Chapter 4: Chapter. 4: Information

I pondered for a few minutes in silence. The dimpled white ceiling of the room was rather interesting to help me think, though the rattling of the keyboard and the scrunching of the food bags slightly distracted me. 

Not much time had passed since I had gotten to the apartment, and Ash hadn’t spoken to me since our last interaction. She seemed more amused with whatever she was doing on her computer. She seemed to be writing something, but it was probably some sort of artform.

Demons, fiends, ghosts and other existences had deranged offspring in the Underworld too. A few artistic individuals with bloody interpretations weren’t strange. Though, I was somewhat unsure about whether Ash was a bloody one or not. I mean, would humans go on a killing spree in the name of art?

I stopped my thoughts. They wouldn’t. Humans were more passive, or rather this world as a whole was much more peaceful. I mean, I didn’t see any killing. And now⁠— looking around. There was no art on the walls, it was all just a dull white. The room was rather lonely all things considered. I looked at my roommate, feeling somewhat confused. How could she live like this? Well, she seemed to be enjoying it… Not like I was an admirer of the high-arts anyway. Though she was also still eating on her snacks. 

The technology here is completely foreign to me. I couldn’t quite make fast conclusions just yet, it would be putting the carriage before the hound yet again. But I had a roommate now. Hmm…

Though was she actually useless shut in? No way right? It was a bit too quick to make a conclusion, so might as well ask her. 

“Hey, Ash.” 

“Hmm, what?” She asked in a low grumble, her hands still typing at whatever she was doing. 

“Are you employed?” 

“Employed? Like a job?” She asked in confusion, looking at my eyes briefly. She seemed somewhat surprised. She looked at her laptop before pondering for a second. “I suppose, though I am on vacation.” 

“Vacation?” I tilted my head, I thought she was just useless. Just taking a break! Perhaps she wasn’t so bad. 

“Yup,” she nodded. “Working six-months a year gets tiring after a few rounds.” Eh? Based on my research that actually sounded like not a lot of work. I mean, Grim Reapers worked for eternity in comparison. “Well Kat, hope that answers your deep thoughts.” She gave me an empty smile and went back to typing on her computer. 

I nodded and looked at the ceiling. Perhaps I could ask her about the calling card? Well magic anyway. “What do you think about magic?” 

Ash kept typing away at her keyboard, not producing a sound. I guess she wasn’t going to answer, though I did ask her something just now⁠— 

“I don’t care for witchcraft or whatever kind of dumb magic you believe in. It’s all dumb and pure hearsay. It’s only function is making jokes about it and laughing about the fact that people believe it to be real.” Her voice came out dead as always, but it didn’t stop her from typing.  “So, Kat. Don’t be too dumb.”

I wanted to protest, but I just closed my mouth. 

Magic did not exist here... Even though the word magic perhaps didn’t mean the same to the both of us ⁠— she called it witchcraft as if it was a sub-branch ⁠— but magic only existed in the form of inherent and pure magic. Pure magic came from one’s own life, or blood, used to trigger external things. 

And inherent magic? Well, it was what made me a Grim Reaper. Needless to say, I was very lucky. Since I got to make people happy! Though there was a slight problem that was… troublesome. People just didn’t like death. Perhaps it was because they weren’t enlightened enough, but it was confusing to me. 

In the Underworld well; there was just end. Everything would just vanish as soon as it ‘died’? It was slightly terrifying, but things in the Underworld had no soul; humans could be considered lucky in this aspect. Hmm, did I have a soul? I didn’t know. 

What was so bad about death⁠— actually. I looked at my roommate.

“Ash, if you don’t mind me asking⁠— 

“Alright,” she interrupted me, pausing the typing. “You keep asking things, and asking things, perhaps you haven’t asked a lot. But, it bothers me.” She slightly frowned at me. Even though I felt her annoyance, her expression hardly changed, it was slightly endearing even. “Why on earth are you dressed like that?” 

“Eh?” What was wrong with my outfit? Wasn’t it normal? I mean, I hadn’t seen it around before, but it was from a fashion magazine back home. “What are you saying? Besides, why are you judging me, look at yourself.” I tried to divert attention, but she simply scoffed.

“First, I wear this because it’s convenient for everything, I can use it everywhere and anywhere, the stares are secondary. Onesies are the best, and easily replaceable.” She sounded rather proud. “Second, you’re wearing some sort of dark overcoat with a turtleneck! And leggings with boots? Moreover, it’s all black. Why?”

Was this a personal attack?! “It’s fashionable.” I humphed. 

Ash sighed, the little vestiges of her emotions vanishing. “Among, goths or funerals perhaps.” She waved her hand. “Ah, before you ask me dumb stuff. Goth is a type of culture. You have a phone; look it up. Second⁠— and I can’t believe I am telling you this, but. Funerals are a ceremony for when people die. Don’t ask me for more stuff since you won’t stop.” She paused into a grumble. “You’re like a sheltered rich kid anyway.”  

