Three ordinary days passed, and then a notification came to my phone. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the notification.
The notification shared a message telling me to head to the designated temple area. At the bottom, it stated that playing the game was mandatory. Since I wasn't sure what the system would do on its own, I had to join the game. Suddenly, Lie came up beside me and showed me the same notification.
"Rei, did they send the same one to you?"
"Yes. Let's not waste time, there's a time limit for arrival."
"It says temple... I've never been to those parts."
"Nothing we can do about it."
Within an hour, we reached the vicinity of the temple. There were people around entering the temple. Most of them had beards and looked old. I saw that they were religious people. When I turned my face to the left, I saw Haru and Akari side by side. I immediately went over to them with Lie.
"You're here too?"
"Rei, I'm sorry. I think we're here because of me..."
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"A similar notification came to me too. I accidentally pressed the decline button. The system forced me into the game as punishment. At the same time, it sent a notification saying it would bring my friends here too."
"What, so the system can be aware of the people you value? That's strange."
"I didn't understand it either. But the reason the notification came to you is me. I'm sorry."
Haru cut into the conversation. Lie was listening.
"There's no point in complaining. If we have to play anyway, we'll play. Besides, there are four of us. If it's a team game, we could have an advantage."
I agreed with Haru's logical words.
"You're right, Haru. Well said."
Together, we were examining the temple's surroundings with our eyes from where we stood. Even the exterior of the temple was crowded. In front of the entrance stood a religious statue. Curious, we all went up to the statue. The statue was of a man. In one hand he held a gift, and in the other, he held a head similar to his own. It was an interesting statue. At the base of the statue, on the stone, the word "friendship" was written.
"Friendship?"
"It's an interesting statue."
An old man who saw us looking with curiosity came up to us. He wanted to inform us.
"This is the God of Friendship."
"God of Friendship?"
"Yes. He represents the power and love of friendship. This is just a small statue for the entrance. The true God of Friendship that is worshipped is in the very center of the hall. Come along with me."
We followed the old man. The man's back appeared hunched. When we entered, a vast hall greeted us. The place was crowded. The floors were covered with a red carpet. The walls were made of stone, but it was clear that high-quality stone had been used. In the very center stood a much larger version of the statue we had just seen. People were coming and worshipping the God of Friendship in turns. In the corner areas of the hall, green cushions had been placed for sitting. Rather than the visitors, a small number of priests who clearly had been there for a while could be seen. They wore much more religious garments. Their faces were not easily discernible.
"Here, people believe they will strengthen their friendships. That's why they worship the God of Friendship and ask him for help. Isn't it wonderful? Friendships are so precious!"
The old man told us this with great confidence. We all nodded slightly in agreement. We could sense that he would get very angry if we questioned his faith in any way.
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"You can strengthen your faith here as you wish. Also, there are friendship rooms in the back. There are a few suitable private spaces for you to chat with your friends. Additionally, you can buy yourselves something from the shop in the corner. Enjoy your time."
"Thank you, sir."
The old man walked away from us and went over to the priests. They continued watching the people worshipping the statue. I turned my face to my friends.
"Let's split up two and two until the game starts."
Everyone agreed. Rei went with Akari; Haru went with Lie. We headed toward the left corridor.
"An interesting place, isn't it, Rei?"
"Yes. Religion and friendship mixed together. I wonder how they worship."
"Anyway, I won't be disrespectful."
"You're right. No need to speak without thinking."
Akari was feeling guilty. She was in a state where she avoided making eye contact with me. While playing with her hair, she looked into my eyes.
"Rei, I'm sorry. It's all because of me. I dragged us all into this game. We don't even know exactly what will happen now."
"It's fine. We're all together, after all."
"If I had known you were this decent, my past decisions would have been different. I thought you looked down on me, that you would make fun of me, that you saw yourself as superior to me. I thought you considered yourself talented and saw me as someone behind you. But when you accepted me in the Island Game, the hatred inside me began to fade. I could feel back then that you weren't completely lying..."
I continued listening carefully to Akari's serious words.
"I promise, if you help us get through this game, I'll try to trust you even more."
Akari gently squeezed my hand. She kept looking into my eyes. I was observing her white hair. When I noticed she was looking at me, I turned my eyes to hers.
"Alright, I'll help. Don't worry."
She squeezed my hand even tighter.
"Thank you. This was important to me."
"I'm aware. Now let's explore the surroundings a bit more."
We continued looking around for a while. I noticed that the lower floor of the temple had underground corridors where people who had devoted themselves to religion in ancient times had dwelled.
"I wonder if magic was performed here. Or rituals."
"I don't know, but it wouldn't be good to talk out loud."
"You're right. Besides, this is a strange place. Let's get out of here."
Within thirty minutes, the four of us met up again. Haru and Lie said they hadn't found anything particularly unusual, that they had seen the underground corridor like us and found that it contained some religious rooms.
"Alright, then let's check the garden."
We checked the garden. A wide green area greeted us. There were beautifully colored flowers all around. The garden's edges were covered with stone fences. People were examining the flowers. There were some stones on the grass. The stones had special religious inscriptions on them. There didn't seem to be anything noteworthy.
A notification came to our phones. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the notification.
The game will begin shortly!
Game Name: The Religious Friendship Game!
How did they mix religion and friendship together? It has an interesting name...
The system sent the rules to each of us as a message.
RULES
For the game to end, every player must fill their worship level. The worship level is an energy that will rise as you worship the God of Friendship.
An energy status bar appeared beside the screen.
When everyone's worship level is complete, points are distributed equally to everyone, and the game ends. However, the points to be distributed increase for every eliminated player.
I understand. We can finish the game innocently, but they've given them an opportunity to be cunning. If one person finishes the game alone, they will probably receive a lot of points.
I continued reading the rules on the screen.
At intervals of every single day, Friendship Days will occur. On Friendship Days, if you cannot find a friend for yourself before the Friendship Day ends, you will be eliminated from the game. To find a friend, you can send a friendship invitation to another player. However, friendships can only be valid in even numbers.
So groups of three or five can't be friends. I understand.
The God of Friendship has his own rules. For the God of Friendship, violence is forbidden. Skipping worship is forbidden. Damaging the surroundings is also forbidden.
For the God of Friendship, betraying your friends is forbidden. If specific visual or written evidence is correctly submitted to the God of Friendship's box outside, the person who violated the rules will be eliminated. However, if the evidence is false, the person who filed the complaint will be eliminated themselves. The game is monitored by the system twenty-four seven. Therefore, do not hesitate to use written evidence.
Whether someone is a member of the Friendship Game can be understood from the icon in the application that will be brought to their phone.
Every three days, the God of Friendship will introduce a new friendship rule.
During the game, you will live in the village at the back. It is mandatory to come to worship every morning at nine. It is also mandatory to come to worship again every evening at nine. The rules will be considered valid for every area within the game.
The temple's own rules also apply as rule violations.
The Religious Friendship Game has begun! Have fun!
A notification sound about the game starting came to my phone. I put my phone in my pocket. I was ready to play the game.