Chapter 223

Takumi looked at the expectant eyes of the little girls, and a fruit knife appeared in his hand.

"Well, everyone, let's share the cake now, okay?" he said.

The little girls raised their hands innocently. "Okay~" they replied, not even noticing the saliva trickling down the corners of their mouths.

Matsuzaki was not shocked as he watched Takumi surrounded by children, cutting the cake. Instead, he felt an unprecedented warmth, as comforting as the first light of dawn.

"Is this the real God?" he thought, not the cold statue erected in churches. He didn't believe that gods would be gentle to just anyone; the blue sky outside still hung over them as a reminder.

Just as the angel said, gods do not love people selflessly or philanthropically. They only cherish the kind-hearted.

After spending time with these children day in and day out, Matsuzaki knew well that the 'cursed children' were no different from normal children—in fact, they were even more sensible and kind. Although he was taking care of them, he could hardly guarantee their survival. Providing enough food for everyone every day was impossible, despite his hard work. The pay he received wasn't enough to support so many kids. Thanks to the fact that they were 'children of the curse,' they were tenacious, and would not starve to death so easily. Still, this was no guarantee against harm. These children were not like the 'initiators' trained by the "International Initiator Supervision Agency." They had the same vulnerability as normal children, and could easily be injured or even die.

People who discriminated against 'cursed children' often came to bully them, sometimes even to kill. But there was nothing Matsuzaki could do; in the end, all he could do was make the children hide and not go outside.

"Wow! So sweet and delicious."

"The strawberries are amazing!"

"Big brother, have some too."

One of the girls looked at Takumi and noticed he hadn't taken any. She grabbed a piece of cake with her tiny hand covered in cream and cutely moved it towards Takumi's face.

"Haha, then big brother will have to eat the little cutie's hand in one bite," Takumi laughed as he gently bit into the cake and her little hand, wiping the cream clean.

"If cake isn't enough, there's more here," he said.

Takumi took off the magic hat and reached inside.

"Nono~ Let me see what's in here," he teased as the girls ate their cake, watching him intently.

"Look, potato chips!" Takumi exclaimed, pulling out a bag of chips from the hat.

"Wow! Big brother is so awesome!"

Takumi smiled. "Which one of you wanted potato chips just now?"

One of the girls raised her hand eagerly, eyes full of stars. "Me, big brother, it was me!"

"Okay~ Then catch! Be careful, it will disappear if it falls to the ground," Takumi said as he tossed the chips to her. She hurried to catch them, giggling.

"Now, guess how much food there is inside the hat?" he asked with a playful grin. "The answer is, as much as you want!"

Takumi turned the magic hat upside down, and snacks began pouring out, forming a small mountain in the blink of an eye.

The delighted voices of the little girls echoed in the room.

"Big brother wants to give this magical hat to one of you. However, you have to answer a question," Takumi said. "Big brother's favorite answer will get this magic hat as a gift."

The hat spun on Takumi's fingertip, and the little girls blinked, their faces full of anticipation. They didn't fully understand—all they knew was that the hat contained lots of delicious things.

Only Matsuzaki realized how invaluable this gift truly was. If the food conjured from the hat was endless, how many children could be fed?

Takumi spoke gently, "What are your dreams for when you grow up? Is there anything you want to protect?"

Matsuzaki watched as if witnessing a scene from mythology—was this a divine test for the children?

"A dream? That's so hard," said one girl.

"Hmm, it's difficult. I can't think of anything," said another.

The girls looked at each other, trying to find the answer in their friends' eyes.

Finally, one little girl raised her hand. "Big brother, I want to be a teacher when I grow up. Elder says that only by learning can we not go hungry."

After she spoke up, the rest of the girls raised their hands one after another.

"I want to be a doctor."

"I want to open a snack shop."

"I want to be a bride."

"I want to bloom..."

Their dreams were simple and pure.

Another girl raised her hand. "I... I want to protect everyone. Elder says people outside can be mean, so I want to protect everyone from getting bullied."

Takumi's eyes lit up. He remembered her name was Sasana. "Protect everyone? That's a beautiful wish," he said.

"Although I'd love to hear something about fighting for all the good in the world, I'm already very satisfied," he added with a smile.

He knelt down, gently making the magic hat smaller, then placed it on Sasana's head. "Then, the magic hat is yours, Sasana."

He extended his little finger. "But we have to make a promise—protect everyone, okay?"

The little girl happily hooked her pinky with his. "A pinky promise. It won't change for a hundred years."

Takumi pinned the 'Eye of God' to her clothes. "I'm giving this to you too, since we made a promise."

The little girl hugged his neck and said sweetly, "Thank you, big brother."

"Alright, everyone, let's eat some delicious food together!"

"Okay~!"

The children gathered around the mountain of snacks, and their laughter filled the sewer.

Takumi looked at Matsuzaki, who had been standing aside, his face kind. He smiled. "So, Matsuzaki, what is your wish?"

He opened his palm, revealing the 'Eye of God' glowing gently.

Matsuzaki looked at the happy children, his smile growing even kinder. "I don't have any grand wishes. I just want every child I meet to grow up healthy, and I'll do my best for that."

Takumi nodded. "Ordinary wishes are indeed the hardest to fulfill. One meets countless people along their journey, which makes fulfilling such a simple wish difficult."

"Those who burn themselves to illuminate others can already be called heroes. People like that are rare, but the gods listen to them."

"Matsuzaki, you are one of those people."

With that, Takumi handed over the lit 'Eye of God.'

Matsuzaki was stunned and caught it instinctively. In that instant, he understood its meaning as the emperor's message appeared in his mind.

When he came back to his senses, Takumi had disappeared.

"Original God..." Matsuzaki looked at the 'Eye of God' in his hand, holding it tightly, his smile growing kinder.

"Lord God, I won't let you down."

The children also noticed that Takumi had vanished.

"Elder! Elder! Where did big brother go?"

"Big brother disappeared!"

Matsuzaki spoke kindly, "Big brother must be helping more children like you."

The little girl tilted her head, blinking her eyes, her face still covered with cream. "Will we see big brother again?"