Aomame

Aomame performs a deep tissue massage on Leader’s body. His muscles are all very strong, but their “flow” is “blocked.” Aomame places pressure on the joints to unblock the muscles and restore balance to Leader’s body. She knows that this process is extremely painful, and she is amazed at how much pain he endures without complaint. He has a higher pain tolerance than anyone she has ever met. By the end of an hour’s massage, both he and she are sweating, and she has developed a grudging respect for him.

Leader is impressed by Aomame, too. In the past he has sought the help of many doctors and therapists, and Aomame has given him more relief than any of them. When he asks about her techniques, she explains that she has studied muscles carefully and learned the “provable” and “observable” truths about them. Leader promptly shifts this conversation to a metaphorical level, saying:

Most people are not looking for provable truths...What people need is beautiful, comforting stories that make them feel as if their lives have some meaning.

He goes on to say that religion generally comes from the search for such stories. People who encounter two ideas generally believe the one that makes them feel more significant. Aomame says that love is enough for her.

Aomame always does jobs well. She has completed the work Leader hired her to do, and now she must do the job she discussed with the dowager. She tells Leader to lie down on his stomach, and she finds the right spot on his neck. In the process, she realizes that he knows what she is going to do and wants her to do it. He would prefer death over a continuation of his pain. This makes Aomame hesitate. After all, she came to this hotel to stop Leader from doing wrong, not to spare him pain.

Feeling Aomame’s hesitation, Leader begins to speak. He explains his role in his religion, which is to listen to the voice and tell his followers what it says. The problem is, he is not sure if the voice speaks the truth. In some ancient cultures, kings ruled for a time and then got killed at the ends of their reigns. He thinks that these kings were like him, able to hear the messages of the strange entities he calls the Little People. He is the only person who can hear the Little People, and as such, he possesses a strange and difficult power. He thinks that this power has grown too great and that only his death can restore balance to the world.

Aomame finds it difficult to believe that Leader is telling the truth. To dispel her doubts, he proves that he is special. He makes her look at a heavy clock on the table, and he lifts it up with the power of his mind. This convinces Aomame that he has real power.

Leader goes on to tell Aomame that the Little People are neither good nor evil. The world’s balance is maintained only if the Little People’s power is equally matched by an opposing force:

Good and evil are not fixed, stable entities but are continually trading places...The most important thing is to maintain the balance...If you lean too much in either direction, it becomes difficult to maintain actual morals. Indeed, balance itself is the good.

According to Leader, the Little People do not want balance. They want power, and they will fight anyone who threatens this goal. Recently they became interested in Aomame because, by posing a threat to Leader, she also...