Chinikami is a small child reaper who is paradoxically terrified of death itself. Because of this fear, he has never once succeeded in carrying out his grim duties. His superior, Enma-sama, exasperated by his lack of results, pushes him to finally leave the reaper village and travel to the human world with the simple goal of achieving his first kill. His chosen target is a lively old grandmother living alone in a nostalgic Japanese countryside home. But instead of reaping her life, Chinikami is welcomed with open arms. The grandmother offers him rice crackers, helps him with homework, and treats him like her own grandchild even after discovering he is a reaper. Unable to bring himself to harm her, Chinikami stays with her through the summer, experiencing everyday joys—shaved ice, catching fireflies, watching a cicada emerge from its shell, and writing wishes on七夕 (Tanabata) strips. Through these encounters, he gradually confronts the meaning of life and death, forming bonds not only with the grandmother but also with the natural world around him, including frogs, tadpoles, and the spirit of the grandmother’s late husband during the Obon festival. The story follows the gentle, episodic arc of Chinikami’s reluctant journey from a failed reaper to a creature who learns that kindness, connection, and letting go are far more important than the job he was given. He eventually returns to the reaper village without having taken a single life, but with a heart full of understanding and growth.