You call this a love game?

"Momo-chan, say hello." Sakura Kyoko gently nudged her younger sister.

"Father, hello..." Sakura Momo's voice was barely audible, her little hands tightly clutching her sister's clothes.

"Ah, you're here."

Bai Yu stopped what he was doing, walked over to the two girls, squatted down, looked at Sakura Momo behind Sakura Kyoko, and smiled: "Momo-chan, have you had breakfast yet?"

"I ate it! It was natto rice, and it was delicious!"

Would you like another lollipop?

Bai Yu took a lollipop out of his pocket; it was green apple flavored.

"want!"

When food is mentioned, Sakura Momo's eyes light up immediately, with almost the same look as her older sister.

Bai Yu placed the lollipop in the girl's hand and smiled, "Have you been studying hard lately? Have you been bullied at school?"

Sakura Momo scratched her head, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, but everyone seems to be afraid of my older sister. They all treat me with...respect? I can't really explain how it feels..."

The girl smiled slightly awkwardly. She also felt strange. Her older sister didn't seem fierce at all, yet so many people were afraid of her. In her heart, her sister was the best person in the world! Of course, so were her parents, and even the priest!

"But! I still made two really good friends! They heard that my dad works at church and went to hear him preach. They were both captivated by his sermons, and there's more..."

Once the girl started talking, she couldn't stop. She told Bai Yu what she ate for lunch and dinner yesterday, and what fun things she had recently encountered at school. She shared everything she found interesting with almost no reservations.

The girl's bright eyes sparkled with joy. Every time she mentioned something fun, she would look up at Bai Yu's expression. When she saw him smile or nod in response, her eyes would shine even brighter, as if she had endless things to say.

Sakura Kyoko, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. She hadn't even had a chance to say a few words to Shiraha before her younger sister arrived first. She had been hiding behind her sister, looking extremely nervous, when she first came in.

"That's enough. Haven't you been curious about what it looks like inside? Let's go in and take a look, and we'll talk more when we come out."

The conversation was interrupted when Sakura Kyoko forcibly pulled her younger sister away. Sakura Momo was powerless to resist and had no choice but to be half-heartedly dragged into the church by her older sister.

Bai Yu followed beside her, watching Sakura Momo exclaim in amazement as she wandered around, asking him if she could touch the cross on the altar. He nodded with a smile.

Even though the environment here was almost identical to that of the smaller branch church where she lived, Sakura Momo still showed a surprised expression, as if it were the first time she had seen it.

"Idiot! Daddy's church has all these things, what are you so surprised about!" Sakura Kyoko couldn't stand her sister's 'pretentiousness' any longer and gave her a chop to the head.

"Ugh..." Sakura Momo covered her forehead, looking at Sakura Kyoko with teary eyes and a pitiful expression: "But this belongs to the priest. This is the first time I've ever seen it. Isn't that normal?"

Upon hearing this, Sakura Kyoko's blood pressure nearly spiked. Why hadn't she shown such curiosity about the snacks she bought for her at the convenience store every day? Weren't those convenience store items? They were things she'd never seen before.

"You! ...Never mind, let's continue..." Sakura Kyoko wanted to condemn her sister's double standards, but fearing that she might say something profoundly insightful, she simply shut her mouth.

Hurry up and finish your tour here, then send her home to play by herself. Don't come here and disturb her good time!

She swore that bringing her sister here today was the biggest regret of her life.

Fortunately, the girl did not continue to embarrass her. After visiting the auditorium, they came to the small wooden hut in the courtyard that was used for confession, and looked at the cramped space inside with curiosity.

"Father, what is this place for?"

"It's a place to make phone calls," Bai Yu said with a straight face, spouting nonsense. "It's for whispering secrets to the gods."

Sakura Momo believed her and her eyes widened. "Can I tell the gods that I want a new doll?"

“Of course you can.” Bai Yu pushed open the small door to the confessional. “But you have to close your eyes and make a wish for it to come true.”

The little girl solemnly crawled inside, put her hands together in a serious manner, closed her eyes, and began to "spark" at the gods, making her little wish.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sakura Kyoko kicked Shiraha, saying, "You're quite adept at lying to kids, aren't you?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Bai Yu pretended to rub her leg. "I was just trying to help you out of that situation."

A short while later, Sakura Momo finished making her wish, opened her eyes, and mysteriously tugged at Shiraha's sleeve.

"Father, I made three wishes!"

"Oh? Peach-chan is really greedy. Making three wishes at once might not be granted by the gods."

"Huh?" Sakura Momo was clearly not expected to hear this, and immediately became disappointed.

"But who can blame me when Peach is so cute?" Bai Yu smiled and ruffled the girl's hair, comforting her, "I'm a priest, I'll put in a good word for you before the gods, and maybe they'll grant your wish."

"Really?" Sakura Momo's eyes lit up again, and she smiled once more.

