Don't force me to use my right fist.

"Wishes? You know what, I don't really have anything to pray for. If I had to say, if such a deity really exists, I'd probably just pray for her to bless the people I care about."

Sōyū actually wanted to say that if it were the Inari God, blessing him with a bountiful harvest might be a good wish. However, after thinking about it, it seemed like it would only be a matter of a few bone powders, and he decided it was better to trouble the gods. So he gave up on the idea.

"Huh? You actually said it out loud? Aren't you afraid that saying it will make it stop coming true?"

Sawa's answer did not surprise Kaguya. As expected, he had completely forgotten his own needs. Even his wishes were for others?

"Is that so? I don't really care. After all, relying on some vague god is not as reliable as relying on yourself. When it comes to protecting the people you care about, it's definitely safer to do it yourself." Sōyū shrugged and replied nonchalantly.

"Then, Yu-kun, am I one of the people you mentioned who you care about?" Leaning on one of Saya's shoulders, Kaguya looked at Saya earnestly and asked him from the bottom of her heart.

"I guess so. After all, you're the first friend I made here. Even though your temper is a bit eccentric, I definitely couldn't bear to see you get into trouble."

Saya answered Kaguya's question without much hesitation. If she didn't count, then why would Saya protect her? Could it be that he really was after her money or her as a person?

"I'm happy you answered so decisively, but there's no need to emphasize my personality. Do you really dislike me?" Kaguya felt a surge of joy after hearing Saya's immediate yes, but his subsequent words extinguished her enthusiasm. What did he mean by "a little eccentric"? Was it wrong for her to speak the truth? If anything, wasn't Saya's own temper just as eccentric, even more so? "I wouldn't say I dislike you, it's just that sometimes I can't figure out what you're thinking, and you never tell me. It's a bit frustrating." Saya scratched his head. Since he'd already said it, he might as well be honest. It wasn't about blaming her; it wouldn't hurt to say it.

"So, do you prefer someone like that girl with glasses? Or someone like your sister?" Kaguya asked, looking at Wakasaya with a hint of inexplicable grievance.

"If my personality became like theirs, would you like me?"

"Hmm, let's forget it. That wouldn't be like you. It's fine as it is now. Besides, didn't I say I don't hate you?" whl Zuoyou imagined a soft, cute version of Kaguya, and for some reason, he felt awkward thinking about it, but he still voiced his true thoughts.

"You don't dislike me? Hmph, you know how to talk. I don't dislike you either." After hearing Saya's reply, Kaguya's flustered emotions suddenly calmed down. Feeling a strange warmth, she hummed softly and leaned on Saya's shoulder.

Chapter 319 Do you prefer someone fuller-figured?

The car carrying the two stopped at the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of Tokyo. Kaguya pulled Saya out of the car and they walked up the steps to Ryudouji Temple.

"Speaking of which, isn't Reisen coming with us?"

"No, she'll come over by herself after parking the car. But she prefers to be alone and won't deliberately bother me." Kaguya shook her head. If you really had to pick someone, Reisen is the most common-sense and emotionally intelligent person in the entire Saya family right now. That girl with glasses could be considered one too, but she seems to be deliberately playing dumb, so we'll leave her out. At least Kaguya felt that only the Saya siblings would dare to interfere in a date like this.

"Oh, I see. That's good then."

Saya nodded. Since it was Reisen's own idea, he had nothing more to say.

"Instead of worrying about her, why don't you try to pull me up?" The steps in front of Ryudou Temple were quite long. She didn't know why temples always seemed to be built high in the mountains, but for Kaguya, a girl who wasn't good at sports, it was definitely a challenge. She reached out her hand to Saya, who was already panting after just a short climb, her forehead beaded with sweat. She didn't feel embarrassed about asking Saya for help; after all, he was on a date with her, so holding hands was only right.

Sōyū naturally thought the same thing. After Kūya made the request, he didn't hesitate to grab the girl's soft and slender hand. He didn't think too much about other things, but rather...

Along the way, there were quite a few people heading to Ryudou Temple like them, mostly couples around the same age as him and Kaguya, or slightly older. As for adult married couples, far fewer still believed in this so-called fate. Fortunately, Kaguya had slightly concealed her face; otherwise, Saya thought that with her excessively beautiful face, they might have been torn apart more than halfway up the mountain.

The path up the mountain was rather long, but for Sōyū, it was practically nonexistent. He had no concept of physical strength or energy whatsoever. After dragging Kaguya along for half a day and realizing that there was still at least half the way to go, he frowned slightly and stopped by the roadside.

"W-what's wrong?" Kaguya, a pampered young lady, had never before climbed a mountain on her own like this.

In the past, she would have just taken a helicopter, why go through all this trouble? But this time, even though she was going with Saya, for some reason, Kaguya felt that walking together would be more effective. Kaguya, already feeling a bit out of breath, gasped for air. Even with Saya holding her hand, she felt like she couldn't muster any strength.

