After hearing President Oiwa's shocking statement, everyone was left bewildered. They looked around and voiced their confusion, and the entire hall trembled slightly with the noise of the crowd. However, thanks to the security staff keeping order, no major disturbance broke out.
"Everyone! Please listen to me!" President Oiwa said urgently. "Perhaps this sounds alarmist, but at least there's nothing wrong with the books on the surface. So why am I still accusing him? Because I discovered that the donations you all made far exceeded the figures in the accounts! Some of that money simply vanished into thin air, its whereabouts unknown! And who do you think was managing that money? That's right. Since the Lucky Mutual Aid Society was founded, all its accounts have been managed by Matsui Ryoji, because we trusted him! So there's only one truth: he took advantage of our trust and embezzled our money for his own selfish gain! And we were still thanking and praising him! This is betrayal, outright betrayal!"
"President Oiwa! Is that really true? Mr. Matsui... he wouldn't do something like that." A member who was on good terms with Matsui called out. "Could there be some misunderstanding? Mr. Matsui, please come up and explain!"
Oiwa glanced at the floor beside the stage and saw that Matsui had no intention of coming up to snatch the microphone, so he continued, "I don't think this is a misunderstanding. I stake my personal reputation on it. And I'm doing this entirely for everyone's shared benefit. The Lucky Mutual Aid Society is one harmonious family, and I won't allow anyone to destroy it. So, Mr. Matsui, do you have anything to say?"
President Oiwa had a great deal of prestige, and after he made such a solemn assurance, the crowd grew furious. Many people began shouting.
"Matsui! You two-faced snake! I knew you were no good!"
"Hey, quit standing there like an idiot. Say something!"
"Traitor! President Oiwa trusted you, and so did we!"
"I can't believe Mr. Matsui would be that kind of person."
"I've disliked that suit-wearing guy from the start!"
"You're finished, Matsui! Even Jesus can't save you! You heard it here first!"
Amid the heckling, President Oiwa seemed to hear a familiar voice, but he couldn't remember whose it was. Only Inuyama Heita glanced over at the source, speechless.
"Since... everyone wants me to explain, I'll gladly do so." Matsui's expression was calm. He slowly stepped forward, climbed onto the stage, and walked over to President Oiwa. Holding another microphone, he said, "I never expected things to turn out like this. I'd like to apologize to everyone for what happened."
The members in the audience weren't having it. They cursed at him. "Apologizing at a time like this? Isn't it a little too late? You scum who pocketed the donations—you'll get what's coming to you!"
"President, may I speak?" Matsui asked politely.
"Please." President Oiwa nodded. He wanted to see how Matsui could possibly fight back. Staying behind the scenes had kept Matsui safe; even when attacked from outside, the damage hadn't been focused on him. But who could have imagined that the attack would come from the society's own president? The advantage of being a puppet on the public stage was that he had enough prestige to overwhelm his opponent. Whatever the other man said, he could refute it with his own influence and set the feverish members on him. He was allowing Matsui to speak now not out of graciousness, but merely to preserve his gentlemanly image.
"Then, excuse me." Matsui faced the audience. "The apology I just made wasn't for the so-called embezzlement of donations. It was for something else."
"What are you trying to say?"
"If you've got some excuse, spit it out!"
"Traitor! Traitor!"
"Fuck you, give us our money back! How can you face us? Give it back!"
Matsui said expressionlessly, "What I'm about to tell you is a fact—the truth about something that's deceived you all for a year. President Oiwa isn't President Oiwa at all. His real name is Harada Taro. He's been a shut-in at home for thirty years, not a business elite or a university professor."
The crowd erupted. They couldn't stand Matsui slandering their beloved President Oiwa, and insults rang out from every side. Only a few people looked uncertain, seemingly wondering whether what he'd said was true.
Matsui continued, "You don't believe me? That's understandable. Harada's appearance is quite convincing, because I designed that persona for him. If you don't believe me, investigate. The university positions and company names are all fake; none of them have real addresses or actual jobs. Go check in person and see whether I'm lying. You can even take a photo and ask around near Harada's house. I'm sure plenty of people there know what happened to him."
"Impossible! That can't be true!"
"This is slander! It's absolutely slander!"
"President Oiwa, tell us this is all made up by that bastard Matsui!"
"Good! Tear him apart! Louder!"
President Oiwa... no, Harada Taro's heart beat a little faster when he heard Matsui expose him, but that was all. It wasn't enough to become his fatal weakness. He picked up the microphone and said, "...Although it's hard to admit, I can only tell everyone that what he said is true. My name isn't Ooiwa Satoru. It's Harada Taro."
"What?!"
As soon as he said that, the audience let out a chorus of anguished cries. Some people even fainted on the spot. Matsui looked at Harada, somewhat surprised.
"You've grown, old man..." Matsui raised an eyebrow and thought.
Harada Taro spoke in a low voice full of emotion. "I once suffered a major setback in life and spent thirty years hiding at home, placing a heavy burden on my parents. I was an unfilial son. Like all of you, I was once a failure, someone plagued by misfortune and trapped in a quagmire, unable to pull himself free. But I managed to climb out, and awakened a few insignificant talents. So I swore that from then on, I would help others who were as unfortunate as me, and help them escape the quagmire of life... No one would believe the words of a good-for-nothing who'd stayed at home for thirty years, so I faked this identity. I'm truly sorry for that. Please forgive me."
As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the audience.
After their brief shock, many people came around.
"President Oiwa... no, President Harada, so you're just like us..." Many members' eyes brimmed with tears. It turned out that their president, too, was a pitiful person whom fate had toyed with, just like them, not some lofty god! Somehow, that made him feel even closer to them.
A fanatical member stood up and roared, "President, whether you're Oiwa or Harada, you'll always be our president! Aaaaaah!!! President!!!"
"President..."
"President, you haven't done anything wrong. You don't need to apologize at all! The fact that you've helped us can't be denied!"
"President, we love you!"
"President! President! President! President..." Countless voices gradually joined together, and the two words rang throughout the hall.
Harada Taro's eyes filled with tears. Choking up, he said, "Thank you... Thank you for trusting me! I'm deeply grateful!"
After saying that, he glanced at Matsui, a smug look in his eyes. You bastard, Matsui. I even survived a vicious scheme like exposing my past. You're out of tricks now, aren't you? Oh, right, there's still that move... Heh. But I'm not afraid of it anymore. Bring it on! I told you I'd give you a surprise. Those idiots will choose to believe me, their puppet, instead of you, the mastermind behind the scenes. Serves you right!
However, Matsui didn't go hysterical as Harada had expected. Instead, he coughed once and spoke into the microphone. "Ahem. Everyone, please quiet down. I have one more thing to tell you."
"What else is there to say at this point?"
"Just wait to die! I'm calling the police and having you thrown in jail!"
"Give us our money back! Give it back, you bastard!"
"Booooo! Refund our tickets!"
Matsui ignored them, turned up the microphone's volume, and spoke slowly. "Although this is terribly unfair to the president, I have to say it. Harada Taro is actually... a mental patient."
As soon as he said that, the entire hall fell silent.
"Whoa, amazing!" Qian Xiaoyi applauded in admiration, then slurped some cola to wet his throat.
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