Luck

It's Sujiro's grandparents, they said that they will stay here until her parents return.

They and Matheus had a pleasant chat, helping him to know more about the town.

Her grandpa claim to be a medic and that the infection for some mysterious reason now can be delayed using a pill of antibiotics, each pill can buy 1 day of life. It is transmitted through touch and air, and using a mask decreases the range of infection to 1 meter from 5. It also doesn't stick to superficies.

The 2 ain't infected, they got lucky this time.

They look kind, judging by the chat they had, looks like the folk of the town ain't gonna start killing themselves to win this battle royale, or get completely depressed and desperate, despise their religion crumbling to pieces, in the front of their eyes.

Also, they told Matheus other things, such as that the king is dead, surprising him.

Matheus tells them he needs 8 people to repent their sins so the entire town is saved, they politely declined, and none of the 2 believed despise he showing them, that their grandchild Sujiro was saved this way.

Matheus checks the kitchen and tells them, that looks like they have enough food for the entire trial, making him feel relieved.

He asks the grandparents why they think the town is soo chill despite the crisis.

The town is basically a huge family, it was made thanks to the Japanese that wanted to start a new life after the ww2, the majority of them did human sacrifices for dark and strange gods, and his father was even a member of Unit 731.

And then the cult started, attracting the rest of the family the ones that were already established here.

Incest there is quite common and accepted.

Matheus says "But those human sacrifices stopped when you guys arrived here."

The grandpa says "Probably. Certainly, we still have sorcerers among us."

End of chat.

Looks like Matheus can leave Sujiro and Natsuki alone, and the old will take care of them, he just hopes that they don't make the 2 return to their life of sin.

Or sacrificing them to strange, and mad gods. Aka demons? or another thing? I don't know.

He wasn't expecting that converting 10 people would be so hard and unpredictable.

'Maybe this town go punished thanks to blood sacrifice, but why punish Sujiro?'

An entity that claims to be the angel appeared and told him he actually wasn't planning on killing Sujiro, he just wanted to scare her, and for Matheus to look cool, saving her.

Matheus thinks it makes sense.

Later he asked the self-proclaimed medic if they are making a cure.

He said yes, but no progress is being made.

The doorbell rings.

Sujiro goes there, and it's a sad and confused 8-year-old girl, asking for a roof.

Sujiro says worried "But where are your parents?"

The poor girl answers "I don't know, they went to the orgy and never came back, they were planning on buying food on the way back home, but..."

Feeling pity for her, Sujiro lets her stay.

Only Matheus realized this, Sujiro's grandpa aka Naruhito Kimimame stared too long at the 8-year-old ass, he seems to be eating her with his eyes.

Matheus will remember that.

Sujiro says to the girl "So, what is your name?"

Matheus for some reason questions "Masako?"

Sujiro says "Do you know her?"

Matheus says "No, but I dream that a girl, just like she was desperately asking me for help, weird right?"

Natsuki heard what he said.

Masako resumes "Sorry for staying, but my other family member lives past the town, and my pals died." tears started dropping from her eyes.

They try to make her feel better.

Matheus moved by pity proposes to her "What if I search for them? would you stop crying?"

"Really?" she wipes her tears and feels a little bit better "Yeah."

"then I will"

She releases a burst of happiness and rushes to hug him, and starts rubbing her head on him saying "Thank you oni-chan, I love you I love you I love you I love you!"

Matheus looks a little embarrassed pushes her away a little bit then says "ok, let me use the bathroom first." and starts walking funnily.

They assume he is trying to act funny to make the girl feel better.

But he was just going to the bathroom, to wait for his boner to end... yeah the girl rubbed her head on a sensitive area, making Matheus wonder 'excuse why the fuck my dick is hard?!"

...

As soon as he left the house we thought 'Wait, but when I came back without them, she is gonna cry again... ah whatever, I would look cringe if I come back right now.'

Matheus thinks they are probably dead.

His way is kinda empty as you can imagine, a 14k town with a pandemic in the course.

The smell of dead bodies, makes Matheus put a second mask and some perfume in it.

He is right by the wall of the temple, that separates the de yard from the street.

He heard an abrupt sound behind him, meat falling on the ground?

Quickly turns, and it's someone? sack of trash? or another thing?

Not expecting an answer Matheus says "Hello?" keeping a safe distance.

It started moving, removing dirty rags or remainings clothes, it's a woman, badly dressed, dirty, and stinking.

"Are you infected?" Matheus said.

She nods.

"I have antibiotics at my place," Matheus said.

"I wanna my daughter."

Matheus starts taking off his jacket and shirt "Ok, but first, you gotta be alive, what's her name?"

"Masako Yagami, 8 years old, long black hair."

With enthusiasm, he says "I got a girl just like this there"

He throws the improvised rope he made with his jacket and shirt, leaving him shirtless in the cold of winter. To pull her since she looks very weak.

"How did you jump the wall?" Matheus ask intrigued.

"I climbed the bodies."

'Damm and she still is thinking about her daughter.' Matheus though.

...

Arriving there the door is opened... yeah this woman is her mother. But the husband is dead, according to the mother.