She had been able to hold on until now because she was holding her breath, and now that Zuoyou had stopped, she felt that breath had been released.

"No, it's just that you suddenly stopped talking and I could tell you were a little tired. Anyway, there's no rush."

Saku took a bottle of water out of his backpack and handed it to Kaguya. He even tidied up a rock next to the steps a little before pulling her to sit down.

"When did you become so considerate?" Kaguya naturally had no reason to refuse Saya's kindness. She sat down, clutching her skirt, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief as she held the water Saya offered her. Kaguya slightly lowered the mask on her face and took small sips of water, scrutinizing Saya as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"No, I can still sense these things."

Zuo Youyao scratched his head and looked up.

"How about I carry you up later?"

Judging from the situation, if they continued to drag Kaguya along, they would have to rest at least twice more on the way, and it would be nothing short of torture for her. It would be better to just carry her on his back himself. That would save time and effort.

"Qin?" Kaguya nearly spat out the mouthful of water she was holding. Could that wooden figure really utter such words?

"You said you were going to carry me upstairs?" Fearing she might have misheard, Kaguya had to confirm with him again.

"Yeah, this is more convenient, and you won't have to work so hard. It's also less of a burden for me, and we can get up faster."

Saku squatted down in front of Kaguya, patted her back, and said to her.

He didn't have any other thoughts; he simply wanted to get up there as soon as possible to see what kind of place this Ryudo-ji Temple was.

"Okay then."

Kaguya's smiling face flushed pink instantly. She stammered her agreement, then hesitated for a moment, glancing at Sawa's not-so-broad back, before finally collapsing onto him.

"Then hold on tight, I'll continue on my way."

After confirming that Kaguya was leaning against his back with her little hands on his shoulders, Sawa stood up, placed his hands on Kaguya's thighs from her waist, and continued towards Wakayama.

"It shouldn't be too heavy, right?" whl

Kaguya straightened up, trying not to press her upper body against Saya's, and whispered in his ear, "What do you want to ask?" Saya tried to pull his thoughts away from Kaguya's bouncy thighs, sniffed, and replied to her.

This burden was practically nonexistent for him; rather, the psychological burden was much heavier.

"Could it be that you prefer fuller-figured girls, Yu-kun?" Kaguya pursed her lips, having recovered from her exhaustion, and asked Saya beneath her with a slightly teasing expression.

She did notice the slight tremor in Saya's hand as he supported her thigh, but despite her extreme aversion to being touched, she felt no disgust at his actions. Instead, she wanted to tease him.

"No, not really. It's just that you're a bit too thin. Being too thin isn't a good thing; health is more important." Zuoyou shook his head. He hardly had any requirements in this regard. If he really liked someone, he wouldn't care about such things.

"Can I take this as him caring about me?" Kaguya wasn't entirely satisfied with Saya's answer. However, she didn't press further, since even if Saya preferred fuller figures, it didn't really concern her. What did make her smile even brighter was that he was still showing concern for her.

"Yes, so how do you plan to thank me, Miss?"

Sōyū also sensed the teasing in her tone and responded to her in a half-joking manner.

"Well, you'll have to carry me to where we are first. Until then, I'll forgive you for touching my thigh." - Wihl

Kaguya saw Saya's cheeks flush red, and covered her mouth with one hand, trying her best not to let the boy beneath her hear her laughter.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it! If I didn't rely on you, how could you sit still?"

Chapter 320 It really is a rice bin monster!

When Saya carried Kaguya to the entrance of Ryudouji Temple, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he was panting heavily. It wasn't that he was too weak to carry Kaguya up a mountain; it was that ever since he started carrying her, she had teased him quite a bit along the way.

Knowing full well that he couldn't help but hold onto her legs, he even deliberately rubbed his thigh against her waist after making it clear, as if teasing her to seriously caress him.

But the swaying sensation from his back told him without turning around that this girl just wanted to see him embarrass himself, and if he actually touched her, she would definitely laugh at him.

Having held his breath all the way, Sawa was naturally no longer able to relax. Even after speeding up and arriving at his destination, he still felt a bit out of breath.

Of course, this feeling is mainly due to the feeling of holding it in.

"The view from the top of the mountain is really nice." Kaguya, who had just gotten off Saya's back, looked down from the mountain gate, stretched, and said contentedly.

If I had known, I would have had this guy carry me from the foot of the mountain. Wouldn't that have been more comfortable than flying up in a helicopter?

"You'd feel better if you climbed up yourself." Zuoyou complained irritably. He had already been considerate enough to carry her up, yet she was still joking with him. It was really going too far.

You should have touched them as much as you wanted. Only daring to think this afterward, Sawa involuntarily let his gaze drift to Kaguya's thighs hidden beneath her skirt. She was a bit thin, but the feel of those legs was just so perfect.

"Qin, but wouldn't you be disappointed, You Jun?"

As if sensing Saya's gaze, Kaguya deliberately ran her small hand lightly across her thigh through her skirt, and couldn't help but smile as she looked at Saya's face.

