Liar, Liar - Volume 1 - Chapter 5

Final Chapter

The Lying Genius

“And now…let the Collect Phase of Self-Styled Game #27…begin!!”

“““Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!”””

Sunday, April 10. The audience, which was large because this was a day off, roared in reply to Kazami the emcee.

We were back at the Principal Athletic Field in the Fourth Ward, the same place where I’d had my last Game. Unlike for that match, though, the arena (capacity: five thousand) was completely full. Apparently, nearly twice as many people were watching the event live via Libra’s ITube app. At the risk of sounding like I’m bragging, the day’s event, the Academy’s strongest versus Seiran Kugasaki, was exactly as popular as I’d anticipated.

“Just as amped up as ever.”

Kazami’s intense announcing during the countdown to the Game was nearly overwhelming, and I wasn’t even on the field. I was actually watching the stream, like most other people. At present, I was by the front gate to Eimei School. As I’d learned the day before, Self-Styled Game #27 was divided into two phases, and the initial Collect Phase took place across all of the Fourth Ward. Therefore, I’d been given time to decide where I wanted to begin.

Anyway, the Game was on, so I looked at my device again. Cards had already popped up—two, five, nine, fourteen, and seventeen appeared on my map. There was no telling whether my Luck Ability had influenced any, but they were all concentrated fairly close to me.

A soft voice came over my earpiece.

“Connection complete. If you can hear me, Master, then please respond.”

“A-OK here. There’s a helicopter in the air above me, but I doubt it can pick up my voice from that high. I deployed Display Bug, so we’re good on that front. Fourteen’s the closest to me; should I go for that first?”

“Yes. Best to pick up one card for now. Then, if a new card greater than seventeen shows up, head for that. Otherwise, your second target is seventeen.”

“Roger. Seventeen’s a decent distance away, though. Should I take a bus?”

“Sounds good. The route between fourteen and seventeen happens to be serviced by a bus route. We’ll place a fake bus at the stop that’ll take you directly over.”

“Whoa… That’s pretty unfair.”

I snickered to myself as I ran for my current target. My remark wasn’t meant to be disapproving. It was more an expression of my appreciation for the team helping me. Himeji seemed to understand the nuance—the radio silence suggested she approved (I think).

As I ran along, I realized something. One of the five cards on the map, the five, was gone. The Game had been going for less than five minutes, yet my opponent already had a card in hand. I reported this to Himeji with trepidation in my voice.

“I see,” she replied coldly. “That was rather fast. Perhaps he happened to start near that card’s coordinates. We are obfuscating the actual positions, but it’s little more than a polling error in size…and the cards are holographically projected, so you can visually see them. If you’re physically there, the map interference is little more than stalling for time.”

“Mm… Right, yeah. Nothing to be surprised about.”

“Exactly, Master. However, he has likely realized now that the coordinates on his map are slightly off. We’ll have to see what he does next.”

That was true. Kugasaki’s first pickup had been quick, but he’d only claimed a five, a pretty low number. Even if he realized what we were up to, it’d still keep him from using Control Position Data. And while I had him stopped cold, I could grab some of the higher numbers…

“…!”

A quiet yelp came through the earpiece.

“Uh…Himeji? Hey, what’s up?!”

“Er… I’m sorry. I was thrown for a moment. I’m watching a live feed from Libra… Apparently, Mr. Kugasaki has just obtained his second card.”

“…Huh?”

Himeji’s tighter-than-usual voice made me stop running. Kugasaki had a second card? That was impossible. No new cards had disappeared from the map. I still saw the two, nine, fourteen, seventeen, and seven. The last one had appeared a few moments before. None of them were missing. They hadn’t been taken.

“I still count five of them, yet Kugasaki’s increasing his card total?”

“Yes… Kazami of Libra stated that Mr. Kugasaki likely acquired a card that hasn’t been revealed yet. The arena display’s showing his cards, but they’re listed as five and ‘unknown,’ still face down since its value hasn’t been announced.”

“An unknown value… Wait, so is Kugasaki using a Search Ability?”

The panic was clear in my voice. I frowned. Saionji had explained that Search could give Kugasaki the coordinates he needed. If he knew where all the cards were at the start of the Game, he could definitely pick some up before their locations were announced. Evidently, his taking a card never placed on the map didn’t affect the information on my device.

