“She will be missed.” The History Department Head put a hand on the weeping woman's shoulder. “I wish her spirit an easy passing.”
The woman — the girl's mother — nodded, clutching a tissue in her shaking hand. “She would want us to be happy. It pains me to feel like this.” She sniffled. “She was hardworking, she was optimistic— she was on her way to doing something great, and then… to pass so suddenly…”
The woman patted her shoulder gently. “I'm sorry. We all miss her deeply.”
“No, don't…" The mourning woman shook her head. "Please don't apologize. You've done everything you could. Thank you for covering our expenses. The ceremony was beautiful.”
Mamiya watched as the grieving woman walked away. An urge to run after her — to explain — seized her. But she knew it was better this way.
She sighed, smoothed her skirt, and turned to exit the funeral hall.
“Takemura-sama.”
Sato Rin began to stoop.
“Oh, that's- thank you, Sato-san, but please don't worry about that!”
She paused briefly, but continued the motion. When at last Sato popped up, Takemura couldn't help but giggle.
“So you took my assignment!”
“Yes. It was… it was hard to look at it, at first.”
A brief silence hung in the air between them. Takemura had suspected that her return would be met with some tension, but Sato had been joking around with her even on the morning of her death. Seeing her act this formal made her uneasy.
“Are… you alright, Sato-san?”
“Fine.” Her eyes widened. “I mean- I don't know if…” She sighed. “I shouldn't lie to the dead. You'd know.”
“I only know because I know you.” Takemura pinched her cheek. "Now, may I have my work back? I want to complete it before I move on.”
"…So that's why." Sato breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought for a moment you intended to try and track down that ano-"
“Oh! No, no, I… I know I wouldn't be much help.”
Sato nodded. “Security personnel handled it shortly after… well.” She cleared her throat. “Your attempt to close it off did help them secure it. The Head of Security themself attended your ceremony. You died with honor.”
“Oh.”
Takemura felt foolish for being unable to think of a more eloquent response, but what was there to say? The archives had felt so far removed from the grueling work of those who worked to secure the facility. Dying had not been pleasant, but she didn't feel she had truly done much.
She'd only closed a door and failed to find another exit.
“…Do you still feel it?”
She hadn't realized her hands had crept to her stomach. They felt numb and heavy, and with them she could only barely feel the fabric of her now white uniform. If she zeroed in on the memory, she could still feel the claws raking through her skin, the mind-shattering agony of her final moments. But the pain came only in brief flashes before it quickly dissipated.
"Sometimes." She slowly lowered her hands. "But I'm alright, I promise. Let's get back to work!"
Sato smiled. "Your desk is waiting for you."
Takemura tried her best to work despite the lurking feeling of being watched. She didn’t dare check to confirm, fearing that a sudden whirl to face one of her coworkers would startle them. After all, Sato had informed her that many of them felt guilty about what had happened to her. She didn’t want to appear vengeful. Maybe they would stop looking. Maybe things would even return to normal.
As she worked over the next few days, she found that hope repeatedly dashed. Try as she might to assure them that she was still herself, a barrier remained between her and her coworkers. Her death crept into every interaction she had.
Like the day Fujita brought in sweet buns to share, and Takemura tried one. Though she enjoyed the flavor, she found it difficult to swallow. The older woman had looked worried.
“Oh, Takemura-san, I’m so sorry! Are they not to your liking?”
“No, no, please don’t worry, Fujita-kacho! I just don't need to eat anymore, so it feels a bit odd—”
She had meant it to reassure Fujita. Instead, her former superior’s eyes had welled up with tears, and she’d had to excuse herself from the room.
“…What did I say wrong?”
Sato had sighed, taken a second sweet bun, and waggled it at her. “She misses you, stupid.”
That disaster of course paled in comparison to the day Kiyama invited her to go shoe shopping.
Nonetheless, Takemura continued steadily chipping away at the archives, looking for the histories of those she now felt closer to than ever before.
“So when are you leaving?”
Takemura was startled from her thoughts.
“Ah… why do you ask, Sato-san?”
“If it’s right after you finish the work on 7728, I want to at least throw a party before you go.”
She grimaced. “I don’t think that would be a very fun party.”
“Psh.” Sato sat on the edge of her desk. “I’d make it fun. Do you want it or not?”
Takemura glanced at her monitor. She was almost done reviewing the relevant archives. After she organized the spreadsheet and sent it along to Fujita, she’d be done. Officially ready to move on.
“…Sure. But you’ll need to plan fast. This may only take me another two workdays.”
She couldn’t quite make out the expression that flashed across Sato’s face. Hearing the other woman laugh, though, she decided not to push it.
