My daily life of exorcising demons and falling in love with a witch.

"Does that mean some customers overpaid when they drew fortune sticks or bought things?" Erina asked excitedly.

"Yes." Sakura Chiai's expression was a mixture of emotion and helplessness as she brought it up. "It's been like this ever since we implemented self-service shrine visits last year. I've put up notices to express my gratitude and remind everyone that they don't need to do it anymore, but it hasn't helped much..."

"I don't know exactly who was helping out. Anyway, I'm willing to believe that the customers are all kind and wouldn't steal. Even if they took it without paying, they probably just forgot."

Speaking of this, Sakura Yukichi also mentioned the first snow tea displayed in the company office.

They are all free gifts and not for sale.

Not only are they given as a thank-you gift to regular visitors, but they are also given when a visitor or their family member is found to be weak or ill.

These first snow teas were also offered to guests to take freely, based on their own conscience, when she went to school. As long as you felt you really needed them, or if you frequently came here to worship and hoped to receive some of the Sakura Goddess's blessing, then you could take them.

However, they weren't sold out every day; in fact, very few were taken. Often, not a single bag would be missing all day.

"I see." After hearing her words, Yixing felt a warmth in his heart: "Kindness passed on quietly... What kind people they are. They carefully protect this trust."

"Hey, could it be that the customer didn't have the exact amount of money and no one was giving change, so they just put in a little extra?"

"Young Miss, please don't ruin the mood! You should be feeling touched right now!"

The reason why Sakura Yukichi said that she started practicing self-service shrine visits last year is because her mother passed away last year.

Yusuke mentioned this point.

Her body was buried under the cherry blossom tree.

Perhaps this is the final fate of every generation of First Snow Shrine Maidens.

"Sakura-san, running a shrine on your own while attending school must be very tough, right?" Yoshiyuki asked sympathetically. "Can you manage?"

"To say it's not hard would be a lie."

Sakura Yuki Chiai paused for a moment, then answered gently.

"But over time, I gradually got used to it. The kind guests actually helped relieve a lot of stress... Thanks to them, I was able to go to school with peace of mind and have time to do my homework and participate in school activities. As long as I got up early to clean, I could leave with the door open without worry. No guest ever did anything bothersome."

"Indeed." Yoshiyuki nodded. "So, Sakura, what do you do after you come home from school? Do you start entertaining guests?"

"During school days, I don't have time to entertain guests. After I get home, I usually start cleaning. This is a shrine maiden's duty, and I can't let the guests always help me. For example, I clean the prayer fountain and the worship hall, sweep the floor, and so on. In addition, I also need to replenish the stock of ema (votive plaques) and other items. Of course, guests can ask me any questions they may have during this process."

"That must be really tiring..." Yixing felt exhausted just listening to him. "What do you do on holidays? Don't you ever go out and have some fun?"

"I don't have the time," Sakurayuki shook her head and said, "There are already a lot of customers on holidays. Since I started offering self-service worship on weekdays when I was the only one here, there are even more people coming on weekends and public holidays."

Sakura then explained what she does on weekends.

I'm incredibly busy from morning till night.

We have to finish cleaning before dawn, and then guests will start arriving one after another.

There was no lunch break. They could only grab a quick bite of the bento box prepared in the morning at the community office.

It gets a little quieter in the afternoon. After closing the shrine in the evening, just like in the morning, you have to clean the entire shrine, including the steep approach path.

After a long day of work, most people would just want to take a shower and go to sleep. And they would be so exhausted the next day that they wouldn't even be able to get out of bed.

But she still has to study at night, and then go to bed early and get up early.

Weekends are a wonderful time for girls around 15 or 16 years old to relax.

But for Sakura Yukichi, it was far more tiring than going to school.

Even though she smiled and claimed that she was used to it, Yixing still felt very uncomfortable.

He suddenly felt that Erina and Sakura Yukichi should switch places and try living each other's lives.

I doubt the young lady could accept it even for a day.

I'm afraid they'll start clamoring to go back as soon as they've swept a few steps.

Since the topic of the hardships of running a shrine had come up, Yoshiyuki continued to explore this subject.

He asked Sakurayuki if she had ever thought about finding another shrine maiden to help manage the shrine.

The answer I received was that although I had considered it, there was no suitable candidate.

A shrine that enshrines only one deity, and whose deity resides on this site, cannot accept just anyone as a shrine maiden. According to the wishes of the Sakura Goddess, there is no need for a priest.

Only those chosen by the Sakura Goddess can become the Snow Maiden.

That not only tests the purity of her heart, but also requires her body and soul to be suitable for receiving the blessing of the first snow.

In fact, most girls would definitely not want to become shrine maidens here. After all, serving the gods here is very hard work, and most people would find the job tedious. They all have other dreams they want to pursue.

Whether Sakura Chiai hadn't thought of it or hadn't mentioned it, Yoshiyuki felt that there was probably another very important reason why they were unwilling to come.

The salary for a shrine maiden here must be very meager.

They might be so few that they'll barely survive.

The Cherry Blossom Goddess possesses the ability to prevent shrine maidens from aging. Although she cannot actually extend their lifespan, the allure of eternal youth is still immense.

However, the contradiction lies in the fact that girls tempted by such benefits are completely unable to pass Chuxue's mind-reading test. This is because their motives are impure.

During the conversation, Yoshiyuki learned that the Sakura Yuki family had been the only priests at this shrine for generations.

Although the First Snow Shrine is not a privately run shrine operated by a family, but rather anyone permitted by the Sakura Goddess can join... in reality, it is not much different from a family-run shrine.

Sakura Yukichi said she had already made up her mind. After graduating from high school, she wouldn't pursue further education or go anywhere else. She would dedicate herself entirely to the work at the shrine. She would make it as perfect as her mother's.

"Yes! I believe you can do it!" Erina said seriously, taking her hand. "And your daughter will definitely be just as adorable as you!"

Sakura Chiai held her hand, momentarily stunned.

"Huh? Um... thank you? Um, shouldn't I say thank you?"

"Young Miss, can you be serious for once?!" Yixing covered his face and shouted helplessly.