To be precise, the paper was not dark purple, but light purple. The middle of the paper was occupied by a pattern formed by a deeper, dark purple color. This pattern was essentially the same as the one Alistair had reconstructed from the remnants of Rimono Momoki's half-eaten cake; chances were high that this was the original design.
"Hmm? What? Are you asking about this piece of paper?" The sudden change of topic caught Shizuku Hatsufuji off guard.
"We don't know about this. You'll have to wait for Senior Hatsufuji to tell you. She's the one who brought it." Anna Shinomiya shook her head, indicating her ignorance. To find out what this "flyer" was, they needed to ask Shizuku Hatsufuji.
Since the flyer contained nothing but the pattern, none of them understood what it meant. In fact, Shizuku Hatsufuji had just taken out the "flyer" and hadn't yet explained it to them when Alistair pushed the door open.
"Oh? You're asking about this flyer? I found this pattern at home. I don't know what it is. It seems to be a brand logo for something. I found a box with this symbol in my mother's room, but I didn't open it to check what was inside. I just thought it might be some kind of health supplement, so I brought it to ask around." Shizuku Hatsufuji pointed at the "flyer," clearly not knowing what it was herself, only guessing it was a health supplement brand and wanting to consult her companions.
"So you don't know what it is either? By the way, why didn't you just ask your mother directly?" Yuka Tachibana looked at Shizuku Hatsufuji in exasperation. They might not know what it was, but her mother, who was using it continuously, certainly would. It would be much faster to ask her mother than to ask them.
"Well, my mom doesn't seem to want to tell me what it is. I've asked her a few times, but she always makes an excuse, saying she'll tell me at the right time. But I don't think it has any impact, so I just took it out to ask you all." Shizuku Hatsufuji calmly took a sip of tea, not finding anything wrong with the situation.
"What if it genuinely affects her? Thinking along those lines, do you think there's a possibility that Mrs. Hatsufuji has some illness that can't be cured, or requires long-term treatment, and relies on this type of drug to suppress or treat it?" Yuta Tobata, the President, adjusted his glasses, offering his conjecture after some thought.
"Mrs. Hatsufuji?" Alistair was puzzled by the title, leaving aside the talk of illness for a moment. Was Senior Shizuku Hatsufuji's mother a teacher here?
"Ah, you're a freshman, so it's normal not to know, though you should have probably seen her. Senior Shizuku Hatsufuji's mother is a physical education teacher at this school. She used to be a professional athlete, albeit only at the municipal level, but she won many awards. She's a great teacher." President Yuta Tobata suddenly remembered that Alistair was a newly enrolled high school freshman. Since the school year had just begun, and there were many PE teachers, it was normal that he hadn't had her class, though he might have seen her during PE lessons.
"A PE teacher? I think I have a vague impression. Is she involved with the women's track and field section?" Alistair recalled seeing a particularly beautiful PE teacher near the track and field area when he was wandering with Kasumi Haruno. Her large breasts and green eyes left a deep impression on him, especially the green eyes, a color he had never seen before, which made him pay a little attention.
Thinking back, that teacher did introduce herself as Hatsufuji. The surname wasn't common, so it was likely the same PE teacher. It seemed that this impressive, voluptuous bust was indeed a result of bloodline inheritance!
While thinking, Alistair's gaze drifted to the two prominent mounds of flesh on Shizuku Hatsufuji's chest. Perhaps being a natural airhead enhanced her sixth sense, for even though Alistair's gaze was only partially focused on her chest in a distracted manner, she noticed it. However, for reasons unknown, she made no move, only letting a slight blush appear on her cheeks.
"Yes, she is also the advisor for the girls' track and field club." President Yuta Tobata nodded, confirming it.
"Then I must have seen her. But Mrs. Hatsufuji looks quite energetic and cheerful, always smiling." Alistair recalled the scene when he met Mrs. Hatsufuji. She didn't look unwell at all. On the contrary, she appeared very healthy. Her rounded hips suggested a perfect child-bearing figure, and her proudly full breasts would certainly not let any child starve, as evidenced by the plump, shapely appearance of Senior Shizuku Hatsufuji herself.
"That's true. We didn't notice anything wrong with Mrs. Hatsufuji when we had PE class either." Sayuri Takamine nodded, agreeing with Alistair's observation. She had consulted Mrs. Hatsufuji for some professional knowledge before; although her ambition wasn't in track and field, many sports principles were interconnected.
"Then I don't know. That was the only possibility I could think of that might affect Senior Hatsufuji." President Yuta Tobata scratched his head, indicating he had no other ideas.
"Hey, what if this thing is actually the logo of a religion?" Yuka Tachibana picked up the "flyer," turning it over and over, a new idea sparking in her mind.
"The logo of a religion?"
