Chapter 197: Something seems wrong...

[The beginning of the story has been repeated many times, so there is no need to say too much. You still follow the priest to the church, which has the nature of an orphanage as usual, where you can get everything you need in life.]

[It's just that this time, you didn't behave well, nor did you have the liveliness of a child. Instead, you seemed very quiet, like a shy child. Even if the priests and nuns here wanted to communicate with you, you rarely responded to them. At most, you would just nod or respond softly.]

[You are a little better when facing other children. You are not against talking to other children, but compared to the liveliness and playfulness of other children, you seem very quiet, as if you are always thinking about something or waiting for something.]

[The change occurred on the second day when the priest took you to the police station to help you find your relatives.]

[While the priest and the police were talking, you remained quietly in the corner. You just asked the police for a blank piece of paper and a pencil and started drawing on it.]

[Many police officers even came to you to see what you were drawing, only to find that you seemed to be drawing a... killer whale?]

["What a surprise! Have you ever been to the beach?" Many people speculated so and asked you about it, hoping to get some information.]

[However, you showed a confused expression as if you didn't know what the police officers were talking about, and you didn't even know what kind of creature the killer whale they were talking about was... It seemed that you just drew this picture based on your imagination and impression.]

[Then, after a simple drawing of a killer whale, you started drawing some weird things on the scraps of paper, which can be seen at a glance as a doodle... It seems that you really don't know what you are drawing?]

[The priest and the police officers then withdrew their gazes and curiosity and began to praise your drawing skills, saying that you will definitely become an excellent artist in the future. At the same time, several police officers enthusiastically began to describe the appearance and habits of killer whales to you and told you about the scenery of the sea.]

[You showed a longing expression at the right time, saying that you must go to the beach if you have the chance, and... somehow, you seem to have a good impression of creatures like killer whales. When you hear this name, you can't help but feel a sense of closeness.]

[However, at this moment, the police chief, who was supposed to be working in his office, suddenly came out with a thoughtful and puzzled look on his face... Just now, he received a call from a priest named "Enrique".]

[Father Enrique asked him to go to the church to find a child named "Nozomi" and pay a little attention to him, and... Father Enrique hoped that he could pay attention to the church and the movements of the priests and nuns in the church, as there might be some problems there.]

[Although the director wanted to ask more questions, after all, he had long felt that there was something wrong with the church and the priest, but Father Enrique did not say much. He only said that he would discuss the rest when he arrived, and then hurriedly hung up the phone.]

[The director was lost in thought with a lot of questions in his mind. He didn't understand how Father Enrique contacted him directly through private communication, nor did he understand why Father Enrique felt that there was something wrong with that church and that priest... Obviously, they had no intersection, and Father Enrique had never been here before?]

[So... how did he know?]

[However, considering that Father Enrique has a good reputation in the outside world, at least he was recognized by most people when he toured the world, and he also made many friends. Most people have a good opinion of him. In addition, his tone in the communication was a little anxious and his attitude was particularly serious. The director decided to trust him temporarily.]

[Of course, the most important thing is that Father Enrique's request was in line with his thoughts - he had long felt that there was something wrong with the church, and it was a good opportunity to take a look.]

[Unexpectedly, the director ran into you and the priest as soon as he came out... After seeing you, the director was also stunned and then took the opportunity to ask about your purpose... Then he unexpectedly discovered that you were actually the "Nozomi" that Father Enrique was looking for.]

['Is this too much of a coincidence?' The director couldn't help but think so.]

[However, after learning about your situation, the chief also expressed his concern for you and asked the police officer for a copy of your information.]

[Afterwards, the director also took this opportunity to follow you and the priest to the church. As for the reason... does it count as caring about the children?]

[The priest naturally knew that the chief's reason was just perfunctory. The chief must have received some news and wanted to come over to check... But the priest didn't care. He had already dealt with most of the traces, and there would be basically no problems. Therefore, he also warmly entertained the chief and brought other children to greet the chief.]

['It seems that there is no problem? ' The director took a quick look and didn't seem to find any major problems. He also had things to do and couldn't stay here for long, so after keeping an eye on it, he planned to leave.]

[But when you left, you gave him the drawing you had drawn earlier.]

["Thank you, uncle, for escorting me all the way. This is a thank you gift to you" - you said this, and the meaning of your words made people laugh and cry.]

[Although the reason you gave for sending this drawing was very ridiculous, the director did not pay much attention to it and just took your pencil drawing. As for your words, he just regarded them as childish talk.]

[Well... the only pity is that some parts of the painting are wet. It should be because you didn't wipe your hands clean after washing them and then touched the paper directly with your wet hands.]

[But it doesn't matter. The director didn't care. He just accepted your small gift, rubbed your head lovingly, and left.]

[It seems that everything is fine. The director has not found any clues. The priest has also become more vigilant because of this incident and plans to be more cautious in the near future.]

['Well, as long as I stay quiet for a while, this director will be driven away soon, and then I can go back to my "normal" life' the priest thought.]

