After the murder of Yoshiki Yatagai's family - Akira Kobayashi felt that he would soon have to run away again - however, he didn't want to show it to himself for the time being - so he came to work - where everyone was busy finding the perpetrator of the crime in Asamida - Rumi Yatagai - Yoshiki Yatagai's 14-year-old daughter and also a 2-2 grade student, an acquaintance of Mei's from the art club, lay in the hospital in a coma - after she was shot in the head - a fact that the operation was led by Dr. Kaito Muneyoshi and ended successfully.

Kaito was a cardiothoracic surgeon however, there was no permanent neurosurgeon for this type of operation at Yuumigaoka Hospital in Yomiyama, seconds counted - Rumi would have died if not for Kaito who, along with other doctors, kept her alive and prepared the operation until the arrival of the nearest neurosurgeon - because of the fact that Rumi survived, Chigusa stopped suspecting Kaito of murdering other people - since Rumi most likely saw the real culprit.

No one had seen Akira accurately, which meant that no one took his involvement in the murder seriously - descriptions of the murderer were inaccurate as Akira had murdered Yuho Yatagai and a passerby at quite a late hour - Akira himself, however, decided to change his identity once again, Akira Kobayashi would have ceased to exist if Shion had sensed at least some of the suspicions about his person from the police station - So he was going to go to a certain man in Sendai who was one of the best document forgers in Japan - Shion had already used his services once, when he changed his identity to Akira Kobayashi in 1987. Shion was a careful man, so Akira must be even more careful.

There was sadness throughout Yomiyama North - as Rumi Yatagai was a student in Class 2-2, she was alive even though she was in a coma and her life was in question, Rumi Yatagai belonged to a photography club - which some students in Class 3-3 also belonged to.

- I heard that Yatagai-san's father was in Class 3-3 in 1972.

- So that means that...

One of the students almost froze with fear - realizing that the curse might have transferred to the old yearbooks.

- I don't know... possible... but if it wasn't for them we would have to die...

Tatsuji Chibki had heard about this, and felt that it was to the subject of the recent deaths of 5 former students of class 3-3 that one should keep one's distance, and panic should not be sowed.
A special parenting lesson was ordered for this purpose, when Chibiki entered the classroom - the class fell silent, the atmosphere was heavy - filled with guilt as many students thought the 3-3 curse had carried over to the first year class that caused it.

Naoki sensed that the recent murders might be related to Shion - however, what did this have to do with his father? - Shion was born in 1953 so he was 46 years old in 1999, he couldn't have been a student at Yomiyama North - or any other middle school as he attended the third year of middle school from 1968-1969, Mei didn't believe in the curse transfer to former class 3-3 members either way, but she didn't care.
Chibiki decided to present his point of view to his students - the atmosphere was heavy - although not as much as in the days when the curse directly threatened the 3-3 class.

Chibiki gave it some thought - making sure his words would go over well with his students, he had no intention of putting them to sleep, as he wasn't sure the curse wouldn't attack the current 3-3 class, but to assuage any possible guilt.
He began his speech to the students calmly, assuring them of safety.

- Dear students, I know how you feel, in the period from December last year to today, 6 former students of class 3-3 have died, ironically from the yearbook that started this phenomenon, a week and a half ago Anju Ayato - your classmate committed suicide, and yesterday Yatagai Yuho was murdered and her daughter Yatagai Rumi is in the hospital, many of you probably think that this is the return of the curse, or that the curse has moved to the 1971/1972 yearbook, however, keep in mind that only two people committed suicide - the rest were killed, so someone probably killed them on purpose, so this is not something that could be caused by a phenomenon, nevertheless, I think you should still be vigilant after the death of Anju Ayato

After this lesson, class 3-3 debated among themselves about the latest news, some students were panicked still, as they did not want a repeat of the curse.
Chibiki's statement, however, made the issue of the recent murders go down the drain, so to speak, and some students also began to suspect Naoki of extending the curse and later transferring it to others as the death of Minazuki, a 3-3 student from 1971-1972, happened in December - a month after Naoki joined the 3-3 class.

Naoki received suspicious stares from everyone, and the fact that he refused to socialize with the rest of the class somehow increased his mistrust of the rest of the class,

Some of the students even believed that Naoki had somehow resumed the curse by his rejoining, some even thought he was an additional student as the curse still existed according to these students.

Naoki was aware that he might be ignored, just as Mei was ignored, but he didn't fixate on it - the odds were low as class 3-3 was ending in a month, and Naoki and the rest of the class would be heading to high schools.

He also had to reconcile his studies with the investigation to find his father, if the suspicion that Shion was alive was true - however, he had no idea where Shion might live - and under what identity - in addition, he had no idea what he looked like, also many documents about him had been destroyed and the only source of information about Shion was Kaito, who preferred to avoid the subject.