As Kirie walks by Kurouzu-cho’s old row houses, she witnesses a dispute between two families. A boy named Kazunori is in love with a neighboring girl named Yoriko, but their families will not allow them to be together. Kirie talks to Kazunori, who tells her that the row house families cannot accept their poverty and have become entangled in arguments. Kirie relays the incident to Shuichi, who tells her that the families cannot help their behavior because they are cursed by the spiral and their souls have become twisted. He asks Kirie to run away with him again, but she turns him down.

Concerned for Kazunori and Yoriko, Kirie returns to the row houses to check on them. She finds out that the two ran away and decides to try and find them. Meanwhile, Kazunori and Yoriko are alone in a secluded row house. They see two snakes viciously intertwined and realize they are not fighting, but making love. They decide to elope together—but their parents discover them. Yoriko’s father beats Kazunori and forces his daughter to leave. Kirie offers to help Kazunori with his plans for elopement. As she talks to him, she fails to notice that his spine has begun to twist.