"I think we should change the subject. If you keep doing this, I won't carry you next time, even if you beg me." Zuoyou touched his nose, clearly not wanting to continue this topic. No matter what, it was a fact that he had taken advantage of her. Although he had his reasons, reasoning with a girl was inherently unreasonable.

"Alright then, so that I can get your help again next time, let's go pray for blessings now."

Kaguya, her smile fading, took Saya's hand and led him into the temple with practiced ease. Saya let her lead him, looking around as they walked. He didn't sense anything strange; there were only couples like them praying nearby. He didn't see many old men wielding katanas, or even monks.

Japanese monks are somewhat different from those in China. Not only do they not have to shave their heads, but they can even get married and have children, and they are not much different from ordinary people.

Moreover, the monks who came to greet Saya and the others did not have any special power fluctuations. Saya felt that they were just normal human beings, without any sense of divine favor.

"Are you sure this place is really effective?" Saya asked Kaguya in a low voice, frowning. This just looks like a Shitong Temple.

Saya tentatively stomped his foot on the floor, nearly crushing it. He shrank back, thinking, "If a floor can't even withstand this much force, does it deserve to be called Ryudouji?"

"I think it was already quite disrespectful of you to ask that question, Yu-kun. I can only say that this place is quite auspicious for me. As for what you think, that's your problem." Kaguya skillfully helped Saya wash his hands and mouth before leading him towards the main hall.

"Is that so? Then maybe I just misunderstood." Sawa pinched Ruo's chin. In the end, it was just that his expectations for this place were too high. Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. His house used to be called Scarlet Devil Mansion, and even now, no cheongsam-clad girls have come to apply for the job of doorman, and there's no little loli Guan Ruo in the basement.

It might just be called Ryudong Temple.

However, after following Kaguya to the prayer hall and seeing the statue of the deity being worshipped, Saku, who was thinking this, didn't know what expression to make.

With her pink hair, striking blue attire, and the iconic large blue bow on her head, Sayu couldn't help but think of Tamamo-no-Mae as a classic fox spirit from some game. Or rather, a real rice bowl monster, huh? However, having gained a certain level of acceptance of this world, Sayu reconsidered. It wasn't entirely unacceptable; after all, Japan was a place supposedly blessed with eight million gods, so it made some sense for a fox spirit like Tamamo-no-Mae to be an Inari deity. Moreover, Sayu noticed that unlike the character in the game, this fox-eared beauty on the statue had three large, hairy tails, not the single one from the game.

However, this is different from the Inari gods that Saga generally knows. Aren't these legendary fox gods either with only one tail or nine tails?

"I know the Inari statue is indeed a beautiful woman, but Yu-kun, you don't have to be so mesmerized, do you?" Kaguya saw that Saya was completely stunned, and for no reason felt a pang of jealousy. She squeezed the hand that was clasped with Saya's, which immediately brought him back to his senses.

"Huh? No, you misunderstood. I'm just curious about this. As for whether it's pretty or not, it's just a statue, right?" Zuoyou waved his hand and explained. Although it's not uncommon for otaku to have feelings for anime characters, he wasn't that serious. He just couldn't help but overthink things when he saw a familiar character.

"That's good. It'll be our turn soon. Yu-kun, have you decided what you want to pray for?"

Kaguya glanced at the line in front of her. It should be their turn in a few more minutes.

"Didn't I say that as long as the people around me are safe and sound, I really don't have any other needs?" Saku waved his hand dismissively. He hadn't taken this matter seriously to begin with, and after seeing the true form of this so-called Inari god, he had even less of a thought.

Expecting this rice jar monster to protect those around him is a bit too unreliable.

Well, to put it in the game's parlance, she's basically just a blue support, while Sayu feels more like a red support. Also, whether this fox even exists is another question altogether.

Chapter 321 Drawing Fortune Sticks

However, as it turns out, the existence of some things is not something that Sawa can decide.

After helping Kaguya finish a bunch of formalities, and finally standing in front of the statue of the fox-eared goddess, Saiyu simply couldn't be serious. He couldn't help it; ever since he saw a post saying her verbal tic sounded like she was talking about a rice bin, Saiyu could only see the character as a comedic figure.

"Regardless of whether it will be helpful or not, I just hope you can bless the people around me so that they can get through each day safely." wh

Seeing Kaguya standing beside him, praying devoutly, Saku naturally couldn't go up to her and tell her that the gods were fake, especially when it came to things like marriage, which was clearly the job of the Matchmaker.

After muttering his thoughts to himself, Saku offered a casual prayer and began to wait for Kaguya.

Compared to Saya's casual demeanor, Kaguya was naturally much more serious and earnest. After closing her eyes and putting her hands together in a devout prayer, she didn't forget to secretly open one eye and steal a glance at Saya standing next to her.

This time, her wish was different from usual. In the past, she only thought about surviving or ending this cycle of reincarnation. But now, compared to this ethereal god, Kaguya was more inclined to believe in the black-haired boy beside her.