You call this a love game?

"I didn't expect you to be so popular," Bai Yu teased.

"Don't say that!" Sakura Kyoko covered her ears, her ponytail swinging back and forth with her head shaking. "It's too embarrassing!"

Being revered as a "big sister" by elementary school students? She's not part of a yakuza organization! She's just an ordinary middle school dropout!

But speaking of work...

Sakura Kyoko looked up at Shiraha's chin, narrowed her eyes slightly, and asked, "Besides defeating a witch, what other serious business do we have to do today?"

This was completely different from the job she had imagined.

Bai Yu frowned slightly and pondered, "Does playing games count?"

"Whose real job is playing games?!" Sakura Kyoko was getting a little frustrated.

"Well, don't worry about that. Just ask yourself if you're happy."

"It is indeed fun... but who plays almost all day long? Isn't that just wasting time and energy?"

It's worth noting that in her father's previous church, nuns and priests spent almost the entire day there, either reading the Bible or praying. Some were even sent out to do missionary work and visit believers, offering them spiritual comfort and encouragement, such as to the sick or elderly.

But once you come here, you don't need to study theology, you don't need to walk out to visit believers, and you can even leave the church alone and go out to play.

She earns 10,000 a week and can do whatever she wants. Her only job is to come to the church early in the morning to clean, and that's it. This easy job makes her feel very uneasy about receiving her 10,000 salary.

“It’s about balancing work and rest,” Bai Yu corrected her. “Besides, we don’t play like this every day. Maybe when we start working hard tomorrow, you’ll miss today’s happy time.”

However, Sakura Kyoko expressed skepticism, even nine-tenths, about what Shiraha said.

The church is so quiet; after cleaning in the morning, there's no one there. The children don't return to the church with the nun until the afternoon, which happens to coincide with her off-duty time. Is there really any high-intensity work involved?

She doesn't believe it.

Chapter Ninety-One: Menstrual Periods and Confession

Unsurprisingly.

The next day, Sakura Kyoko was still not assigned anything serious. Just like yesterday, after cleaning in the morning, she went out with Shiraha to hunt down the witch, and then went to the arcade in the afternoon to play.

She ran into the same group of elementary school students who had come to play yesterday, but this time they didn't ask Sakura Kyoko to pay for them again, because they had left after playing for only a short time yesterday, and they still had a lot of coins left.

Although being called the "big sister" was a bit embarrassing for Sakura Kyoko, she couldn't help but feel a little giddy from being surrounded by so many underlings.

It was as if she really was their boss, the goddess who ruled the arcade.

On the third day, Bai Yu didn't take Sakura Kyoko to the arcade again. After all, she had been playing for two days in a row and was getting a little tired of it. Just when the girl thought she was finally going to start working properly, Bai Yu took her to the aquarium instead.

Looking at the various cute and novel aquatic animals through the thick glass, Sakura Kyoko instantly forgot her previous thoughts and began to interact with the fish inside. She even got sprayed with water by a dolphin, leaving her soaking wet, but she was still having a great time.

On the fourth day, we went to the zoo to see the pandas. They were so cute! There were also giant kittens, even bigger than her, which we could actually touch. Their fur was a bit stiff, and the texture was a little different from that of kittens, but they were still so adorable!

On the fifth day, we went to a cat cafe and finally got to touch real kittens. They were incredibly cute! They practically melted her heart. She wanted to stay there forever.

Day six, no, no... Sakura Kyoko, you're here to work! You're here to work at the church, a proper job with a weekly salary of 50,000 yen! Not some gigolo! Tomorrow you absolutely have to start working seriously!

On the seventh day, the ice cream cones at Disney were delicious, and the roller coasters were thrilling and fun.

Looking at the past week, Sakura Kyoko, who had done almost nothing, was deeply filled with self-blame.

She wasted an entire week playing, except for helping to set up the supplies during Sunday's Mass and doing the cleaning every morning. She didn't do anything else!

Unbelievable! She simply couldn't believe it!

So church work can be this easy?

She wasn't like this when she helped out at her father's church. She was almost exhausted every day, but even though she was very tired, she was very satisfied to be able to help her father.

However, now... her imagination has been completely overturned.

Every day when she went home, her father would even say to her, "You've worked hard."

What's so tough about it?

