You call this a love game?

"Then the salary is..."

"Salaries will be paid as usual."

Sakura Kyoko's eyes widened immediately. "How can this be! I didn't do anything..."

Not only did she not do anything, but she also had to trouble him to take care of her. Although she enjoyed it, she would feel guilty if things continued like this.

"Since you're so eager to work," Bai Yu stroked his chin, thinking about what he could get her to do, "How about this, you go to the intersection and help me spread the word that if you come to church for confession, you can get a pound of rice. You don't have to do anything, just stay at the intersection where the alley leads out. How about that?"

“Okay, no problem!” Sakura Kyoko immediately agreed, as if afraid that Shiraha would change his mind.

Having been here for so long, she has finally gotten a proper job, so she has to work hard and not disappoint the priest.

So she borrowed paper and pen from Bai Yu and wrote Bai Yu's conditions on a piece of cardboard. The extra-large, bold font was visible from afar, so it wasn't worried about not being eye-catching enough.

Seeing the girl's enthusiasm, Bai Yu smiled and didn't pay attention to what she did. He sat quietly in the courtyard, waiting for the 'guests' the girl had recruited for him to come to his door.

He did play for a whole week before, and the only point of divinity he gained was from Sunday Mass. That means he only has four points of divinity now, and he hasn't had a single person come to confess.

After all, it's too difficult to get people to admit their mistakes, especially for many people who already have their own church. They generally won't contact unfamiliar churches, otherwise they might be seen as heretics or traitors.

However, he knew clearly that most religious people were still struggling to make ends meet, and that's why they longed for divine favor so that their lives would become better.

The reward of a pound of rice that Bai Yu offered was undoubtedly exactly what those people wanted, not to mention that rice was extremely expensive at the moment.

One pound of rice is enough for a family of five to eat one meal, and if they save it, they can eat it for two meals.

If this benefit were available every day, they would probably come to confess every day, thus solving their daily food problem.

Unlike most other churches that only offer spiritual help, Baiyu's church truly provides something.

Before long, Sakura Kyoko led five people in through the side door.

Three women in their thirties, a sallow-faced and emaciated adult man, and a little girl of about seven or eight years old.

"Hey, do you really offer free rice here?"

As soon as they entered, the tallest-looking man asked a question.

"Of course you can, but it's not about receiving it. It's about repenting and thanking our Lord for His grace. Our Lord is willing to forgive your mistakes and thanks you for your honesty, so He bestows His grace upon you. Do you understand?"

Bai Yu stood up, his tall stature and imposing presence immediately intimidating the people who entered.

"I understand..."

The group stammered in response, their legs trembling slightly.

Seeing that the newcomer had quieted down, Bai Yu turned to look at Sakura Kyoko, who was frowning beside him, and said, "Kyoko, you did a good job."

"Hmph~ It's just so-so~"

Sakura Kyoko, who was initially worried that the group might get into a fight with Shiraha, immediately became smug after being praised.

"Come with me." Bai Yu nodded to the group. "Xingzi, you come too."

"Yes, Father."

Sakura Kyoko bared her fangs at the man who had just looked impatient and unfriendly, then happily skipped back to Shiraha's side.

She almost thought she was going to mess things up. If the people she brought in hadn't looked like they hadn't been hungry for a long time and didn't seem to have any strength, she wouldn't have allowed them to come in.

She was particularly careful in choosing the men. After all, women are naturally weaker than men, but a group of women wouldn't work either. So she chose this thin and weak man. As for the child, she let him in because she felt sorry for him, just to help her past self.

However, she knew very well that if these people thought they were easy to bully, and then discovered that there was a large amount of food hidden here, they would definitely swarm in and start stealing it.

As for whether I'll be arrested and thrown in jail, I'm starving to death, who cares about that? In fact, at least I'll get a minimum amount of food in jail, which is much better than being starving outside.

Because there were too many people, only one person could enter the confessional at a time, and the others waited in the courtyard.

Shiraha first selected a slightly younger woman, and then led Sakura Kyoko into the cubicle.

"Then let us begin, and may the peace of our Lord be with you."

