"I really don't want to go and talk with the Composer."

Uzuki seemed annoyed and rolled her eyes as she kept her arms crossed. "And why not?! Don't you see that this could be a chance to get promoted?!"

Just the thought of a promotion nearly made me sick. I wanted nothing more than to quit being a Reaper and fully return to the RG. The Composer could possibly be wanting to see me since Neku technically 'saw' me for a split second, but even then, it wouldn't make sense to want to speak with me personally. He could just send someone to tell me... Oh, that was right... I remembered how the original Conductor was Erased and a new one hadn't been added yet. Then could Uzuki be right about this? I shook my head and focused back on Uzuki who was impatiently awaiting a response from me, looking like she was about to pop a blood vessel.

"That's the last thing I want," I answered truthfully as I nervously paced back and forth on the top of the rooftop we were on. Koki was watching us as he leaned on the door that led to the rooftop.

"Have to agree with you here," he said and stared at the lollipop in his hand. He always had some kind of lollipop in his hand, fidgeting with it in some way or form, although it was usually bean paste, his favorite, according to what he had told me a couple years ago. "Who would want a promotion when you can stay on the field. Being an Officer would be even worse, knowing that if there was a kid like Sakuraba playing then you'd be Erased for certain at the end of the week."

"You too?! Don't you want to be in a higher position?" Uzuki asked, pulling out her phone from her pocket, reading over something before pocketing it, turning towards me. "I have to go and Kariya has to come with. Good luck with your meeting."

She and Koki then left me alone which made me cry out from the stress of the entire situation which only seemed to cause anxiety to eat away at me due to the upcoming 'meeting' with the Composer. The noise was drowned out by the crowds of Shibuya that masked over it. But what makes me special compared to any other Reaper? Taking in deep breaths, I tried to calm myself, knowing that deep down, I couldn't change what had happened and that this was coming sooner or later.

Dead God's Pad was empty when I first arrived. The fishes were swimming endlessly beneath me as there seemed to be the constant whirring of a fan somewhere among the empty room, humming in my ear. Looking around at the elegant, white, creamy couches, the glass table where various types of wine bottles were, the pool table with an abandoned game, it became even more apparent that I was completely alone. Isolated.

I sighed and walked forward. I was supposed to just stay here in Dead God's Pad but I knew that the Composer resided in a room ahead, hidden to the naked eye called the Room of Reckoning. Reaper's weren't necessarily allowed in there though, without the Composer's consent. I hoped that I would talk with the Composer soon, not wanting to be here any longer. Although, the atmosphere of the room gave off a serene feeling, with the fish life beneath my feet. My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket, and found that I didn't recognize the sender, and couldn't even make out a number from the jumbled text and symbols at the top of the screen. Weird, I thought to myself as I read the message.

'Thank you for taking your time to come here. While I do believe that you have an idea as to why you are here, I figured that I might as well tell you plainly. But to ease your nerves, I must say that I am most certainly not upset by your... encounter with Neku Sakuraba the other day. It was merely coincidence that you happened to be that place he was at. After all, you were just going there for your friends. This has to do with the current position of Reapers in Shibuya at the moment. As you know, the previous Conductor, Megumi Kitaniji, was Erased, and a new one needs to replace him. Looking between three Reapers, I found that you would be most suitable for the job. Do we have an agreement on the matter?'

I knew it. That was the reason I was here. Uzuki was right. The message was clearly from the Composer, who wanted another Conductor to continue the Reapers' Game. The answer was and will always be a no. I don't want a higher position closer to him ever. I never even wanted to be a Reaper in the first place, but if I didn't, then he would've gotten hurt, or even killed if I didn't comply.

"No. We don't," I said and crossed my arms, lightly holding my phone in my hand, the screen still flipped open, where another vibration emitted from it.

'I see that you have your mind set. How about a deal then? If you temporarily become my Conductor until I can find a suitable one, then I will take away your status as a Reaper and return you to the RG where you can talk to Neku Sakuraba to your heart's content and be free from the UG and the Reapers' Game. And as an added bonus, I can stop that man from trying to force you into UG matters.'

I froze momentarily, until thinking over what I just read. Would he really make me a normal person again? Even then, why is he so keen on making me his Conductor? Uzuki would be more than thrilled to have the job, unlike me or Koki for that matter. But if I was no longer a Reaper, then would I be able to see Neku without the chance of him hating me for what I was? Damn that Composer for saying that. He knows that I was friends with Neku and cared for him even after I died, and what made it worse, was that the Composer . My thoughts were conflicted, questions being thrown at random. But one that stood out is how would Neku react? How long is temporary?