Is it your hands that hurt from banging on buttons at the arcade, your feet that hurt from walking around the aquarium and zoo, or the exhaustion from eating so much at the food court that you can't even fill your mouth anymore?

The thought of this made her feel even more guilty, even though her father was the one who had worked the hardest.

"Xingzi, what are you doing squatting here?"

From afar, Bai Yu saw Sakura Kyoko squatting under the banyan tree in the courtyard, her hands covering her head, looking down at the ground, seemingly observing something.

"Here's your salary from last week. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

Bai Yu pulled a yellow envelope from his pocket, its slightly convex shape hinting at the extraordinary contents inside.

Sakura Kyoko looked at the envelope in front of her, but hesitated to reach out and take it.

She was scared, she felt guilty, she blamed herself. She had done almost nothing and even went out to play for a whole week, yet she still got paid. If her family hadn't been so poor, she would have suspected that Bai Yu had some bad intentions.

"Why aren't you answering?" Bai Yu tilted his head, looking at the frozen girl with a puzzled expression.

"I..." Sakura Kyoko's mouth opened slightly, wanting to explain, but she didn't know where to begin.

After all, it was her own choice to go out and have fun. No one coerced or threatened her. At most, she agreed half-heartedly, but in reality, she wasn't firm enough in her heart, and she was also playful.

However, giving up this salary doesn't seem like something she can easily do either, as her family is counting on this money to make ends meet.

The ingredients Bai Yu bought for her family when they last met had long been used up. She had packed a lot of food to take back with her, and Bai Yu also brought her sister some snacks from time to time. If they didn't have money, her family would have to go back to eating wild strawberries to fill their stomachs.

She's doing alright. If she comes early in the morning, she can catch the church's breakfast, and she also has lunch there. Except for dinner, which she has to go back to eat, it's hard for her to go hungry because of her family.

But she wasn't the only one in her family; it was impossible for one person to be full while the rest of the family went hungry. Her sister, mother, and father would still go hungry, which was something she didn't want to see.

After much hesitation and agonizing, Sakura Kyoko shakily reached out and accepted the salary.

There was no other way; if she didn't accept it, her family would go hungry. Rather than let them go hungry, she would rather condemn herself. It was better for her to suffer alone than for her whole family to suffer.

"......Thanks."

"What are you saying? You deserve it."

Bai Yu handed the girl the envelope and then gently ruffled her soft hair.

The girl's nutrition seemed to have caught up; her hair felt much better to the touch, soft and smooth, and her face was no longer deathly pale, but had begun to show some healthy rosy cheeks.

Over the course of the week, Sakura Kyoko had grown accustomed to this close physical contact. When he stroked her head, it was as reassuring as a father's touch, especially his strong chest, which made her feel incredibly safe leaning against it.

Especially on this day, for some reason, she felt an unusual urge to lean against the boy's chest, as if that would ease the pain in her stomach.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

The girl's face turned pale again in an instant, and she squatted on the ground, clutching her stomach, without moving for a long time.

"I... my stomach hurts..." After hesitating for a long time, Sakura Kyoko managed to utter these words.

Bai Yu frowned and asked tentatively, "Is it your period?"

“Hmm…” Sakura Kyoko nodded.

She thought she could manage, so she didn't ask for leave, but she didn't expect to be in so much pain today.

"Alright, then don't work today. Do you want me to take you home?"

Sakura Kyoko shook her head, then, fearing Shiraha might misunderstand, quickly added, "I'd like to rest for a bit. Can I stay here?"

She was in so much pain that she couldn't straighten her back, let alone walk such a long way back.

"Of course you can. Is it inconvenient for you to walk? I'll carry you to my room and you can lie down on the bed for a while."

Seeing that the girl did not refuse, Bai Yu did not hesitate any longer. He put one hand on her shoulder and the other hooked her leg, and with a little effort, he picked up the girl who was as light as a feather.

As Sakura Kyoko was being carried in the princess's arms, an unnatural blush appeared on her pale face, but it vanished in an instant.

Bai Yu's room was surprisingly tidy. A dark blue quilt covered the single bed, several theological books were neatly arranged on the desk, and the green plants on the windowsill stretched their leaves in the sunlight.

"Lie down." Bai Yu carefully placed the girl on the bed, then quickly boiled a kettle of water, filled a hot water bottle, and stuffed it into the girl's quilt.