“More real than real gold,” Bai Yu said with certainty. “But Peach-chan, you have to tell me what wish you made to the God so I can tell Him. Otherwise, He might not be able to handle it. Gods work very hard, and He also has to listen to the voices of other believers.”

“So even gods get tired,” Sakura Momo nodded thoughtfully, then hesitated with some difficulty, “Then Momo-chan should just make one wish. Let’s not trouble the gods too much; they’re already working so hard.”

"So what is Peach-chan's wish?"

"My wish... I want my family to continue living happily and peacefully like we do now, without having to eat wild strawberries anymore, without Dad being looked down upon, without Mom worrying about the pot anymore, without my sister being able to go back to school, and without Xiaotao being able to eat delicious snacks every day. In short, I wish everyone could live well..."

Sakura Momo rattled off a long string of words, her face flushed red with a mixture of excitement and shyness, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the empty sky and prayed.

Although she wasn't sure if her wish would work, she knew that Brother Baiyu was a good person and a lucky person who brought them a turning point. In that case, the gods here must be more effective, right? At least they could listen to the believers' voices and ask Him to let her family continue to maintain their current life. That would be enough for her.

"The gods are omnipotent beings, so Peach's wish will definitely come true."

"Yes! I believe in the gods, and I believe in Brother Baiyu!" Sakura Momo nodded heavily, her two small hands holding Baiyu's large hand, conveying her firm belief.

Seeing her younger sister looking over, Sakura Kyoko, whose eyes were already red, quickly turned her back and pointed to the roof, "Why don't we go to the roof? The view from there is amazing."

"Okay, okay!" Sakura Momo readily agreed. "But it's so high up there, are you sure it's okay?"

"Don't worry, your sister and I are holding your hands, nothing will happen."

The spiral staircase leading to the roof was narrow and steep. Sakura Kyoko nervously protected her younger sister behind her. When the three of them finally climbed to the top of the building, the entire view of Kazamino was laid out before them.

Sakura Momo excitedly clung to the railing, her little face flushed with excitement.

"Wow, it's so high! Sister, look! Is that our home?"

Sakura Kyoko followed her sister's finger and suddenly froze.

From this angle, she could clearly see the small church where her father was. A steady stream of believers came and went in front of the door, and her father was giving them sermon after sermon in the sunlight. It seemed that he would never finish speaking and would never tire.

“Dad has been…very happy lately,” she said softly, her throat tightening slightly.

Bai Yu leaned against the railing, the wind ruffling his hair. "Because Anzu's wish came true, all thanks to you, Anzu."

Kyoko Sakura instinctively wanted to retort, but when she met the boy's smiling gaze, she swallowed the words she was about to say.

It's not bad as it is now.

But soon a strange change occurred.

In the distance, she saw a familiar black gas appear near the entrance of her father's church. Although she couldn't see exactly what it was, based on what Sakura Kyoko had learned about those things over the past few days, she was pretty sure.

It is a witch's egg that is about to hatch.

Chapter 100: The Necessary Practice of Physical Instruction

Sakura Kyoko's pupils suddenly contracted, her fingers gripping the railing tightly. The coldness of the metal shot up her spine from her palms. She quickly looked at Shiraha and found that he was also staring solemnly at the place where the witch's egg had appeared in the distance.

"Master Father..."

"The barrier is deploying at an abnormal speed." Bai Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke in a very low voice.

Normally, an incomplete witch egg needs to absorb nutrients in a dense crowd for several days or even weeks to fully develop before it can hatch into a witch.

But it's obvious that the witch that appeared in Sakura Kyoko's house is very abnormal.

The witch's egg was visibly unstable, almost as if it were about to hatch.

Given that Sakura Kyoko goes home every day, it's impossible that she wouldn't notice the sudden appearance of a witch's egg in the wild near her home. In other words, this witch's egg only appeared when she left today. Therefore, the culprit is also clear: there is only one person who could do such a thing.

They've been tricked by Cupid.

"I'm going to save Dad." Sakura Kyoko practically leaped down the stairs, her boots scraping against the metal steps with a sharp, grating sound.

Bai Yu scooped up the terrified Sakura Momo and tucked her under his arm. When he chased after her, the red-haired girl was already almost out of the courtyard gate.

"Apricot!" Bai Yu's shout stopped her in her tracks.

When Sakura Kyoko turned around, she was unconsciously biting her lower lip, and the blood that seeped out was particularly striking against her pale lips.

“I’ll do it this time. Your identity isn’t very convenient. Take good care of your sister and help me disperse the crowd around here. Don’t transform in front of your father.”

After saying that, Bai Yu handed Sakura Momo to Sakura Kyoko and rushed out first.

Still standing there, bewildered, Sakura Momo stared blankly at Shiraha's departing figure, her face filled with confusion, not knowing what had happened.

"What happened, sister?"