It was possible that this could be my last chance to be get away from the Reapers' Game and talk to Neku again, but that would mean getting closer to the one person I wanted to be farthest away from. Every thought I had on the matter always came with a counterargument. Even then, would the Composer truly be able to stop him from killing me again? He was the reason I died on my way to meet Neku three years ago, and after completing the Game, twisted my arm into becoming a Reaper, unless I wanted Neku killed. It wasn't like that didn't happen anyway though, but I didn't want Neku to get hurt.

I bit my lip and leaned on a nearby wall, resting my head against it as I held my back to it. Finally coming to a decision, I sighed. I didn't want to sound rude and careless to the Composer, but he was definitely on a different level than me, and I'm not sure how touchy he is with words, but at the same time, I don't care.

"... And you're telling the truth about this?"

The text came almost instantly, and I fumbled at my phone which nearly dropped from my hand.

'Of course. I would never lie about this. I promise. It's up to you whether or not you choose to believe me or not. I can't make that decision for you.'

"... Fine, but you better keep that promise or there might be a new Composer in Shibuya." I mumbled the last part but almost instantly, I could hear a light and airy giggle. The pitch was high enough that it could have been a female's, but a feeling in my gut told me I was wrong.

"Then you can come to the Room of Reckoning now," the voice nearly made me jump out of my skin from the suddenness as it sounded boyish. Was that what the Composer sounded like?

"No longer talking in text, are we?" I muttered to myself as I walked past the couch to the edge of the pool table where I ran my finger over the smooth surface of a metal pin in my pocket that opened up my senses around me, allowing a door to be seen. The pin I was using was like a Player pin, which identified people in the Reapers' Game as Players, enabled them to read people's minds, and stopped others from reading the Player's mind. The only difference was that this pin was issued to Reaper's to keep Players from scanning them and find rooms like this one.

My heart nearly pumped out of my chest from the nervousness of finally being able to meet the Composer, as the Conductor was the only person I knew of that was supposed to know their identity.

I laid my hand on the handle to the door before finally opening it, revealing a gray room where a throne sat the ruler of Shibuya. No words could describe the feelings in me or even describe the barren room, where an almost distinguished aura surrounded it.

On the throne was what seemed like an angelic or celestial being where the facial features almost clearly made out a male face, with messy locks of hair framing his face. His entire body was white with slight wisps of gray here and there as he seemed to glow. Easily, I could sense the power coming from him like this as his entire body was enveloped in this light.

"Few people have ever seen this form," he commented. My words nearly caught in my throat, as I was thrown off by the sudden appearance.

"Then I feel lucky and special," I said and pocketed my phone, before gulping and looking into his eyes which seemed to have a violet hue. Why did he seem so familiar? I furrowed my eyebrows and faced him again. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but go ahead." I resisted the urge as my eye wanted to twitch.

"Why are so interested in Neku?" He placed a hand on his chin and seemed to be deep in thought before a smirk graced his features.

"Jealous? Surely you know of the imagination that he has. After all, I owe it to him for changing Shibuya. Now answer me. Why are you so interested in him?" There was a lingering thought in my head that mocked me, seemingly knowing that he knew the answer. He was the Composer after all, and even though I wanted to hit him for twisting my arm into becoming his Conductor, having to be loyal to him, I was curious about more things than one.

"... You should know."

"But I want to hear it from you personally. It feels different just knowing." I bit my lip and crossed my arms once more, glancing off to the side. Suddenly, the wings on my back felt smaller than ever.

"I was his best friend you know, until, I was thrown into your damn Game. And I bet you have no idea how I felt when Neku was playing and you told me not to see him. Why though?" That question had been bothering me and it took a lot of courage to ask it in front of the Composer. Although, when I thought about when Neku was playing, a light bulb went off as my eyes widened, suddenly realizing why I recognized his face. "But wait! You can't be- Neku's second partner?!"

Th ghost of a smile passed his lips as he stood up. His height towered over me as he was easily taller than I was.

"In order for you to become my new Conductor, I need to transfer certain powers over to you and go over some rules and standards as one as well as go over what your job will be. It's more than just returning Entry Fees and talking to me." Avoiding questions seemed to come to him as a second nature as I took a step back, trying to wrap my head around this. Neku's partner... was the Composer?! Was he aware of this while playing the Game? By meeting the Composer, I had unknowingly signed a deal that I might come to regret in the future, not knowing what could lie with a position like this.

"But do be warned that it may hurt slightly."

A look of confusion crossed my features before he raised his hand and placed it on my forehead as a sharp pain passed through my head as black dots clouded my vision. The last thing I remember is falling as my consciousness faded.