Volume 1 Chapter 3.2
The Lie That Reveals the Truth, the
Facts Filtering Through the Trees Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
"......Haa?"
She
desperately suppressed her urge to scream out.
Right now, she
didn't have any other choice but to respond calmly.
"You
better go get your eyesight checked. Take a good look. The color of my hair and
eyes......, and even my voice is totally different."
"Indeed",
Jin interrupted. " Your looks, your voice, everything is different. Even
with you in front of me, I still can't believe that you and Nina Stingray are
the same person."
"Listen
here, do you even understand what I'm talking about?"
"I know,
no matter how I look at it, I can't bring myself to believe you're the same
person at all."
"If
that's what you think, then that's what it is. Is your head screwed or
something?"
There would be
no way he could ever imagine she and Nina Stingray were the same person.
The common
citizen is probably not familiar with the existence of wigs and colored contact
lenses that are so elaborate. For that matter, something of such high quality
must still be used only in limited parts of the theatrical world. And even her
voice was chosen from a teenage girl's pitch, the one that is most distant from
the image of Nina Stingray.
Of course,
it's not just the voice. She had thoroughly crafted the pronunciation of each
word, the timing of each breath, the way she walked, and even the smallest of
gestures.
As she
examined the factors that contributed to her mistakes one by one, she noticed
something strange.
No, this is
more like an anomaly. This is not a level that can be put away with such vague
words as "strange".
─Then, at that moment, her hands were handcuffed.
"When did
you......"
"I've
never seen anyone impersonate another person with such precision. It's all so
seamless at that"
Nina could
only squeeze out a helpless question.
"............How
did you know?"
A smile like
that of a miner who has struck gold appeared on Jin's lips.
"I have
to admit, I was skeptical until the moment you just admitted it yourself."
"Ha?"
"That's
why I really can't believe that the person I see in front of me is Nina
Stingray. I've seen a lot of people doing similar things, but you're on a
completely different level compared to those guys."
"No way,
you were just baiting me......?"
"No,
actually, there were a number of unnatural things."
Jin continued
calmly.
"First of
all. I know I say this myself, but not many girls talk to me out of kindness.
Emma is an exception, obviously, so I figured anyone who would try to help me at
a school like this would have some kind of motive."
"But
there's a possibility that she's really sincere, right?"
"Unfortunately,
I don't have the kind of life where I can easily trust people. And secondly.
Your disguise was certainly perfect, but I saw signs of a deceitful person in
everything you did and said."
"Signs,
huh......"
"You were
biting your lip and pursing your mouth a lot while you were talking. That's a
sign of dry mouth due to stress. If that's all it was, then maybe you were just
nervous because you were talking to someone you had just met, but even so, the
depth of your breathing and the frequency of your blinking were remarkably
consistent. That was unnatural. I could only assume that you were controlling
it by acting."
Jin's points
did not end there.
"What was
most crucial was the fact that you never once tried to look downward while we
were conversing."
Nina's
expression rapidly froze.
"When I
argued with Nina in front of the fountain, I lied to her, saying something
along the lines of [people who are hiding things tend to look downward a lot].
It was just a random made-up line to drive Nina away at that time. So why were
you so careful not to look downward? How could Kate have known about the false
information that only Nina Stingray was supposed to have heard?"
After looking
with satisfaction at Nina's inability to say anything back, Jin continued.
"Then
there's the third reason."
"No way,
there's more?"
"I mean,
this is the biggest reason. There shouldn't be any girls like you in my grade.
There is one girl in class three named Kate, but she's a bit smaller and I
believe she wears glasses."
"......
Don't tell me, you remembered every face and name in our grade?"
"Of
course."
Jin said it
casually, as if it were a matter of course.
Nina was at a
loss for words.
It was only
one day after the entrance ceremony, and while the other students were still
getting used to the school's system and even getting excited about last night's
welcome party, this boy was the only one who was moving ahead of the rest of
them.
─But why does he have
to go to such lengths?
Before she
could utter this new question, Jin brought his face close to hers.
"So, can
we go back to my first question? What is your purpose?"
Nina forced
her frozen head to move, searching for a way out.
How many cards
do I still have left to play?
Shall I try
using the act I pulled yesterday when I drove the three boys away?
"......A~a,
enough with the unnecessary resistance. I already know you're not the monster
everyone says you are."
