Akichi Aya was not visiting this villa, named "Happiness Mansion," for the first time with her mother.
In fact, Akichi Aya couldn't even remember the first time she came to this villa. A vague memory told her it must have been before her father passed away.
Even then, her mother was already obsessed with the Future Happiness Cult's so-called "Ten Ways to Guaranteed Happiness."
At first, it was just making strange food for dinner and demanding that her father and she follow some peculiar rules.
Then, the house filled with items bearing the word "happiness."
She even skipped her weekend tutoring sessions, as her mother brought her to participate in church activities.
Her mother wanted her to believe in the "Ten Ways to Guaranteed Happiness" promoted by this cult.
But from the moment her mother began chanting "happiness, happiness" daily, the family dinners started becoming increasingly simple.
Sometimes, dinner was just natto with rice and miso soup as thin as water.
Akichi Aya later learned that her mother had started donating large sums of money to this cult around that time.
When her father discovered that the family savings had been squandered by her mother, a fierce argument erupted between them.
It was the first time Akichi Aya had seen her father so angry.
After that, her mother somewhat restrained herself, no longer chanting "happiness" every day.
The family dinners also began to become a bit more substantial.
But not long after, her father passed away.
And after his death, her mother became even more extreme, handing over almost all the family's money and belongings to the Future Happiness Cult.
Even the insurance money from her father's death and the annuity he left behind were indiscriminately given to the cult by her mother.
Then, she immersed herself in the illusion that she would surely be happy in the future.
If her father hadn't specified in his will that she was the sole legal heir to the house, she would probably have been sleeping on the streets years ago.
She had always thought that if she could just hold out until university, she could escape this insane family.
But Akichi Aya never imagined that things would turn out like this.
Following her mother into the villa, Akichi Aya saw Master Ryudo, with his disgusting, greasy smile, standing in the foyer beneath two large kanji characters for "Happiness."
"Aya, I'm very pleased that you're finally ready to embrace happiness. Welcome to our big family."
Master Ryudo, with a toad-like smile on his face, bowed slightly to Akichi Aya.
"Thank you so much, Master Ryudo! Even with Aya being so rebellious, you haven't given up on her. You're willing to bring her happiness. Truly... truly... thank you so very much!"
Akichi Aya's mother, seeing that Master Ryudo hadn't scolded Akichi Aya but instead bowed slightly to her and welcomed her into the Future Happiness Cult family,
Akichi Aya's mother was overcome with gratitude and immediately performed a ninety-degree bow to Master Ryudo.
Seeing that Akichi Aya remained standing straight, unresponsive, her mother then reached out and pressed on Akichi Aya's back, forcing her to bow with her to Master Ryudo.
If it were before, Akichi Aya would most likely have slapped her mother's hand away, then, after leaving a remark like "I won't join your madness!", she would have stormed off.
But this time, Akichi Aya, just like her mother, bowed to Master Ryudo.
Seeing Akichi Aya bow to him, Master Ryudo's corpulent face was brimming with smiles.
But there wasn't even a hint of a smile in his eyes.
His cold gaze roamed over Akichi Aya once.
He then said to Akichi Aya's mother, "Then, Kiko, please take Aya to the baptismal chamber. I'll be there shortly."
"Yes! Thank you so very much!"
Akichi Kiko, after pressing Akichi Aya to bow again to Master Ryudo, pulled Akichi Aya towards the deeper parts of the villa.
All the way, Akichi Kiko chattered incessantly to Akichi Aya.
"I'm truly happy for you, my lost child, for returning to the right path."
"You'll surely be happy from now on."
"Just do as the Master says." These were her words.
Akichi Aya didn't respond to her mother, just silently clenched her fists.
Then Akichi Aya was surprised to find that her mother was leading her into a bathroom.
"This... this is the baptismal chamber?"
Although she knew the Future Happiness Cult was nothing good, Akichi Aya hadn't expected the cult to be so absurd.
At this moment, her gaze towards her mother, besides disgust, held an added hint of contempt.
"What are you thinking, Aya!"
Akichi Kiko glared at Akichi Aya, then started taking off her clothes while speaking to Akichi Aya.
"A sacred event like baptism, of course you have to bathe first. Why are you just standing there? Hurry and take off your clothes. Mother will make sure you're sparkling clean for the baptism, and then Aya will surely be happy in the future."
"I won't!"
Aya slapped away Akichi Kiko's outstretched hand.
"I don't want to bathe. I'll go just like this."
"Aya! You're not a child anymore! Listen to me!"
In a few quick motions, Akichi Kiko had already stripped off her shirt and skirt, revealing her ample, scarred body covered in rope marks and whip welts. She looked at Akichi Aya with an expression like one watching a three-year-old unwilling to bathe.
"For such an important event as baptism, you must bathe first, otherwise Master Ryudo will be displeased."
Akichi Aya looked at the scars on her mother's body in disbelief.
"You... what are those marks on you...?"
"Oh, these..."
Akichi Kiko looked at the marks left by ropes and the still-present welts from whipping on her chest.
A proud smile appeared on her face.
"These are the marks Mother bears to atone for Aya's sins. Don't worry, they'll disappear in a couple of days. Aya, hurry and take off your clothes, Mother will help you bathe."
Looking at her mother, covered in scars yet with a happy and proud smile, Aya no longer resisted Akichi Kiko's outstretched hand to help her remove her school uniform.
Akichi Kiko removed Akichi Aya's school uniform.
"As expected of Aya, you're already almost like Mother now. Aya will surely be happy in the future!"
She said, as she pulled Aya into the shower stall and began scrubbing her.
Although the bathroom briefly lost power during the bath, the hot water never stopped.
And Aya was like a puppet, letting her mother praise her body while lamenting her own fading youth, as she finished bathing her.
After the bath, her mother even pulled out a razor, saying, "Only this way can you be completely happy," and lathered up some foam on herself and began to shave.
When she finally finished bathing, Akichi Kiko didn't let Akichi Aya put her school uniform back on.
Instead, she took out a surprisingly short miko outfit from the bathroom cabinet.