"So, you mentioned going through Job Panels and a lot of rejected applications? Could anyone be looking for a job?" Ryuk asked, glancing around the room.
Mrs. Lynia turned her gaze toward Old Jack and slowly said,
"Yes?"
"And let me guess — it’s the Oldy struggling to get a job, of course."
"Because I know my Mrs. Lynia, and I know she’s too knowledgeable to have even one of her application letters rejected," he said, as Mrs. Lynia giggled, looking at her husband, whose face had completely turned red.
"Wow, Ryuk. Raising one up just to let your good old buddy down?" Jack said, getting a grinning scoff from Ryuk.
"If you mean a good, greedy old bastard, then maybe you’re more correct."
"But I just think you got too influenced by Grade E, and with Ammomara’s standards, you became obsolete," he said, watching Old Jack fume.
"Wow. I feel like you’re just having a good laugh... but that pretty much nailed it," Mrs. Lynia said, and Ryuk blinked.
"Oh?" he said, and she explained more.
"Jacky here tries to get a job, but the majority of jobs require some sort of proof of efficiency — which the Oldy doesn’t have — and therefore his applications get refused."
"As for power-focused jobs, he was refused too. While just being a Fallen is powerful back on Endearth, it doesn’t seem to be enough for security posts or interdimensional jobs here."
"The end conclusion? Oldy here has become obsolete."
"I thought it was ridiculous, but you somehow guessed it right."
"Is Grade E really that backwater?" she asked, looking between Ryuk and her husband.
The phase of being in Grade E was Ryuk’s time of growth and childhood. He’d become part of her family, and when Old Jack disappeared, it seemed he had also gone to Grade E for close to fifty years. More time than she had ever spent with him.
She knew an important phase of life had happened in both their lives in Grade E.
Her cluelessness about it all made her feel like there was a barrier she’d never be able to cross. But if she did, it would enable her to truly understand both men even better.
It also created the question: just how backwater was Grade E?
"It’s a good place, though," Old Jack defended.
"I enjoyed being so freehearted, smoking my cigarettes all day long, and wearing a blindfold — looking like a true old-town ranger."
"Ahhhh, true manly life," Old Jack said, a dreamy mist in his eyes as he remembered the good old days.
But then he snapped out of it,
"But of course, it doesn’t compare to even a single day I spend with you here, my love," he quickly added.
Ryuk chuckled when he saw Mrs. Lynia’s expression narrowing, her eyes squinting at him before she hmph’d, grabbed some empty plates, and stormed out of the dining room with another scoff.
"Someone slipped up," Ryuk said, chuckling with laughter as he looked at Old Jack, who stared at where his wife had disappeared before drawing his chair closer to Ryuk — coming within five inches beside him.
"It’s a hard life here, Ryuk. I feel like I’ll be dying soon eventually."
"How much I miss Grade E," he lamented.
Ryuk rolled his eyes.
"Of course, of course, old man. The good old days where you avoided your responsibilities and became a kid once more," he said, and Old Jack sighed.
"Of course, that. I know."
"But really, you’re young, Ryuk."
"You’re at that perfect time — your adventurous age. Believe me, go wilder."
"Go on the most ridiculous ruin mission ever. Visit the most dangerous of worlds, and fight in them."
"Make powerful nemeses and friends — and smoke a cigarette too."
"Enjoy your young years. Because once it’s gone, and the responsibility phase comes — tsk, tsk," he ended, clicking his tongue as his fork picked into the two last meat slices on the table.
He stuffed one down his throat but opened an eye just in time to see Ryuk slyly slide off the second piece before stuffing it into his own mouth.
"You can’t steal from me with some quotes, Oldy," Ryuk said, as Old Jack rolled his eyes.
He had tried to distract Ryuk with wise words while slowly securing the last meat for himself — but Ryuk was faster and had saved himself the final slice.
"Tsk. You’re too smart. It’s weird — everyone seems so smart nowadays," he said.
Ryuk asked,
"So you eventually got the job? It’s been a month, after all."
Old Jack nodded. "Yeah, I got one last week. I’ll be resuming tomorrow — Monday," he said with a wave, stuffing down some vegetables.
"Hmm. I’m curious — what’s the job?" Ryuk asked.
"Arranging books... in the biggest library in Ioritoyou Venue," he said with half-pride and half-disappointement.
"That’s a good one for a once-mighty ranger," Ryuk commented.
"Lynia found it for me, after I couldn’t get one even after endlessly typing words for 21 days and getting rejected over and over," he added.
"It’s a good one," Ryuk said, which led Old Jack to roll his eyes.
"How is arranging books in a library good, for a rogue from Grade E like me?" he asked.
"I don’t know, to be honest." Ryuk said, "But if you’re obsolete, then at least the best way to get in tune with the new world is a library."
"I’m sure those coquettish manners of yours as a core seller will do good in getting you promoted to librarian one day, and hopefully get noticed by some Mighy old butler who like to come read in a library only to run a on unpolished gem like you."
"You’re just too smooth with them words afterall" he said, watching as a gleam of light crisscrossed through Old Jack’s eyes.
"A promotion, huh... I almost forgot I still got my good orator skills."
"A librarian, huh? That could really help me get to know Ammomara very well," he muttered to himself before rising to his feet.
"If you don’t mind, Ryuk, I got important duties and plans to prepare for tomorrow morning.
I’ll take my leave now..." he said, imitating the Core Seller Old Jack from Grade E — and it cracked Ryuk up.
"Knock yourself out, Oldy."
"I’m not old!" he screamed out from the corner, disappearing completely from view as he took the steps to the upper floor of the building.