[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by Ikuko

You've got a great theory there, DesuX2 (: (I also am a great fan of Umineko, by the way)

Spoiler for Personal Crack Theory - comments/questions:

I also believe she's real (it's kind of ironic to think that one class pretended one Misaki was there when she actually wasn't and, the other, the exact opposite), but why then would Meganekko-girl-whose-name-I-always-forget be so scared when she saw Kouchi with her, in episode 3? It seemed like she actually caught sight of her (Mei) just by then - like Atrum023 said or else she wouldn't be so surprised.

One possible suggestion...

Spoiler for A random thought:

Rushing out of the classroom, scared by the news of her mother's death, she immediately comes face-to-face with the scene of Kouichi calmly talking with Mei--an act that, we're speculating, is in direct violation of the "class rules" and would serve to attract the attention of the curse. In essence, she's just come face-to-face with the curse come to life and the reality that her own life has just been horrifically visited by it. So she panics and runs the other way.