The Happiness Cult’s residence was not only surrounded by pristine mountains and clear waters, but there were also many houses, all designed in a retro, Japanese style.
Before entering, the place seemed reminiscent of a temple, but once actually inside, one could see that modern technology was by no means absent.
Inside the residence, there was even a factory.
Ms. Kurosaki enthusiastically took them on a tour.
Inside the factory, some workers wearing masks were busy canning and sealing honey. A tube was inserted into a glass jar, a single press would release honey from a sealed barrel beside it, and once the jar was sufficiently filled, they would stop and cover it.
The production didn’t seem very high, and the workers were leisurely and methodical in their tasks.
Kagura Hikaru recognized it as the honey he had tasted before.
Were these enchanting and dubious items produced here? It would be nice if they could all be burnt with a single fire.
That wasn’t entirely impossible, after all.
As Kagura Hikaru walked through the compound, he realized the security within the Happiness Cult was not as impregnable as one might assume.
CCTVs were everywhere in the residence, security personnel could be seen all over, and any newcomer would immediately attract their vigilant gaze.
While it appeared strictly controlled, it seemed they hadn’t engaged professional security advisors to design their system, as the patrol routes were not optimally planned. After just two minutes in the factory, Kagura Hikaru had already spotted three feasible infiltration routes.
However, that was just the result of his boredom wandering as he listened to the "tour guide" explain the production process of the Happiness Cult’s premium honey health products. He had no intention of actually carrying out any plan.
What use would there be in just entering a factory, anyway? The real treasure of the Happiness Cult was not there.
It wasn’t until Ms. Kurosaki finally went through her script and brought them to the largest building in the Happiness Cult’s compound that Kagura Hikaru finally perked up a bit.
"This is the main hall, the residence of our esteemed Great Shrine Maiden and the place where ceremonies are held," she said.
As Ms. Kurosaki spoke, she looked up with genuine reverence at the shrine in front of her.
Yes, a shrine. The people of the Happiness Cult had actually built a proper shrine in their base.
The grounds were spacious, and the architecture was impressive.
Those unaware might even believe it was the Meiji Shrine if told so.
It’s odd, isn’t it? Being part of a cult yet embracing the traditions of Shinto. Don’t they feel any dissonance?
But then again, the cult was a melting pot by definition, incorporating anything and everything.
They now stood in front of the red torii gate, still a hundred meters away from the main shrine building, and Ms. Kurosaki stopped there, not proceeding any further.
According to Shinto beliefs, passing through a torii gate means entering the realm of the gods. Perhaps the Happiness Cult also shared a similar perspective internally.
So this is where Komori Ai, the person they regard as the ’Shrine Maiden,’ lived.
Kagura Hikaru’s eyes gazed through the torii gate, keenly observing from a distance.
There were plenty of guards around the shrine. Roughly ten were patrolling visibly, with another ten concealed. It was unclear how many more were inside, but it was obviously a more fortified position than the factory.
Moreover, all the guards were armed – batons were a given, and they seemed to also carry Taser guns on their persons?
Any average thug would likely be pinned to the ground before even stepping onto the shrine stairs.
In the end, Ms. Kurosaki didn’t take them inside, opting just to share the general structure and interesting anecdotes about the shrine’s construction instead.
After completing the tour with everyone, the sky had already begun to darken.
Finally, they arrived at a hall.
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The arrangement inside was somewhat similar to that of a church, with neatly lined benches and a raised platform at the end, which reminded Kagura Hikaru and Ayakoji Chiyoko of the auditorium at school.
The thirty-odd ’Prospective Believers’ sat down, excitedly discussing the sights they had seen along the way.
They weren’t fully aware of what this place actually was.
Even though they saw the shrine and even heard the term ’Great Shrine Maiden’ from Ms. Kurosaki’s lips, the crucial term ’Happiness Cult’ never came up from beginning to end.
If it weren’t for knowing the ins and outs, Kagura Hikaru would definitely think that the headquarters of the Happiness Sanatorium was a quirky but intriguing place.
