She’s not the king of the underworld, she’s the queen.

Episode 4. 
The Underworld is Short on Labor

Ding-dong, the doorbell rang.
At this late hour, there aren’t many people who would ring the doorbell of our house.

Of course, the most likely candidate among them is a certain deity who resides in the Underworld.
However, considering that she said three days ago that she was too busy to come here for a while, it’s probably not her.

Even though she turns into scrap metal every time she visits, she knows how to distinguish between business and pleasure.
After all, she’s a goddess of the underworld; she should be able to make that distinction.

“Haa… Ah, hello.”
As I thought this and opened the door, a familiar face appeared, covering her wide-open mouth with her hand as she yawned.

Good. I’m hitting her once.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me all of a sudden? That’s too much! Wait, don’t ignore me. And don’t close the door. Please don’t close the door!”
Hades, seeing me, immediately protested vigorously, feeling wronged after being hit, but soon began to grip the doorknob and push against it as I tried to close the door.

What the heck?
Why is she here?
Didn’t she say she was busy?
I don’t know what face she has to come here.
How can she forget what she said just three days ago? Is she a goldfish?

—Bang bang!
“Wait! I’m really tired today. Please open the door.”
“If you’re that tired, why don’t you rest at your own house instead of here?”
“Home and work are essentially the same space, so I don’t feel like resting at all. If you want to give me some personal comfort, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you, so hurry up and open the door.”

“Who would open the door after hearing that?!”
“Okay, I’ll admit I was wrong. It’s too much to treat me like this after I worked hard and came back. Oh, hello, Mrs. Next Door. I’m sorry for being noisy. I just got kicked out by my husband right after getting off work. Could you please help persuade him?”

“Wow! Mrs. Next Door! No, it’s a misunderstanding! It’s just a friend’s terrible prank! Don’t be fooled!”
“Oh, it’s open. Excuse me.”
Sweating coldly, I hurriedly opened the door, and as soon as it was open, Hades, who had just been begging with a teary voice, naturally slipped past my arm and entered the house.

I rushed outside to clear up the misunderstanding, looking around, but there was nothing there—not even Mrs. Next Door.
“Where’s Mrs. Next Door?”
“Huh? She was never here. I was just pretending to talk.”
“…”
Good. I’m hitting her again.

“That hurts! This time it hurts. You hit me out of emotional distress, didn’t you? Honestly, I would be angry too. No, please don’t kick me out.”
Rubbing her head, she looked up at me with a dissatisfied expression, but I ignored her gaze and tried to drag Hades outside.

However, hearing her voice begging for forgiveness at the entrance, I finally sighed and decided to stop this meaningless tug-of-war.
“Next time, just play normal pranks. I thought my heart was going to drop. Do you know how quickly rumors spread in the neighborhood association?”
“No, if I didn’t do this.”

Where did she learn such tricks? She’s become twice as sly compared to when I first met her.
As Hades turned around and casually tossed her shoes into the shoe rack, I couldn’t tell if it was skill or luck, but her shoes landed perfectly in the entrance.

The culprit who tossed her shoes aside didn’t even look back and immediately collapsed onto the sofa, looking like a weary office worker who got off work late.
“Ah—I’m dying.”
“Funny. I feel like I’m going to die because of you.”
“It’s okay. People don’t die that easily.”

“You just said you were dying three seconds ago. And you said you were busy lately, so shouldn’t you not come here?”
“Hey, don’t bring up work as soon as we meet. Isn’t it okay to have a beer or two comfortably?”

While lying on the sofa, she reached into the plastic bag she brought and, with a rustling sound, pulled out a can of beer.
With skilled hands, she opened the can, and the sound of fizzing filled the air as she gulped it down in one go.

I could see the beer sliding down her slender neck as she drank it refreshingly, and she exhaled loudly without wiping the foam from her mouth.
“Phew! Now I feel alive. Hey, do you want some?”
“Whoa…! Don’t throw it without asking! If you drop it hard and it bursts, it’ll be a hassle.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll help you clean up if it spills.”
“Could you at least wipe the foam off your mouth before you speak?”
I grabbed the beer can that Hades threw and plopped down next to her.

She had already blended perfectly into the sofa, looking like she had rooted herself there.
“So, how much work have you finished? Please don’t say you ran away in the middle.”

