Lucky Mutual Aid Society (3)

Although he had already taken his seat, Inuyama Heita was still looking around restlessly, as if searching for something.

"Stop fidgeting," Qian Xiaoyi said, sitting beside him. Leaning back against the seat, he idly played with his metal cigarette case. "The person you're looking for isn't in the audience."

Inuyama Heita turned his head and asked, "Do you know where she is?"

"Your movements are too obvious. I told you we're not here together. Turn your head away, don't let them see we know each other, or they might get suspicious." Qian Xiaoyi opened his cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth without lighting it. He continued, "As for your question, it's easy to answer. That guy always claims this Lucky Mutual Aid Society is a legitimate organization, and that's probably true. With supernatural means, he wouldn't need to break the law. So, he wouldn't forcibly detain that young girl, let alone with her fanatically devoted mother... If she's not in the audience, she should be on stage. That's why that man in the suit had you come here."

"I see," Inuyama Heita lowered his voice.

Just then, the gathering finally began. An elder who looked like a successful businessman walked onto the stage. Like Matsui, he was dressed in a suit, his gray hair slicked back. He carried himself with an extraordinary presence; no one would question it if he were a government minister. However, he didn't exude an air of high authority or arrogance. Instead, he walked to the center, picked up the microphone, and smiled genially, "My dear members, how have you been? It's been a while, has everyone been LUCKY?"

"LUCKY!"

The members in the audience responded in unison with the excitement of seeing an idol. From the front row, someone couldn't help but reach out their hand and shout excitedly, "President Oiwa! President Oiwa! Shake my hand! Grant me good luck!" As one person took the lead, others around them eagerly extended their hands, afraid of being a moment too late.

"Hahaha~ It seems everyone is still so spirited. That puts this old man's mind at ease." President Oiwa chuckled heartily. "A handshake? A small matter." With that, he walked down from the stage and warmly shook hands with the members. Everyone he touched looked radiant and invigorated. Seeing others interact with the president, those in the back were not to be outdone and stood up, wanting to get closer to him.

However, President Oiwa had anticipated this. After brief interactions with the audience, he returned to the stage. The remaining members were calmed by security personnel already positioned in the venue and guided back to their seats, preventing any chaos. The atmosphere, however, had been thoroughly ignited.

"Everyone will have a chance to shake hands," President Oiwa said enthusiastically. "But if we spend all our time on this, we'll likely be late for dinner at home."

"It's okay, we're already full from the free snacks!" a voice from the audience replied, filling the hall with cheerful laughter.

Amidst this peaceful and joyful atmosphere, only two individuals felt out of place. Qian Xiaoyi leaned back lazily on his stool, his eyelids half-closed, the unlit cigarette still in his mouth as he observed President Oiwa on stage. The sudden liveliness around them made Inuyama Heita somewhat uneasy.

"Oiwa..." While President Oiwa was still greeting the members, Inuyama Heita took out the flyer and read it aloud, "'President and Founder of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society – Ooiwa Satoru, mentor for a lucky life, guiding you out of darkness and into a colorful future...'"

Looking at the frenzied crowd captivated by Ooiwa Satoru's appearance, he said worriedly, "Speaking of which, how do they manage this? To make so many people believe in them so deeply. Don't these people realize that just shaking hands to bring good luck is unreasonable?"

"When people are at their lowest, they always need something to hold onto," Qian Xiaoyi replied indifferently. "As for why they've become this way, just take a closer look at the people around you, and you'll understand."

Inuyama Heita scanned his surroundings, observing the excited members. At first, he didn't notice anything, but after a while, he realized that these people seemed to come from all walks of life. There was an ordinary middle-aged woman, a portly middle-aged man with a receding hairline, a young man with a "kill Matt" hairstyle who looked like a male escort, a beautiful woman wearing a mask, a dejected-looking middle-aged salaryman, and even a drag queen with a scruffy beard and heavy makeup. Although their backgrounds were disparate, they shared a common trait: many were marginalized members of society. While there were a few elites who looked like successful individuals, they were few. The majority were those who hadn't achieved financial freedom, the underclass, their faces filled with a pilgrim-like devotion as they stared fanatically at President Oiwa on stage.

"See?" Qian Xiaoyi said. "When people are escaping reality, they often make excuses for themselves, attributing their inability to succeed to various factors to comfort themselves. Those with religious beliefs might say it's all God's plan, that destiny has great things in store for them, and so on. Those who don't believe in God might use common reasons like social injustice or a poor upbringing, or even strange groups that blame everything on masturbation... Cough, I'm getting off track. In short, whatever the reason, these types are all similar. They're just looking for an excuse to absolve themselves of responsibility and find warmth in numbers. The world is too disheartening, and only here can they find a sanctuary. Of course, these guys without 'oil' are just the atmosphere builders here, like free-to-play players in a pay-to-win game, serving as a backdrop for the paying players. They might be insignificant, but they're indispensable."

Noticing Qian Xiaoyi's gaze sweeping across the room, Inuyama Heita said, "So... you're looking for their real targets?"

"Yes." Qian Xiaoyi's gaze locked onto a middle-aged male member in more upscale attire. He casually added, "Either someone with 'oil,' or someone who can lend credibility to the association through their social standing..."

On stage, President Oiwa continued his droning, empty motivational speech, essentially saying things like "No one is born a failure," "The future is bright," and "Reach the pinnacle of life." Because the entire venue was buzzing with excitement, he was met with enthusiastic cheers for everything he said. If he had ended with a few lines like "Applause if you understand," Qian Xiaoyi wouldn't have doubted for a second that he had stumbled into a pyramid scheme seminar.

Finally, after President Oiwa's ten-minute warm-up, Matsui, who had cleaned the cream from his clothes, appeared. He took the microphone from President Oiwa and said with a smile, "Thank you to our respected president for his speech. Now it's time to move on to the next phase. Let's hear the voices of our brothers and sisters in the society."