The woman next door sounded trembling, as if it were her first time giving a confession.

"I...I repent. I shouldn't have hit my child. I'm sorry..."

Bai Yu asked, "Why did you hit your child? Did he do something wrong?"

The woman replied, "He...smoked, and he was a minor. I couldn't help but hit him."

Bai Yu pondered and said, "Hmm, it's true that minors shouldn't smoke. If you want him to quit, I have an idea. Buy him a pack of the strongest cigarettes, the kind you smoke. He'll definitely quit after he finishes it."

The woman stammered, "But...but I...I don't smoke, I don't know which kind of smoke is the most pungent..."

"You really don't smoke?"

The woman did not answer.

In the small cubicle, Sakura Kyoko smelled the strong tobacco scent wafting from next door. She had been to this cubicle that morning; the air was fresh and odorless.

She looked up at Bai Yu, her eyes filled with confusion.

Bai Yu gently patted her head and continued, "Let's not talk about smoking for now. I'd like to ask you, do you hit your son often or occasionally?"

After a long pause, a barely audible voice came from the other end: "Occasionally..."

“In that case, why don’t you take your son for a bike ride?” Bai Yu suggested. “Maybe experiencing the fresh air of nature and getting rid of the ominous aura around him will change his mind.”

"I understand, thank you, Father..."

Chapter 92 Magical Girl Sakura Kyoko

After the woman left, Sakura Kyoko couldn't help but tug at Shiraha's sleeve and asked in a low voice:

"Father, she's clearly lying..."

Bai Yu raised his index finger to his lips, his eyes curving slightly. "The door to the confessional is always open to the lost, but God only favors the honest. Besides, repentance can never solve real problems; all we can do is offer solace to the soul."

Sakura Kyoko nodded as if she understood, watching Shiraha take half a bag of old rice from the cabinet and hand it to the woman.

The other person's fingers trembled slightly as they took the bag of rice, and a hint of shame flashed in their cloudy eyes.

"Next," Bai Yu called out to the other four people.

A thin, hunched-over man crawled in, smelling musty.

He nervously rubbed his hands together, his fingernails filled with black grime. "Um... I confess, I stole the neighbor's pickled vegetables..."

Sakura Kyoko couldn't help but purse her lips. This excuse was even lame than the reason she stole the bread. She clearly saw that the man was thrown out of a strange little shop. He smelled of cigarettes, alcohol, and cheap perfume, which hit her right in the head. It smelled worse than socks that had been worn for a month.

Bai Yu, however, seemed oblivious to everything and continued to ask, "Why did you steal the pickled vegetables?"

"Hungry..." the man shrank his neck. "My family hasn't cooked for three days."

Do you have children?

"No..." The man was about to deny it, but upon hearing a cough coming from the cubicle, he immediately changed his story, "I have a son who is 10 years old and in the fifth grade."

"That's really pitiful. He has such a loving father who would risk his own reputation to find food for him. His future must be full of challenges. But I'm curious about one thing: if they don't even have money for food, how do they manage to pay for the child's tuition?"

Bai Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice carrying an undeniable question.

"Yes...yes..." The man stammered for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence, and finally gave up and sat there without saying a word.

“In that case, you can keep these candies as a gift from me to your son. The Lord is with you and will always be watching over you.”

Only after it was over did he repent. The man hurriedly ran out, eagerly took his pound of rice from Bai Yu, and then left without a second thought.

Judging from their excitement, it's probably not because they have food to fill their stomachs, but because they can sell this bag of rice for money and then spend it properly somewhere.

He questioned and comforted the next three people who needed to repent, and Sakura Kyoko listened to everything. However, she became more and more silent as the conversation progressed, and her doubts deepened.

Only after seeing all those people off did she sit down sullenly in the spot under the banyan tree where Bai Yu often sat.

"Father, does our church... really have believers?"

"Didn't you already see him over the weekend?"

“But…” Sakura Kyoko pursed her lips and hesitated, “Those people don’t seem to be genuinely religious.”

"Because they weren't originally; those people came to buy indulgences."

"Indulgence scroll?"

