Shall We Hold Hands?
My feet refused to move. Was this what people meant when they said their legs had frozen?
Ugh, I have to go. Just go. I'd made up my mind like this several times already. Every time I tried to take a step forward, the moment I faced the scene before me, my body instinctively recoiled. If my connection to this physical form gets severed, we're in serious trouble! My mind screamed that I had to go inside, while my legs stubbornly insisted on staying rooted to the spot. The two were locked in a fierce standoff.
That was when the Saint's voice reached me.
"Sashin."
"...Yes?"
"Your face has gone completely white. ...Are you okay?"
The worry in the Saint's eyes made my chest tighten with an indescribable ache. To think a god would be fretted over by a human for something like this. I cleared my throat awkwardly and answered.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Are you really? You said you're weak to blood and gore and things like that...."
At her words, a wave of embarrassment crashed over me. I wasn't great at controlling my expressions to begin with, but this time it was especially bad. Unable to compose myself, I covered my face with my hands as I replied.
"That's true. But this is still something I have to do. As a Grim Reaper."
"...Is that so? You have it rough too, Sashin."
Her murmured words, spoken almost to herself, struck my heart in a strange way. Was it because a human was worrying about me? Or because someone had acknowledged my hardships? A restless feeling stirred inside me, and I found myself scratching the back of my neck for no reason.
"It's only natural. Still, thank you for your concern, Saint."
"But why did you say you wanted to see this place again?"
"Well...."
If I told her the truth, she'd probably get worked up again. But I couldn't exactly hide it either, so there was only one approach I could take. Prepare to be shaken around by an extremely excited Saint. I counted silently in my head before revealing it as calmly as possible.
"Some of the people lying here have died. To be precise, about fifteen...."
"What? Died? They died?! How? Why?!"
As expected, the Saint grabbed both my arms and began shaking me violently. I was like a reed in the wind. This too shall pass. With that thought, I endured being tossed back and forth by her.
The Saint shouted in a voice much louder than usual.
"Didn't you clearly say that because the connection to the Underworld was severed, no one could die?!"
"...Ugh, yes. That's correct, but... wait a moment. I'm getting really dizzy."
"Ah! S-sorry!"
The Saint hastily let go. Good grief—even though I'd braced myself, the world was still spinning. I barely managed to steady my swaying vision before continuing in a calm tone.
"I mentioned earlier that death has begun to take effect, didn't I?"
"Yes. I remember."
"The reason I realized that is because of the people here. About fifteen of them have died, causing their bodies and souls to separate."
The Saint's eyes widened in shock.
"Fifteen...?"
"Yes. Exactly fifteen. I'm still sensing them, and the number hasn't increased."
When she reached for my arm again, I quickly raised my hand to stop her.
"Please. Use words, Saint. Okay?"
"U-um, sorry. So, uh, how did they die? How?!"
"...Well, I don't know either."
The Saint stared at me with a momentarily stunned expression. But it was the truth. The conditions of mortality could only be confirmed once the Death Register was online. ...Ah, maybe she's asking why death was applied, not the cause of death? That was top-secret information. I let out a groan of distress and bit my lip hard. If I keep it as vague as possible, it probably won't count as a violation of the rules. Fearing the punishment that might still apply, I spoke with great difficulty.
"The truth is, the gods engraved death into human souls as a precaution against various unforeseen incidents."
"...Engraved death?"
"Yes. To put it simply, they installed a kind of device in each person to ensure death couldn't be avoided."
This much should be safe. I mentally patted my chest in relief and continued.
"So those fifteen people triggered that device, and the moment I arrived in this world, the death engraved in them took effect."
"Then! How can that device be triggered?!"
"...I'm sorry, but I don't know that either. The one who knows those conditions isn't me—it's this."
I sighed and pointed at the Death Register. Its screen remained pitch black. Seeing it, the Saint's head drooped weakly.
"Anyway, I need to retrieve their souls before their connection to their bodies is completely severed. Otherwise, they could turn into evil spirits."
"...So that's why you were trying to go inside?"
I nodded.
"Yes. I need to check the bodies directly to understand the situation accurately."