"W-What
are you talking about......?"
"Well,
the moment you change your appearance and approach me, it's as if you're
proving it yourself. Besides, if you have a powerful psychokinetic ability, you
can just break the handcuffs off."
"That's
because I can only use it under special conditions......"
"You know
what, I'll tell you one thing."
Jin's black
eyes grew stagnant and devoid of any light.
"You
better not be thinking of trying to outwit me in a game of deception."
Nina
understood that the game was now over.
There was no
chance of a comeback. It was all over.
"Your
psychic ability is probably only a slight alteration of your appearance or your
voice. Also, there is a limitation that you can't change anything of a great
magnitude, such as your skeletal structure or your gender. ...... Well, if you
ask me, it's a lot more useful than having uncontrollable psychokinesis."
Currently,
most of Jin's words barely sunk into Nina's mind.
It was not
like she was being overwhelmed with despair. Despite the situation, Nina was
filled with a strange sense of fulfillment.
─A~, I see. I've been
waiting for this moment for so long.
As the
youngest child of the Stingray family, Nina had been playing the role of a
monster all her life. The exhaustion and guilt piled up. She could no longer
bear to hold on to her secrets alone any longer.
Unable to hold
back her emotional breakdown, the truth began to overflow from Nina's mouth.
"......All
right, I'll tell you the truth. I am not a psychic."
"............
Haa~?"
Jin's
expression was tinged with shock.
As expected,
he probably never suspected that she being a psychic itself was a lie.
"I'm not
altering my appearance. This is just a disguise."
In front of
Jin's eyes, she removed her wig and colored contacts. Her neatly braided
platinum-colored hair and azure eyes match the features of Nina Stingray,
although her impression differed considerably due to her skillful makeup.
"No way,
what kind of disguise technique is that? You really turned into a different
person......"
Even after
revealing the truth, Jin's surprise did not seem to subside.
"Then the
change in your voice isn't due to psychic abilities either?"
"Yes,
that's just my talent. I can use about 16 different kinds of voices. Would you
like to hear them?"
Jin laughed in
amazement when Nina said that in a thick, male voice.
The disguise
is something Nina has done only a few times before, and even then only for fun.
And yet, she had managed to deceive even Jin, who had such extraordinary
insight. Nina laughed self-deprecatingly, saying that this was a talent that
the daughter of the Stingray family did not need at all.
With her
refreshed feeling, she began her monologue.
"It was
all an act. I've been deceiving the adults by pretending to be an unstable
monster. I didn't know how I would be treated if my family were to find out
that I wasn't a psychic."
"I have
never imagined that I could deceive my family for so many years just by
acting......."
"Those people
have no interest in me, you know. They just listened to the reports from the
butler and never once looked at me personally. That's why they never found out
about my lies."
Her life has
been filled with unbearable loneliness.
She was not
allowed to make friends, carried a secret that she could not confide to anyone,
and lived her life while desperately fighting the fear of losing everything.
It sounds
ironic that she was able to keep her secrets hidden because she was always
alone.
"I feel
strangely refreshed now. You can inform the instructors, spread rumors among
the students, whatever you like."
"What
the, you're surprisingly calm about it, huh? Are you turning into a
deviant?"
"......I
guess so. I've always wanted to destroy this shitty life of mine."
A curtain of
silence descended over the rain-drenched courtyard.
Even the sound
of the rain was absorbed by something invisible, and the world was filled with
perfect silence.
Next to her,
with his back against the wall, Jin closed his eyes and thought about
something.
No matter how
cruel the proposal came out of his mouth, she would be able to accept it now.
Nina was strangely certain.
"......Basically",
Jin finally opened his mouth. "the government-run psychics training school
has two ordinary people mixed up in it."
"......Two
people? What do you mean?"
"I'm just
like you. I'm not a heretic either."
"............Eh?"
"I'm just
an ordinary guy who's good at lying. I just kept deceiving everyone around me,
and before I knew it, I ended up here."
"But
that's strange. How did you pass the entrance exam?"
"By lying
and cheating."
Nina could not
quite read through the expression on Jin's face at that moment.
Relief,
malice, pity, hatred, conflict, liberation - so many different emotions were
contained within it that it was impossible to describe in one word.
She didn't
know why she felt that way. But she could clearly feel the intensity of what he
was hiding and what he was carrying on his back.