['And this time we found a good candidate. He's a very cute child, very quiet. If he calls out, I'm sure his voice will be very beautiful, right? '- The priest looks at you with a different look in his eyes.]

[But you seem to be unaware of all this, still standing quietly by the side, as if waiting for something.]

[And so, time came... the fourth day]

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Today is Nozomi's fourth day in the church, but somehow, the weather forecast clearly said that today should be a bright sunny day, and with the weather getting colder, today should have been a very comfortable day.

The bright sunshine shines on the skin, bringing warmth, and the blowing wind brings bursts of coolness, which cooperates with the sunshine to give people a comfortable feeling... This is how it should be.

But since the morning, the sky has been covered with dark clouds. The bright sunshine was blocked by rain clouds. The golden light could not penetrate the rain clouds at all, and the air was filled with a damp smell. Everything proved... it was going to rain.

Tick-tock——

Sure enough, after a while... the sound of falling rain could be heard.

The nuns complained about the strange weather and quickly put away the clothes that were hung out to dry. At the same time, the priest urged the children not to get wet in the rain and hurried them indoors to play.

But after playing with the children for a while, the priest suddenly realized something was wrong.

The new child that he brought, named "Nozomi"... seems to be gone?

This was the priest's own negligence. After all, Nozomi always sat quietly in the corner. Although he was not opposed to talking to people, he would not take the initiative to speak most of the time. He always looked very shy, as if he was waiting for something.

In other words, Nozomi was particularly well-behaved, so the priest didn't care too much about him... Anyway, Nozomi sat quietly in the corner most of the time, so the priest usually didn't pay too much attention to him.

But now... Nozomi seems to be gone.

The priest frowned, feeling something strange, and stood up to look for Nozomi... He couldn't let him run away, as he was his [prey].

...

Tick-tock——

It is the sound of rain falling.

Nozomi strolled in the rain, letting the rain wet his hair and soak his clothes.

The rain was cool, and there was some wind blowing in it, which turned the coolness from the rain into cold.

But Nozomi did not feel any discomfort. In fact, the cool temperature and moist feeling made him feel comfortable and made him feel happier.

The corners of his mouth raised up, revealing a happy smile... This was the first time Nozomi smiled in these four days.

"Hmm~"

In line with his happy mood, Nozomi lowered his eyelids slightly and hummed a soft and pleasant melody. The clear voice of a child added a touch of color to the melody, making his singing seem crystal clear.

Tick-tock——

The raindrops hitting the leaves seemed to be hitting piano keys, and the cold wind blew, plucking the treetops and leaves as if plucking the strings of a piano... Was it an illusion? Everything that should have been noisy was slowly becoming rhythmic.

It was as if... the rain and the breeze were following his singing.

And Nozomi seemed to have noticed this. The corners of his mouth slightly raised. He closed his eyes completely, adjusted his breathing, and then... sang a melody as soft as water.

Hmmm～

The singing voice floated along with the wind and reached the ears of everyone in the house.

The children ran to the window and the door, looking at Nozomi singing in the rain with some surprise... Even at this moment, Nozomi seemed to be completely immersed in his own world, and even his steps became brisk.

The happy mood drove his limbs and made him dance in the rain, as if he was celebrating the sudden arrival of rain and the sudden fall of water.

"Nozomi, what are you doing?"

The priest naturally came over as well, and frowned as he looked at Nozomi who was singing and even dancing in the rain. He spoke in a gentle voice while trying to stop other children who wanted to run out to play in the rain.

"Come back soon, don't play anymore, getting wet in the rain is bad for your health."

Hmm～

But Nozomi ignored him.

"If you keep doing this, you'll become a bad boy, okay?"

The priest frowned again, and while maintaining a gentle tone, there was a hint of threat in his words.

"..."

Nozomi opened his eyes a little, glanced at him, then closed his eyes again and continued singing.

He seemed to be saying: I know what you are saying, but I don't want to hear it.

"...You're really naughty."

The priest's tone was somewhat helpless, with a hint of joy but also a hint of irritation.

He was naturally happy because, in the past, he could have used this as an excuse to label Nozomi a "bad boy".

The reason for his irritability was naturally that he knew that the director had been keeping an eye on him recently, so he had to stay quiet and not make too many moves. Therefore, no matter how much he thought about Nozomi, he had to suppress it first.

But... some reasonable [punishment] is okay, right?

After all, he is a [bad boy]~

So the priest took a step and walked into the rain.

Tick-tock——

The rain hit his body, and the sudden cold feeling made him shiver... Is the rain so cold?

But he didn't care too much, because he saw that when he stepped into the rain and approached Nozomi... Nozomi's figure paused slightly, and even the singing stopped.

'Ha... just a slightly rebellious little guy' the priest smiled in his heart and didn't care.

The priest just came to Nozomi's side and reached out to grab Nozomi's wrist.

"Okay, come back with me and be a good boy, okay?"