“I—I have nothing to counter that… I thought we agreed that this was an ineffective strategy. He doesn’t know what the numbers are, which should make this method too slow.”

“Yeah. I should…”

I nodded, right hand covering my mouth. It was definitely too inefficient. The combination of Variable Control, †Jet-Black Wings†, and Search wouldn’t give him a fast way to gather cards. He couldn’t be accomplishing this without Search, though.

“Do you think he’s using Variable Control?” I asked.

“Oh? Has it finally dawned on you, Seven Star? Looks like you’re good at thinking on your feet, at least.”

“Kugasaki?!”

My eyes shot open when that irritating voice suddenly came through my device. It was Seiran Kugasaki, the Five Star closest to the Empress in skill. Why should he bother reaching out to annoy me while using his mysterious tactics to get an early lead?

Taking a moment to ensure Himeji wouldn’t butt in, I calmed myself and replied, “You… How are you talking to me? You can’t know my device ID.”

“People often get the wrong idea about my †Jet-Black Wings†. It’s actually a performance-enhancing Ability. In addition to creating stage effects, I can use it to throw my voice and listen to others over long distances. Pretty useful, huh?”

“Huh. So what do you want? I hope you didn’t get in touch just to brag about Abilities.”

“Of course not. Heh… Listen, Seven Star. Tell me if I’ve got your plan right. I can’t beat you in raw Variable Control power, which means I have to do well during the Collect Phase. And because I have †Jet-Black Wings†, I can’t install any defensive Abilities. You intended to block my plans without resorting to Cancel Interference like last time.”

“…”

The details were off a bit because he believed I was a genuine Seven Star, but he was basically correct. I stood in silence while Kugasaki continued gleefully.

“Heh-heh… It sounds as though I am correct. In that case, I’ve got news for you. Your strategy will fail. I lured you into reaching that conclusion.”

“…What?”

“Huh? You still don’t get it, Seven Star? Basically, I can read every word, every letter, of your tactics. None of your attack Abilities affect me. If this continues, my victory is guaranteed. Not bad, right?”

His cocky voice stuck in my mind. I knew he was trying to unnerve me, yet I couldn’t help but grit my teeth. My stomach churned with frustration.

“Ha… All right. Playtime is over. You have two seconds, Shinohara.”

Kugasaki hung up.

Two seconds? Naturally, they passed by quickly. Nothing happened, however. The Game had only been running for ten minutes. We weren’t close to the end countdown for the first half yet.

Wait. Ten minutes?

I gaped at the time display on my device.

“…This is insane.”

I finally understood. The problem was that nothing had happened. The Game had reached the ten-minute mark. A new card should have appeared, like the seven had five minutes before. However, no new card showed up on my map.

“…!”

The ominous chill coursing down my spine jolted me into action. I projected the Libra live feed in front of me, and the first thing I saw was the large screen in the arena and the two player hands displayed on it. I expected it to display no cards for me, and two for Kugasaki, a five and that unknown one. However, the information on the board had changed.

“Five and ten…” Himeji was back. She sounded a little puzzled. “I’m not sure what to make of this. I haven’t heard anything about Mr. Kugasaki picking up a ten. And what happened to the unknown card from before…?”

“Well, that’s the trick.”

“…What?”

“Those aren’t two different things. They’re connected. The facedown card in Kugasaki’s hand turned into the ten. More accurately, the previously unknown number was revealed to be a ten.”

“Revealed…? Oh…”

“Yeah. The Game just passed the ten-minute mark, but we didn’t get any new information… At least, that’s what it looks like to us. But there was new data, the value of the unknown card.”

Presumably, if a player picked up a face-down card, that number would be revealed whenever the next five-minute interval came along, rather than a new card appearing on the map.

It all came together to reveal how Kugasaki’s strategy operated.

“Basically, Kugasaki used Search to learn all the card locations, and now he’s trying to continually pick up cards ahead of us. That way, there’ll always be a face-down card in his hand, which gets flipped over after five minutes, denying any new information. We can deal with that once, but if he keeps it up…I’ll only be able to get the cards I can see on my device.”

“S-so Mr. Kugasaki is trying to hoard all the cards from the start?!” Himeji’s voice wavered.