“Is that supposed to be a challenge? Come on, Takemura-san, you know I’ll pull it off. You haven’t been dead that long.”
“To Takemura-san! Even better the second time!”
Takemura found herself giggling as her coworkers cheered along with the toast. To Sato’s credit, the atmosphere was plenty lively. She’d taken over one of the small conference rooms and made it into the perfect little venue. Fujita had not been a fan, but she’d agreed on the conditions that the party took place after working hours and that Mamiya gave her approval. The latter had been more a formality than anything else — the Department Head’s kindness was well-known.
Conditions having been met, Fujita was more than happy to raise a glass herself. “I’ve got one better — to Takemura-san, my most reliable employee!”
Kiyama gasped, putting a hand over her heart. “Takemura-san continues to outshine all of us, then? Well…” She turned to the yūrei. “To Fujita-kacho’s finest!”
Takemura felt her face grow warmer as the cheering continued. She held up her hands as best she could to quiet them.
“Thank you! Thank you all, but… I just did my job. Now that it’s done, I have to admit I’m going to miss all of you.”
She caught Sato’s eye. Before she could continue, the other woman looked away.
“Right… ah, well, thank you for being here. I’m sorry if I frightened any of you during my brief return, but it was lovely to see you again, and just be around you… but you have lives to live, and you don’t need me haunting them.”
Takemura beamed at the people around her.
“You are all wonderful. I’m glad I… I’m glad I did what I did, if it at all helped in keeping all of you around.”
Fujita began to stoop, but Takemura shook her head. She bowed as deep as she could manage.
The office was quiet. Takemura watched as Sato bagged up the last of the trash from the party and sank heavily into a desk chair.
“Did you have fun?”
She smiled. “More than I thought I could.”
Sato nodded, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the seat. “Good.”
The two sat in silence for a moment.
Sato opened an eye. “…So this is goodbye, then?”
“Mhm.”
She pushed herself up with a heavy sigh, pacing over to Takemura and holding out a hand.
“Easy passings, Keiko.”
“I’ll miss you, Rin.”
That same odd look flashed across the living woman’s face, but she simply nodded. “I’ll miss you too.”
Takemura nodded, closed her eyes, and willed herself to pass on. She felt warmth creep from her mind to her throat to her wounds, saw the room grow brighter, heard a faint ringing… and then…
…
…?
“What… what happened?” whispered Sato.
Takemura opened her eyes, startled. She was still in the conference room. Still looking at Sato.
“I… I can’t move on.”
“But your work is-“
“Done, yes, so… it doesn’t make sense. That’s why I came back… that was what I had to do.”
Thoughts raced through Takemura’s mind. Had she not done her work well enough? Had she missed another assignment? She couldn’t think of any, couldn’t think of anything that she had missed…
And then she looked at Sato, looked at her tear-stained face, and felt her heart wrench.
“…Rin.”
She sniffled. “What?”
“You… do you remember when I first came back? You worried about lying to me.”
“Did I do-“
“You did nothing wrong. It’s what I did.”
Sato stared at Takemura, confused, but slowly nodded for her to continue.
“I… I haven’t been honest with you, or my family, or… or myself. The truth is I- I care about you. I really care about you. More than anyone else.” She felt her own eyes welling up. “Do… do you understand?”
In the silence that followed, Sato slowly sunk to her knees.
“…Yes. I do.”
“I shouldn’t ask, but do you- did you ever know?”
“I thought so.”
“Oh.”
Takemura slowly crossed the room to Sato, sinking down next to her.
“…I’m sorry.”
Sato shook her head. She made a noise as if to respond, but instead began to sob, clinging to Takemura’s uniform.
Minutes passed. Sato’s sobs fluctuated, sometimes ringing off the walls, sometimes no louder than a whisper. Takemura held her as best she could.
When she had at last quieted, Takemura loosened her hold enough to look at Sato’s face.
“I’m glad I got to see you again. And tell you, even if-“
Sato cut her off with a kiss. Takemura's eyes widened, but they soon closed as she allowed herself to sink into the embrace.
“Don’t… don’t be stupid. We both had our reasons for… for not saying it.” She kissed her again, deeper, and then on the cheek. “I’m just glad I know now.”
Takemura smiled tearfully, wiping Sato’s cheeks before cupping them and planting a kiss of her own.
“Come visit me when you can, Rin Sato. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They lingered there for a moment.
“I… I should move on.”
“Mhm. You’re not getting another death party out of me.”
Takemura giggled, planting a kiss on Sato’s forehead. “Go take out your trash and go home. I don’t want Fujita-kacho getting after you about coming in late.”
“Well, the work for 7728 is finished. Does she really need me tomorrow?”
“Sato, you know it’s always worse without you.”
