Why wouldn't the afterlife be realistic? It's meant to be a reflection of life. If it wasn't, it'd be alienating and people wouldn't know what to do. [ And that would be very stressful for the Shinigami! She does take note of the long pauses and still tries to make her tone sound warm and approachable, but, at the same time, distant to show that she's trying to empathize with his distraught thoughts. ]