Everyone's attention converged on Yuka Tachibana. Alistair tried to apply this situation to his own deductions and felt that this possibility was indeed quite high. If understood this way, the strange occurrences with Rimono Momoki's cake and Hikari Matsuda's behavior could be partially explained.
If both women were followers of this religion, then the explanation that they purchased these items to demonstrate their devout faith could reasonably account for the bizarre status of Rimono Momoki's cake. Although he didn't know the price, based on the cake's flavor and ingredients, it was at least not a rip-off. It was just the aesthetic that was terrible—why use such a dark purple color?
"Actually, I think I remember seeing this pattern before. It was for some religion, but that religion didn't have many followers, and their doctrine was unknown. I think it was more like a company that sold health supplements, videos, and small ornaments, but represented itself in the form of a religion." Yuka Tachibana expressed her thoughts, sharing her viewpoint.
"A company disguised as a religion?"
The others repeated the question. They had never heard of anything like that.
"Yes, think about it: don't religious followers spend their money to buy things like talismans and statues? And then there are the offerings. I think these are the basic sources of funding that maintain ordinary religious shrines.
"The people who work at the shrine need to eat, clothe themselves, and live somewhere, and the shrine's facilities need to be renovated periodically. The only difference is the number of followers and the amount of donations different shrines receive.
"And if you look at it another way, isn't that just like any other company? Except their business is limited to certain areas. After all, there are no real Kami (Gods) in this world." Yuka Tachibana analyzed step by step. Her words made sense, and even Alistair agreed with her reasoning—except for the part about there being no Gods in this world.
Aside from anything else, the magic ring on Alistair's finger was made from the body of an Abyss Demon. The mere keyword "Demon" proves that demons exist in this world. If demons exist, then angels must also exist. If angels exist, then the so-called God (of Abrahamic religions) should also exist.
Although these were not the native Japanese "Gods," it proved that the world's inherent "Mystery Level" was not low (let's use "Mystery Level" to measure the more subjective elements for now).
It's entirely possible that the world's situation was once similar to the world of the High School DxD ecchi anime, but for some reason, all the major players retreated in modern times.
Perhaps it was a mutually destructive war, as in the history of DxD, leading to everyone withdrawing to recuperate, or perhaps, like the Type-Moon world, the decline of Mystery made it impossible for them to live freely in the human realm. Regardless, groups of demons and angels certainly still exist in this world; Alistair just hasn't encountered them yet.
Alistair had actually speculated that entering the subspecies districts might give him a chance to encounter these strange races. After all, even races like Elves, who can naturally use magic, exist in the subspecies districts.
This suggests that the subspecies races in the subspecies districts naturally possess a higher Mystery Level. This is likely why the average lifespan of subspecies is much longer than that of humans. Humans, on the other hand, probably need to find other means to increase their Mystery Level to achieve a life leap.
Although he didn't know how such subjective elements could continue to exist widely in this world of objective science, Alistair had already experienced transmigration. It was too complicated for his current self to delve into the fundamental settings of the world.
Alistair had always wondered why humans in this world had no way to increase their Mystery Level. Humans here are similar to those in his previous world, with only minor differences in time periods and some superficial changes.
Broadly speaking, "superpowers" were the biggest difference, but this element didn't have a large impact on human society here and wasn't enough to change the entire social structure. This suggests that superpowers are merely remnants of the higher Mystery Level of humans in the past. According to online data, the number of registered superpowered individuals is decreasing every year, suggesting that if this continues, superpowered people might become a legend (or a rare species?).
"So, according to this theory, Mrs. Hatsufuji has been deceived?" President Yuta Tobata asked.
"You could see it that way, because most forms of faith can be considered a way to make money. However, it depends on the impact. If it's a relatively normal form of marketing, it doesn't matter if Mrs. Hatsufuji remains a believer. If it significantly increases the family's expenses, then we would need to intervene." Yuka Tachibana said, then turned to ask Senior Shizuku Hatsufuji about her knowledge of the family's expenses.
"Well, I don't think there's been any significant change. And I actually heard my mom say that the item is free, a gift bestowed upon qualified believers." Shizuku Hatsufuji's words immediately cut off Yuka Tachibana's subsequent line of thought, leaving her unable to continue.
"Since there's no impact, it's just a matter of having a belief. Why make a big fuss?" Sayuri Takamine rolled her eyes. She had initially thought it might cause problems for Mrs. Hatsufuji's family, but it turned out to be just Senior Shizuku Hatsufuji's personal curiosity. In reality, it seemed unlikely to have any adverse effects.
Alistair, however, did not think so. First, this was an ecchi world. Second, based on what Alistair currently knew, Rimono Momoki was certainly a follower, Mrs. Hatsufuji was one, and Senior Hikari Matsuda was very likely a follower of this religion as well.
So, what common characteristics did these people share?
Beautiful, curvaceous figures, large breasts, round and firm butts.
In an ecchi world, when the followers of a religion all shared these characteristics, it was clearly problematic!