I didn’t answer her. I didn’t know what a rich kid was, but it was offensive, highly so! However… Ash had answered my questions before I could even ask any more. Funerals? A send-away ceremony... It wasn’t a thing in the Underworld, but I understood it. A ceremony to say goodbye. Though, it didn’t explain what made death sad, perhaps it was a start. People get to pass on after all, everyone  just seemed to have a bad impression of it. 

You are reading story Don’t Call Me a Grim Reaper! at novel35.com

I looked back at my phone; its screen was long dead. Right, I can look it up. Waking it up with the push of a button I opened the browser again, its main-screen greeted me. I typed into it. ‘Why is death bad?’ And I tapped search, but I was disappointed by the results.

No matter how I scrolled, where I read, or where I tapped. It was all words talking about how maybe it wasn’t so bad. I mean, of course it wasn’t so bad! The problem was, I wanted to know why people thought it was bad.

And to be honest, I also didn’t want to read through absolutely everything to get a vague answer. I had already gone through long conversations with my dad’s colleagues only to be lectured about how death was inconsequential. 

I just wanted an answer, not something to self reflect on. 

‘Why is death sad?’ The search suggested correcting it to the word ‘scary’ and so I accepted its suggestion ⁠— perhaps it could help me find better information ⁠— Alas, it yielded nothing… I was beginning to see the issues with this… ‘internet.’ 

In the small excerpts there was some useful information but it was more philosophical rather than something more simplistic. There were also things about death that didn’t relate to the concept at all, it had the word ‘ad’ attached to the result. Ad⁠— more like annoying! People would actually tap onto these?! 

I honestly felt quite betrayed. I was supposed to rely on the internet for information, but⁠— Was it really possible to rely on this thing? 

This world had so many laws, yet I had to rely on this thing? Shudder. The Underworld was much simpler! Even if I didn’t particularly like it. I guess I did prefer the simplicity of the Underworld; though it was much less peaceful.

Compromises I suppose… I sighed. Though a Grim Reaper’s true job was more like making sure souls didn’t wander into the Underworld…

But I much liked the secondary effect⁠— the happiness part! Moreover, I could make the Underworld be a better place on top of everything? It was two crows in one shot! But before I could become a Grim Reaper I had to undergo training. 

Last words I received from my dad were rather cryptic. Just go with fate, you’ll figure it out. Simply recalling them was slightly annoying. 

“Yeah, right…” I murmured. “People don’t even seem to be mildly excited about death or its prospects.” Let alone figuring it out, I couldn’t even take the first step. 

“Tsk, who’d be excited about their existence ending abruptly.” Ash clicked her tongue as she stuffed a chip into her mouth. She could hear me? I frowned, those were words to myself. 

“It doesn’t end abruptly for us⁠— humans,” I paused hearing my weird wording. “Besides, you don’t seem to care about it either.” 

“That’s right,” she nodded. “I don’t care, so go outside and pester other people with your mutters instead. I got people to piss off.” She smiled. Why was she so happy about making people angry? Normally I would’ve recurred to trying to make her happy⁠— like any other person.

But Ash just reminded me of the Underworld, not because she wasn’t human; but she was strange. She was apathetic close to an undead, but she had emotions, at the same time she was blunt and weird. Which I wasn’t used to. Mostly weird. 

I mean⁠— why would anyone be blunt? It was the perfect formula to meet the end! ⁠— in the Underworld anyway. I scoffed. 

I should just go outside or something. I sighed. But she told me to go away; perhaps that would make her happy… But! She was really rude. I didn’t want to make her happy⁠— not now anyways. It had to be on my own terms. I looked at her, just like before she happily typed at her keyboard. She didn’t acknowledge my existence even for a bit. 

Actually, why did I even bother? I was supposed to be living with this person anyway. After a short rumination, I finally got up, gathered my wallet and phone. Getting lost would be troublesome after all. 

I got up and walked past her towards the door. As I reached the handle her voice reached my ears.

“Ah, I can open the door for you, don’t worry about it.” I paused. She was actually kind of nice? Though, wouldn’t she need to open the door for me anyway? 

“Thanks…” 

“By the way. Good luck preaching death to people.” Ash added. 

I instantly frowned. She was taking the process of Grim reaper-y too lightly, but she didn’t understand. I felt annoyed. “You should die, I am sure you’d be much happier.” Ah, it escaped me.

“I bet you’d love that.” She cracked a smirk at me. 

I clicked my tongue. I had to think over my situation, away from my roommate. She was mean. The one who I initially acknowledged as a vegetable was a rather mean one.