On the first of March, Naoki, Mei and Kouichi met together after class - they wanted to talk about the future, they were in front of the school corridor - the weather was quite cold - although the snow had already melted some time ago.

Kouichi was quite thoughtful - on the one hand he was glad to be back in Tokyo, but on the other hand he knew he would miss Mei - he didn't know if it was infatuation or just the strength of their friendship, for Kouichi Mei was someone special, through this he also felt a slight jealousy towards Naoki - as he began to spend more and more time with her.
Naoki, on the other hand, was primarily interested in tracking down and confronting Shion - Kouichi was already an insider, but the information that came to him was filtered by Mei and Naoki, they feared that some of it as it reached Kouichi might slow down the investigation a bit - but Naoki had recently conveyed to Kouichi the purpose of why he was asking him about Hireikan - Kouichi knew that Naoki's father had attended that high school from 1969 to 1972.

Naoki looked around and after a moment asked Kouichi in an icy tone

- Were you at Hireikan?

- Yes, although I was a little ashamed, that high school was out of my league, besides, they had the entrance exams very early - as early as January 28, but I went there, asked about Shion Muneyoshi, the principal himself somehow seemed horrified when I asked about that name, although he tried to be calm, he just told me that no such student attended that school, although he didn't even look at the attendance lists from those years.

- Just as I thought.

After a while they fell silent again until Mei soon spoke up.

- Since he did something cruel, or contributed to it, maybe the newspapers wrote about it?

- I doubt it, a school like Hireikan had the influence to cover up the matter. - replied Naoki.

- I think Mei is right, even if they did cover it up, if there was a fatality then there must probably be a mention of it somewhere, even if the information about the circumstances of that person's death is untrue or half-true.
Naoki still seemed dissatisfied with what he heard.

- It doesn't make sense, it's like going down the rabbit hole, even if a student from Hireikan died, we still don't have any confirmation that it was really a student from this academy - The media is mostly looking for fodder; sensationalism for the public to make articles readable, also it could be revenge from someone who had a dispute with the owners of Hireikan, all we can do is look for any clues about Shion in Yomiyama, although I doubt we will find anything, my uncle - Koutarou Misaki knows nothing about Shion after he disappeared in 1986, he doesn't even have any photo of him, the Doctor likewise, even though Shion was his birth brother, I also don't recall Kiichisaburo having any photos of Shion, although on the other hand I wouldn't be surprised if he even met him.

- Who was Kiichisaburo? - Mei asked Naoki, after she took a moment to analyze his words.

- I don't want to talk about him, a piece of junk related to me by genes, in a nutshell the eldest son of my grandfather - Umenosuke Muneyoshi with his first wife - Uta.

- Are you sure he is not related to this, after all, he may be the key to finding out Shion's whereabouts.

- Even if he is, Kiichisaburo has been dead for four years, in fact this year will be five years since his death, and secondly I would have to fly to Lausanne to investigate the lead.
Mei quickly surmised that it was Kiichisaburo who was Naoki's guardian after the loss of his family in 1986 - although she didn't care too much about it, she was surprised that he was taken to Switzerland at the time, even though his mother's brother - and her adoptive father - Koutarou Misaki may have adopted him at the time, there was something contradictory here, perhaps it was by Yukiyo - who wanted a daughter and not a son, and Naoki's adoption could result in Fujioka's family strengthening its claim to Mei - despite pressure from the Misaki family and even the Anju clan.
Misaki's family was eventually linked to the Four Great Clans of Yomiyama - (Muneyoshi, Anju, Hironiwa and Minamiyashiki) for the family was among the 6 most influential families in all of Yomiyama along with the Ozawa, Kamiyama families, Akazawa, Hiiragi, Miyanohara and Shinozaki - for all of these families were samurai families subordinate to the great clans of Yomiyama during feudal times - after the collapse of feudalism, these 6 families maintained their ties with the former feudal lords, although it was symbiosis this time rather than servitude, - through these families the clans ruled the city from hiding, neighborhoods and even extended their influence throughout Japan, in exchange for financial and clandestine political support, the Shinozaki and Kamiyama families were even involved in the criminal operations of the Hironiwa clan, the patriarch of the Kamiyama family himself - Sadaou Kamiyama - was Yuukichi Hironiwa's right-hand man and his bosom friend, serving as like a consigliere in the Italian mafia.

The deal made between the Fujioka and Misaki families was secured by the Anju clan, because of these connotations.
- Did you ask the Hiiragis about Shion?

Asked Mei recalling those family-clan connections.

- I was, they said Shion was not with them after 1986.

- Maybe they are hiding something?

- No, they wouldn't lie Naoki looked confidently at Mei, letting her know that he had used his skill on the Hiiragis.
Kouichi wanted to add something but noticed Naoya Teshigawara waving at him from afar and Yuuya Mochizuki who was walking beside him

Naoki also noticed this and was already getting ready to go, before any contact with Teshigawara and Mochizuki

- I'll go now

- Better not, they might start suspecting something

said Mei almost in a half whisper.

Naoki sighed, he didn't like talking to either Teshigawara or Mochizuki, however they were getting closer.

- Yo!

- Hi Teshigawara-kun, Mochizuki-kun.

Mei and Naoki didn't even speak when Yuuya and Naoya approached them.

- What were you two talking about?

- About how our high school entrance exams went, and the future in general.

- In that case, are you going back to Tokyo? Sakakibara?

- Yes, I'll be in Yomiyama for two more weeks, for the break I'm already back in Tokyo.

- Well... I hope we will meet again someday... I hope you won't forget us...

- Heh...

Kouichi laughed sadly

I hope so too...

- Well, I also got into high school in Tokyo," Mochizuki added shyly.

