Spider lilies grow on the shores of Higan, covering the land with their scarlet petals. Supported only by their frail stems, they swayed gently in the breeze. Having only just arrived at this unknown place, the phantoms were frightened, and being surrounded by poisonous flowers only made things worse.
“Hello, phantoms. Sorry to keep you waiting!”
It was then that the red-haired girl appeared with a big smile on her face.
“An angel has come,” the phantoms whispered to each other. Hearing this, the girl gave them a charismatic wink and held up her scythe.
“I’m no angel. I’m a shinigami,” smirked Komachi Onozuka.

“Lady Eiki just goes on and on at me. All I did was go to the Human Village for a spell to munch on some yummy dango. Where’s the harm in that?”
Komachi folded her arms, hoping for the phantoms to speak up and agree with her. She certainly wasn’t an angel, but she was surprisingly laidback for a shinigami. And yet, when the phantoms saw that she was leading them to a boat with the intention of ferrying them across the Sanzu River to Hell, they couldn’t hide their fear.
“Relax. You’ll be fine. Probably…” said Komachi with a mischievous grin.
“It all depends on what kinda life you lived… and on the Yama’s mood. Hehehe!”

“Hang on, I haven’t told you my name yet. I’m Komachi Onozuka, the Sanzu River ferrywoman. Who wants to get on first?”
Komachi had never met any of the phantoms before, but she smiled at them as if they were old friends. However, everyone fears death, and with their lives all but over and a scythe-wielding shinigami before them, the phantoms felt that fear more intensely than ever.
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Why don’t you all tell me about your lives? Think of it as practice for the real thing with the Yama,” said Komachi as she sat down on the edge of her boat. Time ticked by until, eventually, a lone phantom came forward and boarded the boat, which promptly began its silent voyage across the Sanzu River.

“Hahaha! Sounds like you had a real rough time!”
Komachi let out a hearty chuckle as she diligently listened to me. By laughing at every story I told, she successfully put me at ease. That, in turn, helped me reflect on my long life. Sure, there were things I’d left undone, but I had no regrets. I could no longer tell if my life had been too long or too short, but as I finished telling Komachi all about it, there was still a long way between us and Hell.
“…”
Silence fell upon the boat. After some time, it was me, and not the chatty shinigami, who broke that silence.
“Komachi Onozuka… If you don’t mind, will you tell me about yourself?”

Komachi told me about her ability to manipulate distance. When I asked why she goes through all the trouble of rowing across the river, she smiled and said, “I can hardly send you off to the afterlife with just a smile and a wave, now, can I?!”
It didn’t seem like she was saying that out of pity, compassion, or empathy. Rather, after living longer than any human could comprehend, that was the sort of person she’d chosen to be. She spent her days rowing one phantom at a time across the river. At that moment, it seemed to me there was no shinigami better suited to being a ferrywoman. The boat continued carving its silent path to the other side. Then it hit me. This wasn’t the start of some new journey for me. No… It was my soul returning home.