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Chapter Twenty-Five: Loose Ends:

Sayako just simply disappeared to the students. In fact, they barely remembered her anymore. Only Jun and Naomi remember her well, but they don't talk about her. Thanatos did get her payment from the bounty in the end. So, she was happy to have a fine meal and sake afterwards. All loose ends were nicely tied up. Anna didn't think so. She sat on Tsuzuki's futon in the house as he packed up his things.

"It's all done, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yep," Tsuzuki replied. "Hisoka and I just need to send in the paperwork."

"And the students?"

"Sayako will fade from their memories."

"And her mother?"

"She won't remember her."

"What about Jun and Naomi?"

Tsuzuki glanced at her. "They'll still remember Sayako."

Anna made a face at him. "They still remember?"

"Yes. They wanted to hold onto Sayako in their memories, but they won't talk about her anymore."

Anna lowered her head. "Just like Iijiri-san with Kato-san's death."

Tsuzuki paused and stared at his girlfriend. "What did you say?" Anna went still as she realized what she had just said. Oh crap/, the woman thought, quickly covering her mouth. /I blabbed the truth. Anna looked back at Tsuzuki.

"What do you mean he's dead?" he asked. "His soul hasn't crossed over to us."

Anna made an odd face at him. "What?"

"Yes, his soul wasn't reported to us at all."

Anna pondered that. "Strange…"

Tsuzuki leaned in, intrigued. "How do you know he's dead?" Anna told him about her visit to Kato-san's apartment and the e-mails. Tsuzuki thought about this new information and sat back.

"Hm, well then," the shinigami said. "That solves the question of the e-mails. But why did he do it and why hasn't his soul crossed into Meifu yet?" Anna shrugged at him.

"Iijiri-san didn't really know either," she said. The couple went quiet.

-----

Last night at Kiko's

Anna walked in and spotted Jun at the bar. That boy flirted around with another popular girl from Nagasaki Nihon University Junior and Senior High School. Anna shook her head to herself. /Stupid/, she thought. Anna processed over to the bar. The girl with Jun got up and walked away. He gave her a little wave.

"Okay, bye then…" he mumbled. Jun began looking around for another date. The boy spotted Naomi by the window. She and him hadn't been talking since Sayako's death. He didn't know how to since that mess. Suddenly, someone else caught Jun's eye.

"Niwa-san?" he asked as he looked her up and down. "What are you doing here?" Anna made it over to him.

"Just hanging around," she said. "I leave in the morning." The woman flagged down the bar tender and ordered a drink. Her young friend watched her as she got her juice and drank up. Anna whipped around to Jun.

"You know," she spoke up. "I ought to slap you!" The boy blinked at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Hello!" she shouted at him. "You've got a girl that loves you and you just keep ignoring her!" Anna pointed over at Naomi as she spoke. Jun looked on uneasily.

"I don't know…" he mumbled. “She might hate me after… well, you know…" Anna snorted at him.

"Pathetic excuse!" she snapped.

"What?!" Jun blurted out. The woman grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him back and forth.

"You're just scared," she summed up.

"Huh?" Jun asked.

"You're scared to find real happiness," Anna preached. "You don't believe you'll be happy with Naomi-chan, so you chase after the popular girls you know you'll never have. Why bother? Stop chasing what you can't have and go find your happiness in the girl who really loves you over there!" The boy only stared at her with big eyes.

"But… what do I say to her?" he asked.

"Anything!" Anna yelled. "Just go talk to her!" Jun pushed her off.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'll go!" Anna looked at him intently as the boy walked nervously over to his childhood friend. Naomi looked up and saw him. Jun paused in his tracks. He gave her a little wave.

"Hi," the boy mumbled. Naomi gave him a little smile.

"Hi," she said back. Anna watched them from the bar as Jun sat down next to Naomi and talked to her for the first time since yesterday morning. She turned back to her empty glass, smiling. /That was my good deed for the day/, the woman thought as she ran her finger over the rim.

Owari