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The male protagonist is a newly appointed Grim Reaper, and the female protagonist is a high school girl suffering from a terminal illness with only three months left to live. In addition, there is a series of supporting characters and other roles…
The story is a very common terminal-illness narrative, but with fantasy elements added. The male protagonist's character setting is: having witnessed too many lives casually fading away, he doesn't understand the terror and essence of death, nor the value of protecting fragile and cheap lives. He is a carefree, impulsive, life-despising protagonist—outwardly cheerful and humorous, but inwardly filled with indifference.
The female protagonist's character setting is: cool, sharp-tongued, long black hair, talented and beautiful, a lofty flower. Due to her childhood experiences, she pursues absolute correctness. She appears cold and unapproachable but actually has a gentle heart.
—He didn't specifically use anyone as a character prototype.
The story begins with the male protagonist impersonating a high school student to approach the female protagonist, in order to send her to heaven. After this, the two will encounter many people they couldn't have met before and experience many things. Those better people and wonderful experiences will make the two truly understand the meaning of life, death, and the existence of the Grim Reaper…
—Of course, the core element of their developing feelings and back-and-forth will also be indispensable!
—So, he really didn't specifically use anyone as a character prototype!
After modifying the manuscript in the document again, Kiyono let out a heavy yawn and suddenly felt a wave of fatigue. He glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the computer; it was already one in the morning.
"Time to sleep. I still need to buy a bicycle tomorrow morning to deliver newspapers…" Kiyono saved the document on a novel website, then, unable to resist the drowsiness, lay down on the cushion behind him.
For a light novel to be submitted, published, and make money, it's an extremely long process. According to the information he found online, it would take at least half a year, so this kind of life would continue for a long time, and he couldn't rush it.
[You instantly fell into a baby-like sleep.]
[Early the next morning, you went to the second-hand store and bought a bicycle you had long set your eyes on, but the gold coins spent made your face heavy.]
[With the bicycle, you can finally start your part-time job delivering newspapers.]
[You start delivering newspapers.]
[Your gold coins increased.]
[After strenuously pedaling the bicycle, your first priority was to go to the bathhouse for a soak. Because you often slept in internet cafés, you inevitably picked up strange odors. For a server, this was a serious problem, so every day before going to the shop, you would shower and change into fresh clothes.]
[You go to the same bathhouse every day. The Old Granny who owns the bathhouse is very fond of you.]
Hey!
[The Old Granny might have noticed your special circumstances, so she offered to help you wash and dry your dirty clothes. To be honest, this helped you a lot, as you had no place to live and couldn't wash and dry clothes at the shop or a hotel every day. In return, you would also help the Old Granny and Old Grandpa clean the bathhouse in your free time.]
Yes, children, no one knows how to maximize economic savings better than I do—not even a certain customer-service lady!
[You finished your bath, smiled, and waved goodbye to the Old Granny, then rode your bicycle to the shop.]
Staff break room.
Kiyono raised his hand to open the staff-room door and then heard a strange sound.
Crunch, crunch.
Crunch, crunch.
It sounded like someone was chewing something.
Kiyono tilted his head and saw a Blue-haired girl sitting at the far end of his vision. On the table in front of her was a potato-chip bag. She was happily humming a song and eating potato chips.
It's Yanami… then it's not strange.
Watching the beautiful girl in front of him happily eating, Kiyono felt a strangely pleasant mood. How to describe it… it was like the world suddenly became a bit sunnier and more relaxed—like the feeling of squatting down to watch a small animal eat.
Yanami seemed to be immersed in the joy brought by the snacks, completely unaware of his arrival. She even evolved into a second form, starting to alternately bring potato chips to her mouth with both hands… You're no longer a small animal… you're a sea otter!
And wait, this potato-chip bag is super-sized, right? The kind meant for several people to share, but she's almost finished it by herself. There are also other empty bags—rice balls, jelly, and chocolate—on the table…
Kiyono felt his eyelid twitching. He couldn't help but walk over to Yanami and grumble, "As soon as you earn money, you can't resist buying all the snacks, can you?"
"Y-yes!" the girl mumbled, her mouth full of potato chips.