After a while,
Jin muttered something as if he had made up his mind.
"......Hey.
You don't really want to be expelled from this school, do you?"
"Well,
yes, but ...... I've already given up on that."
Suddenly, Jin
started walking forward.
Since that part
was no longer covered by the eaves, large drops of rain were drenching him
mercilessly.
The landscape
turning white. In the midst of this, Jin turned to her with a fearless
expression on his face.
"No
matter what, I don't think I can keep deceiving the whole school by myself. A
big job requires a strong team of people who can handle it. That was part of my
plan from the beginning. Well, I had planned to recruit someone who was
exempted from the entrance exam much later, but ...... this is just perfect."
He was playing
with the handcuffs with his left hand while smiling wickedly. Nina had
apparently been released from her restraints without realizing it. The removal
of the handcuffs was probably his way of showing his intentions.
This was not a
threat based on weakness, but a deal of equals.
"Am I
being recruited, by any chance?"
"I'm glad
you're so perceptive. As expected of an honor student."
"Does
that mean ...... we are going to work together to survive?"
"[Surviving]
is just a secondary goal."
"Then?"
"Isn't it
obvious? You and I will aim for the top of the school."
At Heiberg
Academy, it is said that only about a dozen students each year make it to
graduation.
It would be
reckless for mere liars with no psychic abilities to challenge such a tough
competition for survival. And to aim for the top is nothing but a foolish
delusion.
"......
That's, impossible."
"Why?"
"Huh?
Because we are just normal human beings, you know? There's no way we can defeat
students around us, let alone those who were exempted from entrance exam."
"Why are
you being so pessimistic."
Even under
such bad weather, Jin's eyes never showed any signs of cloudiness.
In fact, his
eyes were calm and confident about his success.
"You've
been able to deceive the Stingray family for a long time, haven't you? There's
no way that a great actor who can fool even the members of the <White
Knights> is going to fall behind a mere student."
"Even so,
that's just......"
"I'll
write the script."
Jin extended
his right hand while his whole body was exposed to the cold rain. The
expression on his face is neither acting nor conceited but is backed by a firm
confidence.
"I've
already laid out a plan, all the way toward our final goal. If you cooperate
with me, it will be much less difficult to execute. All I need is for you to
play the role of an actor in the script. Now, let me ask you once again ......
what are you worried about?"
"Well,
there's only one thing that bothers me ....... I don't trust you yet."
"Is trust
really necessary?"
"......What
do you mean?"
"First of
all, we're both aware of each other's weaknesses. If either one of us snitches
on the other, there's zero risk of betrayal as long as we're on the same side.
And for the same reason, you don't have the option to say no in the first
place."
"Ugh.......
That's true, but..."
"And
another reason. We are essentially similar."
Similar.
Was it because
similar thoughts were floating around in Nina's mind that she could not deny
the word immediately? Or was it because she had decided to accept whatever fate
befell her?
"You and
I both have screwed-up personalities who just enjoy deceiving people. You know
what I mean, don't you?"
"Ha~, I
didn't enjoy it at all......!
"Huh? You
don't even realize it? Oh, well, whatever."
In the pouring
rain, the fraudster's mouth twisted into a vicious grin.
"Just
imagine. What would happen if my deception were combined with your acting? With
two first-rate fraudsters, you and I together could fool even the world."
Before Jin
could finish, the rain began to slow down and a ray of light fell through a gap
in the clouds.
It was too good to be true. It's as if fate has been
conspiring against me.
Perhaps. If Jin, who possesses genius deception
skills, and I, who can perfectly act out his script, could team up, then
maybe....
─Perhaps, we might
really be able to fool even the world.
Nina noticed
that a smile was forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Can I
take that expression as a sign of approval?"
She could not
deny that a sense of elation was rising from within her body. Only a few
minutes ago, she had even prepared herself to lose everything.
"......A~,
gosh! All right, all right!"
Nina stepped
out into the rain-soaked world and grasped back the right hand offered to her.
"I'll
ride your ambition. Let's deceive the world together."
Now there was
no turning back.
Although Nina
approved, she still couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
If I were to be a deviant, I should choose the one
that has the best chance of leading to a little bit of hope. It is far more
salvageable than giving up everything and waiting for my ends.
Accepting the
girl's resolve, Jin Kirihara muttered in the white light.
"Good,
now we are accomplices."
◆
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