They All Said This Wasn't a Life Simulation Game! Section 2

"Since it's a city, um… there should be police or something, right? I should be able to find some help, after all, I'm still a child… Achoo!"

Xi Wang tightened the slightly tattered coat around himself, trying to warm his small body a bit more.

"…Such a pitiful child."

He muttered to himself as he walked towards the alley's exit.

Pat-pat—

Faint footsteps echoed with his pace. His bare feet on the cold, dusty ground made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He walked slowly, emerging from the dim corner and heading towards the exit bathed in light.

Pat—

As he stepped out of the alley, everything around him seemed to have changed, or perhaps… something within him had changed.

But no matter what, in short…

[Welcome to a new "day".]

Chapter 2 A "Home" Sufficient for Shelter

"Flour, milk… potatoes and carrots, hmm, plus some fresh vegetables and fruits. This should be enough."

The middle-aged man with slightly graying hair checked the list in his hand and murmured softly.

"The guests are coming tomorrow, so I need to make sure the little ones eat well… Oh, right, I should also prepare some snacks as rewards for them… Hmm?"

As if he had finished preparations for the coming days, his brows gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. His gentle demeanor made him look exceptionally kind and approachable.

However, it was at this moment that he stopped on his way home, looking with some confusion at the small, lost figure standing at the intersection.

The slightly long dark hair seemed a bit odd for a boy, and it was messy, clearly not having been taken care of for a long time. His face was haggard, as if he hadn't had a full meal in ages. The same went for his clothes; besides the coat he was wearing, he only had a very thin inner garment, and it didn't fit him. Wearing it like this would surely catch a cold. Even with the coat, the clothes were already tattered and couldn't block the current cold wind at all.

However, his eyes were very clear. Although filled with confusion about his surroundings, they were… beautiful.

Was he abandoned? Or… something else?

He frowned again, thinking of unpleasant things, but then relaxed, a kind smile appearing on his face, exuding an inexplicable gentleness. Just like that, as usual, he walked up to the lost child who needed help.

"You seem to need help, child."

He spoke as he always did.

"Wuu…"

The boy seemed a little timid, shrinking back slightly and looking at him with a hint of wariness.

"Don't be afraid, child. I am the Priest of the nearby Church. Helping those in need is my duty, especially a child like you."

As he spoke, he appropriately took a small step back, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender to show he posed no threat… This way, he could quickly put wary children at ease, at least preventing them from resisting him too much.

"Priest?"

The boy chewed on the word, seeming to ponder its meaning. Then he looked at the black robe the man was wearing and the visible cross pendant. Coupled with his timely actions and gentle demeanor, these things gradually made the boy relax, appearing to believe his words.

"Yes, Priest. You can call me that, just like the other children."

The Priest smiled. With nearly half his hair white and a gentle smile, he looked very kind. Then, he put on a puzzled expression and asked.

"Child, how did you get here? Are you lost? Or… did you wander off? Your parents are really something, letting you come out dressed like this. So irresponsible… You'll get sick."

As he spoke, he slowly stepped forward, gradually taking off his black robe while paying attention to the boy's expression.

"Parents?"

A flicker of confusion crossed the boy's dark pupils. His attention was diverted to his "parents," and he didn't pay too much attention to the approaching Priest.

"Mom and Dad… they don't seem to be here anymore…"

The boy said, as if recalling something, his tone and expression becoming a little dejected.

"Oh… I'm sorry, child. I brought up something sad for you."

The Priest's expression turned compassionate, and his words were filled with apology. However, judging by his eyes, he didn't seem surprised by this answer.

By this time, he had already reached the boy.

"Then how did you get here? This area is not a place for a child like you to wander around carelessly. There are many bad people here. You should go to the Police Station or an orphanage. If nothing else, you should come to the Church… Yes, a Church with people like me."

The Priest spoke gently while squatting down and personally draping his robe over the poor child. The boy didn't resist much, perhaps because the Priest's words and concern had made him lower his guard.

"I… I don't know…"

The boy responded with confusion, as if the question troubled him greatly. Even when the Priest picked him up into his arms, he didn't resist. He even reached out and gently held onto the Priest's shoulder, propping himself up slightly with his hands to ease the Priest's effort.

"What a well-behaved and pitiful child…"

The Priest naturally noticed the boy's actions and chuckled happily.

A stray orphan?

The Priest thought this, and he seemed happy with this conclusion. The corners of his mouth and his tone rose slightly, but it was all concealed. It seemed he was merely delighted by the child's good behavior and maturity.

Having settled on a conclusion about the boy's origins in his mind, he then stepped forward, continuing towards his "home"—or rather, towards the Church.

"But don't worry, child. Helping those in need is my duty, especially a child like you. Speaking of which, my Church also has some functions of a welfare institute. There are many children there similar to you. You can rest here with me for now. It's not safe around here. In a couple of days… no, tomorrow, I'll take you to the Police Station to see if I can help you find your relatives. If not… you can stay at the Church too, and it will be like having a home."

"Is... is that so? Thank you, Father!"

Perhaps it was the priest's promise, but the boy's expression recovered slightly, his tone becoming lighter, filled with the unique energy of a child.

"You're welcome; it's my duty... Oh, right, child, I don't think I've asked your name yet? Can you tell me?"

"Of course! Father, my name is Xi Wang!"

"['Hope']...?"

The priest slightly sized up the child he was holding. Because of his words, this poor boy had regained some vitality, a smile appearing on his face. Bright cheerfulness flowed from his clear pupils, seeming to infect others inadvertently.

