Happiness often comes from paying attention to little things,
Misfortune often comes from neglecting small things.
Wilhelm Bucsh

Evening had already fallen and the first stars appeared over Tokyo's sky.
The shaman struggle had ended months ago, and everyone's life was back to normal. School had long since started again, which meant that they had to catch up on everything they had missed during their time in America.
For Manta, Anna and Ren this was not a major problem. For Yoh, however, who was simply too lazy to learn, it was a tough test. Apart from that, he had to train for the next shaman fight.
Actually everything was the same, but it was different now.
Anna could have named it but she was afraid of it and preferred not to. She didn't even speak it out in her mind and immediately suppressed everything when she had to consciously think about it.
Her relationship with Yoh had also been damaged. She continued to train him, let him do one task after the other, also made sure that he found enough time to study. At first glance it was like it always was.
Their familiarity was friendly, which was a good thing. But she was not what she should be with a fiancé and his future wives.
She couldn't say for sure if Yoh noticed. At least her friends didn't notice it, behaved as they always did. Except for the fact that their friendship had deepened during the shaman struggle, it was the same as before the whole event, with the Patchee and everything related to it.
Anna was reluctant to admit it, and would never say it out loud. But she admitted it to herself, in quiet moments and in her thoughts.
She was afraid.
Afraid of the future. She was afraid of what was to come in her life. Before whether their feelings about this would remain the same. But what worried her most was Yoh's reaction, should she really find the courage to talk to him.
Yoh, her fiancé, had become an irreplaceable friend not only for the others but also for Anna herself. He had freed her from her loneliness, was there for her when no one else was and in a way that no one else could to do. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he despised her!
Sighing, Anna lowered her head on the windowsill and banished what she had just thought to one of the farthest corners of her consciousness.
She didn't want to admit what she suspected what was going on with her, didn't think about it and hope that it would soon pass and be over.
Anna raised her gaze again and looked for a moment at the stars that had already become much more numerous. Her gaze then wandered to the clock that indicated that the main evening program was about to begin. So also the movie she wanted to see.
Just as she was about to get up from the window sill, there was a knock on her door.
"Anna?" she heard Yoh's questioning voice."May I come inside?"
"What do you want?" she asked him in her usual tone. Meticulously careful not to reveal with her voice what she spit on his head just moments before.
Yoh pushed the door open and grinned at her as usual when he closed it again. His smile then faded and he gave her a neutral look.
"I just wanted to talk to you."
She folded her arms over her chest in anticipation of what it was likely to be. "I don't care if tomorrow is already Friday. You will stick to your training and learning plan tomorrow and throughout the weekend."
The grin reappeared on his face and was accompanied by a small laugh. "I thought you wouldn’t let me go." The Asakura then went purposefully to the table and sat down. "That's why I didn't want to talk to you."
His smile disappeared again which made Anna wonder. She sat down across from him at the table and looked at him as usual. She really had to try to keep her cool mask upright so as not to betray her thoughts in the least.
"Keep it short. The movie I want to see is about to start."
"I'll try," Yoh nodded.
The asakura was then silent for a while before sighing. "Anna, I've been thinking for a long time, but still don't know how to best start this conversation. That's why I'm just asking you straight out. Are you happy?"
Even if she had heard him acoustically loud and clear, she could not understand his question. "What?"
"It's an unusual question. But something has changed since we got back." Yoh tried to explain and looked for the answer to his question in her eyes. "Are you happy here? With the others? And with me?"
"What are you talking about?" Anna asked because she didn't know what to answer. "We're engaged, Yoh. Fiancés should be happy in each other's presence."
"Mhh." Yoh just said thoughtfully and lowered his gaze.
Anna feverishly pondered what she could honestly tell him without revealing her true feelings. The fear of hurting her boyfriend, a good person who always wanted the best for everyone, was deep in her bones.
When she finally remembered something and just opened her mouth, Yoh came before her. "We don't have to be engaged to each other. Our grandparents decided to get engaged without asking us. But we don't have to."
"Yoh."
When he raised his gaze again and looked at her, he smiled weakly again. "It's our life Anna. We decide what we want to do with it. Not my grandparents or anyone else."
