Lucky Mutual Aid Society (6)

"What's going on? What happened?!"

As soon as President Oiwa was freed from the crowd's entanglement with the help of security, Matsui approached him and asked.

He anxiously scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of the fetus, and replied, "That 'child' ran off on its own, I don't know where it went."

"How is that possible?!" Matsui exclaimed anxiously. "It's supposed to be unable to stray from the pendant and the incense burner. This has never happened before. It should still be nearby. Isn't the incense burner in your hand still lit? Find it quickly."

"But..." President Oiwa looked at the incense burner in his hand with a strange expression. "I just can't find it, it's like the connection has been severed."

The incense burner in President Oiwa's hand now looked like an ordinary incense burner, with the rising smoke dissipating aimlessly. If it were before, President Oiwa would have seen it connected to the fetus like an umbilical cord.

"It must be nearby. Calm the attendees and search carefully," Matsui said.

"Okay." President Oiwa returned to the stage, raised his hands to signal for quiet, and then said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. The ritual is complete. Miss Suzuki, please return to your seat. And this time, I'd like to have a special segment where we all reflect on our past lives. People need to learn from their mistakes to continue growing. Let us be quiet for a moment, close our eyes, and in the tranquility, reflect on those setbacks. This way, when good fortune arrives, we can seize the opportunity better and stay on the right path. Now, please close your eyes."

After temporarily pacifying the attendees with nonsensical and meaningless words, President Oiwa hurriedly carried the incense burner and walked around the now quiet venue. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still couldn't find any trace of the fetus.

Matsui was also surveying the venue when he suddenly noticed Inuyama Heita. Heita wasn't sitting in his assigned seat but was in the last row, with many empty seats around him. It seemed he had deliberately chosen to sit at the back. Matsui signaled President Oiwa to check near that kid. President Oiwa shook his head, indicating he hadn't found any trace and that what they were looking for wasn't there.

After searching for another round, the attendees had grown impatient with their "life reflections." President Oiwa reluctantly told everyone to open their eyes. After a few more team-building games, he announced the end of the gathering and let everyone leave.

As Inuyama Heita walked out with the crowd, Matsui stopped him at the entrance.

"Heita-kun, it's not good to just take other people's things like that," Matsui said with a fake smile.

"You... you saw everything?" Inuyama Heita was startled. Just as Matsui was about to feel a glimmer of surprise, Heita sheepishly took out snacks and candy from his pocket and said awkwardly, "Um... so these things can't be taken? I'm so sorry, I'll put them back right away."

"You took quite a lot..." Matsui's expression faltered as he looked at Heita's pockets stuffed with snacks. Veins throbbed on his forehead. "You know I'm not talking about this. You saw it, didn't you? What happened on stage."

Compared to someone else, I really didn't take much... Inuyama Heita thought to himself, that person came like they were stocking up, almost clearing out the mountain of snacks on the table.

"Ah, you mean that?" Inuyama Heita lowered his voice. "That was the first time I've ever seen something like that. Wasn't that your ritual? Did something go wrong?"

Seeing that he couldn't trick anything out of him, Matsui grew suspicious. "Did you really not do anything?"

"I really didn't do anything, and you guys asked me to come, didn't you?" Inuyama Heita said innocently. He spoke with righteous indignation; after all, someone else had done it, and he had genuinely done nothing, just sat in his chair the whole time.

"Never mind, that was just a minor incident." Matsui forced a kind expression. He hadn't forgotten the purpose of inviting the other person. He persuaded, "Since you've already attended, you must have seen how respected and beloved President Oiwa is, right? Heita-kun, if I said I could make you respected like that too? Come join us, join our organization, use your abilities, and while helping others, gain the status you deserve, and—money..."

"But didn't your ritual just fail?" Inuyama Heita feigned ignorance. "I saw that thing suddenly go down and disappear. It's quite dangerous to come into contact with those things rashly."

Matsui retorted irritably, "That was an accident!"

"Eh~ So it was an accident? That's a real shame." Inuyama Heita said, but his tone was dismissive, making one angry. He bowed politely to Matsui. "I'm truly sorry, but I'm still a student, and I have a part-time job. I don't have time for these social activities. I'm really very sorry. It's almost time, and I have to go to work, or the manager will scold me. As for joining your organization... I'll consider it carefully. Goodbye."

"Tsk..." Watching Inuyama Heita leave, Matsui cursed inwardly, "To be looked down upon by a kid! And it just had to be this time that something went wrong, damn it."

President Oiwa walked over and asked, "Who was that kid?"

"Just some kid from a well-off family," Matsui replied perfunctorily. He asked, "Still can't find it?"

President Oiwa nodded. "I can't find it anywhere nearby. Should I search on other floors? These little things sometimes like to run around."

Matsui waved his hand. "No rush. Suzuki's pendant hasn't cracked, which means the child is fine. It just doesn't know where it ran off to. As long as the incense burner is still in our hands, it'll come back sooner or later."

"Got it. Then I'm off work. There's a good yakitori place at an izakaya I'm going to for a couple of drinks. I'll leave the rest to you," President Oiwa stretched and left on his own.

Matsui watched President Oiwa's retreating back, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

As Inuyama Heita left the venue and stepped onto the street, he encountered another person waiting for him at the entrance.

"Why are you here, Inuyama-kun?" Suzuki asked, pushing up her glasses, getting straight to the point.