"Takamine, you must know, Mikami-sensei is…"
"I know. She's the 'dead one'."
It had been mentioned before: at Yomiyama North, every class had only a homeroom teacher, never an assistant.
And starting this year, there hadn't been any missing desks, which meant the 'dead one' wasn't disguised as a student in Class 3-3.
Instead, the dead one had taken the place of a teacher.
The missing spot was in the staff office.
From the moment Rinji heard there were no missing desks, he suspected the dead one was among the teachers—either Mikami or Kubodera.
And in the library records, he found the name of a girl from 1983: Mikami Reiko.
He couldn't be sure she was the same Mikami teaching his class now, so he had his father investigate her.
The answer was obvious. Most of the information was blocked, so her death couldn't be confirmed, but her identity details could be retrieved.
Mikami Reiko was indeed a student of Class 3-3 in 1983. After graduating college, she had returned to teach at Yomiyama North.
It was also discovered she had a sister named Ritsuko, who died in an accident in 1983. Ritsuko had married a Tokyo ecologist named Sakakibara Yosuke.
They had a son named Sakakibara Koichi.
Which meant Koichi's "Aunt Reiko" was indeed Ms. Mikami.
But when Koichi spoke with Rinji, he never mentioned that his aunt was his class's assistant teacher.
It was as if his aunt and his teacher were two separate people.
Rinji knew that if Koichi realized his aunt and Ms. Mikami were the same person, his blocked memories would resurface, and those memories might hold the truth about Reiko.
With this information, Rinji had already identified the dead one hiding in Class 3-3. However…
"It's pointless."
Rinji looked at Mei in front of him.
"Even if the dead one is killed and this year's calamity ends, the disasters will continue in the future…"
"I've never cared about the future," Mei said calmly. "I only want you to survive."
"Of course I'll survive. There's nothing that can kill me…"
"I used to believe that too."
Mei lowered her head.
"From the moment you saved Misaki, the color of death that clung to her shifted to you. At first it lasted only seconds before vanishing. Later, when you saved other classmates, it was the same. Back then I really believed the calamity couldn't touch you. But…"
Her small hand suddenly clenched tight.
"Since this morning, the color around you has been so clear. No matter what, it won't disappear. I thought I was mistaken, but it only keeps growing stronger."
She lifted her gaze, her uncovered eye filled with worry and fear.
This was a look the cold, stoic Mei had never shown before.
"You really will die if this continues…"
"So you want to kill Mikami-sensei?"
"Yes. Only if the dead one returns to death will this year's calamity end, and you'll be safe," Mei said in a trembling voice. "I don't want you to be the next sacrifice."
"…Even so, killing isn't something you should do. If it must be done, I'll be the one to do it."
Rinji extended his hand to her.
"Once you cross that line, there's no going back."
"…"
After a moment's hesitation, Mei withdrew her hand from her pocket.
She had been holding a box cutter, intending to strike Reiko when she got close.
The sweat still damp on the handle proved that, despite her outward calm, she was shaken at the thought of killing.
Rinji put the knife away and looked at the beautiful girl with the eyepatch standing before him.
"Mei, I'm not a good person. The old me would've torn apart anyone in our way without a second thought. But… maybe you can't understand, maybe you'll think it's stupid. I don't want it all to end like this."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I want to prove to those around me that I can change. That even with blood on my hands, I can still be a hero, even if only for a little while."
"Takamine…"
"Believe me. I won't die."
---
"So, that's the situation."
At the foot of the mountain, the students lined up. In front of them stood Ms. Mikami and the librarian Chibiki Tatsuji.
Holding a megaphone, Chibiki said, "Since Kubodera- sensei has gone to visit his mother in the hospital in Tokyo, I've been asked to lead this trip. For your safety, don't wander off or get separated."
"Yes!" xN
"Then, let's go."
Under the guidance of Chibiki and Mikami, the group began climbing the mountain.
Along the way, every student's face showed unease. None of them truly believed praying at the shrine would end the calamity.
But with Rinji among them, they felt at least a little comfort.
The lodging was already arranged, set up on a clearing in the forest.
The students arrived in the afternoon, and after putting away their luggage, they all ran outside the inn.
"Takamine! Come over here!"
Rinji, who had been cautiously watching the surroundings, turned his head when someone called him and saw Naoya waving, with a row of students standing behind him.
"What is it?"
"Come join the group photo," Naoya said with a smile. "You're leaving in a week, right? Before you go, let's take a picture together. Otherwise, when we take our graduation photo, it'll feel like a pity if you're missing."
"…You guys go ahead. I'll just—"
"Don't say something so cold."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, Naoya dragged Rinji toward the group.
"You're part of Class 3-3 too. If you don't even leave behind a single photo, that'd be too sad."
"…Fine."
With no choice, Rinji agreed.
The students lined up in three rows. Rinji stood in the back row with a stony face, while Mei stood beside him, her expressionless eyes fixed on the camera.
Click.
With the shutter pressed, a group photo of Class 3-3 was taken.
This was also proof that Rinji had once existed in this era.