Osaka PV: Akina

Even in the most bizarre city, in the most faraway place thinkable by humans, I am not a stranger. Actually, I can’t be a stranger for I’m always at my workplace. As the apprentice of Death itself, my duty is to count souls so, anywhere where there’s a soul, I’ll be just doing my job. For example, now, after living in this place after we (me and my not blessed family) moved to this place, two weeks ago, I’ve counted 132 souls so far, which is a very good start if I say so myself.

Right now, in the middle of the so called recess, I’m counting the number 133. This soul is pretty much normal, just a young one wanting to make himself seen, he approached me upon lunch time and has been talking non-stop since then. Well, not that I’m complaining, I actually enjoy talking to what my family calls “strangers”, I always learn something new and, in order to do my work well, I need to learn as much as I can.

After all I’m not sure when my mentor will decide it’s time for me to take the title of Reaper and then I’ll be way too busy maintaining the precious balance between Life and Death, trying to make sure that the line in between disorder and order is kept defined in this so very fickle mortal world. There won’t be time for me to listen to the stories of others nor for me to try to push them away from chaos.

The boy beside me shifts a bit and smiles widely, mentioning how the recess is coming to an end. Strange, he says that as if he was surprised, but that’s the nature of this world, all the things must come to an end. I suppose the fact that I know that was what pushed the Grimm Reaper to choose me over the others.

Smiling at him as reassuringly as I can, I allow him to eat the last of my lunch, truth to be told I’m not that hungry anyway, and there are much more important matters to attend to right now. I distract him by mentioning how much this school is an interesting one, and in that I don’t lie. There are so many new stories to learn, it’s actually exciting to have come here.

He then goes on about how the school is a nice place, and also he tells me some names: names of people who seem to enjoy chaotic behavior, and of people whom he describes as weird.

‘Weird’ is a word that is commonly used by normal humans, I’ve noticed, and it has been used to refer to me before. Hence, instead of paying too much attention to the names of teachers I should not try to anger that he begins to enumerate, I repeat the ‘strange’ people’s names to myself. I’ll remember them later, and then I’ll have to find them to count them, or see if I’ve counted them already, but it doesn’t seem the case, for most people I’ve counted until now have reacted normally to their ceremony of number-giving.

Reaching down to my skirt, I take the small bag that I always take with me, it’s filled with dark and powerful powder so I try to prevent my random lunch companion from seeing it. Carefully, I dip my left index finger in and I mutter a small sentence in one of the oldest tongues.

Turning back to my soon to be soul number 133 I act fast and poke him right in the forehead with my darkened finger. As always, his skin is rather warm against mine, quickly, I put the number and then get up from my sitting place, closing the bag again and grinning at my new acquisition.

“It was very nice talking to you, 133, if you ever have more stories to share, please consider me as someone willing to listen” I assure him before turning heel and going back to the building I’m just getting used to. I try to keep my marking finger ready in case I find any other random unnumbered soul, sadly, most of them seem to avoid me and I return to my class a bit disappointed to have gotten so little work done today.

But well, today will end, and tomorrow will come, new stories will be told and I’ll be eager to learn from them, new souls will cross my path and I’ll be ready to count them. I’m the Death’s apprentice: Miss Death, I try to ensure the order around me by battling down chaos. My battles are not always easy, nor are they always visible for others, but, at the end, I have always come through them as the rightful winner.