"Ah, Mr. Matsui! Hello." Inuyama Heita put on an embarrassed look. "The food at this gathering is so good that I accidentally took a little too much. That should be... okay, right?"
Matsui glanced at the tower of food on Inuyama Heita's plate, his eyebrow twitching. This guy really was trying to eat enough to get his money's worth. Still, he replied gently, "It's fine. Eat as much as you like, as long as you don't waste it..." Thinking of the benefits Inuyama Heita could bring him later, a little food was nothing. If the other man was obedient, he could eat as much as he wanted.
"I won't waste any!" Inuyama Heita happily stuffed a pastry into his mouth.
Watching Inuyama Heita's goofy expression, Matsui nodded to himself. The dumber this kid was, the easier he'd be to control. That was a good thing. Then Matsui leaned closer and asked in a lowered voice, "Heita-kun, when you go up onstage later, don't get nervous. This is for everyone."
Inuyama Heita hesitated before asking, "Um, Mr. Matsui, is President Oiwa really the way you described him? Could this really not be a misunderstanding?"
"Yes, if my investigation is correct." Matsui's expression turned solemn. "Even I didn't know about this before. I only noticed something was wrong recently. I've worked with the president for over a year, and after discovering all this, I was the one who suffered the most and found it hardest to believe. But for the sake of the innocent people in the society, this is something we have to do. Do you understand?"
Inuyama Heita nodded earnestly. "I believe you."
Matsui smiled. "I'm glad to have your trust. For everyone in the society, let's do our best together. Only after we get past this hurdle will we have a better tomorrow."
"Yeah! Munch, munch..."
Amid the harmonious atmosphere, this gathering was finally about to begin. The members took their seats in orderly fashion, with the senior members in the front row and the other members behind them. As usual, Qian Xiaoyi found a seat in the very back. He pulled popcorn from his bag and cradled it in one hand, holding a cup of cola in the other as he stared expectantly at the stage, all set and looking as excited as someone waiting for a movie to start.
The lights in the hall gradually dimmed. The members' noisy chatter faded along with them, turning into whispers before falling completely silent. They could all sense that this gathering was different from the previous ones. Something important was probably about to be announced.
In the darkness on either side of the stage, Matsui stood on the left, with Inuyama Heita behind him, while President Oiwa stood on the right. The two men exchanged a calm look for a few seconds. Matsui smiled slightly and gestured for President Oiwa to go ahead and take the stage.
President Oiwa gave a cold snort, straightened his collar, then strode into the stage lights.
"Hello, everyone," President Oiwa said into the microphone.
"Hello, President Oiwa!" the audience responded in unison.
President Oiwa looked at the admiring eyes fixed on him and nodded with satisfaction. "Has everyone had another LUCKY week?"
"LUCKY!"
Qian Xiaoyi curled his lip. It was pretty much the same opening as last time. How boring. Get to the main event already.
"Everyone's full of energy today!" President Oiwa said. "I'm sure you're all pleased with today's gathering, right? You've all seen the exquisite food laid out on the long table beside us. Even I couldn't resist taking a few pieces to eat. It's clear that a lot of care went into the preparations, and it's all thanks to our old friend, Mr. Matsui. You all know him, right?"
"Of course."
"Everyone knows him."
"Who doesn't know Mr. Matsui? He's the one who introduced us to the society."
"It'd be hard not to know him."
The members answered in a chorus of voices. Matsui stood offstage beside them, still smiling, seemingly unaware of any danger.
"That's right, who doesn't know Mr. Matsui?" President Oiwa continued. "Everyone knows him. Whatever you need, he's the first person you think of. 'Reliable' might as well be his motto. Who here hasn't received help from Mr. Matsui? Even I've benefited greatly from his kindness. Some of you might think that because I'm the president of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, Mr. Matsui must be my subordinate. That's a mistaken impression."
Everyone fell silent and listened closely.
"Truthfully, Mr. Matsui and I are more like partners. I'm a few years older, and I have a little talent, so I became president. You may not know this, but the idea of founding the society came from Mr. Matsui. You could say there'd be no Lucky Mutual Aid Society as it is today without him. Mr. Matsui is the unquestioned pillar of our society!"
"Mr. Matsui is amazing!"
"I thought Mr. Matsui was just President Oiwa's secretary."
"Mr. Matsui, I love you!"
"...But," President Oiwa continued, his tone turning gloomy, "recently I discovered a crack in this seemingly reliable pillar."
His words rang throughout the hall, and the room fell utterly silent. Everyone wondered if they'd heard him right. Was President Oiwa... accusing Mr. Matsui? The members all turned to look at Matsui, who continued to stand there smiling without moving.
"Heh, building someone up just to tear them down," Qian Xiaoyi muttered to himself, eating a piece of popcorn. "Looks like this old shut-in didn't waste his year as president."
President Oiwa glanced at Matsui. The other man's smile had gradually faded into a calm expression, which gave President Oiwa courage to continue. His voice turned mournful. "...Matsui and I have known each other a long time. We're true close friends, and everyone has seen our relationship. At first, I couldn't believe something like this could happen. But deceiving myself would only be the deadliest slow-acting poison. I can't tolerate my friend doing something like this, especially to all of you. The Lucky Mutual Aid Society is one big family. He's my friend, my family, and so are all of you... So I've decided to tell you about something I discovered recently. You all know that our members have to donate one-twentieth of their income every month. That's a large sum of money, and it's mainly used to help members who can turn their luck around and change their fates. But..."
The hall grew restless. President Oiwa took a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision, then said, "Matsui... He embezzled those donations!"
The crowd erupted!
Before you continue