"Simply put, it's about paying for peace of mind. Those big shots do a lot of bad things in their daily lives, so they come to donate some things on the weekend to seek psychological comfort."

Sakura Kyoko couldn't help but pout, "How hypocritical..."

"That's why I'm too lazy to work seriously." Bai Yu shrugged. "Anyway, they don't care whether it's a true god or a false god."

"Does the priest believe in God?"

Bai Yu paused for a moment, then smiled and ruffled her hair, "I believe your salary will be paid on time."

"Hey!" Sakura Kyoko angrily fixed her hair. "I'm serious!"

“I believe in God, and I only believe in one God.” He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, “That is myself.”

Sakura Kyoko blinked, her mouth slightly open. "Father... are you joking?"

“No, I didn’t.” Bai Yu slowly dusted off the chair and sat down. “Although it may sound a bit rebellious for someone of my status to say this, it is the truth. The only god I believe in is myself, or rather, I believe that everyone is their own god.”

Sakura Kyoko frowned, disagreeing with what he said.

"Xingzi, has the god you worship ever helped you when you were in trouble? Has He ever cared for you when you needed comfort? Or has He bestowed upon you, as the most devout believer, any special abilities?"

Bai Yu raised his eyes and met the girl's red eyes, his unwavering gaze conveying his thoughts.

“No…” Sakura Kyoko lowered her head dejectedly.

"You heard it yourself. The fact that those people were able to come here means they are semi-religious believers, but they lied to the gods, yet the gods did not punish them at all. Do these so-called gods really exist?"

“I…I don’t know…” Sakura Kyoko looked completely bewildered.

Why does she trust God so much? Because her father is religious and trusts God, so she believes in Him too.

She lacked knowledge but stubbornly believed that gods truly existed, yet she never accepted any help from them.

Was she truly helped by a deity in the past?

Or perhaps the gods were simply asleep and didn't see it?

But do omnipotent gods also get tired?

Is it because they are disappointed in the believers?

“Xingzi, you need to know that whether gods exist or not is not important at all.” Bai Yu reached out and gently rubbed the girl’s head, comforting her with a soft touch. “They just want to seek psychological comfort. So-called doctrines are just saying correct and beautiful words to believers to make them feel better and find a haven for their souls.”

Sakura Kyoko's little face scrunched up. "Then why do we still need to believe in gods?"

"Because people need faith, just like children need fairy tales. With hope, they will have the motivation to move forward and will try their best to survive."

At this point, Sakura Kyoko understood something. Just as her father said, only by having hope can the future become better. However, her father did not tell her how the future could become better. Was having hope enough?

Was it divine intervention that helped, or was success achieved through one's own efforts?

The girl frowned, her face heavy with thought. Bai Yu's words undoubtedly made what she had firmly believed in for the past ten years begin to crumble, especially after her father's recent ordeal.

Despite his hard work and the immense setbacks he suffered, he never lost hope, yet he still failed to receive the favor of that elusive god.

So it was all a lie...?

"Well, it's getting late. You're not feeling well today, so you should go home early and get some rest. Don't think about those messy things."

Bai Yu patted the girl's head again, interrupting her thoughts.

"Okay, I understand." Sakura Kyoko nodded dejectedly, said goodbye, and left alone.

Watching the girl walk away, Bai Yu let out a long sigh.

As he said, he only believes in himself as a god, especially with this talent, he has a very high chance of becoming a god, so he is not lying.

Compared to traditional materialism, he prefers a middle ground, believing in whoever benefits him.

If the church provides him with hot water, food, and shelter when he is desperate, hungry, and cold, he might as well believe in this god.

But to expect to gain the trust of others without doing anything divine is nothing short of a pipe dream.

In other words, it would have been almost impossible for Sakura Kyoko's father to realize his idea without the help of an external force, and this external force, without a doubt, was only one.

—Chubi.

"What a pity. It seems you can't stop her from doing what she wants." Kyubey, who had appeared on the banyan tree branch overhead at some point, looked at Sakura Kyoko as she walked away and said with a hint of regret.

"Because I never intended to stop her. What she does is her freedom. I just hope she won't regret it after she does it," Bai Yu said nonchalantly.