It's More About Looks Than Skill | Ryuk

Chapter IX

The café was rather quiet, most seats inhabited by typing away behind their laptops or cocooned between their books in an anxious attempt to memorise as much as possible. She recognized some of them as her fellow peers, yet she didn't feel nearly as stressed; she was at the top of her class, she didn't have much to worry about. Learning things was like riding a bicycle to her. She never forgets, and it's just the same wheels that keep spinning.

She ordered a cup of tea while she waited, and glanced down at her watch. She had been told to meet at this exact location, at this exact time.

She was waiting for her date.

"Does my hair look okay?"

Light studied the Shinigami for a good, serious moment. "...I don't think anyone in this universe or the next would know what to do with your hair."

"Hm. I'll take that as a compliment."

Ryuk had spent quite some time preparing for his big date. He'd dusted off his clothes, polished his accessories, combed his hair and had even convinced Light to get him his own toothbrush. Though when he'd begged to let him borrow his cologne, the boy thought it went too far.

"It would be suspicious," Light had explained, "People would be confused as to why there was a random waft of expensive perfume passing them."

"But you humans are so smelly all the time! I can't tell where which smell is coming from, because you all wear something different and prominent."

"What does the Shinigami world smell like, then?"

Ryuk shrugged, "Rotten."

Light pulled up his nose.

"I don't see why you're preventing me from having a successful date," the Shinigami continued, "I can't wear your smelly fragrance, I can't wear makeup and you didn't even tell her it was me she would be going on a date with. It's not fair."

"Stop it about the cologne. You're not wearing makeup, because that's for girls, mostly. And I can't just tell her it's you."

"Why not?"

"Have you looked in a mirror recently? You're a Shinigami, not a cute boy from school. She'd freak out. We need to do this through slow, deliberate steps."

Ryuk huffed, "Fine."

When half an hour had passed, she was starting to grow annoyed. Her second cup of tea had long been consumed, and her third one was now getting cold. She picked up her phone.

"I really hope you have a good explanation for this, Light," she ground out.

She heard some whispers in the background on the other end of the line, before the boy in question finally responded. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. Is your date not going well?"

"No, it's not going well. Because no one showed up, you buffoon! Tell me this is not some scheme you're playing out to get me to do something for you-know-who."

You-know-who had been the decided upon codeword when they referred to Light's other identity, or to the Death Note. Well, decided upon by her, really. And Ryuk made the final call, as it was her word against Light's.

"It's not, I promise. He must've gotten lost or something. I'll call him, all right?"

"Light, you wouldn't set me up with idiotic boys who get lost-"

She glanced down at her phone with a gaping mouth. He'd just hung up on her.

She didn't have to wait long before Light was able to get a message through. Only, it didn't come to her phone this time.