She had grown up in a wealthy family and could be considered a young lady from a prestigious family. Later, through a family-arranged marriage, she seamlessly became a housewife. She had never encountered a situation like this before and had absolutely no idea how to handle it.
She looked around for help, but there weren't many people nearby at this time.
On top of that, her preaching just now had made people uncomfortable, and these delinquents looked like the kind of people nobody wanted to mess with. For a moment, no one was willing to help.
Faced with the approaching delinquents, Yoshino Ayaka could only instinctively retreat, but her foot happened to catch on a tree root on the ground, making her stumble.
One of the delinquents quickly stepped forward and blocked her escape route. Seeing this, the beautiful married woman's face lost all color, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Just as she was in despair, a slightly curious voice suddenly rang out.
"Hello. Is it still convenient to learn about the Queen's Society? I'm a little interested in what's written on the flyers."
The beautiful married woman and the three delinquents froze slightly. When they turned around, they saw a young man holding a flyer in his hand, his eyes clear and his expression open and straightforward. He really did look like he had come to inquire about it.
Seeing that someone wanted to join the church, Yoshino Ayaka even forgot for a moment that she was in danger and prepared to start explaining.
But the delinquents weren't so easy to fool. They could tell that the young man had suddenly appeared, and it was clearly not as simple as wanting to join the church.
The blond-haired leader immediately turned around. After seeing that Hikari was alone, he arrogantly said, "Kid, are you trying to stick your nose into someone else's business?"
Hikari couldn't be bothered to waste words. The moment he moved, only an afterimage remained.
After just a few muffled grunts, the blond-haired delinquent who had been acting so arrogant was already kicked to the ground, while the other two delinquents clutched their crotches and curled up like shrimp, crying out in pain.
"Get lost."
The calm single word carried a bone-chilling pressure, like thunder crashing beside the delinquents' ears and making their entire bodies tremble.
The red, yellow, and blue-haired young men all endured the pain in their crotches and scrambled away. They didn't even dare to throw out a single threat, completely losing the arrogance they had shown earlier.
Hikari didn't spare the eunuchs another glance. He simply looked at Yoshino Ayaka, whose body was still trembling slightly, and asked in a gentler tone, "Are you okay?"
"N-no… I'm fine."
Only after hearing Hikari's voice did the still somewhat dazed Yoshino Ayaka come back to her senses.
Although she hadn't seen how Hikari had knocked down those delinquents at all, they had indeed all been driven away. Yoshino Ayaka looked up at Hikari, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Th-thank you so much, sir… That was really bad just now."
"Luckily… the Queen's protection allowed you to appear and save me from that situation…"
Even though she had just experienced such a dangerous situation, Yoshino Ayaka's voice remained gentle and soft, sweet and delicate, like cotton soaked in warm water.
Hearing Yoshino Ayaka thank the Queen's while also clasping her hands together in a religious gesture of gratitude, Hikari was somewhat speechless.
What protection from the Queen's? If he hadn't appeared just now, those blond-haired guys would probably have had a great time groping her. Where would the Queen's have come from?
Still, considering how fanatically religious this beautiful married woman was, it was already pretty good that she could recognize his contribution instead of giving all the credit to the Queen's.
Judging from this beautiful woman's clothes and appearance, her family must have been quite wealthy. Her bearing also looked dignified and elegant, and she didn't look like someone who hadn't received a higher education.
Yet the Queen's Society could still have her completely under its spell. Hikari couldn't help becoming even more curious about this so-called Queen's Society.
"Why don't we go over there and sit for a while?"
Seeing that the beautiful married woman's body was still trembling and her legs were somewhat weak, Hikari spoke up.
"Okay… okay!"
The beautiful woman seemed to have thought of something and immediately nodded.
But just as she was about to take a step, her leg suddenly gave way, and she nearly fell to the ground.