Honestly, I was just theorizing, but from what I could tell, that was Kugasaki’s plan. Continually grabbing cards that weren’t on-screen blocked any new data from reaching me. He’d keep that going until the first phase of the Game ended.

“Also…I don’t think he’s got Variable Control installed at all. I doubt our interference is working on him. I think his third Ability is for defense.”

“Sacrificing Variable Control for protection… It’s not out of the question, but would he be willing to make such a tough commitment? Because in the Reveal Phase, you’ll be competing with the values of your cards, not how many you’ve collected. He can only carry five cards in his hand, so if he collects a sixth, he’ll have to discard one… Isn’t this Game about quality over quantity?”

“That’s true, but…” Himeji was trying to cling to hope. Unfortunately, I had to disappoint her. “In the Reveal Phase, we’re taking cards from our hands and playing them against each other. There are five rounds, and the first to win three takes the Game. So what happens if I end the Collect Phase with fewer than three cards?”

“Ah…”

Himeji was at a loss for words. I was right. That had to be what Kugasaki was after. If he gathered eighteen cards, he couldn’t lose. He didn’t need Variable Control at all. His plan required Search and a way to protect it. It was the perfect setup for hoarding the entire stock of cards. Himeji, Saionji, and I had never seen this coming.

“…This is bad.”

“More than just bad, Master! I just received word that the bus Kagaya’s driving has been stopped by a road closure!”

“Huh? The road’s closed…?”

“Yes. Apparently, vehicles bearing the symbol of Mr. Kugasaki’s Self-Styled Holy Knights have been barreling around the ward since this morning, and the authorities are trying to stop them. Now I see how he obtained cards so quickly. It’s likely that Mr. Kugasaki’s using his Self-Styled Holy Knights as his arms and legs!”

“What?! But third parties can’t get involved in Games… Oh, wait.”

I rejected that idea reflexively, then swiftly realized my error. Any student summoned via Emergency Call-Up became a participant who could provide aid. This wasn’t a rule infraction.

“H-he found a way around all of our countermeasures…” There was defeat in Himeji’s voice as it sank to a whisper. “There—there’s no way out of this, Master. If he’s shut down our cheating, then I can do nothing. Our slight chance at victory hinged on everything going smoothly, but it’s all been upturned.”

“…No. It’s not over yet.”

“What else can we possibly do?!”

It was rare to hear Himeji this worked up. It only lasted a second, though. She muttered, “…Sorry,” then went quiet, as though giving up.

That was exactly when I finally reached my first card, number fourteen. However, getting to seventeen would be difficult without a bus. If I tried taking a train, Kugasaki or one of his allies would beat me to it.

Death bells sounded in my brain.

“…Oh. There you are, Shinohara.”

Huh? Urasaka?!

That monster bike skidded past me and came to a stop just ahead. When the rider took off her helmet, out came Urasaka, the girl I’d beaten in a Game two days before.

“Wh-what’s a biker like you doing here?”

“I’m not a biker… Whatever. I came here ’cause I was asked to. ‘If you’re going out, give Shinohara a ride.’”

“Who asked you?”

“No clue. It was this super-suspicious anonymous DM on STOC.”

“And you actually agreed to it? Why would anyone do that? It’s a wasted effort anyway. I’ll be disqualified if I get on your bike.”

“What, because I’m a third party? That’s no problem. Check it out. I got a commercial driver’s license. Starting today, I’m giving people rides for some extra cash. I haven’t come up with a name yet, but it’s like a taxi service. A taxi counts as public transport, you know, and no one’s been disqualified for taking a cab during a Game. Or that’s what the provost who gave me my business license said. What was her name? Something Ichinose.”

“…?!”

Wait… The provost?! No way that’s a coincidence. Did she foresee all of this?

“Look, are we gonna talk all day or what? Hop on.”

Urasaka waved me over. After weighing my options a little, I decided to climb on the black punk-rock bike. I hurriedly donned the helmet she gave me.

“You’re on? Okay. Grab on to me, all right? Don’t get all worked up about me being a girl, either. We’re gunning it to your destination!”

Uwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

After Urasaka’s cinematic line, her monster motorcycle took off like the wind. If Kugasaki and I were headed for the same card, there was no way he’d beat me to it now. I was certain of it. I also swore off roller coasters and other thrill rides for the foreseeable future.

