“Let me begin by confirming a few things. I would appreciate honest answers.”
Jinseong politely addressed the elder. In response, the elder made a gesture implying that although he found the ordeal bothersome, he was willing to endure it for the sake of the “blessing,” motioning for Jinseong to proceed.
“Firstly, is the blessing you mentioned the one that enhances vitality and pleasure?”
“That’s correct.”
“Understood. To enact this blessing, I’ll need a strand of hair. Would you be able to provide one?”
“That’s not a problem.”
With that, the elder, despite his age, pulled out a strand of hair that gleamed with an unnatural black sheen and handed it to Jinseong. He then chuckled lightly, seemingly amused by some private joke.
“So, it seems this ‘blessing’ requires hair?”
“That’s right.”
“Then bald individuals cannot receive blessings, I suppose! Hahaha! But no, I’ve heard baldness signifies strong vitality anyway, so they wouldn’t need your blessing!”
“Even if baldness implies vitality, it doesn’t match the natural gift one is born with. Especially regarding size, which is predetermined. Therefore, the items you possess, Elder, are truly blessed.”
“Indeed. These treasures are my true blessings. You know your stuff!”
Jinseong nodded along, flattered the elder’s pride, and transformed the given strand into ash. He then carefully spread the ash onto the elder’s abdomen.
“Ho. An unusual method, is it not? Is this the power of the deity you serve?”
“No, not quite. This… shall remain a secret.”
Jinseong briefly smiled before explaining quietly.
“I found a book in the shrine. This technique originated from there.”
“Hmm, is that so? Such things do occasionally surface.”
“Is that so?”
Jinseong glanced at the elder as he confirmed such practices were known to exist, though the elder closed his mouth, signaling that further discussion would not occur. Instead, the elder focused on his stomach, where the ash Jinseong had applied had disappeared, seemingly absorbed into his skin. He instinctively caressed the spot that had been touched.
“Hmm?”
The effects of the blessing were instant.
The elder noticed the surge in his vitality, the invigoration spreading through his muscles, and the noticeable firmness of his private parts. He could not hide his satisfaction and turned to Jinseong with clear appreciation.
“Excellent! This is truly a ‘blessing’!”
The elder, after briefly thanking Jinseong, rushed to the women who had been trying to seduce him ever since talk of the building began. He submerged his body amongst them on a flesh-filled bed, indulging in an intense session of love-making.
Jinseong watched the scene quietly for a moment before quietly exiting the room with the politician. On closing the door, he subtly tampered with the doorknob so it wouldn’t shut properly, ensuring a natural exit with the politician as they descended to the lower floors.
“Truly an impressive man. Moreover, he appears younger than I imagined.”
“Hahaha, he is indeed a living legend in Japan’s political sphere. Although he looks younger than me, he served since the imperial era, proving himself a great figure.”
“Served in what capacity?”
“During the Great East Asia War, he was a war hero, a true man of Satsuma, traversing the seas and achieving countless feats.”
“A man of the sea? Then Elder must have mastered water skills?”
“No, I hear he mastered a different sword art. An esteemed art form praised by even Miyamoto Musashi of the Niten Ichi-ryū. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name.”
“Is that so?”
Jinseong glanced at the politician who was now enthusiastically praising the elder, his face slightly flushed. With the zeal of an ardent fan, he continued detailing the elder’s exploits to Jinseong.
Until, realizing Jinseong was unusually silent, he turned.
“Not a master of water skills?”
The politician saw Jinseong warmly smiling.
Jinseong smiled and observed the politician, whose eyes revealed their corruption. They carried the gaze of a predator drawn to prey, eyes belonging to someone consumed by immediate pleasures, unburdened by thoughts of the future.
A fitting gaze for someone addicted to drugs, deriving pleasure far more easily than the average person.
“Have you ever considered this?”
“Considered what?”
“Hmm. Let’s say, you’ve met Kenji, right? What do you think of him?”
“Madman, I believe. Although he did introduce me to the next Shinto priest, so I bear him no ill will.”
“Madman, indeed. Hahaha. That fool, abducting drug addicts indiscriminately, delighting in hearing their screams—madman and nothing else!”
After laughing heartily for a moment, Jinseong continued.
“Yet, hasn’t curiosity ever pricked you? Pulling others down to your level to become one of you—what does that feel like? Watching Kenji revel in it hasn’t tempted you, has it?”
“That…”
“Yes. It’s improper, I admit. But consider, hasn’t doing drugs until now been about feeling good? You didn’t do it because it was right, did you? The feeling overrode any notions of morality, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Understand then, I’m going to offer you two choices. No one else in this room qualifies for this privilege. It is my gift and reward to you for leading the Elder here.”
Jinseong slowly unzipped his bag.
“First—this continues the ecstasy you have known so far, the pleasure of sexual relations. If you select this, you’ll be treated just like everyone else, but the ecstasy? That is guaranteed. I can swear to that.”
“Ecstasy…”
The politician, tempted by the word, stared blankly at Jinseong.
“And the second option? You’ll feel the basest pleasures, the lowest of them all. You’ll be the lowest rank here, save for the women. Money, power? You’ll be surpassed by none here. Isn’t that true?”
“…That’s correct.”
“If you choose this second option, you’ll watch all these lofty individuals brought low. Addicted and debased further than mere drugs could achieve. A spectacle more grotesque than lust-induced pleasure. At that moment, you will stand above all these impressive beings gathered here.”
Ecstasy.
Superiority.
Two words presented to the politician as his choices.
He contemplated.
Ecstasy.
He remembered the thrill of methamphetamine. The intense euphoria, amplified and immersive pleasure, stored deep within his hippocampus, had kept him addicted, driving him to continue even while suffering through its adverse effects.
Even now, clean from Jinseong’s blessing, he relied on the enhanced pleasure and vigor, spending his days indulging with women and consuming health supplements to maintain his stamina.
What about the base pleasures, then? The pleasures derived from trampling others and elevating oneself?
Why had he become a politician?
Being a politician in Japan results from citizen votes. Yet it often carries a “hereditary” quality. It was power naturally bestowed upon him, a guaranteed splendid career path. But it also provided a rank above common people, the ability to naturally look down upon them. This twisted sensation of superiority was familiar to him. This superiority was part of his essence.
The inherited superiority of his political position.
The authority to freely wield power and control commoners.
The inherent class difference he felt present from birth, separating him from the general populace.
The immense power allowing him to cause and resolve disturbances with a flick of his finger.
“I choose the second option.”
The politician spoke decisively. In that moment, recalling his past and indulging in the sensation of superiority now, his eyes regained a sharpness, no longer the corrupted gaze of a drug addict.
“Excellent, excellent.”
Jinseong chuckled at the politician’s sharp gaze.
Not out of admiration.
Rather, amused by humanity’s innate enjoyment in tormenting others. Finding it humorous how such pleasure could outweigh even the deepest-seated obsession with ecstasy.
And so he laughed.