Sakura Kyoko took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety. She squatted down and looked into her younger sister's innocent eyes, reassuring her, "It's nothing serious. I think I just saw the church near Dad's place catch fire. Your brother went to call the fire truck, so it should be put out soon. Don't worry."

As she spoke, she patted her younger sister's head and smiled to reassure her.

Sakura Momo's face also showed some worry, "Dad must be in great danger right now, let's go save him!"

"Xiao Tao is too young. Let the priest handle the matter of saving her father. We'll help disperse the crowd outside. Stay close to your sister and don't wander off."

After saying that, she picked up her younger sister and ran quickly towards home, while also using the phone Bai Yu had bought for her to dial an emergency number.

Without a doubt, when the witch's barrier is activated, some people will inevitably be caught in the blast, and death and injury are unavoidable, especially given the large number of believers gathered there.

She could only pray in her heart that her father would be alright, and as for the believers... she hoped they were all well.

If you're lucky, you can all survive. As long as you don't make a big commotion to alert her in the early stages of a witch's formation, you're basically safe.

She understood Bai Yu's worries. When she appeared before her father in that state, he might not be able to accept it, especially given her wishes.

It all stemmed from the effects of illusion magic. All those believers were drawn in by the magic; there was no beautiful ideal to be realized from the beginning. Only this bewitching witch was driving all of this from behind the scenes.

When she used and understood the nature of illusion magic, and saw the same fanatical expressions on the faces of those believers, she knew from the beginning that it was a deception, nothing more than an unrealistic and beautiful fantasy.

But she couldn't expose this beautiful illusion; she had to let it continue, otherwise it would only bring more disaster to her family.

Even if it's just for her sister's wish, she can't tell her family the truth.

Kyoko Sakura rubbed the ring on her finger; the Soul Gem was emitting a fiery red light, reminding her that there were potential prey nearby.

This time, she should act like an ordinary person and leave it to the priest; he will handle everything.

In Sakura Kyoko's eyes, he was almost indistinguishable from a god, and his status in her heart had even surpassed that of a god, becoming a god who belonged to her alone.

On the road.

Bai Yu was speeding along, each step he took leaving a small crater in the ground. His speed was so great that even the cars on the side of the road couldn't keep up with him. Passersby could only see a blur of a shadow flying past before quickly disappearing from sight.

This was a change brought about by his divine physique, which possessed the equivalent of a demigod. If he wanted, he could even fly directly in the air, but that speed would be quite low, and it would be easier to expose himself in the air, as he did not have the mysterious concealment effect that magical girls possess.

In the distance, on the walls of the small chapel, black mist had condensed into a distorted vortex. Sakura Kentaro was still standing on the steps preaching, completely unaware of the witch gradually taking shape behind him.

The believers who first noticed the anomaly began to stir, with some pointing at the wall and screaming.

Sensing something was wrong, Kentaro Sakura turned around and saw a pitch-black hole swallowing him whole, along with the believers in front of him.

When Bai Yu leaped onto the utility pole for leverage, the metal pole was left with noticeable dents.

He saw from mid-air the scene of the witch devouring everyone present. Some people were standing outside the range and were not affected. They were hiding far away in fear, staring in terror at the hole that had swallowed the priest who was preaching to them.

"Oh my god! What is that! It's absolutely terrifying!"

"May the gods protect us... May the gods protect us..."

Without their leader, the remaining believers were thrown into chaos, helplessly spinning around in circles, unsure whether to approach or leave. In desperation, they could only continue to pray for divine help, hoping to resolve their current predicament.

The black and white keys pierced through several familiars that floated out of the barrier, and Bai Yu's figure suddenly appeared outside the church entrance.

Holding a silver-white cross sword transformed from a cross, he ignored the panicked yet delighted believers behind him and strode into the witch's realm.

Inside the barrier, Kentaro Sakura's powerful voice rang out once again.

"Don't panic, everyone! This must be a test from our Lord! If we work together, we will surely overcome this difficulty! A wonderful new world awaits us to explore!"

Kentaro Sakura spoke with great enthusiasm, but a noticeable tremor could still be heard in his voice.

He was clearly confused about the situation and, like the believers in front of him, was terrified.

But now only he can lead this group of people, and as the backbone of the leadership, he cannot show any fear, otherwise they will only be met with endless terror.

What if it really is a divine being who approves of his new doctrine and decides to recruit him to strengthen the ranks of the new doctrine so that everyone can live a better life?

The other party could be a deity, but the possibility of it being a deity is not very high.

You can tell just by looking at the environment here: dilapidated, disorderly, decaying, and dirty, with an unpleasant smell everywhere. The bizarre graffiti-style buildings are so bad that you don't dare to look at them for long, as if looking at them any longer would cause strange things to grow in your brain.

If the other party is indeed a deity, then it is definitely not a benevolent one, meaning that he is very likely to perish here this time.

Thinking this, Kentaro Sakura felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.