Lucky Mutual Aid Society (19)

Inuyama Heita looked at Qian Xiaoyi in disbelief, unable to believe he had just told the other party the truth!

"Please don't joke!" Suzuki replied with a frown. "I'm not some chuunibyou idiot! Please don't use such childish lies to fob me off! It's not scientific at all."

"Yes, yes, yes~" Qian Xiaoyi said with a sheepish grin. "I thought the atmosphere here was a bit awkward, so I just made a small joke~ So, Miss Suzuki, what do you think the truth is? I think you already have an answer in your heart, right? After all, you've been eavesdropping behind the door for quite a while."

Suzuki adjusted her glasses and said, "I don't know what your motives are, but you must be doing something detrimental to the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, right? That's why you had Inuyama-kun pretend to be tricked by them and then infiltrate the organization to gather intelligence. But I still want to ask, what exactly do you want to do? Why did Inuyama-kun entrust you? As far as I know, these kinds of agencies usually don't charge cheaply, right? Inuyama-kun, where did you get so much money?"

Inuyama Heita was asked until he stammered. Qian Xiaoyi answered for him, "He came to entrust me because I know his parents and am very good friends with them, so I can be considered his elder. As for the reason for the entrustment... didn't you hear earlier about Inuyama-kun being extorted by thugs? He originally wanted me to handle that matter, but as you know, it wasn't just simple blackmail, but a trap set by the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. It's because the other party had their eyes on the remaining family fortune of the Inuyama family. To get rid of these troubles, I had Inuyama-kun pretend to fall into the trap and then gather information from the inside. Otherwise, those people would be like gum on the sole of your shoe, incredibly disgusting and impossible to shake off. Your family is also one of the victims, so you should understand."

"So..." Suzuki's eyes gradually lit up. "You are looking for evidence of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society's crimes!"

"Well, you could say that," Qian Xiaoyi nodded, and Inuyama Heita breathed a sigh of relief. She believed him; they had managed to fool her this time.

"That's great!" Suzuki excitedly placed her hands on the table and said resentfully, "Count me in. I've had enough of that detestable man in the suit! If this continues, my mother will squander all our family's assets."

"Huh?!" Inuyama Heita was stunned.

Hearing her words, Qian Xiaoyi didn't refuse directly but asked, "Miss Suzuki is very motivated, but this kind of thing isn't better with more people. So, Miss Suzuki, what kind of help can you provide to bring down this detestable cult organization?"

Suzuki adjusted her glasses frame and replied, "When I was outside the door just now, I heard you recording the information of senior members. I think I can help. After all, I am also one of the so-called senior members. Because my mother used to curry favor with those senior members, I also know the identities of some of them."

Qian Xiaoyi shook his head and then said, "That's very helpful, but that alone isn't enough. That's information that's too easy to obtain. Inuyama-kun can figure it out clearly just by attending a few more gatherings."

Suzuki continued, "I'm not done yet. Inuyama-kun might have already told you about my family situation. My mother is a fervent follower of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, and she often communicates with members within the group. The members aren't as harmonious as they appear on the surface; they also have selfish motives. Everyone wants to become a senior member, and they even compete with each other to see whose family donates more property to the Mutual Aid Society. As far as I know, to become a member of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, you must voluntarily contribute one-twentieth of your monthly income, and that's just the minimum..."

"One-twentieth?!" Inuyama Heita frowned. It didn't seem like much, but if there were many members, it would be a considerable sum.

Qian Xiaoyi chuckled mockingly. "That's considered the average donation for religious groups. As far as I know, some religious groups in Tokyo even charge one-tenth of one's income as membership fees, which is simply like the tithe of ancient times."

Suzuki said indignantly, "Doing nothing, just deceiving people, and getting so much money is simply unreasonable. Yet my mother keeps wanting to sell off our family's possessions to convert them into property to be submitted... Now that I'm a senior member, my mother is very happy. I thought this matter was over, but she became even more excessive, wanting to pay more membership fees. If I don't stop her, all our family's belongings will be sold off. So I also want to help. My mother has contact information for many members, and they often have private gatherings. I can gather some information from them."

"Your reasons are sufficient," Qian Xiaoyi nodded. "Then, welcome to join us, Miss Suzuki. Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to work. Heitaro, continue playing the recording and collect the identity information of all senior members."

"Ah... I got it." Inuyama Heita was still a bit hesitant about Suzuki joining, but he didn't show it. He obediently placed his phone on the table and pressed the play button.

"Alright! Let's get to work." Suzuki was full of enthusiasm, picked up the juice on the table, and took a big gulp.

The three of them then began to cross-reference the information in the recordings one by one. In addition to the recordings, at the end of the gathering, Inuyama Heita found an excuse to take a group photo with those people using his phone, ensuring that no one would be missed.

"This should be about it..." After a while, Qian Xiaoyi picked up a pen and marked several people in the notebook where he was recording information, then nodded with satisfaction. "It's these people."

The two high school students leaned their heads over. Inuyama Heita asked curiously, "Who are these people?"

Qian Xiaoyi replied, "Excluding those senior members who are simply wealthy and easy to exploit, these are the people we should focus on."

Suzuki saw that she was also on Qian Xiaoyi's list of "fat sheep" and her mouth twitched slightly. Although she was a senior member, she wasn't the fat sheep; it was her foolish mother.

Inuyama Heita nodded. "I think I understand. These people don't have much wealth to exploit. From a utilitarian perspective, they must be very important to the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, otherwise Matsui wouldn't have absorbed them as senior members."

"That's right," Qian Xiaoyi pointed to a few names on the list with his pen. "As a new, small religious group, in the early stages of its development, to expand its influence, they will use every penny where it counts the most. Maria, the owner of the Blue Note bar... Madam? Responsible for providing the gathering venue, she was one of the earliest members to join the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, its earliest supporter. Hongo Daisuke, a thug, likely someone Matsui invested in to get connected with the yakuza. Those two thugs who extorted Heitaro were probably found by him. Next is Mitarai, a hospital cleaner, whose role is unclear. Then there's Kuroda, a truck driver who recently became a senior member, and..."

After marking these people one by one, it was almost dark. Suzuki had to go home because it was far away. She promised to help investigate the Lucky Mutual Aid Society's tax evasion information, guessing that those guys would definitely not be willing to give up a large portion of the profits they squeezed from their members, so it would be easy to find something. After she left, only Qian Xiaoyi and Inuyama Heita remained in the office.

"Phew~ That troublesome lady is finally gone." Watching Suzuki's retreating figure outside the window, Qian Xiaoyi turned and said, "Now, let's get down to business. Heitaro, tell me, what did Matsui have you do after he took you into the private room?"