The atmosphere is kinda mixed and confused, they don't know if they should feel happy that at least one survived, or sad that only one survived.

Matheus was surprised and happy 'Oh... whatever daddy wants daddy gets hahaokdsoifaskofiajsoij' since he wasn't even expecting to find one of them.

She gets some antibiotics from Naruhito and gets to live another day, keeping a safe distance from everyone of course.

Masako will live in the house of a friend of her mom, and her mother will stay at her home alone.

...

Now we have 4 people to make the ritual Sujiro, Natsuki, Masako, and her mom. Only 6 to go.

The ritual that Matheus was told by the spirit, is quite simple.

Go to one of the 2 abandoned churches in the town, and ring the bell to call the presence of the spirit, and with the intention to never sin mortally again ask for mercy.

Naruhito called Matheus to drink sake and chat with him, just the two, in the kitchen. Naruhito is sad but not as much as Natsuki.

"You can leave here, just like Natsuki told me? and the rest" Naruhito said curiously.

"Yeah"

This impressed Naruhito "Damm, you are not getting paid enough for this shit. So Natsuki and Sujiro were down bad like this before I came?" he looks worried about them.

"Sadly."

"Then I did well coming here, it must be hard to deal with those millenniums alone, you guys really love to kill yourselves."

Matheus says softly and sadly "Yeah."

"So what you doing, later, interview people of what?"

"To be honest, I'm kinda stressed out, gonna stay here to blow some steam.

"Did you see weird shit like what's happening here?"

"No, well at least not in that magnitude," Matheus said with a lot of confidence.

"Damm... I never saw Asmodeus before, if that thing was her, I hope this is just a trial or a temporary thing, life is really good being an Asmodeus follower, I think I can't complain if we get unlucky sometimes, and she lost a battle or two, she is not omnipotent after all."

"So you haven't lost your faith... hmm, that's kinda good, I mean, can you imagine if this town became a battle royale, I would leave not gonna lie."

"Yeah, I understand, did you know that the last time a homicide happened here was before I was born so... I don't know 100 years ago? whatever it's way long, we can chill... I think I might get a new wife after this, nothing like a new pussy after a stressful situation."

"hmmm, what do you mean new wife?"

"oh yeah, sorry, we actually allow polygamy, I lost one wife 1 year ago, you know marriage is sacred the more the better. I see you are naive about our culture and religion. This magic dream was just a deception from the evil gods, what do you think this was?"

"I agree that this is a deception, but I'm not sure who is doing it and why what intention, but it's definitely for a bad reason."

"yeah boy, there are some spirits there that love to deceit us, if you know what I mean."

"what do you mean?" Matheus said confused.

"This god of yours, I mean, he is so restrictive sexually speaking, you would be way happier if you were a follower of Asmodeus, did you see how cute the mother and child that you helped were?"

Matheus is a little bit worried about where this chat is going "Yeah... very cute."

Naruhito tries to cheer him up? "Her husband is probably rotting in the ground right now, and you? look at you?" he lauds Matheus "I bet from her point of view you are like a knight in shining armor, after all this is over, go talk with her, I bet my left balls she is totally marrying you. And her daughter?" he signs of admiration "I can already hear her asking to marry you too, first because she is a kid, and sometimes the daughter wants to marry the dad, but here? this can really happen. And you get 2 loyal wives, what you think?" this monologue made him feel better, nostalgia maybe I don't know, but he is really enjoying talking with Matheus.

"Yeah, it looks cool, but I'm kinda wanting to go to heaven."

"ahh come on man," Nurohito said with a friendly smile, and says like a friend giving advice "Think with me if someone lies in court and they are discovered they can be punished, but what if those priests of yours are lying, how are the dead going to punish them if they discover there is no heaven, if they are all dead?"

Matheus sighs with sadness then says a little long and dispirited "Yeah."

Worrying Nihorito "Oh sorry, I can stop talking about that if you want."

"No, it's fine." Matheus calmly said. "it's just that, what you are saying it's true, and it pains me to admit it. But you know, it has some signs that look true, I just hope I'm not wrong."

"what if that ritual to spare the town doesn't works, what you gonna do?"

Matheus thinks for a bit then says "Probably one of the first I'm doing is jerk off, like, I'm holding off my shit for so long, every goddam day I wake up hard."

Naruhito chuckles, he found it a little bit funny.

"Then I will stop being catholic off course, and wait for the true God to care enough about me, and show me how to be happy."

Matheus is loakin at Naruhito face waiting for him to say something, but he is just loaking at his sake cup, as if he is thinking.

"You know what, I'm doing that ritual of yours." Naruhito said

Matheus is looking at Nihorito's face waiting for him to say something, but he is just looking at his sake cup as if he is thinking.

"You know what, I'm doing that ritual of yours."

Matheus doesn't show emotion or any other reaction, 'maybe it's a joke he thinks despises Naruhito clearly being serious about it.

Cath by surprise Matheus says "Oh... okay."

5 left now, assuming the present volunteers don't give up, which is totally possible btw.

Knowing this, Matheu doesn't cheers, to not get his hopes too high, as a person with fluctuating self-esteem is.