Sexual Harassment Turnabout Trial (1)
Sexual Harassment Turnabout Trial (1)
Followers of the Church of the Lord gathered at the amusement park after hearing that Yujin had appeared.
Yujin ultimately left without exchanging a single word with them.
Even so, their expressions weren't particularly gloomy.
"Chairman Jeong. Did you feel it too? That sacred presence!"
"Heh heh. You felt it as well, Mrs. Seo? Your faith is as devout as ever."
Even after witnessing Yujin's unconventional behavior, they'd been uncertain whether he was truly the person indicated by the Saintess.
But after meeting him, their souls cried out in rapture that he could only be a saint.
A sacred presence powerful enough to bring believers to their knees.
The energy they dared call Divine Power...
He had received it more densely than anyone else.
"Honestly, even I had wondered until now whether it was merely an illusion."
In truth, not many among them believed in Divine Power.
Every awakener possessed a minute amount of Divine Power regardless of strength.
Moreover, only the devout who had maintained their faith for decades could sense it.
Even they had secretly wondered whether it was simply mana.
Perhaps serving awakeners for so many years had merely taught us to sense mana.
They had lived long enough to see all sorts of things, after all.
"To think that even someone of such inadequate faith as I could feel it so clearly."
"I'm ashamed that I ever dared mistake such a blessing from God for mere mana."
But the moment they saw Yujin, their thinking changed completely.
His Divine Power existed on a level that made comparison with other awakeners meaningless.
A brilliant golden aura visible only to their eyes.
The instant they saw him, tears flowed, their limbs trembled, and emotion overwhelmed them. They had lived long enough to meet such a person. If that was not Divine Power, what could it be?
If Yujin wasn't an apostle of the Lord—a saint—then what could he be?
That was how they became certain.
'It may have been irreverent to say, but he stood on an entirely different level from even the Saintess.'
'Jeongcheol's daughter beside him was impressive as well. Was it because she had spent time with the Saint?'
At the same time, they quietly revised their assessments of the Saintess and Sia.
The Saintess possessed stronger Divine Power than other people, but...
she felt bland, like seolleongtang without salt.
She could not compare with the Saint at all.
Yoo Sia, that brazen little girl, was admittedly impressive—at least ten times stronger than an ordinary awakener—but...
the person standing beside her happened to be their Saint.
Who would notice a firefly beside the sun?
Ah. In the end, it was still him. They worshipped him. Their Saint.
After all their circling around, only their estimation of Yujin soared.
'During the First Round, they had never pestered me this badly. Had I drawn too much attention this time?'
Yujin would have found the entire matter absurd if he had known.
'What was wrong with these grandmas and grandpas?'
They had treated me kindly during the First Round too, but...
that had been because I was the No. 1 S-rank.
Right now, I was merely an A-rank awakener.
Why were they so desperate to worship me?
What? Divine Power? They could feel a golden aura?
Good grief. They must have gone senile. I wasn't even using mana.
Yujin might have snapped at them that way.
But around that time, he was waiting for Haru outside the bathroom while Sia repeatedly smacked his back.
For better or worse, that confrontation never happened.
"Well then, what we ought to do is...."
"What else? We should help the Saint. At our age, money is all we have left."
"Let me see. The Saint said he belonged to that Yoo Jeongcheol fellow's clan, did he not? I should go speak with him. Someone call him."
And so, the band of stalker fans with money to burn deployed.
Their first target was Yoo Jeongcheol, head of the Cheonhwa Clan.
"...One hundred billion won for the Cheonhwa Clan? For Yujin?"
[Yes. We will divide it among real estate, stocks, and other assets so it is easy to receive. Take it without concern. But if you skim any from the middle....]
"You should take that to the Association. We're technically a private company."
[Wha?]
"We do have a foundation, but money placed there can't be earmarked for Yujin."
Yoo Jeongcheol deftly redirected the arrow.
He'd immediately realized that the donation would burden Yujin rather than help him...
'I didn't know why they were acting this way toward Yujin, but getting involved would only cause trouble.'
To Yoo Jeongcheol, they were benefactors who had invested in the clan since its earliest days.
Strictly speaking, they were major shareholders in the clan.
But if he accepted a donation from those obsessive stalker fans...
their familiarity meant they'd undoubtedly start nitpicking: "Where'd you spend our money? Look at the pathetic state of our dear Yujin's equipment."
Yoo Jeongcheol alone would be trapped in the middle.
"Please speak with Seol Hayeon."
[Tch. Understood.]
Thus, the unsolicited hundred billion won was firmly rejected.
Firmly rejected.
The disappointed believers reluctantly turned away.
Their second target was...
Seol Hayeon.
[Hm? What brings you to call me? You are usually so busy.]
"Seol Hayeon. We wish to make a donation in the name of the Saint... ahem, Seo Yujin. Would you accept it?"
[Oh? How large an amount is it, if you felt the need to ask me? You people routinely give away a billion won without ceremony.]
"Around one hundred billion won, divided between real estate and stocks."
[...A hundred billion won?]
"Yes. We originally meant to give it to Yoo Jeongcheol, but he dodged us with excuses about being a private company. Hmph."
An insidious hand reached toward Seol Hayeon.
It came in the form of a donation offer from stalker fans with suspiciously deep pockets.
Even Yoo Jeongcheol, head of Korea's top clan, had avoided that money. Seol Hayeon, however...
"Oh my, then we'd be delighted. I'll send our tax staff over, so take good care of us, dear."