"Oh…"
Whether she had simply been frightened just now or had twisted herself when her ankle caught on the tree root earlier, in any case, Yoshino Ayaka's lower legs were weak now, and she couldn't walk steadily.
Hikari turned his head and saw the beautiful married woman looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
She was clearly full of mature feminine charm, yet her appearance and expression looked like those of an inexperienced young girl.
"Would you like me to help you?"
Seeing the embarrassed look on the beautiful married woman's face, Hikari took the initiative to offer.
"Ah! Yes, please. Thank you so much!"
Yoshino Ayaka's pretty face flushed slightly with embarrassment. Her almond-shaped eyes were watery, and every glance carried an unintentional allure.
Having seen plenty of things in his life, Hikari ignored the charm she unconsciously gave off.
However, when he supported the beautiful married woman by the arm, he could still clearly feel how soft her body was.
Even the flesh on her arm felt almost like a waterbed, sinking beneath the slightest touch of his fingers.
After being supported to a park bench, Yoshino Ayaka took two cans of iced coffee from her bag and handed one to Hikari.
"Please have this. It's a small token of my gratitude."
Hikari took it and drank a sip. The coolness of the iced coffee dispelled the evening heat.
The two then introduced themselves to each other and exchanged a few simple words.
After thanking Hikari again for helping her just now, Yoshino Ayaka seemed to remember something, and her beautiful eyes lit up.
She quickly pulled out a small promotional booklet for the Queen's Society and said earnestly, "Sir, you said just now that you're interested in the church. Actually, the Queen's is truly very effective. She can purify the soul, bring good luck, and give believers happiness."
"Would you… consider joining us?"
Hearing Yoshino Ayaka's sincere and devout preaching, Hikari raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had just saved her, yet this woman was actually "repaying his kindness" by eagerly trying to get him into the church?
But thinking about it, it wasn't difficult to understand.
To a devout believer like Yoshino Ayaka, being able to join the Queen's Society was probably an incredible blessing.
Perhaps she was even inviting him so warmly simply out of a genuine desire to repay his kindness.
As it happened, he had already intended to enter the Queen's Society himself and investigate it, getting to the bottom of this Otherworldly cult.
However, to avoid seeming too sudden, Hikari didn't agree immediately. Instead, he put up a little resistance.
"There's no need to rush into joining the church. After all, I don't really know much about its teachings."
"No problem!"
Yoshino Ayaka immediately picked up the conversation when Hikari tried to brush her off.
Her tone grew even more enthusiastic.
"Auntie can slowly teach you about the teachings and everything else. We can exchange ideas with each other."
"If you, Hikari, have any difficulties in your daily life, you don't need to worry either. The church members help each other."
Yoshino Ayaka paused, then, as if following some habitual line of thought, smiled at Hikari and said, "If you're short on money and that's affecting your decision to join, Auntie can even give you some living expenses. As long as it helps you understand the Queen's's gospel more wholeheartedly."
Seeing this, Hikari no longer resisted much. He simply went along with it and agreed.
"Since you're inviting me so warmly, Auntie Ayaka, I'll join the Queen's Society and give it a try."
"Great! You definitely won't regret it."
Yoshino Ayaka was overjoyed. Excited, she grabbed Hikari's hand, a smile spreading across the corners of her eyes and brows.
"From now on, we're fellow believers. I'll take you back to the dojo right now for your baptism."
Hearing that Hikari had agreed to join the Queen's Society, Yoshino Ayaka eagerly suggested taking him back immediately for the ceremony.
But as soon as she finished speaking, her expression became troubled again.
"However… the Founder has been unwell recently, and the dojo hasn't held a gathering for nearly a week. I don't know if it would be convenient…"
"It's fine."
Faced with Yoshino Ayaka's hesitation, Hikari's tone remained firm.
"Auntie Ayaka can take me to see the dojo first. It's good to get a feel for the Queen's Society's atmosphere first, right?"
Hikari had originally intended to investigate the Queen's Society, so naturally he didn't care about any of that.