“I wouldn’t be that irresponsible. Of course, there’s more obligation than rights in this job, but it won’t cause any disturbance in the human world.”

“Hmm… I’ve known for a while that you’re unexpectedly diligent.”
“What? Did I just get praised? Ugh, I’m so movedd.”
“Don’t try to be cute; it’s not working.”
That’s a lie. It’s a bit cute.

Hades, who had been pretending to wipe away tears dramatically, instantly changed back to her usual self upon hearing my words.
“But I still have a long way to go. I wanted to keep working until
I finished my tasks, butt

“But?”
“That reaper, Thanatos, asked me to let him take a break for a bit.”
“…Thanatos?”
“Yeah, that skeleton guy. He’s said he wanted to take a break about three times now—once during Ragnarok, once during World War II, and another time. Hmm, I can’t quite remember. Well, it’s not that important.”

That skeleton guy. I once saw him from a distance when I was with Hades in front of my house.
It was obscured by a dark fog, so I couldn’t see well, but the enormous scythe hidden in that black mist was engraved in my memory.
When I later asked what he was doing, she said it was just a matter of delivering paperwork.

I wish such simple tasks could be done in the underworld instead of in front of my house.
If I were to encounter a reaper coming and going in front of my house, I’d probably faint right away.

“So, did something serious happen that made that reaper ask for a break? I don’t think there were any breaking news reports.”
“Well, it’s not like a lot of people. died or anything.”
“Not really?”

“Usually, other underworlds have several reapers, but we only have one working reaper, which is that old man.
He’s been working alone for a long time, so after all this time, it’s only natural he’d get tired of it. The population is also steadily increasing, right?”

“If you keep overworking the field workers, you might get stabbed someday.”
“No, no. Don’t misunderstand. What you’re thinking is not the case! I used to want to have several reapers too. But Thanatos insisted that this pertains to the authority of the god of death and stubbornly wanted to work alone.

Well, now he often says he wants to kill his past self for saying such things.”
“Then can’t you just hire more?”
“I mean, I want to, but…”
Hades sighed and expressed her dissatisfaction.
According to her, being a reaper is no easy task, as there are several types of methods for handling their work.

One: They have some power to see a bit into the future and go to those who are about to die.

Two: They receive a list from someone with the power to see the future and go in order.

Three: If neither of those applies, they sense when someone dies with a mysterious power and go.

Four: If they can’t do any of that, they wander around their designated area like crazy, bringing in wandering souls.

Thanatos is said to be a veteran who can do all four of these.
Well, he’s been the god of death since before humanity existed, so it makes sense that he can do that.
However, his past self, who insisted on working alone, is now holding him back. In other underworlds, one of the working reapers trains a junior, and the others continue working in the field to recruit new reapers.

But in the underworld that Hades manages, even if a new reaper is born, there’s no one to teach them.
Hermes sometimes helps with reaping when I kill, but since he’s such a free-spirited god, he’s not someone who can teach anyone.

“When I ask the others if they want to try being a reaper, everyone refuses, saying they don’t want to come to the underworld.
If I just send anyone, it’s obvious they won’t be able to distinguish people, and if I have them teach on-site next to that old man, most of them won’t even be able to keep up with the pace.

I would like to have more workers, but no one is willing to step up. How about you try being a reaper?”
“I’d rather ask for a witness.”
“No, it’s a joke; you don’t need to look so serious.”
Anyway, the reaper Thanatos is currently begging Hermes for a break, temporarily escaping from his lonely situation.

Thus, the highest administrator of the Underworld has put out all urgent fires and is now enjoying a brief respite.
“Even if I say rest, I have to return in three hours. It’s a bit awkward to even take a nap.”
“Then just rest at your house. Why come all the way here?”

“Well, it feels like resting here improves efficiency or something. There’s something mystical.”
“My house isn’t a game inn where resting for a day fully recovers your stamina.”
“Ahaha, anyway, I’ll be in your care for a bit.”
Hades chuckled shyly, gulped down the remaining beer in her can, and pulled out a new beer can from the bag.

Even though she had to go back in three hours, I wondered if she was drinking too much.
But I know her capacity, and as long as she doesn’t get too reckless, she’ll manage on her own.