She accepted it without so much as blinking.
A radiant smile bloomed across her face, and her voice became warm and friendly.
'Yujin, that lucky treasure. How did he fleece these walking wallets? It didn't feel as though he had used hypnosis.'
Was the Church of the Lord not the Awakener Association's long-standing source of funding?
Why would she refuse? Naturally, she should bow and accept it.
The Chairwoman had reached an entirely rational conclusion.
[Yes. In return, could you show Seo Yujin a little consideration?]
"Of course. Between us, he's the person I've chosen as my successor. I will look after him whenever possible. Ho ho."
'Spending it on the Association meant spending it for Yujin. Exactly.'
The mother-in-law-style meddling that had made Yoo Jeongcheol recoil?
The fear that they would hound her over how she spent the donation?
Neither concerned her in the slightest.
Seol Hayeon planned to hand Yujin the position of Association President and retire as soon as he graduated.
Yujin would ultimately be the one leading the Association.
She merely had to use the donation transparently.
She could spend it wherever the Association lacked funding and make productive use of the real estate and other assets.
Strengthening the Association this way was precisely how she could help Yujin, its future president.
With that reasoning, she eagerly accepted everything.
If Yujin learned of her plan, he would rage, "That old hag is trying to shove me into graduate school!!" But in any case...
The believers were completely satisfied.
"Heh heh. That is Seol Hayeon for you. She is refreshingly decisive, unlike that stingy bastard."
"And she intends to make the Saint the next Association President? Her eye for people is flawless."
"O Saint! Grow strong and healthy, and one day protect all humanity!"
"Long live the Church of the Lord! Long live the Saint!"
Delivery of the one-hundred-billion-won donation: complete.
Saint, please use it without feeling burdened!
After hearing what had happened, Yujin scowled.
"......."
'Who slipped a hundred billion won into someone else's pocket at once?'
One hundred billion? That was practically the Church of the Lord uprooting its own foundations and offering them away.
Even suspiciously wealthy people had limits. One hundred billion won wasn't pocket change.
Yujin was also suspicious of their intentions.
What kind of scam paid in advance?
Were they trying to pressure him into becoming Pope?
He didn't like it.
He disliked it enough that complaints escaped him without effort.
"...Can we simply refuse it? They were trying to sell me some nonsense about becoming Pope. It's obviously a scam."
"Exactly. Even for Yujin, who simply gives away one hundred billion won? They'll probably avoid transferring the money and quietly attach conditions...."
Sia enthusiastically agreed.
It looked like a scam to her as well.
"I know the elder who called me. He's not the kind of person who would pull such a scheme."
"But it makes no logical sense."
"Cadet Sia, one mustn't expect logic from faith."
"......."
Seol Hayeon had no intention whatsoever of returning the money.
While Sia fell speechless, Yujin released a deep sigh.
"If this causes trouble later, I'm using your name as my shield, Chairwoman."
"Feel free. Is there truly nothing you want from me in return? Shall I let you touch my breasts?"
"I'll sue you for sexual harassment."
"Pfft. It was a joke."
The delighted Chairwoman cheerfully tossed out a frivolous joke. In any case...
And then...
'Still, I should reward him somehow.'
"If there's nothing you want, I'll give you advice. Buy some gifts on your way back to the dormitory—gifts for the people around you."
"Gifts? All of a sudden?"
The Chairwoman merely smiled mysteriously.
"You'll be so grateful that you say, 'Big Sis Hayeon, I love you.'"
"That will never happen... Since when could you prophesy?"
"It is not prophecy. It is a prediction."
"......?"
Yujin merely tilted his head.
* * *
The Chairwoman had said something cryptic, but in any case...
Afterward, I spent some pleasant time with Sia before leaving the bath.
"Daddyyy... I'm sorryyy...."
—Squeeze. Pat, pat.
"It's all right. But listen, Haru. Your body is precious, so you must not carelessly show it to people or let them touch it. Understood?"
"But Daddy is...."
"Things like that are only for people who love each other. Understand?"
"Mmm. Love...? Understood for now. Underline it and add three stars."
I also comforted Haru, who had swollen into a pouting Rice Cake.
"You want to go on another date next week?"
"......!!!? I-idiot!! It is not a date; it's pretending to date!! You made such a mess of that interview that I have no choice but to do this especially for you!!"
"All right, Sia. Next time, let us go to a movie theater and watch one of the romance films you like. Just the two of us, without Haru."
"......H-Hmph. Consider it an honor!"
Before we parted, I subtly secured another date with Sia.
I went out again and bought gifts as the Chairwoman had advised.
After finishing every errand...
I finally returned to the dormitory, ready to train in peace...
"Master~ Sorry I'm late."
—Bang open!!
"———Yujin, why are you only getting here now!!!"
"...Alice!!!?"
I had intended to train.
But this was no time for that.
Alice stood before me with torn clothes and disheveled hair.
"Who did this to you!? Are you injured...? No, first we need to cover you."
"That is not important. Hurry inside!!"
—Grab. Squish.
"......!!!!? I-it is touching—"
"Quickly, now!!"
But Alice ignored everything and dragged me along.
She did not care that the bare skin exposed beyond the edges of her underwear pressed against me.
She took me straight to Master in a single rush.
"Now, Ms. Ninomiya! Confess!! Tell him every perverted thing you've done to Yujin!!"
"M-my disciple. This is not what it looks like...."
"......."
'What had happened to Master too?'
Master's clothes were in even worse condition than Alice's.