Don't force me to use my right fist.

"Huh? Do I look like I've encountered some misfortune? I already told you it's just a rumor. If I had to say, I had a really nice dream, and I almost made a friend in it."

Sawa ran his hands over his body to indicate that he didn't have any missing limbs or any other misfortune.

"But, but that's what all my classmates say, and even those classmates who came to comfort me told me."

Saya's voice was still a little stammering, and tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

"And even the class monitor said that she really had nightmares."

With her lips drooping down, Saya looked like an abandoned kitten, and the fake cat ears on her head drooped down.

"But I'm fine. Only people with poor mental resilience would think like that. Saya, you're such a kind girl, how could you possibly bring misfortune?"

Saya gently comforted her. At this time, he couldn't let her give up on herself too much. If one day this child's kindness was bullied and corrupted, the consequences would be something Saya absolutely didn't want to see.

Putting aside the terrifying ending of blooming, just the thought of that fleshy monster in the dream actually going berserk made Saya swallow hard.

This is not someone he wants to provoke. Even for the sake of world peace, he should at least cheer up this somewhat depressed girl.

"Yes, yes, I've said it before. Saya, you're so cute, there's absolutely no way you could be a child who brings misfortune and bad luck. I swear in the name of the High Priest of the Church of Axis!"

The blue-haired girl, who seemed to have exceptional hearing, dashed over from the classroom door and, like a runaway husky, jumped between Saya and Saya, readily taking over the conversation.

"And Saya, you're still a member of our Church of Axis. Have you forgotten what the doctrine says? The fault isn't yours, it's the world's!"

She stated her reasons in a serious manner, and today's idiot is also diligently promoting her bizarre church.

"This……"

The girl, who had been encouraged by two people in a row, lowered her head, and her nose started to sting again.

Who wants to be seen as a jinx? Who doesn't want to have friends? All this talk is just the last bit of kindness a young girl can have.

"Don't listen to this silly girl's nonsense. You're not wrong, and the world isn't wrong either. Don't blame everything on the world. This really has little to do with her."

Saya quickly pressed Aqua's light blue head down. Couldn't this person even speak properly? If Saya really turned into a cynical misanthropy, wouldn't it be even easier for her to explode?

As expected, you can't let someone with a screw loose give advice; they'll only make things worse or serve as a mascot. "Anyway, don't overthink it. Just continue your campus life as usual."

After gesturing at Saya for a long time, Saya could only offer this consolation.

After what Kaguya just said, these classmates probably won't dare to bully her like they did last time. At most, they'll just ignore her existence with passive-aggressive behavior. If that's the case, as long as they adjust their mindset, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Besides, not everyone in the class will ignore her. At least she and the blue-haired genius won't. If Amakawa Tsubasa is added to the mix, that should be enough.

Friends are more about quality than quantity; having a few is enough. There's no need to strive to be friends with everyone.

Moreover, with Saya's gentle and cute temperament and her good looks, Saya believes that as long as those guys don't have too much free time to cause trouble, it shouldn't be difficult for her to make a few more friends in such a big school.

The prerequisite is that she no longer subconsciously visits other people's dreams at night.

Such a huge lump of flesh and tentacles appearing before an ordinary person's eyes would be terrifying enough to turn a nightmare into one.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Don't Talk Logic to Mentally Challenged People

"Yes, yes, looking gloomy is not something a member of our Axis Order would do. Lift your head and smile, and the Goddess will surely protect you."

Aqua's little head peeked out from the other side of the table again, nodding seriously as she spoke.

"Hey, Cirua, how come you've already assumed Saya is a member of your church? Did she actually join?"

Saya looked at Saya with a puzzled expression. It would be best to change the subject now. With Aqua making jokes, the girl would be less nervous.

"You paid this guy 500,000 in initiation fees?"

Saya vaguely remembered that this guy had mentioned that the initiation fee was a considerable sum, and with a hint of worry in his eyes, Saya looked at him.

Could this girl, who longs for friendship, really be paying such a hefty "stupidity tax" for this supposedly clever idea? Judging from her clothes and appearance, she doesn't seem like a rich woman like Kaguya. Can she really come up with that much money?

Saya just shook her head. The topic changed a bit too quickly. Without her noticing, how did it suddenly turn into casual conversation between friends?

"What are you talking about? For a beautiful girl, joining the cult only requires the High Priest's consent, why should she have to pay money?"

Aqua, who had been standing quietly to the side with her head tilted to the side, looked at Saya and said with some confusion.

"Then why should I have to pay?"

Zuoyou's eyes widened. Could there be such a difference in treatment? He didn't look like a sucker with a big head and thick neck.

"Are you a beautiful girl? What are you talking about? Didn't I already make myself clear enough?"

Aqua looked at Saya with an expression as if he were an idiot. He was such a nice guy, how come he didn't even know such a simple thing?

"I... I thank you. It's my fault for not being a beautiful girl."

Saga, rendered speechless by the brilliant wit's retort, sighed resignedly and decided to stop talking to this guy.

Trying to reason with an idiot will only make you an idiot yourself.

"Pfft."

Saya, who was initially a little sad, couldn't help but laugh out loud after watching Saya and Aqua's playful banter, and a smile returned to her face.