Normally, a normal girl—or rather, a normal person—would share the snacks in front of them with a companion, or at least politely ask. But Yanami seemed to have no such intention, still enjoying them all by herself, and even secretly glanced at Kiyono, as if afraid he would try to snatch them.
—I wouldn't eat them!
Kiyono realized the true value of the gluttonous sea otter for the first time.
After another moment, the potato chips were finally almost finished by Yanami. She straightened up, picked up the bag, and then…
"Here!"
The Blue-haired girl handed him the bag, her smile bright and radiant. If one ignored the potato-chip crumbs on the corner of her mouth, it was actually quite touching.
—Oh, oh! Is this the classic "though she guards her food and is reluctant, she will still share important snacks with her companion" character-highlight scene?!
Kiyono was just starting to feel a little moved, but the amount…
He looked into the bag in surprise, and there were only two or three chips left!
…Well, that's fine. It's still a gesture from the girl.
Kiyono was about to take the potato-chip bag, but Yanami also noticed the remaining quantity of chips. She widened her eyes in surprise, then unhesitatingly lifted the bag and poured the only two remaining chips into her mouth.
"Here, please help me throw it away, Little Senior!"
"???"
...
Kiyono stood rooted to the spot for a full three seconds, various thoughts flashing through his mind, ultimately consolidating into one exclamation—
You are invincible.
He reluctantly took the empty potato-chip bag, tossed it into the trash can behind him, and didn't pay too much attention to such a small matter. He sat down to rest for a while, preparing to start work.
Yanami also cleaned up the snack wrappers, changed into her new uniform in the changing room, and even took out her phone to take a few photos from different angles. After taking them, she looked at her phone and giggled foolishly—although Yanami is pretty and can eat a lot, most of the time she's like any ordinary girl: liking cute clothes, enjoying taking and sharing photos, and a bit vain.
Kiyono glanced at her from the side, feeling like he had unexpectedly discovered a different side of Yanami.
As soon as it was around noon, the shop suddenly became lively. Parents taking their children on Saturday, couples meeting up, students simply solving their lunch problem—the seats were almost more than half full.
Kiyono assisted the head chef, doing as he was told—either cutting vegetables and plating or helping with ingredient pre-processing. From time to time, he even had to step in as a cook at the stove, emphasizing his cost-effectiveness.
Yanami, on her first day officially on the job, acted as a more relaxed server, responsible for bringing and delivering dishes and clearing tables—it was a way to share some of Kiyono's workload.
The girl glanced at the busy Kiyono, her eyes filled with admiration. Because she interacted with the boy the most, she could clearly feel his abilities: gentle in speech, enthusiastic in action, yet also considerate of others' feelings. Although he was younger than her, he was deeply trusted by adults—just like the male protagonists in shoujo manga.
And he had a faint smile on his face; he truly loved his work!
"I need to work harder too!" Infected by Kiyono, she also became much more serious and careful.
At first, Kiyono didn't have much time to look after Yanami, but as the peak period passed and he had some free time, he felt uneasy about Yanami and went to help next to the girl.
But to his surprise, the girl not only completed her tasks well but also eagerly took on more work, which could be said to be very diligent.
You are really good at your job!
They exchanged glances.
For a moment, their mutual good feelings increased significantly.
The incident occurred after the lunch service ended.
Yanami was just about to leave to find something delicious to eat, but then Big Sister suddenly called out to her.
"Little Anna, come with me for a moment."
In the kitchen, Big Sister stopped, turned around, and looked at the bewildered Blue-haired girl in front of her, her expression gradually becoming serious. Kiyono, who had just finished washing the last plate, washed his hands and stood by with interest, watching the show.
"What's wrong, Big Sister Shiho?" Yanami blinked.
"When the oven came out just now, you didn't wear your specialized gloves and rushed to grab it, did you?" The elder Big Sister stared into her eyes. As her words fell one by one, a heavy pressure immediately enveloped both Kiyono and Yanami.
The immersion is strong; I'm already sweating profusely.
Kiyono wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Y-yes… Because it was urgent, I wanted to be as quick as possible, but I still followed the procedure Kiyono Senior taught me yesterday." Yanami nodded timidly, like a student who had made a mistake, unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
"No matter how busy you are, your own safety is always the priority. Next time, remember to wear your gloves. Also, normally, the oven work shouldn't be given to a newcomer. Until you are completely familiar with it, let Kiyono-kun handle it."
