out of his pocket and gave it to Mei.
- Letter?
- Send it to your sister, I'm pretty sure she didn't break contact with you.
Mei did not react to these words, even though deep down she was annoyed.
- But I don't have a sister.
- Misaki Fujioka, there is no way that you are not related, I know this because I knew her.
Mei examined the letter.
-Natsuko Samejima?
-I prefer to avoid my real name, by the way, she probably also lives somewhere under a changed name.
Mei sighed in disbelief that Naoki didn't know anything.
-Misaki is dead, and her family still lives in Yomiyama.
Naoki did not react in any special way to this information.
- Oh I understand, my condolences.
After which he tried to take the letter from Mei's hands, however, the latter refused to give it back.
- Will you give me the letter?
- What was your relationship with her?
- Nothing special, and now I ask you to give this letter back.
- First, tell me what you had in common with her.
Naoki took something out of his pocket after a brief moment of thought, it was a piece of paper.
- What is it?
- Come closer...
Mei came closer and took the piece of paper from Naoki,
Taking the opportunity, Naoki stole his letter to Misaki Fujioka from Mei's pocket.
After a while, Mei realized that Naoki had taken the letter.
- Why do you want to keep it so secret?
- I don't have to explain myself to you.
-I am her sister.
- But not her mother, you have no authority over her, and besides, it's not in good taste to read someone else's correspondence.
- In that case, what are you going to do with this letter?
- None of your business.
Naoki left the library with the letter, then headed toward the hallway, it was after his last lesson.
In front of the school, he met Ayato, who decided to walk home with him.
Naoki stopped at a dumpster and took out a lighter with which he set the letter on fire.
- N-Naoki: are you all right?
- Ayato, remember how you called me friend a few years ago?
- Of course I do!
After all, you are one.
Naoki looked at him with an accusatory stare
-Then why did you deceive me?
Fujioka is dead.
You told me otherwise.
-W-well b-because y-you…..
Ayato felt overwhelmed, and at the same time felt as if he was about to drown for reasons of remorse.
He avoided Naoki's gaze, who did not take his eyes off him, thus forcing a response from Ayato.
-You have lost so many people important to you...
I didn't want you to be sorry...
And anyway, how did you find out?
- None of your business, but know that I am used to human death.
It's not something you need to cry or be sad about, rather you should assimilate it with yourself, it's just a natural process, we will all die one day.
With this answer, Ayato turned his feelings into shock and disbelief.
- S-so Misaki's death meant nothing to you?
Naoki looked at Ayato with a slight confession.
He sighed and dissmissively answered to Ayato.
-I liked her, but there was nothing special about her death, she just died and that's all.
Yes we had a nice time the three of us, but you can't help it if she died.
At Naoki's mention that Misaki's death was nothing special Ayato felt bad.
- Sorry Naoki, but I think I'll go home alone today, I don't feel well.
- Then just go.
- Until tomorrow
- Until tomorrow
- Naoki arrived at his uncle Kaito's house in Urasawacho after some time.
Kaito Muneyoshi was a 35 year old surgeon, he was a doctor by vocation despite offers of better jobs at clinics in Tokyo and Osaka he decided to stay in Yomiyama, he always kept an optimistic attitude and a smile on his face despite having experienced a lot in his life.
At the age of 15, he lost almost his entire family during the Showa Day Massacre, his only remaining family members were his older brothers - Shion who was 25 at the time and Kiichisaburo who was Umenosuke Muneyoshi's child from his first marriage, who was 32 on that day.
Shion and Kaito were the sons of the last representative of the Muneyoshi clan from the clan's main line, Kaguya Muneyoshi, while Kiichisaburo's mother was Uta Yanagida who was killed in 1949.
Kaguya and Umenosuke were related to each other, however not so much that Shion and Kaito had any birth defects because of it.
Naoki entered his home.
Kaito noticed him, and was about to talk about school.
-Hey Naoki, how was school today?
-Nothing special, as always.
-And did the curse... you know... I feel silly to ask this but...
-There is no curse, for several months, besides, do you seriously believe it?
- I went to Yomikita when I was your age, and I have to tell you that what happens in that class treats people from the Four Great Clans differently.
-Bullshit
-No, listen...
I'm serious...
Have you heard about the Showa day massacre?
-I think so, then almost all of our clan was killed?
-Yes, but know that it could not have been a coincidence...
-Were you going to Yomikita then?
Naoki sat on a chair and rested his forehead against his hand in disbelief that Kaito was blaming the curse for that massacre.
- I know it sounds absurd but...
When our clan members were killed then the curse stopped...
- And you think this curse somehow used firearms?
- There have been several cases of killings in the history of this class...
For example, in 1990, one of my first operations...
Moment what was his name...
Yoshida I think...
Yes, Nobuaki Yoshida.
The poor guy was attacked by his own brother.
- And what does that have to do with anything other than the fact that he was a class 3-3 student?
The curse, moreover, only targets siblings and parents, nothing else.
And in 1977, people were killed with whom you were connected only by name right?
You are just panicking Kaito...
-B-but someone poisoned you with ricin in March!
- That's right, in March that was, before the start of class 3-3.
-Your condition was at its worst in April...
That's when class 3-3 already started...
I don't know how, but you managed to recover from it...
You're just panicking Kaito, By the way I'm going to my room.
Kaito tried to stop Naoki to talk to him, however, on the other hand he noticed a gentle sadness in the tone of his voice, Naoki mostly, with a few exceptions, did not like to share his secrets.
Kaito understood this perfectly, which is why he let him alone.
