Listening to everyone's exaggerated words, Riko blinked and turned to look at her two friends who had come with her.
How did you feel during your prayer just now?
"Huh? Us?"
Miai said something in confusion, then turned to look at the crowd surrounding the vice leader before Riko could reply.
"Hmm, I think I feel a bit calmer inside! Yes, that's right, that's it!"
Miai became more and more determined as she spoke, then looked at the girl with two pigtails who had come with the two of them.
And you, Momoe?
Momoe glanced at the two of them and nodded. "Yes, I feel much calmer and more relaxed inside, and I'm not as tired as I usually am from work!"
"Huh? Really? You really feel much better?" Miai looked at Momoe with curiosity.
"Didn't you say you felt calm first?" Momoe rolled her eyes at Miai.
"I know! I know! I just wanted to double-check. Do you really feel much more at peace?" Miai asked with an awkward smile.
Momoe nodded slightly and turned to look at Riko.
"I feel much better, but it's probably because I don't have to work tonight! After all, we usually..."
During the conversation between the three, the vice-leader also listened to the testimonies of many believers and gently pressed his hand down.
Seeing this, everyone's voices gradually faded, including the three people who were talking.
After a short while, the room returned to silence.
The vice-leader lowered his hand and smiled gently at the crowd.
"Next week we'll be holding a sharing session. The cult leader will be coming up to share with everyone. If you have anything you'd like to share, you're welcome to come up and speak too!"
"Really? Will the cult leader also be sharing next week?"
"Yes, it's true!" The vice-leader nodded gently, confirming the news.
"Great! I'll definitely come next week!"
"Yes! Me too!"
"That thing the cult leader mentioned last time..."
Faced with the believers' endless chatter, the deputy leader listened gently with a smile, nodding occasionally in agreement.
After a long while, he raised his hand again and gently pressed it down. Once the room was quiet again, the vice leader spoke again:
"Alright, that concludes today's prayer meeting! Everyone, please go home now!"
"Okay, we'll be going now. Have a nice day, goodbye!"
Everyone said their goodbyes and then left.
Gradually, only the vice-leader, Riko, Miai, and Momoe remained in the room.
The vice-leader slowly approached the three and asked gently:
"How was it? Did you get anything out of today?"
"Uh... we haven't heard any instructions from God yet, but we feel much calmer!" Miai replied.
The vice-leader smiled slightly. "Is that so? That's good!"
After saying that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the money he had prepared beforehand.
"This is your allowance for tonight."
The three of them felt somewhat embarrassed upon seeing this.
Other believers occasionally have to pay some money, but the three of them are different; they don't pay any money, yet they still get money from the church.
Although it was agreed upon, the three of them still felt somewhat awkward when the time came.
They actually joined this church last month.
Although the church thoughtfully scheduled the meetings for each evening to avoid disturbing the believers' daily work and lives.
But perhaps the leader and deputy leader were unaware of the hardships faced by ordinary people, and therefore did not know...
A small number of people have to find work even at Ueya to make ends meet.
And they, unfortunately, are that small group of people.
Although it was only for one night, for them who already had low wages, even just for one night, the small amount of money was hard to accept.
So after attending two rallies, I stopped participating.
Unexpectedly, the vice leader later found them and told them that if they came to the gathering, they would receive some allowances to compensate for the losses caused by their absence from work.
Seeing the three of them like this, the vice-leader smiled gently and handed the money forward again.
"Take it, isn't this what we agreed on? God won't abandon anyone who is suffering!"
Upon hearing this, Riko reached out and took the money from the vice-leader's hand.
He then divided it into three portions, and gave two of them to his two best friends.
After doing all this, she bowed to the vice-leader.
"Thank you so much!!"
Seeing this Miai and Momoe quickly followed suit and bowed as well.
"Thank you so much!!"
The vice-leader smiled gently and then asked, "What are your plans next?"
Riko looked puzzled, but shook her head nonetheless.
"It's nothing!"
The vice-leader said, "Then come with me to see the leader. He has something he wants to discuss with you!"
The three who had just received the money felt embarrassed to refuse and followed the vice-leader to other rooms.
"What does the cult leader want with us?" Riko asked.
The vice-leader smiled gently and then said:
"It's something everyone's been wanting to do with us!"
"Huh? Really? Can we do it now?" Miai looked at the vice-leader with some excitement upon hearing this.
The vice-leader nodded slightly. "Yes, that's fine!"
"Great! Momoe, Riko! We can finally do it!" Miai shouted excitedly.
"Yes! That's great!" Momoe nodded excitedly.
Only Riko looked at the vice-leader with some worry and asked in confusion:
"But we've only been members of the church for a short time, haven't we? Including this time, this is only our third time attending a gathering."
The vice-leader smiled at the Riko and then said:
"Don't worry! The cult leader will explain all this to you later!"
Riko nodded with some concern.
The three followed the vice-leader to the outside of a house.
The vice-leader raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.
"Master, Riko, Momoe Miai have arrived!"
"Yes, let them in!" A deep, resonant voice came from inside the house.
Upon hearing this, the vice-leader opened the door and gestured for the three to enter.
Looking at the interior, which was even darker than the outer hall, the three hesitated for a moment before finally stepping inside.
With a click, the sliding door closed again.
The vice-leader did not enter with the three of them.
The three looked at each other and walked towards the only source of light coming from inside the house.
Riko walked forward while observing the structure of the room.
This is a room about the same size as the hall where the three of them were just sitting.
The house was empty, with only a few pillars supporting it.
Besides that, there was only something that looked like a seat or a bed placed directly in front of it.
In that spot, an elderly man dressed in a magnificent robe was sitting cross-legged.
The old man looked to be in his fifties, with a kind face and an aura of holiness surrounding him.
Yes, in this day and age, being over fifty is indeed considered old!