Chapter
Twenty-Two: American Glam:
“So what’s the
plan?” Anna asked at the table.
“Hm?” Tsuzuki
asked.
“How long will
we be here?” she asked. “Where are we staying? What do we plan to do here? What
are we doing?” Tsuzuki smiled.
“Already got
it,” he said. The shinigami pulled out his phone. His wife raised her eyebrow.
He waited as the other line rang.
“Hello?” a man’s
voice asked.
“Shouto!”
Tsuzuki said. There was a pause.
“Asato? Is that
you?” the man asked. “How have you been?”
“Good,” the
shinigami said. “And you?”
“Same as ever.
Does Seiichiro still have a stick up his ass?” Shouto asked. Tsuzuki laughed.
“Pretty much,”
he said. “Hey, listen, my family and I are on a little vacation here in New
York. Can we stay with you for a few days?” Anna had a strange look on her face.
“What?” she
asked.
“Say no more!”
Shouto said. “You can stay at my place!”
“Thanks!”
Tsuzuki said. “Where are you now?”
“I’m at work,”
his friend said. “You can go over to my apartment whenever you’re ready. The key
is under the frog statue.”
“Okay,” the
shinigami said. “What’s your address?”
“I’ll text it to
you,” Shouto said. “Hey, let’s go out for dinner this evening. Steak’s on me!”
Tsuzuki’s eyes lit up.
“Great!” Tsuzuki
said. “We’ll be there soon! Thank you so much. Goodbye!” He hung up, grinning.
“What was all of
that about?” Anna asked. Her husband grinned.
“I got us a
place to stay for a while,” he said.
“Where?” she
asked. He took hold of her hand.
“An old friend
of mine,” the shinigami said.
“Anna Tsuzuki!”
the barista called.
“That’s us,”
Anna said. She got up to get their coffees. Meanwhile, Tsuzuki’s phone buzzed.
He tapped the screen. A little smile lit up on his face.
“Here you are,”
Anna said when she returned. She handed him his hot chocolate. The shinigami
looked up.
“Hm?” he asked.
“What’s on your
phone?” his wife asked. Tsuzuki grinned.
“The address to
my friend’s place,” he said. Anna read the text as she took sip. Tsuzuki looked
so proud.
--------
By noon, the
family made it to the Upper East Side. Tsuzuki looked at his phone.
“How much
longer?” Anna asked.
“I’ve got a
faster way to get there,” he said. He took hold of his wife and daughter. They
disappeared into thin air. The family reappeared in front of apartment #828.
“Is this it?”
Anna asked. Her husband looked at his phone. He looked at the door. Anna
followed him inside. Her jaw dropped.
“What… is that?”
she asked. Tsuzuki whistled. The light from the windows showed off the white and
gold of the living room. Anna took off her boots and wandered inside. Tsuzuki
bounced Kirika-chan at his side as he watched his wife.
“Wow!” was all Anna could say.