If Kouichi’s mother died while Reiko was in ninth grade, then I can see why Reiko’s keeping quiet about it all, since she may blame herself for Ritsuko’s death. Perhaps Kouichi will have to get her to tell more details, namely a clue that will let them figure out who the “extra” is this year. The librarian might also be a good source of information, but I’m not sure he will acknowledge either Kouichi or Mei at this point.

Re: the voice thing, it might’ve also been really confusing having Kamiya continue to do it, given that he was still doing actual (if mini and jam-jar-encased) Natsume’s voice at the same time. Also, it was great seeing more of Tanuma take on more of an ‘active’ role here, looking forward to seeing more of his development in this series.

Gotta say, this anime got a whole lot more interesting after the body count started rising; it certainly has more ‘teeth’ now as a horror show, and the feeling of creepiness and danger seems far more urgent now. Also, I hope we don’t have to wait too long before we find out more about Koichi’s mother…