He said so.

However... Nozomi turned around and dodged.

"you!"

"Father... are you too anxious?"

Nozomi said this softly, but the tone was completely different from before.

It was not the kind of well-behaved, quiet tone like that of a shy child, but a dangerous, confident, and slightly weird tone that did not sound like something a child could say.

"Nozomi, what are you talking about? Come back with me. It's not good to get caught in the rain. You'll catch a cold."

"Hmm~"

The priest reiterated, but the only response he got was Nozomi's happy hum.

The melody, which should have been a relaxing one, now sounded so harsh and irritating to the priest.

"What a naughty child... Come back with me!"

The priest temporarily put aside his gentle tone and warned in a low voice, looking at Nozomi with dangerous eyes.

"Oh..."

However, at this moment, Nozomi stopped, opened his eyes, and looked at him.

?!

But the priest unconsciously took a small step back.

Because he suddenly noticed that Nozomi's eyes at this moment... seemed to have changed.

In the dark pupils, there are bright spots of golden light like stars, and there is an especially obvious scarlet circle on the outer contour of the pupils.

More importantly, the meaning in his eyes... Not as quiet and shy as before, but soft like water and gentle like the wind.

Rather, it was an extremely dangerous look, one that carried a strong threat and warning, and even a little bit of a teasing look... like a look one gives to a prey.

That was definitely not a look a child would show.

And he didn't know if it was the priest's illusion, but after being looked at like this by Nozomi, he always had an illusion... that he was [marked] as if he would encounter something extremely bad next.

"...Okay, Father, I will be obedient."

But at this moment, Nozomi suddenly laughed again, his laugh was bright and gentle, and his tone was exceptionally cheerful and lively, completely opposite to his previous quiet and shy appearance.

"..."

However, at this moment, the priest did not respond to Nozomi's words at all... because the feeling he had was not gone yet. The feeling that he was being stared at by something dangerous, that he was [marked] by something strange, was not gone yet... and it had even become more obvious!

"I'm sorry to have made the priest worried~"

Nozomi walked towards the room, and when passing by the priest, he patted his lower abdomen lightly, as if to remind the stunned priest, and then continued walking forward on his own.

"..."

But the priest remained frozen in place, not moving.

"Father?"

It was not until Nozomi's voice came from behind that the priest seemed to come back to his senses. He turned around and looked at him.

"You're not going back?"

"... Humph, hurry up. Getting wet in the rain is not what a "good boy" should do. Get ready to be punished."

The priest was silent for a while, and there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes when he looked at Nozomi, but more of anger.

Then he took a step and quickly returned to the room... The cold and wet rain made him feel irritated, and the warmth and dryness made him feel more at ease.

"hehe..."

Nozomi looked at the priest who didn't even care about him anymore and chuckled twice. The curve of his mouth looked a little weird.

"Punishment... I don't know what it will be?"

Nozomi murmured softly, looking at the priest with a different meaning in his eyes as if... looking at some [prey].

It's like... marking someone.

————————

[Entry: Blessing of the Water/Ocean (Blue), has taken effect]

[You become more fond of places and weather related to water! ]

————————

"Hmm~"

Nozomi began to hum the cheerful and gentle tune again, and walked towards the room with brisk steps.

Faced with the curiosity and inquiries of other children, Nozomi changed his previous quiet and shy appearance and communicated with other children in a familiar and cheerful voice.

Although the children were a little surprised, the excitement and curiosity that followed made them put these little doubts behind them and happily communicate with Nozomi.

Tick-tock——

Meanwhile, the rain… is still falling.

...

Today is Nozomi's fourth day in church.

In the afternoon of that day, a priest named Enrique came to the church, found the priest there, and also found Nozomi.

After a brief chat, Father Enrique left, as if he had something important to do.

On the evening of the fifth day, Father Enrique came with the police chief and handcuffed both the priest and the nun, and took them away.

On the sixth day, faced with a large amount of evidence that Father Enrique found from nowhere, faced with tsunami-like public opinion, and faced with the severe condemnation of the "Church", the crimes of the priests and nuns were irrefutable.

On the seventh day, the judgment of the priests and nuns was announced.

And this day, the seventh day... happened to be raining again.

Tick-tock——

It is the sound of rain falling.

"Hmm~"

Nozomi sat on the wall, humming a cheerful melody, swinging his legs in the air, and letting the rain wet his clothes.

"So..."

Nozomi opened his eyes, and in a trance, he could see the scarlet circle around his pupils... it seemed more conspicuous.

"What will the punishment be?"

"hehe..."

Nozomi chuckled softly.

————————

[Entry: ■■■■ (gold), effective]

[Michael (real name revealed): Young ones, do not worry, I am by your side, judging your sins]

[Sariel (real name revealed): Young ones, don't panic, I am by your side, and I will give you relief from all your problems]

————————

Tick-tock——

The rain was still falling, covering the world with a veil and adding a touch of dampness to everything around.