"You mean President Oiwa is just a figurehead, and Matsui is the one really pulling the strings behind the Mutual Aid Society?" Inuyama Heita asked in surprise after hearing what Qian Xiaoyi had told him.
Qian Xiaoyi waved a hand. "Calling him a figurehead isn't quite right. More accurately, they're partners, but Matsui currently has the upper hand. Here, take a look at this photo."
Qian Xiaoyi opened his phone's photo album, found an image, and handed it to Inuyama Heita. Heita took it and examined it closely. The photo had been taken in a crowded izakaya, with many people in the frame. It was obviously a candid shot. Heita stared at it for a while before spotting a vaguely familiar face in the crowd. His eyes widened in surprise. "Is that... President Oiwa?"
In the corner of the photo was a middle-aged man wearing a brown bucket hat and rimless glasses, with a dark vest thrown over his clothes. Dressed plainly, he was raising a glass and chatting drunkenly with the people around him. He looked like any drunk uncle you might see on the street at night. But Heita still recognized his face—it was identical to President Oiwa's. Even so, he couldn't connect the drunk in the photo with the refined, sophisticated President Oiwa he'd seen at the Mutual Aid Society's event. Their demeanors were worlds apart.
"What do you think? Surprised, right?" Qian Xiaoyi said smugly. "Good thing I brought my own phone. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to see this photo." By "wouldn't have been able to see it," Qian Xiaoyi meant an unwritten rule in Japan: phones sold there couldn't be set to take pictures silently. That was to prevent creeps from taking candid photos. It sounded a little ridiculous, but at least in Japan, creeps were a serious social problem.
The man in the photo was so different from the President Oiwa in Heita's memory that Heita couldn't help asking, "Is that really President Oiwa?"
"Yes, and no," Qian Xiaoyi said cryptically.
Heita looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Qian Xiaoyi smiled and explained, "The man we know as President Oiwa isn't really named Ooiwa Satoru. His real name is Harada Taro. He's a shut-in and a freeloader who spent over thirty years holed up at home, too afraid to face the outside world—not the 'founder of the theory of luck,' 'business elite,' 'doctor of fortune-telling,' and all those other impressive-sounding titles listed on the flyer."
"Huh?" Heita exclaimed. "He doesn't seem like that at all! How did you find this out, Mr. Qian?"
Qian Xiaoyi said, "You think I have nothing to do all day? I didn't go far after the gathering that day. I waited until President Oiwa came out, then called a taxi and followed him to where he lived before coming back. When you called me yesterday, I was out investigating, remember? I was looking into the Harada family's background in the area. I have to say, those middle-aged ladies are really helpful. I hadn't even asked anything. I just casually mentioned the Harada family and said their place looked kind of creepy, and they all started chattering away, telling me everything I wanted to know. When they said they'd seen him go out to an izakaya, I pretended not to believe them, and they gave me the address without a second thought."
The corner of Heita's mouth twitched. He'd thought Qian Xiaoyi had used some professional detective technique to investigate President Oiwa's background, and he'd been a little excited. He never expected it had all come from gossipy housewives.
If Qian Xiaoyi had known what he was thinking, he would definitely have scolded him for having no idea how valuable neighborhood busybodies could be. Did he even understand the power of the people?
"So what did those ladies say?" Heita asked.
"Just a rumor everyone knows. You could call it an open secret," Qian Xiaoyi said. "Most of the longtime residents on that street know that the Harada family's son is a shut-in, and has been for thirty years. Apparently, he was in a car accident while he was still in school and nearly died. After that, he became too afraid to go outside, and his parents had to work to support him."
Heita frowned. "President Oiwa looks like he's in his fifties. Wouldn't his parents be even older?"
"Right. I heard they were both over seventy, and still working to support the family," Qian Xiaoyi said. "A few years ago, Harada Taro's mother died from overwork at an advanced age. His father kept driving a taxi for several more years until he reached his limit, both physically and mentally. A year ago, he parked his car by the sea and jumped in."
The Harada family's fate was heartbreaking, but Heita wasn't particularly surprised. Japan's aging population was famous worldwide, and it was common for elderly people to work to help support their families. The problem of shut-ins was much the same. The news often reported on older shut-ins who died alone at home, their bodies not discovered until much later.
Qian Xiaoyi continued, "Just when everyone thought Harada Taro would die at home after losing his source of income, they found that he hadn't died alone after all. Instead, he started going out regularly, as if he'd reentered society."
Heita pondered this. "Was he recruited by Matsui to set up the Lucky Mutual Aid Society?"
"Probably," Qian Xiaoyi said. "If I'm not mistaken, that car accident thirty years ago brought him close to death and accidentally opened his spiritual eyes, turning him into what people call a medium. That's why he didn't dare go outside for thirty years: the world had become different from the one he knew. But before Harada Taro could quietly fade away and die, Matsui discovered him and invited him to join the Mutual Aid Society. He made him a star who could stand onstage. Maybe Matsui guided him, maybe the believers' fervent adoration helped, or maybe it was the power of money. Whatever the reason, Harada Taro finally overcame his psychological barriers and left home, becoming the President Oiwa we see today."
Heita sighed. "So that's what was going on behind the scenes... President Oiwa sounds pretty pitiful too."
"Don't let your sympathy run wild, Heitaro," Qian Xiaoyi warned him. "Sure, the guy's had some bad luck, but if he deserves pity, what about the believers he's deceived and bled dry? Don't forget, he's the Lucky Mutual Aid Society's public-facing president. Even if he isn't the one in charge, he must be getting a share of the profits from the believers' offerings. His situation isn't so dire that he has to do evil just to survive. He's simply chosen to run away from his problems. People like that don't need your sympathy."
"I understand." Heita nodded, then continued, "So how did you get to know President Oiwa... I mean, Harada? And how did you end up drinking and having fun together?"
Qian Xiaoyi wagged a finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You kids don't understand. That wasn't just drinking. It's called business entertaining, something adults do~ Pay attention, because the interesting part is coming up. Listen closely."
Before you continue