"The extra one, huh?"
Rinji muttered as he stared at the list.
Sure enough, each year's final line recorded the infiltrating 'dead one.'
Mei pulled out the 1996 list from Rinji's hands. The last line clearly read: "Asakura Mami."
"I heard about that year from a senior," Mei said softly. "They also tried creating a 'nonexistent person' to stop the calamity, but it failed."
"It didn't work?"
"No."
Mei shook her head.
"For the first few months, nothing happened. But then, one day, the chosen 'nonexistent person' suddenly shouted in class, begging to be acknowledged… probably unable to bear the loneliness of being ignored."
"And then…"
"After that, the calamity began," Mei said, setting the list down. "Not everyone can endure solitude like you and me. The pain of loneliness can break ordinary people's minds."
"That year was a tragedy," Chibiki said quietly.
"Asakura Mami had actually died in the calamity the year before, but somehow appeared again in the '96 class. Everyone's memories were altered, so no one noticed." He sighed. "Once the calamity begins, it's almost impossible to stop—except in '83. By the way, isn't there a boy named Sakakibara in your class?"
"Yes."
"He came here too. His mother was my student back then—she died in '83."
"…Can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"Sakakibara has an aunt named Reiko," Rinji asked. "I heard she was also in Class 3-3 back then. Do you remember her?"
"Reiko… ah, yes, of course I remember."
"She was a student in '83. I was the homeroom teacher, how could I forget?"
"…Things are starting to make sense."
The calamity affects Class 3-3 students and their blood relatives. Sakakibara's aunt Reiko and his mother were sisters. Since Reiko was a student in '83, the calamity naturally targeted her as well.
The one who died was Sakakibara's mother, Ritsuko, who had returned to Yomiyama on maternity leave.
"Sakakibara's mother, Ritsuko, was also my student. I've been teaching here for many years. Now I just watch the calamity of Class 3-3 as an observer," Chibiki said with a bitter smile. "I never know when I might end up homeroom teacher again."
Rinji checked the lists. Sure enough, some years listed Chibiki as the homeroom teacher.
"I noticed something."
"Hm?"
"Each class only gets one homeroom teacher?"
"Yes. And if it's Class 3-3, the teacher also falls under the calamity's scope."
"I see."
Rinji flipped back to the '83 list. After confirming something, his suspicions grew stronger.
But something else caught his attention even more…
"Mr. Chibiki, twenty-six years ago, at the very beginning, you were the homeroom teacher, weren't you?"
On the very first handwritten list, Chibiki's name appeared.
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Back then, a student named Misaki died. We were all heartbroken, myself included. To ease the pain, we pretended he was still alive. But that was the start of the tragedy."
Clutching his head, Chibiki trembled in guilt.
That tragedy had lasted twenty-six years, claiming countless lives.
"…But Mr. Chibiki, as the witness to it all, you must know how to end this, right?"
"What?"
"I mean, how to resolve everything once and for all," Rinji asked. "How to put an end to the curse that's lasted twenty-six years."
"…I'm sorry."
"So there's no way."
"Each year, the calamity continues. The pain of survivors passes to the next class. That's what this curse forces us to do."
"So even if Class 3-3 were canceled, the curse would go on?"
"Yes. We've tried many things, but…"
"I see."
Rinji put the list down.
The curse was like an endless game. Each year, when students entered Class 3-3, the game began. A group died, survivors carried the story forward, then the cycle repeated.
As long as survivors lived, the next class would continue the game.
Unless something broke the cycle.
"!!"
Rinji's eyes sharpened. He crushed the stack of lists in his hand.
"Takamine…"
Seeing his expression twist, Mei, standing beside him, showed rare concern.
But Rinji didn't notice Mei or Chibiki. In his mind, his father's words from the day before echoed.
…
"When you're ready, when you've made up your mind, I'll tell you everything. For now, it's not the time."
…
"That bastard… so this is what you meant by resolve!?"
Fueled by anger, Rinji slammed the papers onto the floor, then turned and strode toward the library doors.
"Wait."
Mei was about to follow, but just as she turned, Chibiki called out to her.
"Misaki-san."
"What is it?"
Chibiki looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Class 3-3 will be going on the trip soon. I know visiting the shrine doesn't help, but I sincerely hope you survive this calamity."
"We'll do our best to live through it."
With that, Mei walked straight out of the library to look for Rinji.
Chibiki watched them leave, then quietly bent down to pick up the scattered documents.
In his mind surfaced the faces of students he once taught, but many of them were already nothing but dirt in the ground.
The old teacher who had spent decades in the school, now only an observer, had seen far too much helplessness.