In other words, until now, even with an enthusiasm that could rival that of believers, they were still just tourists.
When exactly did the Happiness Cult plan to recruit them?
Kagura Hikaru pondered thoughtfully.
At that moment, the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, while the ones on the raised platform lit up.
Realizing something was about to begin, everyone gradually fell silent and turned their gaze to the stage.
A plump man with a stocky build and a broad back sauntered onto the stage from the side, smiling and waving at everyone.
Despite his fierce appearance, the man’s expression was very kind and even gave off a Buddha-like vibe, as if nothing could ever make him angry.
However, Kagura Hikaru dared not underestimate this man because of his seemingly gentle demeanor.
For he was none other than the current sect hierarch of the Happiness Cult—Master Tanaka, the top-tier individual on the list provided by Inspector Yamazaki.
The Sect Hierarch himself has made an appearance, huh? He’s really going all out to recruit believers.
"Hello, good afternoon everyone, although it’s almost evening,"
Master Tanaka said with a slap on his forehead and a chuckle, eliciting a few quiet laughs from the crowd below.
"First of all, thank you all for coming today. I’m Tanaka, the person in charge here. If I were to describe myself using the hierarchical terms of mountain bandits, I suppose I’d be the Mountain King."
"Ha ha ha ha....."
The crowd below laughed once more.
"Everyone who has come here must have felt a profound resonance with the word ’happiness.’" Master Tanaka continued with a smile, looking around, "Yes, we are comrades, we have a common goal—"
"Happiness!!"
The audience answered in unison.
"Exactly! Happiness!" Master Tanaka raised his clenched fist, speaking in a raised voice, "Happiness is our sole purpose, the only thing in our lives that we should strive for!"
The kind-looking plump man officially began his speech.
He didn’t preach about any religious texts or apocalyptic theories; he merely talked about happiness. This familiar topic evidently made the ’prospective believers’ below the stage happy as they laughed frequently.
Only Kagura Hikaru and Ayakoji Chiyoko, who remained rational throughout, were aware that the man on the stage was actually spouting utter nonsense.
All cults share one laughable trait—they insist their ideology can save humanity.
The Happiness Cult was no exception.
"Happiness! It can make society better! Just imagine, no wars, no hatred, everyone on Earth loving each other and passing on happiness—what a wonderful era that would be!"
Master Tanaka spread his arms wide, "But such a world will not come to pass because there are too many people who don’t cherish the happiness they have now. Instead, they would rather chase after illusory things than grasp the beauty before them. But I’m different, we’re different!"
"Happiness! Happiness!"
"Yes, we will continue to be happy, because all of us sitting here, we! We have already become one big family! We love one another, passing on our happiness, and making the happiness of others our own."
He said, "I won’t lie to everyone, this place is actually a religious base, and some even say we’re a cult."
The people below reacted to this, some beginning to panic, while others laughed heartily.
"What’s evil about pursuing happiness?"
"Those people are just bored, that’s all."
"They must be stubborn old fossils to think that way."
"Exactly, exactly."
They mocked and jeered, completely unconcerned. Find your next read at freewebnovel
But there were also those who realized they might have been deceived and showed signs of doubt.
After all, the terrible impression left by cults was deeply ingrained.
The atmosphere below the stage was neatly divided into warm and cold halves.
To completely ensnare all of them would require not just PUA techniques but also a real ’miracle.’
"The Happiness Cult, that’s the name of our sect. Our mission is to bring happiness to every person in the world,"
Master Tanaka on stage said with a smile, "Why do I have such confidence to make such bold claims? Because we have Serizawa Mai, the great shrine maiden, the ’Human God’ of our Happiness Cult! A big round of applause, please~~"
Master Tanaka led the applause.
The majority of the people below did not recognize the name but clapped along anyway.
And the few who knew, or rather, the only person who knew that name—Kagura Hikaru—tightened her fist and stared at the figure walking barefoot onto the stage.
That was a petite girl wearing a fox mask, a red kimono, with long hair reaching her waist.
There was no mistake, it was Komori Ai.