At any rate, I was certain that there were about one hundred people gathered here, and that they were all very, very serious.

“The birth of mankind was six thousand years ago.”

“Noah’s Ark is on Mount Ararat.”

“Satan’s war will begin soon.”

“According to the Book of Revelations…”

Are you all from Gakken Mu?![25] I wanted to yell, but Yamazaki and I were vastly outnumbered.

Finally, the first lecture ended. In summation, this was its message: The decay of this world is spreading visibly. Political corruption is unending, disputes break out ceaselessly around the world, and brutal urban crime just goes on and on. Youths are addicted to licentious relationships, adults seek only material worth, and morality falls further and further by the wayside. In short, this is Satan’s doing. Those in this world ruled by Satan are unaware that they do his bidding, and this is precisely why Armageddon draws near. Before Armageddon arrives, we must save as many people as possible from damnation. This is the goal of our mission.

Apparently, an antagonism between God and Satan existed, and those without faith would fall into hell.

The student lectures that followed seemed to have similar themes. “Praise God, hate Satan” appeared to be the general policy. They all seemed to have practiced quite a bit for this day and skillfully referenced passages from the Bible, speaking without hesitation. I could see some signs of nervousness; even so, they spoke proudly. Each time the bell rang, marking the end of the allotted six minutes, everyone clapped. I clapped, too. Continuing in this way, eventually, the young people’s speeches ended.

Next… Yamazaki and I exchanged glances: Misaki’s turn had come.

I was expectant. I wanted her to use ridiculous lines like those I heard each night at counseling. I wanted her to make me laugh and feel cheerful.

However, Misaki, at the podium, was shaking slightly, her face pale. During the entire time, she had nothing interesting to say. In a vague, flat monotone, she merely gave a passable speech about the Bible, staring at her shoes the entire time.

She seemed to be in pain. Her demeanor reminded me of a girl who, from elementary school on, everyone had bullied.

Missionary school ended.

After a ten minute break, a “service meeting” was scheduled. During the break, everyone chatted amiably—a group of housewives, boys, and young men. Each group gathered together, talking and smiling happily.

“Kazuma is in Bethel—“

“—servants volunteering—“

“Anyway, in the reclamation work we did before—“

“—the Satomi sisters finally were baptized.”

Specialized, technical terms were used often, so I couldn’t really follow the conversations well.