"Yoh ..."
"No let me speak." he asked gently but firmly. "I noticed that something has changed between us. That you just haven't contradicted me says enough about it. But I don't understand why you haven't talked to me about it until now. Are we no longer friends?"
Anna paused because of the just heard shortly before she quietly revealed the truth."I did not want to hurt you."
"So is it true? Didn't it just feel like that?"
She confirmed with a nod.
Yoh then gave her a friendly smile, as warm as he always did. "That's not bad. It's fine."
"So you don't want to be engaged to me anymore? Don't you want to marry me anymore?"
"We're friends aren't we?"
Anna now began to smile slightly too. "Yes we are."
"And we will always stay that way. No matter what happens."
"Yes, no matter what." she nodded.
"I am happy to hear that!" he grinned at her.
Suddenly he drew his eyebrows together and looked at her thoughtfully. "But you have to promise me one thing."
She looked at him in amazement and waited.
"You have to promise me that you will do everything so that you will be happy again."
Noisily, with a low, amused gasp, she let out her air. "Yes. I can promise you that. The same goes for you too, Yoh."
"I'm happy when my best friends are." he grinned at her. "If there is something I want you to talk to me, okay? I will still be there for you and support you with everyone."
"Yoh?"
"Yes Anna?"
"You will still train and learn tomorrow and on the weekend. Is that clear?"
He had instantly passed the grin. "Yes Anna."
With a "good" she got up. "Maybe I'm not your fiancé anymore, but I'm still your trainer who will make sure that you win the next shaman fight!"
With tears in his eyes he got up too. "Yes Anna."
"I'm going to watch my movie now." she said as she walked past her now ex fiancé to leave the room.

The next day it was school again in the morning. As usual, Manta picked up Yoh and Anna so that they could walk the path together.
But Anna couldn't concentrate at all on the lesson, because she kept drifting away with her thoughts. Fortunately, your teacher in the first lesson didn't seem to notice. Manta, however, already saved the dozing Yoh from getting into trouble with the teacher and then made him aware of Anna.
When the doorbell rang for the first break and Anna was still staring lost in thought, Yoh felt a heart and sat down on the seat next to her.
"Anna?"
The blonde girl didn't react and just continued to look into space.
Yoh then put his hand on her arm, which made her winced.
"Is everything alright with you?"
Actually Anna would have jumped up and yelled at Yoh that he should never scare her again. But this time she didn't do that, closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
"Are you telling me what's going on?"
"I'm thinking about how I can keep my promise that I made to you." She answer him.
"Promise?" Manta announced that Anna hadn't seen it because of its size. "What promise did Anna give you?"
"She promised me that she would do everything to make her happy." Yoh grinned to himself.
Very confused, Manta looked from Yoh to Anna and back again."What is that supposed to mean? You are responsible for Anna being happy."
"Not any longer longer." she shook her head.
The short guy took a moment before he understood what that meant and then screamed the whole classroom together. "What?"
Everyone present, with the exception of Yoh and Anna, already knew the Manta and his tendency to exaggerate, winced.
"Should ...? Is that supposed to mean that you ... that you ... are no longer .. no longer engaged?" he stammered to himself.
"This is what it looks like." confirmed Anna.
"Yes, but why? I mean you ... you and Yoh ..." the little brown haired man didn't know how to end this sentence properly and therefore just left it there.
Yoh shrugged. "Anna and I made the decision together."
"So don't make unnecessary drama out of it." interjected Anna.
"Yes, but don't you love him anymore? I don't mean that you ever showed it right but ..."
"Of course I still love Anna." interrupted Yoh Manta.
The Itako winced barely noticeably and looked over at Yoh.
He just grinned to himself as always. "She's my friend. I love all my friends, Manta. You as well. No offense but, that's why I wouldn't marry you for a long time."
Anna released her breathless breath without a sound.
Manta had briefly looked relieved at Yoh's words and then put on his cynical expression. "I am happy about that."
Shortly after he had spoken, the ringing sounded that signaled that the next lesson had started, which is why Manta went back to his seat.
Yoh got up again to find his seat, but before he left he said.