Yoshino Ayaka hesitated for a moment, but she felt that Hikari's words did make sense.
In the end, she nodded and agreed.
"All right, then. Auntie will take you to the church's dojo!"
———
The taxi's tires rolled over the asphalt roads of Tokyo. The sound of the engine gradually faded into the distance, while the bustling cityscape outside the window was replaced by stretches of greenery and low farmhouses, like a faded film.
Hikari leaned against the back seat, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the pocket of his pants, while Yoshino Ayaka's endless preaching filled his ears.
"The Queen's's teachings emphasize 'purifying the soul and returning to one's true nature.' As long as you sincerely believe, you can drive away the gloom in your life and obtain true peace…"
The mature married woman's voice was soft and sweet, carrying the distinctive fanaticism and devotion of a believer as she eagerly described the so-called gospel to Hikari.
But compared with the gospel, the full curves at Yoshino Ayaka's chest, which shook vigorously as she spoke, were far more eye-catching.
Her figure was simply too voluptuous. Even through her loose dress, it was difficult to conceal how ripe and full her body was.
Hikari appeared attentive on the surface, nodding and agreeing occasionally, but there wasn't the slightest ripple in his heart.
These vague and insubstantial teachings held no appeal for him. He had only one purpose in coming here, to find out the truth about the Queen's Society and uncover the secret behind this cult that the Pure Love System had marked as the "Lewd Love Cult."
Bored, Hikari humored Yoshino Ayaka while quietly opening the Pure Love Roulette in his mind, preparing to make a few draws and see how his luck was today.
[Ding! Consuming 100 Pure Love Points! Roulette draw in progress…]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the reward "Nutritional Express" ×1!]
The cold system notification sounded in his mind. Hikari looked at the several bottled drinks that had appeared in the virtual space, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
This was already his fourth pity draw, and the previous few had also been small items that were barely better than nothing.
"Is my luck really this bad today?"
Just as Hikari muttered to himself, feeling that his luck wasn't good today and preparing to stop, a purple light suddenly appeared on the Pure Love Roulette.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a rare reward! "The Signature Ability of a Famous Painter in History", Grandmaster-Level Public Speaking Skill.]
"Grandmaster-level painting skills? Another practically useless skill."
The surprise in Hikari's heart vanished in a flash, and he shook his head inwardly.
When he heard "the signature ability of a famous painter in history," he naturally assumed it was a painting skill.
But after taking a closer look, he suddenly realized that something wasn't quite right.
"Wait… how is this famous painter's signature ability 'public speaking'?"
"That can't be right, can it?"
"Wait… famous painter, public speaking…"
"Could it be… Hitler?"
Hikari suddenly thought of the matter involving a failed art student, and his expression immediately became strange.
"Grandmaster-level public speaking skill? It certainly lives up to its reputation…"
Although looking closely at this skill left him somewhat speechless, it couldn't exactly be considered useless.
In certain situations, this skill might be very useful.
And he was about to enter a cult organization like the Queen's Society.
Whether it was disguising himself as a believer to gain their trust or stirring up people's emotions at a critical moment, it could be an extremely useful weapon.
Perhaps this skill would happen to come in handy when the time came.
His luck was pretty good today. He had gotten something useful before reaching the pity draw several more times.
Hikari decided to do several more ten-pulls.
[Ding! Consuming 1,000 Pure Love Points! Roulette draw in progress…]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the reward "Nutritional Express" ×1!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the reward: "Bad Luck Talisman (24-hour duration)" ×1!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the reward: "Temporary Strength Enhancement Card (10 minutes)" ×1!]
[...]
The next several ten-pulls only produced ordinary small items.
But just as Hikari decided to call it a day and was preparing to stop, a dazzling golden light suddenly exploded across the light screen of the final ten-pull, its brilliance almost spilling out of his sea of consciousness.
[Ding! GOLDEN REWARD!]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the reward: Pure Love Radar Upgrade Blueprint!]