Sakura Kyoko curled up in a ball, looking like a wounded little animal, pitiful.

The warmth of the hot water bottle seeped through her clothes, making her sigh comfortably; the pain in her stomach seemed to have eased somewhat.

She secretly glanced up and saw Bai Yu rummaging through the cabinet.

"Found it." Bai Yu held a small box in his hand. "Painkillers, one pill at a time."

"Thank you..." Sakura Kyoko took the pills and swallowed them with the warm water that Shiraha handed her.

The pill tasted bitter, and she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.

Bai Yu pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the bed. "Should I call your family to come pick you up?"

"No need!" Sakura Kyoko hurriedly shook her head, then pulled her stomach because of the big movement, wincing in pain. "I... I'll be fine after a rest, no need to trouble them."

"Alright then." Seeing the girl's insistence, Bai Yu didn't say anything more and stood up. "I'll go make you some brown sugar water."

As Sakura Kyoko watched his departing figure, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She buried herself in the blankets and smelled a faint scent of sunshine; the blankets must have just been aired.

Strangely, even though her stomach was still hurting, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.

A short while later, Bai Yu returned carrying a steaming cup.

"Drink it while it's hot."

Kyoko Sakura held the cup, sipping it slowly. The sweet taste melted on her tongue, so comforting that she couldn't help but squint her eyes.

"Is Father so kind to everyone?" Sakura Kyoko suddenly asked.

"It depends on my mood." Bai Yu shrugged. "I just happen to be in a good mood today."

Sakura Kyoko pursed her lips, but couldn't help but smile.

The painkillers started to take effect, and the abdominal cramps gradually subsided. She yawned, and her eyelids became heavy.

"Take a nap." Bai Yu gently took the empty cup away. "I'll wake you when it's time to eat."

"Um......"

Sakura Kyoko responded groggily, her consciousness gradually fading. In her hazy state, she felt someone tucking the blanket around her, the movement as gentle as if handling a fragile treasure.

Snuggled in her warm bed, Sakura Kyoko had a wonderful dream.

In her dream, her family no longer went hungry, her father's new doctrines were finally accepted by everyone, believers came to pray and make offerings in an endless stream, the family lived a wonderful life, and even Bai Yu, the senior who had always taken care of her, finally confessed his love to her one day. She accepted, got married after graduation, and had a lovely daughter. Together they managed the work of the church, and every day was fulfilling and happy. It seemed that such a world was the real world.

......

"Xingzi, wake up."

Sakura Kyoko groggily opened her eyes and saw Shiraha standing by the bed with a plate in his hand. The aroma of food wafted into her nose, and she realized that her stomach was growling loudly.

"What time is it..." She rubbed her eyes and sat up, suddenly realizing that she was still sleeping in her work clothes, the collar of which was all wrinkled.

"It's three in the afternoon." Bai Yu placed the tray on the bedside table. "You slept for four hours."

The plate contained steaming porridge, golden eggs, a few slices of toast, and bacon.

Sakura Kyoko's stomach growled again, and she covered it shyly, saying, "Um... I'll go wash my face first."

"The bathroom is at the end of the corridor."

"I see."

The cold water splashed on her face, and Sakura Kyoko finally woke up. In the mirror, her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and there was a suspicious water stain at the corner of her mouth. She suddenly remembered the dream she had just had, and her face turned red instantly.

"Marriage and children...it's so shameful!" She grinned at her reflection in the mirror, her cute fangs making her even more adorable. "It's all because Father was too gentle..."

After wiping the water off her face and clearing her mind of unrealistic fantasies, she slowly returned to her room.

Bai Yu was tidying up his desk when he saw her come in. He pointed to the plate and said, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Ah."

Sakura Kyoko nodded, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the bowl and took small sips of porridge, but her eyes were secretly observing Shiraha's profile.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft outline on him, just as beautiful as in my dream... Wait! What is she thinking?!

"What's wrong?" Bai Yu noticed her strange expression.

"N-nothing!" Sakura Kyoko almost choked on her porridge. "It's just... the porridge is really delicious!"

Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any more questions. He picked up the thermos from the bedside table and asked, "Would you like some more brown sugar water?"

"No need," she shook her head. "I'm much better already..."

She finished the rest of her food in a few bites, put the plate aside, and said, "Um... today's work..."

Bai Yu interrupted her, "You're in this state and you're still thinking about work?"