Takano manages to contact Hifumi at a phone booth, while escaping from the orphanage and pleading for help before the call ends. Takano was recaptured and returned to the orphanage, but she was soon taken in by Hifumi. Takano becomes an assistant for organizing the research on the syndrome in preparation for a presentation among peers of their colleague, Koizumi. Hifumi's research is rejected and even mocked by the intellectuals during the presentation, fueling young Takano's determination to continue his research and make her grandfather a "god". Takano later graduated with high honors and joined an intellectual society which could financially support her research. A few years later, Takano visits the shrine and confronts Hanyū, who is determined to challenge the fate of the village against the research.