"See? I told you the Church of Axis would bring smiles to people's faces. Saya, you should keep that mindset. A normal member of the Church of Axis won't be defeated by difficulties. Even if they run away, they won't show a sad expression!"

Aqua glanced at Saya's smile with a grin, then looked at Saya with a look of self-satisfaction.

"Look, this is the power of faith in the Church of Axis. If you also want to have a smile on your face, hurry up and pay your initiation fee and become a believer of the great water goddess!"

The blue-haired girl, puffing out her chest and making her breasts stand tall, proudly addressed Saya.

"I refuse, this is a scam."

Zuoyou glanced at her sideways. He would never pay this "stupidity tax." It wasn't about the money anymore; he felt that if he did, it would mean that he had been intellectually crushed by this guy.

"Why would you refuse! This is such a great opportunity. You know, if you miss these opportunities, you might not be able to get permission to join later, even if you want to."

Aqua's imposing manner immediately softened, and she pointed her finger somewhat awkwardly as she spoke.

"No need, you should leave this opportunity to someone else."

Zuoyou shook his head. He didn't need this so-called opportunity. Besides, going into this kind of church would definitely affect his intelligence.

"Let's think about it some more. It's not a problem to give you a hundred or so yuan less."

Aqua's momentum softened once again. She tugged at the hem of Saya's clothes and shook it gently, speaking as if she were being coquettish.

"No need to consider it, Saya-kun, right?"

Saya, who was watching the show from the side, was also brought in. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't go into such a suspicious organization, and he believed that this girl would understand him.

"Me? I think it's alright. Aqua is a really nice person, and the church she mentioned seems quite optimistic and positive."

Saya shrank back, still feeling a little uncomfortable communicating with the two of them who were so outgoing.

Normally, Aqua rarely takes the initiative to come and chat with her. Although this smart girl doesn't dislike her for any reason, her thought process is not very normal. It's fair to say that she has a somewhat eccentric personality, just like Aqua.

That's how he got along well with Mami-senpai. As for why he got attached to Saiyu, that's a question.

"See, I told you, think about it. How about I give you a 19% discount?"

After fiddling with her fingers for a while, Aqua finally showed a pained expression and said to Saya.

"A 19% discount? I'm already being very lenient by not giving you a complete discount, Aqua-san, please spare me, I really have no interest."

Sawa was truly impressed by this brilliant mind; her math skills were truly worthy of her surname.

"No, please, Saya-kun, have mercy! If I don't have this 500,000 yen, I won't be able to cover the bankruptcy shortfall by investing the money I saved with Mami-senpai!"

Aqua grabbed Saya's leg and, ignoring the stares of the other students who thought she was an idiot, wailed at Saya with a tearful voice.

Kaguya Hazaki is very rich, a fact that even someone with a slight intellectual disability like Aqua knows.

However, she also knew that this person was very difficult to deal with.

But in her little head, there was such a formula.

Saya is Kaguya's friend, and Kaguya is very rich, so it's roughly equivalent to Saya being very rich.

Her unerring intuition told her that Sōyū was a genuinely good person, and if she approached him, she could definitely get the 500,000!

This is the plan of the "Great Wisdom"—simple, brutal, and visibly idiotic.

"Even if you tell me the reason, I can't help you. Besides, I think what you should be focusing on right now is how to explain things to Mami over there."

Saya covered his face and looked at Aqua, who was clinging to his leg like a pendant. He had a gloating smile on his face and pointed at the blonde drill girl who had overheard their entire conversation.

"Aqua! I think we should have a serious talk about what you just said, don't you think?"

With a terrifying smile, Mami, her eyes narrowed, lifted Aqua's ear and spoke to her, word by word.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Objects of Hell Correspondence

"Have they always had such a good relationship?"

Saya watched as the girl named Mami grabbed Aqua and dragged her back like a chick, then turned to Saya, who was still smiling, and asked her a question.

"As for Mami-senpai, she repeated a year along with Aqua-san. They've been friends for three years, so their relationship is naturally better than most people's."

Shubu Saya nodded. Thanks to Sawa and Aqua, she was in a much better mood than before, and her self-blame had lessened considerably.

"Repeated a year? It's quite normal for Aqua to repeat a year, but what about Mami?"

Zuoyou was even more puzzled. Seeing her maintain that elegant and composed demeanor, Zuoyou thought that even if she wasn't a top student, she couldn't possibly be the kind of student whose grades were so bad that she had to repeat a grade.

"It's not because of her grades. I heard that Mami-senpai had to take a year off from school because of some family issues."

Saya tapped her small face with her fair fingers, tilting her head back as she recalled the reason why Mami had repeated a grade.

"That's why we call her Mami-senpai. Besides, she's a really nice person and has never bullied me."

But they never contacted me again.

A hint of melancholy flashed in Saya's eyes. Mami had once wanted to be friends with her, but after the events that were like the rumors, their relationship had become distant.

"So that means there are still more good people than bad in this world. Saya, you shouldn't think about it so much."

Sōyū noticed the sadness in her eyes, snapped his fingers, and comforted her.

"Thank you, Saya-kun."

Saya bit her lower lip lightly and whispered to Saya.

Aside from Aqua, he was the only one who, even on the second day, didn't look at her with that monster-like gaze anymore, and instead comforted her so gently, which moved her even more.