DEAD STARS [ ✓ ] | Bungou Stray Dogs

[ Finale | Goodbye ]

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❝ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ, ᴍᴀᴋᴇ sᴜʀᴇ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. ❞

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“It all started five days ago,” Paz started her report in front of the Commanders and the Boss.

A new day has been born since she successfully did her last mission and now, she's reporting every single detail of it.

“I came back here to Japan to sign my permission to resign but I got rejected until I'll be able to do my last mission. I was assigned to eliminate a girl named Yvette Tan. Surprisingly, it was a request from the government so it's a very special request. The next day, I saved Mr. Fancy Hat and No Eyebrows from the hand of the enemy–”

“Seriously? Why did you have to include that?” Chuuya exclaimed.

“I just want to! So, the next day, we had a meeting about Yvette Tan. After that, I decided to take a stroll on the City where I met a mute girl named Haruhi,” she continued on reporting.“Later on, I also met my new student, Yvette Tan.“

“On my fourth day, that's the day I had an assumption. Earlier that morning, me and the so-called Yvette Tan went to raid an orphanage. It was a failed mission for her. Two hours later, I went back to the orphanage and was informed that Haruhi survived from the attack.“

“When I saw Haruhi, I realized her resemblance towards Yvette, the Clone. The next day, Yvette the Clone sent a letter to the boss.”

“Yesterday, the plan to subjugate Yvette Tan was held and I made the plan. The original plan was to eliminate Yvette Tan immediately but that's plain and boring so I came up with a new plan.” She moved to the next page of her report. “Akutagawa will restrain Yvette the Clone while Chuuya holds the real Yvette Tan.”

“Originally, I should be the one to kill the real one but I expected that someone will come to stop me and yes, someone really did.” She smiled sadly, remembering the words Atsushi said to her yesterday. “I used that as an opportunity to create a commotion.”

“That's why I asked Higuchi to shoot the real one but she needed to wait until everyone became focused on me and the one who stopped me. In the end, the real one was finished. I would like to acknowledge everyone for helping me finish this mission, it's supposed to be a solo mission though.”

“You did great for your last mission, Grim Reaper,” said Mori.

“Shut it, Mori. This won't be my last mission.” She released a deep sigh. “I've changed my mind. I will no longer resign on this organization. I realized that I can live a normal life, too, despire being in this organization. But I will have to say goodbye now. I just filed a one week long leave of absence on my school. I have my friends waiting for me there.”

“I just have a question though. Is befriending the Tiger part of your plan?” asked Mori.

Paz silenced for a minute and smiled.

“Definitely not,” she answered and walked away from the Conference Room.

****"

“I thought you won't show up here anymore after everything I have said to you,” said Paz. The gentle breeze of the wind touched her and she spread her arms to feel it.

“Paz,” answered by the man she has been waiting to arrive. She turned at him and looked at his iris consisting of purple color with yellow along the bottom curve of his pupil. “I... I know it's sudden but ever since I knew that you were the Grim Reaper. I grew curiousity about you.”

“Dazai-san told me what you were like years ago when he first met you. I want to hear the secrets you've carried for far too long. I want to talk about the memories of your childhood that made you suffer and turned you into a scary creature.”

“I want you, every part of you, ever since the first time I've laid my eyes to you, well, except when you showed up as the Grim Reaper.”

Paz stared at him for seconds. As soon as he stopped talking, Atsushi immediately looked away from her with a crimson red face.

“A-ano, you can forget about that already. Just pretend you---”

“Silly!” Paz laughed. “Did you just confess to me?! I was thinking you would actually kill me! Oh, well. That's what Mori have said to me.”

“And I thought you'll abduct me! You're a Port Mafia member, after all!”

“Stupid! I'm not that thirsty for money and why would I sell someone so dear to me?”

“Dear?”

“When you've said those words earlier, I don't know why but I felt my heart, it was persistent. It was beating faster than usual. It was beating so fast that I felt like as if any moment, it will just pop out of my chest,” she confessed.

"This is also what I've felt yesterday when I was so close to you. What I can only hear on that time is my own heartbeat and... you.” Their gaze met each other's. “It's odd because I just met you for how many days? Three days? But you made me feel this strange feeling. Let's say there are some brave boys who tried but they can't be compared to you. I... I feel the same way as you do.”

“...”

“Eh?! No response?!”

“I've never been so confident in my life. I risked everything and gathered all of my courage to say it to you. I thought I'm gonna be rejected. Hearing we're mutual, made me feel relief.”

“Even we have mutual feelings, I don't think it will be enough.”

Atsushi turned to her with a confused expression on his face.

“Do you know what's my ability?”

“The one you used yesterday? It's Dead Stars, right?”

“The two of us, we're like Death Stars to each other. We will never have each other. The future of us together is just a dream that we will never have because it was meant to be nonexistent.”

“I... I don't understand,” the man looked at her with a glint of pain in his eyes.

“I came here at Japan to resign but because of some circumstances, I've decided not to leave the organization anymore.” She gulped. “We will never be lovers, we're supposed to be enemies.”

“Even though, let's say I really quit Port Mafia, we will never have any chance on each other. We're too far away,” there was sadness on her evident to her voice. “I know and I feel that one day, like a dead star, we will forget each other because there will be a newborn star that will light up our dark world...”

“Just like how you used to be for me. Thank you for giving light on my world even it was just for a little time.” She walked away from him along with the sakura petals that was slowly falling to the ground.

“I have to go already. Until then, my dead star.”

*****

— END