- Maybe we'll see each other a few times, who knows...

After a while, Naoya cast a curious glance at Naoki and Mei.

- And you Muneyoshi, what school did you choose?

- None of your business, besides, since you're asking yourself, tell me what school you're going to.

- You're such a buzzkill... Muneyoshi-kun... I'm going to Western High School, and you Misaki-san?
- I'm also going to Yomisai
At these words, Naoki turned his head as he blushed slightly - he learned I will say that he will be with Mei in high school, Naoki tried to get into a private high school in Tokyo, however, due to his coma, he did not make up enough material, so he decided to continue his
education in Yomiyama.
After a while, however, with the goal of quickly changing the subject, Naoki spoke up.

- What about after high school?

- There you go, and now somehow you have become talkative Muneyoshi-kun?

- I can tell you what I plan to do after high school, but the information about where I am going I would rather keep to myself.

- Fine with you, then what are you planning to do after high school?

- I'm moving to Europe.

Mei looked at Naoki - she knew that Naoki had dual Japanese-Swiss citizenship, besides, like most of class 3-3 she remembered the situation from a year ago when Naoki accidentally left his notebook - Naoki didn't take notes in Japanese - but in French, this was discovered by Aya Ayano and Naoki became an object of gossip in class 2-3 for some time.

- Well, it doesn't surprise me, after all, you probably speak French well right?

- I think so.

- Well, I envy you a little... I myself would like to be able to go at least to Europe for a bit.

Yuuya added.

- Pointless

Naoki's comment caused an awkward silence which was broken by Mochizuki after a while.

- Well... I will probably go to the academy of fine arts after high school, how about you?

- I'm thinking about it myself, but I don't know if I have the talent for it, for sculpting...

shyly said Kouichi.

- I think after high school I will take on some work - I do not see myself in college so honestly, and you Misaki-san?

- I do not know, Teshigawara-kun.

- Well, I could expect such an answer...

After that, they all talked a little bit about various things, after they all dispersed to each other, Mei invited Naoki to join her for a while

- Why don't you ask Kirika directly about your father? After all, she probably saw him, since he was the husband of Shinatsu's sister?

This was Naoki's second visit to Mei's house, he did not feel overwhelmed by the presence of the dolls - on the contrary, he felt at peace being in their midst, Kirika was at work all the time, And Naoki and Mei somehow hoped that she would finish her work earlier - Naoki looked around the apartment a little - his gaze after a while fell on an old German newspaper - Naoki knew that Koutarou was involved in foreign trade, but something caught his attention to this newspaper.

He picked it up - and Mei got a strange look why Naoki started reading the old German newspaper - which Koutarou probably brought to Japan by accident.

The reason for picking up the newspaper from the floor was a name that Naoki remembered from his childhood in Switzerland - Vasilescu.
Frankfurter Abendspiegel

TITLE: "Silence Before the Poison – The Deaths of Elena and Florin Vasilescu"
By Jörg Menninger, Investigative Desk

Frankfurt / Hamburg / Hérault.
Within just seven days, two members of the same family — a daughter in Hamburg and her father in France — died under mysterious circumstances. The case of Elena Vasilescu and her father, Florin Vasilescu, raises unease, and more questions arise with each passing day.

Dead in Hamburg

25-year-old Elena Vasilescu, a linguistics student at the University of Hamburg, was found dead on July 17 in her rented apartment in the Altona district. Her body, lying on the living room floor, showed no visible signs of violence. According to initial police findings, the cause may have been poisoning or an overdose of an unknown substance. However, neighbors say she did not live a "party lifestyle."

— "She was quiet, serious, but closed-off. She had a strong accent but spoke perfect German. I never saw her with anyone," said Helga M., an elderly neighbor, to our editorial staff.

A Father with a Past

Exactly seven days later, on July 24, the body of her father — Florin Vasilescu, aged 56 — was discovered in the French village of Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens, in the Hérault department.

Vasilescu, who had emigrated from Romania in 1986, had been living for two years in a stone house on the outskirts of the village. He was found seated in an armchair, holding a glass that — as later revealed — contained traces of a rare organic toxin, not found in household settings.

— "I had a key because I often helped him. He hadn't answered for two days… I went in and saw him so still, as if he were asleep. But I already sensed something was wrong," recounts Delphine Lemoine, a 49-year-old widow and neighbor, who, according to local gossip, was Vasilescu's companion after the death of his wife in 1995.

Who Was He Really?

Although Vasilescu officially presented himself as a retired diplomat, both German and French investigators suspect he may have been a former member of the Securitate — the infamous Romanian secret police known for brutal repression and covert financial operations across Western Europe.

His wealth raised eyebrows — an estate in Languedoc, three bank accounts in Zurich and Geneva, and undocumented financial movements that, according to one investigator, "don't match the lifestyle of a modest pensioner."

Coincidence or Conspiracy?

German police do not rule out that Elena's death was a prelude to or part of a larger plan.

— "This could be a cleanup of old matters. Maybe someone feared Vasilescu would talk. Maybe it's revenge. Or — a warning," says an anonymous BKA officer involved in the investigation.

Florin Vasilescu, a man who for more than a decade avoided the public eye, departed in silence — just as silently as the documents and people linked to the last shadows of Eastern Europe had vanished over the years.
Mei saw Naoki's hands shaking while reading the newspaper, she had never seen Naoki afraid or shaking before - after a while Naoki put down the newspaper, got up and left, Mei confused, she did not follow him but looked at the newspaper - she saw a picture of a young black-haired Romanian woman and her father - a 56-year-old balding man in a suit and glasses, Mei completely did not understand Naoki's reaction, although she guessed that it was not a coincidence, and Florin Vasilescu could have some influence in Naoki's past.