Vol. 2 Chapter 1.1 – Prologue: Secret Directive!

“I didn’t quite catch the new intel, um, could you repeat that?”

Paoi Malbec, a Fourth-Class Shinigami working for Melro Life Insurance, asked again over the phone while cooking pork and kimchi stir-fry on a gas stove. Her left hand gripped the frying pan handle, and her right held cooking chopsticks, so she skillfully sandwiched her phone between her shoulder and cheek to speak.

However, the sizzling sounds of stir-frying couldn’t be helped, and it was evidently hard to hear the voice on the other end.

To begin with, even the gas stove looked like a bargain-bin model you’d find on clearance at a home improvement store. The heat settings could only be adjusted roughly, so she had to cook with the frying pan lifted quite far from the burner.

“Eh? Ah, yes… Sorry, I’m in the middle of something I really can’t step away from. Yes, yes, of course I know—this concerns our primary job.”

As the cheap pork belly began to stick to the cheap frying pan, Malbec deftly avoided it with practiced skill.

“Yes, it’s confirmed they’re at Momozono Academy… Uh-huh, and other organizations too… I see, understood. Even if it takes some force, I’ll make this a priority.”

A serious light shimmered in her eyes. She plated the finished kimchi stir-fry onto a dish she had bought from a 100-yen shop. Letting out a breath, she turned off the stove and picked up the dish with her right hand.

“And the Chief… Is that true? The Chief is coming in person? Ah, yes… Yes, understood. I, Paoi Malbec, in the name of being directly under Melro’s executive chain, will conduct the preliminary investigation.”

With a sharp and resolute expression, Malbec opened the refrigerator door. With a familiar motion, she grabbed two cans of beer with her left hand.

“Leave it to me. I’ve already got a lead. Yes, yes, talk to you later.”

She shut the fridge door with a bang using her right foot. The motion caused her ample chest—clocked in at ninety centimeters—to softly ripple. She had a voluptuous figure that exuded more mature allure than necessary.

“Talking with that Chief always takes forever, and they’re so preachy. That’s the problem with elites—they’re a pain. I mean, how do they expect me to find someone in such a short time? Always spouting nonsense… Geez!”

As the line disconnected with a tsuu-tsuu tone, Malbec placed the kimchi stir-fry and the beer on a one-meter square table—a small chabudai—then plopped down cross-legged with a heavy thud.

“Ah, I totally get that! Our Vice-Principal’s always nagging us, too—『Don’t be late』,『Don’t doze off』, all that stuff.”

Sitting across from Malbec was a petite woman, Ranbashi-sensei. Despite being nearly thirty, her glasses and small frame made her look like an elementary schooler. But she was, without a doubt, a real teacher.

“Ran, no matter how you spin it, you’re the one at fault there.”

“Ahaha, I knew it~”

Ranbashi-sensei laughed without the slightest hint of remorse.

“Well, whatever. Let’s just drink already. We’re broke until payday, so no izakaya for us—home drinking it is.”

“Oh, no worries~ Mal-san’s cooking is perfect with beer! And besides, tomorrow’s finally payday~”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s drink big tomorrow.”

“Absolutely, Mal-san!”

Upon closer inspection, what they were drinking wasn’t even beer, but cheap sparkling liquor. Still, neither of them cared. With a pshh, they popped open the cans and toasted with a kanpai, then downed them in bold gulps.

“Puhhaaa! But still, Mal-san, you really have it rough. Besides your Shinigami job, you seem to have a lot of other stuff going on.”

Shinigami—beings who make contracts with humans and gather spiritual energy, known as Life Jewels, released upon death. It’s said the better the life lived, the purer the Life Jewel. Shinigamis descend from the Realm of the Dead to the human world, assisting the lives of their contracted partners daily.

That said, the assistance usually involved things like helping with love confessions, giving life advice, planning date courses, or sharing advance sale info—basically support-level work.

“Well, my main job is kinda… Anyway, Ran, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I sort of told my boss I already have a suspect. So please—could you tell me about the popular or weird students at Momozono Academy? Yeah, the especially distinctive ones.”