"What a lovely name."

The priest sighed with a smile. Perhaps infected by Xi Wang's mood, the smile in his eyes deepened, and he seemed quite fond of the child.

[You have met a kind priest. He seems to care a lot about you, a poor child, and offers you gentleness as much as possible.]

[Soon, you let down your guard, perhaps because of his care, perhaps because he promised to take you to the police station tomorrow... In any case, you let him take you back to the church.]

[As the priest said, there are many children here in similar situations to you. They are all cared for by the priest and a few nuns.]

[The children welcome your arrival and are very enthusiastic about you, their new companion... Except for a few children, who seem a bit shy and don't dare to come forward. They just sit obediently in their seats, occasionally glancing at you.]

[Here, you enjoy a warm dinner with the children, play with them, and in the midst of laughter, the priest sends you to wash up, after which you all lie down on the slightly hard bed boards, covered with warm bedding.]

[The children in the same room as you are very excited. Even after the nun turns off the lights, they don't sleep obediently. Instead, they keep asking you all sorts of questions.]

[You answer them simply. When you mention meeting the priest, they seem to become a little excited. You can feel their gratitude towards the priest from their words.]

[Everything here is good, which makes you believe the priest is indeed a good person—even though you don't know his name yet.]

[The next day, a few people came to the church to discuss something with the priest. From their gazes and actions, the main focus of the discussion is the children, and of course, you.]

[The other children say that they are teachers from a school. Every so often, that school sends a few people to take some suitable children to attend classes. They will live better there than here, and it's said they even have the chance to go to university and even help find jobs.]

[It sounds like a welfare school specifically for children like you.]

[Although the children don't know what "university" and "work" are, they know that as long as they are taken to school by the teachers, they will live better.]

["Is there really such a good thing?" you subconsciously doubt, but soon, the priest and those teachers come over to talk to you about some things.]

[Their words all convey concern for you, a poor child.]

["Perhaps such a place really exists." Under their kindness, you temporarily set aside your doubts.]

[In the afternoon, those teachers left. They seemed to have finished their inspection and needed to return to the school to submit reports. The priest also took you to the police station as promised.]

[The police officer who met you seemed to be an acquaintance of the priest. He seemed to know that the priest often found orphans and brought them to him to look for relatives and register them.]

[Soon, the police officer provided some information—they didn't seem to find your records. You appear to have been trafficked from abroad. Furthermore, you said your parents are gone and you want to find other relatives... Honestly, it's a bit troublesome.]

[Simply put, it will take time, and during this waiting period, you will likely have to stay at the priest's church.]

[The priest skillfully comforted you, and your low spirits improved.]

[In the following days, you mingled with the children in the church. You suddenly felt that living here wasn't so bad.]

[About a week later, the priest received a phone call. You saw his expression initially show some confusion, and he even subconsciously asked the other party a couple of questions. After receiving the reply, his face lit up with a bright smile again.]

[That evening, the priest sadly told you that the police had not found your relatives and that you would likely have to stay here.]

[Although you were a little disappointed, you weren't too sad, because you had found a "home."]

[After some more time passed, the teachers from that school came again, driving a somewhat strange school bus, ready to pick up a few children.]

[The church appropriately held a farewell party, which also served as your welcome party.]

[After the joy came the separation, but everyone wasn't sad. They were just cheerful and expectant. The children bid farewell to them, blessed them, and looked forward to the day when they too could go to the school where they could "live better."]

[You mixed in with the children, bidding farewell to those lucky companions. However, you also noticed that those shy children were still standing farthest away, neither smiling nor cheering, just watching quietly.]

[You felt a bit strange and asked others. You only received responses like, "Those guys are bad kids, don't talk to them." This was true whether you asked other children or the nuns.]

[You felt confused and wanted to approach those "bad kids," but before you could speak, they would scoff and leave, or hide fearfully, or simply run away.]

[You asked the priest. The priest seemed very happy with your actions and did not object to you interacting with those "bad kids."]

["You just want to be friends with them. This intention is good. Don't worry about anything; just go ahead, child,"—that's what the priest said.]

[Encouraged by the priest, you believed you were doing the right thing and began to interact more actively with those "bad kids."]

[Perhaps due to your enthusiasm, those "bad kids" slowly began to accept you. Some with better personalities even became your friends... Although you felt there was still some inexplicable gap between you, these were enough to make you feel excited, especially when you realized that these so-called "bad kids" were not actually bad at all.]

[However, just as you were about to introduce your "bad kid" friends to the other children, you realized that you had already been categorized as a "bad kid" by everyone else, whether it was your former close friends, those nuns, or even... the priest.]

[Although the priest's attitude didn't change much, and he even became more enthusiastic, the nuns and other children began to intentionally or unintentionally refuse to talk to you.]

[In addition, you noticed that the food at the church had also decreased significantly. Come to think of it, it seemed that the church's food had been gradually decreasing since the school teachers took the children away. However, the reduction was very small each time, and the reasons given by the nuns and the priest were also very sufficient, so you didn't pay much attention.]

[Of course, what made you most confused was the other children's attitude towards the "food reduction." They seemed accustomed to it, as if "the daily food is very bad" was a matter of course.]

[You suddenly understood why the children were so eager to be taken away by the school teachers, and why the children were so happy and cheered so heartily during that period. It was only during that short time that they could eat well and eat their fill.]

[You realized that this place was not as beautiful as you saw it, or rather, as you imagined it to be.]