Seeing the girl's appearance, Big Sister Shiho's expression and tone softened considerably.
"Yes! I understand!" The Blue-haired girl was silent for a moment, then brightened her smile and responded cheerfully.
"I might have been a bit strict just now—don't worry about it, Little Anna—but safety issues can never be too strict. If any accident happens, the shop will also be held responsible."
Big Sister gently ruffled the girl's hair.
As for Kiyono on the other side, she didn't blame him for anything. After all, his busyness at noon was evident to everyone. If anything, this was Yanami's unauthorized action; Kiyono certainly wouldn't have given her such work.
After giving these instructions, Big Sister left, feeling relieved.
At this moment, Kiyono, facing Yanami alone, stroked his chin, feeling a bit awkward. What should he say now? If he comforted her gently, wouldn't that increase their good-feelings progress bar? Not that!
After some thought, he walked over to Yanami, cleared his throat, and said, "From now on, just confidently leave the oven work to me, your senior!"
—If this were a galgame, this option clearly wouldn't be the correct path to a route, but this is the effect he wanted!
Besides, this wasn't a big deal, not even a reprimand. During his initial period of employment, he experienced such reminders every day and was long used to them.
Yanami made a face at him.
Kiyono quickly put this little interlude out of his mind. However, what happened next was beyond his expectation.
The time came to 2:20 p.m.
Kiyono sat in the corner of the staff break room, pondering over the shop's laptop—this was one of his employee benefits; he could use the shop's office computer to write during his free time. So, after finishing work in the morning, he usually stayed at the shop. He could save on internet fees, and the shop gained an employee who could help for free during downtime. It was a win-win!
But Kiyono, who was immersed in his own world, suddenly stirred. He heard the soft sound of a door opening and closing, followed by faint, almost inaudible sobs.
What's going on?
Kiyono looked up blankly. In front of him, the always incredibly lively and energetic Blue-haired girl slowly sat down on the floor, saying nothing. Suddenly, two lines of tears flowed out without warning, forming faint tear streaks.
Huh? Huh, huh, huh? Eh, eh, eh!
Yanami… crying? Just because of that small matter? She shouldn't be such a fragile person, should she?
Looking at the crying girl in front of him, Kiyono was a bit at a loss, only instinctively squatting down and hiding himself—wait, why did I instinctively hide?!
…No matter what, when someone is crying, they usually don't want others to see them, especially those they don't know well. I'll just hide here and wait for her to finish crying and leave.
Fortunately, the break room was messy enough, and he had deliberately moved the computer desk into the corner, so the girl didn't notice him for a while.
Kiyono thought silently.
"Perhaps… this isn't a small matter to her."
Yanami actually didn't understand why she was crying.
She knew that Big Sister was concerned about her. She didn't dislike Big Sister for it and was even grateful for her reminder. It was just… it was just…
She just felt disappointed.
That disappointment wasn't directed at anyone else, but at herself. She had been so serious, so diligent, yet she couldn't even do this small thing well… She felt very disappointed in herself.
When she realized this, an inexplicable sourness welled up in her eyes…
Fortunately, no one here saw her. In others' eyes, Yanami Anna's style of behavior was not like this.
But just then, the two people in the break room suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the door, approaching from afar.
"Ono, where are we going to eat now?"
"Hmm, let's have sushi today. I'm too tired from this morning to have much appetite…"
The voices were already close by.
Yanami quickly wiped away her tears haphazardly, trying to force a smile, not wanting anyone to see her current state. But sitting by the door, she had already heard the subtle sound of the doorknob turning.
"Cough, cough, cough… Senior Ono! Senior Yasui! Could you please wait a moment before coming in? I—I have something urgent to deal with right now…"
To Yanami's stunned gaze, Kiyono reluctantly stood up and shouted.
—There was no other way. Compared to letting a group of people see the girl's embarrassment, exposing himself was more appropriate.
"Eek!"
The doorknob stopped turning.
A teenage boy, alone in a room, in front of a computer, dealing with something urgent…