"You can only tell when you get close?"
"...Yes."
Unfortunately, that was the case. When I'd glanced inside earlier, some of them were in such a gruesome state that I couldn't even describe it. What if someone is injured that badly? Just imagining the scene made my stomach churn again.
"...Um, Sashin."
"Yes?"
The Saint fidgeted with her fingers before looking at me with eyes full of firm resolve.
"If it's okay with you... can I go in with you?"
"Ah, so you can check on the condition of the deceased?"
The Saint shook her head quickly.
"No?"
"...I'm worried about you, Sashin."
"M-me?"
Her completely unexpected words left me speechless for a moment. She nodded, gazing at me intently as she murmured in a small voice.
"You can keep your eyes tightly closed.... If I guide you.... Wouldn't that be okay?"
"...Uh."
"I'll walk really slowly and carefully...."
My mind went blank. The Saint shifted restlessly, then took a step closer and carefully extended her hand.
"...Shall we hold hands and go?"
Her small hand trembled slightly in the air. I stared at it in a daze for a moment. When I didn't react, the trembling grew even more intense. Snapping back to my senses, I saw that the Saint had squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
"...Ugh, of course someone like me...."
"N-no! That's not it!"
I hurriedly reached out and took her hand. The moment her small, cool hand settled into mine, the Saint's eyes flew open in surprise. I gently wiped away the tear rolling down her cheek.
"Thank you, Saint. I'm counting on you."
"Okay!"
...Ah, I'd asked her for help without thinking. Still, it was better than fainting in the middle of retrieving the souls. I slowly closed my eyes.
The vibrations traveling up from my toes and the sharp click of footsteps echoing through the room filled my ears. Soon after, my body began to move, gently guided forward. I didn't expect her to care this much.... Was she worried I might trip? Just as she'd said, she was truly walking extremely slowly and carefully. In those deliberate steps, I could feel her meticulous attention.
"Are you okay? ...Should I walk even slower?"
"No. This is fine."
A tiny sigh of relief brushed past my ear. She also seemed to be carefully checking what was on the floor ahead of me. The Saint stopped and whispered.
"There's a puddle of blood right in front. Take a slightly bigger step...."
"Ah, understood."
The careful pressure from her fingertips guided my direction. With each step I took relying on that small hand, my heart felt strangely at ease.
"...Ah! Watch out! Two steps ahead, there's a half-rotted intestine on the floor."
"You don't need to be that specific!"
...I immediately took back my earlier thought. The unnecessarily detailed description made me shudder. When my body trembled involuntarily, the Saint began to panic.
"S-sorry. Um, so the internal organs...."
"...Could you please just tell me there's something on the floor?"
"Ugh, I'm sorry."
No, I'm the one who's sorry for being such an inadequate Grim Reaper. We started walking carefully again, but then I felt something under my foot accompanied by a crunch sound.
...S-surely not again?!
I jumped in fright and quickly lifted my foot.
"W-what's wrong?!"
"J-just now, there was a sound—!"
"Huh? That's strange. There wasn't anything there?"
I was certain I'd stepped on something. I was debating whether to open my eyes and check when the Saint's voice came again.
"...Ah? A b-bug. There's a dead fly on the floor."
"A f-fly?"
"...Yeah. I thought it would be fine since they always fly away.... But the fly died...?"
Surprise colored the Saint's voice. It seemed that because the connection to the Underworld had been severed, even the death of plants and animals had become impossible.
...This world seems even more serious than I expected.
I pondered for a moment but soon shook it off. The most important thing right now was safely retrieving the souls. There would be time to worry about other problems later. Still, since the Saint seemed startled, I should explain.
"It's because I came here. The death of plants and animals can take effect without needing fate's permission."
"...R-really? Then...!"
"Ah, wait a second. I think it's around here."
I calmly sharpened my senses. The faint traces sent by the souls gradually grew clearer. The Saint carefully moved closer to my side.
"What does it feel like? Where do they seem to be?"
"...Right in front. I think I need to get closer."
The Saint cautiously guided me, adjusting our direction. I took a deep breath, focusing all my senses. Don't miss them. Not a single one.