The Gentle Death God Laughs Above the Cherry-Blossom Sky.

How did I come back?

I found myself lying on my bed.

There’s no one with me in the hospital room anymore. Maybe Boss Reaper disappeared before I came back.

But I couldn’t care less about that anymore.

Rather, the scene that I saw earlier that night burned into my eyes and somehow never left.

It was as if I had a bad dream. 

Yeah, how good was my dream?

However, I felt that the situation where my hands trembled in the sleeves of my pyjamas that were stuck to my back was covered in cold sweat. Truly, it happened. 

“Oh … oh, that … that’s … that’s—”

Coping up with the fear, I embraced myself while quivering quietly.

However, as if to ridicule me, the window opened and the god of death appeared under the moonlit wind.

“Haah.”

“…”

“Don’t come near me!”

He never avoided the pillow I threw involuntarily. He who stopped there, turned his face to face me. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel the sadness in the air.

“No—”

“I’m sorry—”

“Why—”

With a step and another, the god of death approached me.

And yes, for the first time, I was scared of him.

But…

“Don’t come here anymore.”

I don’t mean to say this.

“What are you—”

I know that this’ll hurt you.

“Mr. Reaper—”

Words never stopped him.

“I hate it—”

He presented his hands to me.

But he lowered it without actually touching me.

I reached out to him and touched his fingertips. It was cold and sad.

“Hey, you know?”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll kill you with this hand?”

“Because I took Nozomi-chan’s soul with this hand.”

I knew the situation couldn’t be helped.

Even if he himself didn’t take it, someone of his kind will have to.

I knew that because death is inevitable.

But help me, I couldn’t help but see the figure of Mr. Reaper sticking the sickle on her/ Nozomi-chan’s neck.

“I didn’t want to see your face anymore.”

I didn’t want to see that.

I didn’t want to see the scene of him killing her repeatedly in my head.

“I also don’t want you to take my soul.”

I told him as a matter of fact and pushed him away from me.

But I was surprised when he grabbed my hand and clenched it tightly.

“Let me go.”

“I don’t like it”

“Huh?”

“I hate it! No matter what you say, I will take your soul!”

“Why are you acting like this?”

I unconsciously asked him once and for all.

Mr. Reaper put up a painful effort into my clenched hand and raised his face.

“I don’t like to think that your soul will be taken by someone else… I feel nauseated. If anyone has to do it, it has to be me.”

“Mr. Reaper—”

“I’m really sorry.”

He suddenly let go and muttered “I’m sorry” before disappearing in the window.

Yet for some reason, I still have the clear feeling of being clasped by the god of death in his hand.

“What the hell is that—”

It’s easy to misunderstand.

And he’s always like that.

“Ah, that’s a great confession of love.”

“Ah here you are, boss.”

“Hi.”

When I thought I heard that the door of the hospital room had seemed to open, boss reaper appeared.

“Are you eavesdropping?”

“I was only worried.”

“That’s a bad hobby you got there.”

He snorted when he heard my response. Instead of answering my question, he leaned against the window and sat next to the chair and looked at me.

I tried to say “You came often” with a straight face but he didn’t seem to care about it and only laughed funnily at me.

“How was it?”

“Huh?”

“The way he works.”

“I was scared.”

Yes, I was scared. I was very scared.

It was sad that my little friend had passed away, but I was scared that Mr. Reaper, who was always kind to me, seemed like a different person.

“Why is that?”

“Hmm?”

Because of them, I ended up seeing such a scene, and even though I was bitter about the fact that only this person could talk like this, I couldn’t stop the words that overflowed from my mouth…

“Why Nozomi-chan …!”

“I told you, it’s work.”

“But she’s still so small!”

“That was the life of that child.”

“But—!!”

Tears were overflowing and I couldn’t speak well.

I should have had a lot of things to say, but I’m annoyed that the only thing I could do was to sob repeatedly, demanding a justification , “Why!”

The only person who gets angry at Nozomi-chan’s situation like that would be me who saw that scene!

“Don’t cry.”

“Huh?”

When I noticed him, my vision turned pitch black while I felt someone stroke my back.

When I realized what was happening, I saw Mr. Reaper’s boss hugging my cold body.

I feel so weak.

“What’s happening—”

“Don’t cry Mahiro… don’t cry.”

“No! Let go—”

“Misora—”

“Misora?”

“Ah!”

When I instinctively listened back to the unfamiliar name that came out of my Reaper’s boss’s mouth, I pushed his body vigorously.

“Mr. Reaper sir?”

“I’m sorry Mahiro.”

I was there, sitting stiff, while looking at the unusual Boss’s face who had usually a jolly face but right now, his eyes were brimming with tears. And this situation broke me.

Who was Misora-san? 

Yeah, that can be only one person. I have an idea that it may be. Maybe that person is …

“It’s the name of the girl I was in charge of… remember the story? The girl I fell in love with—”

“Ah! You’re right!”

For a moment, I saw Mr. Boss quivering his shoulders.

That’s all I have to know.

That person is a girl whom he will never forget.

He shook his head to say no. 

But it looked so painful and sad that I knew that was the answer.

“Mr. Boss.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Can you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“Your story with Misora-san.”

To my words, Mr. Boss turned to me astonishingly.

“I want to hear that.”

“Why?”

“I want to know your story and also perhaps know the future.”

I was really scared.

Because, like he said. He took the soul of the child. In other words, it’s clear that it wasn’t a successful love.

But that was fine. I wanted to know the ending of this belief that my feelings would eventually disappear.

“It’s not a funny story.”

“It’s all fine with me!”

“But—”

“Please!”

To me, who was firm with my own decision, he sighed a little and said, “It’s going to be long,” sitting in a chair at the side of my bed.