I hated funerals.
Not because of the black suits.
Not because of the silence.
But because of the way everything felt… unfinished.
I adjusted the collar of my suit for what felt like the hundredth time, tugging at it like it had personally offended me.
"This thing is trying to choke me," I muttered under my breath.
"You'll survive," Edna said beside me, not even looking up from her phone.
Easy for her to say.
She looked perfectly put together—like she belonged here. Like this was just another event on her schedule.
I shifted my weight and scanned the area.
Too many people.
Too many faces I didn't recognize.
Too many conversations happening in hushed tones, like grief had rules you had to follow.
My eyes drifted toward the front.
Three caskets.
That hit harder than I expected.
I swallowed.
"Don't look at them too long," Edna said quietly, finally glancing at me. "It messes with your head."
Too late.
I looked away quickly, exhaling through my nose.
"Where is he?" I asked.
She didn't need clarification.
"Somewhere up front, I think," she replied. "Probably preparing for his speech."
Right.
Shenji.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
The last time I saw him, I'd messed up. Bad.
And now this was the next time we were meeting.
At his family's funeral.
Perfect timing.
"Relax," Edna said, like she could read my thoughts. "Just don't say anything stupid."
I scoffed lightly.
"When have I ever—"
She raised an eyebrow.
"…don't answer that."
A faint hint of a smile tugged at her lips before disappearing just as quickly.
The atmosphere swallowed it whole.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked around again.
That's when I noticed her.
She was sitting a few rows ahead.
Black dress.
Still.
Too still.
Something about her felt… off.
Not in a bad way.
Just—
Different.
Like she wasn't really here.
Like her body showed up, but the rest of her hadn't caught up yet.
She stood out without trying to.
I frowned slightly.
"Who's that?" I asked.
Edna followed my gaze.
"I'm not sure," she said. "Probably a friend of the family."
Maybe.
But there was something about the way she looked at the casket earlier—
Like she wasn't just mourning.
Like she'd seen something.
Before I could think further, movement at the front caught my attention.
Shenji.
He stepped forward, holding a notebook.
My chest tightened.
He looked… different.
Same guy.
Same face.
But something behind his eyes had changed.
Like a light had gone out.
I straightened slightly.
"Here we go," I muttered.
He began to speak.
"Good afternoon, everyone…"
I listened.
Actually listened.
Which wasn't something I did often.
Every word he said felt heavier than it should've been.
Not because of how he said it—
But because I knew him.
I knew how he usually sounded.
And this wasn't it.
This was someone trying to hold it together with duct tape and willpower.
"…I thought I had time."
That line stuck.
I clenched my jaw slightly, looking down at the ground.
I forced myself to look up again.
That girl.
She wasn't clapping.
Everyone else was.
But she just sat there and stared at the casket intently
Like the world had narrowed down to one thing.
Then she stood.
I blinked.
She moved down the aisle slowly, like every step had weight behind it.
Straight to the casket.
I watched without meaning to.
She reached out, placed her hand on it and said something—I couldn't hear what.
But I saw her lips move.
And for a second—
She smiled.
Not a happy smile.
Not even close.
But something… real.
Then it was gone.
I exhaled quietly.
"…who is she?" I asked again, softer this time.
Edna didn't answer.
I don't think she knew.
The girl turned and walked back to her seat all calm and composed.
Like she hadn't just walked up to the casket of someone we all came to mourn.
My eyes lingered on her for a second longer before shifting back to the front.
To last guy to speak- one of Mr. and Mrs. Teru's old employees.
He had finished speaking.
People were clapping again and I joined in this time.
My mind wasn't there anymore though.
It was split.
Between the funeral and that girl.
Between everything that didn't make sense.
I let my hands fall back to my sides.
Something about today felt… wrong.
Like this wasn't where things ended.
Like this was just the beginning of something else.
And I had a feeling—
None of us were ready for it.
The applause faded, and just like that, the funeral shifted. People started standing, moving in slow clusters, whispering again like they had before. It was like the speech had unlocked something—like everyone remembered they were allowed to move now.
I stayed where I was for a second, staring ahead.
"Come on," Edna said, already getting up. "We should go to him before the crowd builds up."
I nodded and stood, smoothing out my suit out of habit. My eyes scanned the front again, locking onto Shenji almost immediately.
He hadn't moved far.
People were already gathering around him—older men, women, people I assumed were family friends—offering condolences, shaking his hand, saying things that probably all sounded the same.
He just nodded.
Over and over again.
Same expression. Same empty look.
"Give it a minute," Edna said quietly beside me. "He's being polite."
I didn't respond. I just watched.
It felt weird.
Watching your friend like that.
Like he was there, but not really.
Eventually, the crowd around him thinned out. One by one, they stepped away, leaving him standing there alone for a brief moment.
"That's our cue," Edna said.
We walked up to him.
For a second, I didn't know what to say.
All the things I had thought about earlier—what I should say, how I should say it—just disappeared.
"Shenji," Edna said gently.
He looked up.
His eyes landed on her first, then shifted to me.
There was a pause.
Not long.
But long enough.
"Edna," he said, his voice low. "Theo."
"Hey," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "Uh… I'm sorry."
Yeah.
That sounded stupid.
But I didn't know what else to say.
He stared at me for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Thanks," he said.
Silence settled between us.
Not the comfortable kind.
The awkward kind.
Edna stepped in, like she always did.
"I wish we had come earlier," she said. "I heard the news late. I'm really sorry, Shenji."
"It's fine," he replied. "You're here now."
She gave him a small, understanding smile.
"How are you holding up?" she asked.
He let out a quiet breath, glancing off to the side.
"I don't know," he admitted. "It still doesn't feel real."
That made sense.
It didn't feel real to me either, and I wasn't the one who lost everything.
"I went back to the house," he continued. "It was… empty. Too quiet."
I swallowed, not really sure how to respond to that.
Edna nodded slowly. "That's normal. It'll take time."
Time.
That word again.
Shenji didn't reply to that. He just nodded slightly, like he didn't fully believe it but didn't feel like arguing either.
Then his eyes shifted past us.
I followed his gaze.
The girl.
She was still seated, but she looked like she was about to leave.
Something about the way Shenji looked at her—
It wasn't random.
"You know her?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Shenji blinked, like I'd pulled him out of a thought.
"I think I do." he said after a short pause.
Edna glanced between the two of us. "A friend?"
Shenji hesitated.
"Let's just leave it at that"
I raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't push it.
He looked back at us.
"Thanks for coming," he said. "Really."
"No problem," I replied quickly. "Of course we'd come."
Edna nodded. "If you need anything—anything at all—just let me know."
"I will," he said, though it didn't sound like he meant it.
Another silence.
Shorter this time.
Less awkward.
More… heavy.
"I should go talk to a few more people," Shenji said finally, glancing back at the crowd starting to gather again. "But I'll call you later."
"Yeah," I said. "Sure."
He gave one last nod, then turned and walked off.
I watched him go.
Same posture.
Same slow steps.
Like everything weighed more now.
I exhaled and shoved my hands into my pockets.
"Well," I muttered. "That went… something."
Edna didn't respond immediately.
She was still looking in the direction Shenji had glanced earlier.
At the girl.
"You noticed it too, right?" I said.
Edna crossed her arms slightly.
"The way he looked at her?" she replied.
"Yeah."
She didn't answer right away.
Then—
"She's not just 'a friend,'" Edna said quietly.
I let out a small breath through my nose.
"Yeah," I said. "I figured."
My eyes drifted back to her again.
Something about her still didn't sit right.
Not in a bad way.
Just…
Different.
And for some reason, I had a feeling—
We were going to find out why.