Pantomath

Fin

It hadn't even been a day after the funeral that Jin called them all together as they had arranged and 'apologized', offering a round of drinks which they accept. Katsuo had taken great joy in making him beg for forgiveness before finally entering the bar.

"I suppose you could say he's a.... phantomath now, you know, phantom, pantomath, phantomath, get it?"

      (An: I have waited this whole book just to make that pun)

Sare sighed giving her I-am-very-deeply-disappointed-in-you smile, "Katsuo, why are you like this?"

"Yeah, Nero just died! Not even cold in the ground yet."

"Why do you even bother, literally no one is listening in."

Suzie laughed leaning forward to whisper, "Yeah, that's what he made a killing off of, people like you and your shameful lack of paranoia. Who knows who's listening in. Who's watching. They are everywhere. They know."

Katsuo rolled his eyes downing the shot. "How do you think he'll look when he visits us, I mean imagine if a few years down the line he tries posing as his own son or something."

Cogitatio stared as if they weren't sure if he was joking or not, ".... will never work for so many reasons."

"Hey!"

"Ito?" Jin has been deep in thought for the whole meeting, and everybody knew it wasn't about keeping up appearances like before.

"What's up Tanaka?"

"How would you feel about taking over the bar for a few years?"

"....why?"

Jin sighed, looking at them all with complete seriousness and determination, "I think he might need help in whatever he decides to do next. He's never been one to just do nothing. Plus it's not like he can visit us all the time either, and anyway we all know someone has got to keep an eye out for him or he'll run himself into the ground."

Katsuo nodded firmly in equal seriousness, "Then I'm joining you."

Jin sighed, but nodded and turned to Sare, "Sare?"

"Fine, but you've got to visit sometimes." When he agreed too easily she added to it, "and attend every bimonthly meeting! With Deki! Good. I expect weekly calls too, or else I'm making this place pink and frilly while you're away."

Jin shot up, glaring, "You wouldn't-"

Sare's eyes only narrowed, "And I'll let Suzie help. Now how about a toast; to Deku!"  They responded in union:

"Deku!"

"Nero!"

"Dekiru!"

"Boss!"

"To friends and coming home!" Another toast was called.

The call was echoed once more in unison, "Friends and  coming home."

"To the very best of our years and new beginnings." Everyone grinned.

This time Suzie spoke with a wide grin, "To old friends, who we will never forget or lose contact with,"

Jin met her challenging look with one of his own, " and to the new ones I expect all of you to make.... or else."

"Fair enough,"

Cogitatio gave a satisfied nod as well, Suzie and Katsuo high five-ing.

"You've become even scarier Jin, what the heck. It's so not fair."

All the same they all echoed back the two toasts, "To old and new friends."

Finished they lapsed back into comfortable conversation and old arguments- no matter the air of finality to it- before Jin pushed his chair back and stood, "See you all in a few months, I'll probably come to call on you... take care alright? ....and keep Suzie away from the arrangements, Co."

Cogitatio nodded holding up two fingers in a peace sign earning him a grin back as Jin ruffled his hair, saluting an absentminded goodbye with three fingers as he pushed his chair in. The room cleared out shortly after, all of them heading home in groups, the Johnson's together, and Katsuo joining Cogitatio to pick Aire up from her end of the year tests for her online elementary school. Cogitatio shaking his head as Katsuo cracked jokes of being a bad influence- 'drinking in the afternoon, Co, what's next, drugs?'

Tanaka Jin was found dead, wrists slit with a suicide note beside him- politely warning not to touch his blood due to its effects. He was declared dead once they managed to find a way around the dangerous puddle. No pulse. But considering just how much they had bled- enough to create a small lake around him- before he was found there hadn't been much they could do in the first place. Katsuo hadn't taken it well, and considering how according to all of the witnesses of their fight and the accounts the others had given of how 'drinks' that afternoon hadn't gone much better then the funeral, it was understandable.

The day following Jin's funeral, Katsuo followed him to an early grave with a somewhat public suicide.  After an argument with Cogitatio when the other didn't attend Jin's funeral and Aire hadn't been allowed either. The Johnson's had remained quiet. Thirteen eye witness accounts stated with some small variations they saw him shoot himself on his balcony- he had fallen into the river below and been swept away- ten others claimed to have seen something fall, but weren't confident what. And six heard a gun shot and a splash. One person from the first group of witnesses, a neighbor, could even identify him. It was open and shut. Neither Cogitatio or Eri made an appearance at the funeral.

Cogitatio stopped meeting with the two sisters at all except when they wanted to meet with Aire. It was quite sad for the heroes to see the tragedies that befell the group that had been practically joined at the hip before falling apart in the space of a single week, but they took hope from the knowledge that in the weeks following the Johnson's and Cogitatio slowly began strengthening their last tentative bond of friendship.

       It would never be what it had once been, anyone could see that, but they were recovering.

        Eraserhead and Present Mic had also taken it hard, harder than most had assumed they would. Of course not many knew that they knew the young informant. At first Present Mic had times where he would simply fall silent- too silent considering his talkative nature- and would remain like that until prompted. But likewise those times were decreasing and it didn't happen too often. Eraserhead on the other hand basically lived on caffeine as he threw himself into more and more work hours. Trying to save or help as many people as he could.

       Both however made sure to make time in their days to look after Aire, who Cogitatio left with them whenever he was unable to watch over her himself and couldn't or wouldn't get ahold of either Suzie or Sare. The still bright child was a light in their lives, always doing her best to get a smile out of them although it was clear she missed her brother too.

         Deku was dead, but the world kept spinning all the same, his legend echoing loudly from the mouths and actions of who he effected. And from its depths, new ones began to form....

____To be continued.