Lucky Mutual Aid Society (27)

"Matsui, you scoundrel!" Some of the fanatical members couldn't take it anymore, believing Matsui was insulting their respected president. They stood up and started shouting curses, some even wanting to rush up and beat him, but they were stopped by several security guards.

"Bastard! What do you think you're doing? Sit down!"

"You want a beating?"

Those security guards bared their fangs. Just hearing the authentic trill of their tongues, one could tell they were from the underworld. This made the fanatical fans calm down a bit.

Harada Taro, hearing Matsui's words, felt a chill run through his body and broke out in a cold sweat. This was his biggest secret, and he swore he had never told Matsui before! But there was still a chance to salvage this. So, he forced himself to remain calm and, pretending to be offended, asked, "Matsui, what exactly are you talking about? Are you insulting me?"

In an instant, Matsui's face showed a smile again, but he suppressed it the next second. He continued, "Everyone, please don't get agitated. I'm not insulting the president; I'm accurately describing... During the president's long thirty-year hikikomori life, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment by his parents several times. What I'm saying is the truth. Am I right, President?"

Harada Taro argued, "This was the price of awakening my talent. I was young then, and I deeply misunderstood and feared this awakened talent, not knowing how to control it. So, my behavior at the time appeared extremely strange to others, which led them to mistakenly believe I was mentally ill and send me to the hospital. But now, I can familiarise myself with seeing through fate and helping others! What you're saying is merely the most insignificant experience in my long life. These experiences made me who I am today, and they made me determined to establish the Mutual Aid Society to help others."

"I see! I knew President would never be mentally ill! You hateful Matsui, slandering the President like this!" The members below were convinced. Harada Taro's explanation fit his persona perfectly – a genius with talents misunderstood by the world! Even so, he hadn't forgotten his original intentions, which was truly admirable.

Matsui nodded, then took out a medical record, flipped it open, and said, "That's right, strange behavior can indeed be explained away with this excuse. I found the president's medical record from that psychiatric hospital. The most recent admission was five years ago, and it clearly stated schizophrenia, with detailed descriptions of his symptoms, such as hallucinations... But, it also mentioned that his schizophrenia had extremely severe paranoid delusions. The symptom was that whenever he felt insecure, he would believe someone was trying to harm him and experience a mental breakdown. I think the president's condition has relapsed, right? That's why he's so suspicious and is calling me a scoundrel who embezzled donations..."

"You bastard! What nonsense are you spouting!" Seeing Matsui actually pull out his medical record, Harada Taro became extremely anxious. He could no longer maintain his composure and roared impatiently, "What paranoid delusions? You know perfectly well, there really is something trying to harm me... Damn it!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Matsui asked teasingly, "Then, President, who exactly is trying to harm you?"

As soon as he said this, Harada realized he had spoken out of turn. He quickly retorted, "No, that's not it, I misspoke! No one is trying to harm me..."

But words spoken are like spilled water; they cannot be taken back. Suspicious gazes reappeared on the faces of the members. They whispered and discussed amongst themselves, their chaotic voices like needles stabbing at him from below, making him feel uneasy and uncomfortable, his breathing gradually becoming difficult. The memories of thirty years as a hikikomori flooded his mind, and the solitary, introverted emotions shattered all the efforts of the past year. He had reverted to being that reclusive, useless shut-in, Harada Taro.

Suddenly, Harada's eyes sharpened, and he thought, No, it's not over yet. My prestige is still intact; I can still fool them! This is nothing. As long as I continue to incite my followers to attack this scoundrel Matsui, slandering him is a threat to luck! Those brainless idiots will believe it. They'll do anything to change their fate! Harada Taro's fighting spirit finally ignited. He wanted to endure this threat once more, just like before. This was a trial given to him by heaven; if he could overcome it, he would surely ascend and see different scenery!

Just as he was about to gather his courage and launch his final counterattack, he suddenly saw a baby, pale and swollen with dense black blood vessels, crawl out of Matsui's collar. It bared its fangs at him with a smile, its eyes filled with malice. The little ghost crawled onto the ground from Matsui's body, making excited "ya-ya" sounds as it crawled towards Harada.

Shifting his gaze, Harada discovered that it wasn't just this one. The little ghosts on the high-ranking members in the audience were also gathering, like a school of sharks smelling blood! In the more than a year since establishing the Lucky Mutual Aid Society, he had performed "purification rituals" dozens of times. This meant he had whipped these little guys with willow branches hundreds of times! The further along it got, the more times he needed to whip them, so he could imagine how much these little ghosts resented him!

As these little ghosts appeared, Harada felt the surrounding temperature drop sharply, causing his teeth to chatter and his lips to turn blue. His complexion was terribly bad. He looked out at the audience, where pairs of eyes were fixed on him, filled with confusion and bewilderment. They didn't know their current predicament. Only true psychics like him could feel the threat these little ghosts brought. Being able to communicate psychically was a talent, but also a curse. While he could sense them, it also meant they could influence him.

"Don't... don't come any closer..." Harada stammered, his body trembling uncontrollably, like someone pulled out of ice water. During the purification rituals, facing even one little ghost made him uncomfortable. Now, with a group appearing at once, if not for the faint warmth he felt in his arms, he would have already collapsed.

"The President... he seems a bit off right now."

"What happened? He looks like he's in a lot of pain."

The members below were bewildered. At this moment, Matsui shouted, "This is bad! The president is under too much stress, his illness has indeed relapsed! Quickly prepare an ambulance! Everyone else, don't touch him, avoid overstimulating the patient!"

"What? The President really..."

"Let's not worry about that for now, hurry and call an ambulance. Can't you see the President is in so much distress?"

"Doctor! Is there anyone here who is a doctor?!"

The venue had descended into chaos. Everyone was watching the scene on stage, panicking.

"So, this is your trump card, Matsui!" Harada Taro glared fiercely at Matsui, thinking, You found my medical records, branded me with paranoid delusions, and then, in front of everyone, you'll kill me with the little ghosts, making me die in the most embarrassing way possible, completely losing face and solidifying the claim that I'm mentally ill. This way, you can smoothly install your next puppet, right?

"I won't let you succeed, Matsui!" Harada roared.