“Okay, my work is done. Good luck in the Game, Shinohara.”

“Th-thanks…”

We reached our goal in the blink of an eye.

I was now at the very far end of the Fourth Ward, on a block pretty close to the café Saionji had invited me to. This was the border zone shared with the Third Ward, which lay right across the street. I wasn’t sure if that was why, but the TV helicopter hadn’t followed me here. Had I made the same trip on the train, it would’ve taken far too much time.

When I checked the map, I saw that my target coordinates were in a low-rise building—somewhere on its third or fourth floor, to be specific. It took around a minute to find the place.

“…Whoa.”

With Himeji’s guidance (she spoke far less now, but she still offered little bits of advice), I managed to reach it without getting too lost. But it wasn’t anything like what I’d imagined. It was a building, yes, but I guessed construction had been abandoned somewhere midway through. In fact, it was nothing but bare reinforced concrete, like you’d see on a fresh construction site, extending about four stories up. The exterior was still covered in blue tarps to protect it from the elements.

Inside, I saw nothing but empty space. Being somewhat shut off from outside light and air, it was dim and musty. Far above was the roof, although it was more of a grimy tarp. It was nothing but sheer vacant space in here, no floors to speak of. Maybe the structure was meant to be a big concert hall, or perhaps floors were supposed to be installed later. Either way, there was nothing here now.

On the right was a temporary metal stairway, one put there for construction workers, presumably. That was my only way up.

“…Okay.”

I felt hesitant, but the only thing to do was climb. The aluminum stairs clanged concerningly with every step, and the sounds echoed throughout the empty building. I tried not to think about it as I approached the card’s location, step-by-step.

“Mr. Kugasaki has obtained his seventh card.”

Himeji’s voice lacked its usual relaxed confidence. Suppressing the growing panic in my mind, I reached what would have been the third floor.

“…Oh, no way.”

That was all I could manage to say. I hadn’t really been able to tell from below…but the stairway between the third and fourth floors had been all but destroyed. The handrails remained, but nearly none of the steps did. They must have corroded away after being exposed to the elements for too long.

However, when I strained my eyes, I spotted the card hologram just ahead. So, grabbing the handrail with my left hand, I thrust my right in the air, holding my device up high. All my weight was on the handrail, and there was no telling when the step beneath me might collapse. I kept my other foot on the third-floor landing and slowly leaned forward.

Phew… Stay calm. This is the third floor. I’ll be in trouble if I fall, but I’m being careful, so that’s not going to happen. Yeah… Calm down, and don’t—

Maybe my thought was ironic foreshadowing.

“…Uh?”

The moment my device overlapped with the card hologram, there came a gut-wrenching screech of bending metal. Before I realized the handrail had given way, I was tumbling through the air.

…I was only barely awake.

I’d covered my head with my arms, so it was fine, but the rest of me throbbed in pain. I was bleeding a bit from my limbs. What remained of the temporary stairway was scattered on the ground. It made the place resemble a crime scene.

My device had fallen out of my hand when I dropped, so I didn’t know how much time had passed. I wanted to contact Himeji, but my earpiece had fallen out, and I couldn’t find it.

“…Ooh…”

My surroundings were blurry, but I tried to check how well I could move. Luckily, nothing was broken. At worst, I had some light sprains but wasn’t immobile.

“That’s good…but…”

My personal health wasn’t the issue. The Game—what was going on with my Game against Kugasaki? I definitely obtained the seventeen card, but that meant I only had two cards in my hand. Two. If Kugasaki collected the other eighteen at this point, the Game was already over.

“No… It’s too soon to give up yet. I’m the only player with Variable Control, and I’m carrying a fourteen and a seventeen. As long as I can find a third card, I might even have an advantage…”

“The hell you do, stupid.”

“…Huh?”

I was talking to myself to gather my scattered thoughts, yet another voice bluntly denied my remark. It was a suspiciously familiar one, too. When I followed it to its origin, I spotted Sarasa Saionji, her arms crossed. She looked more displeased than I’d ever seen her.

“…”

She stared at me for a few moments, then brought her arms down and marched over to me. Once she was right in front of me, she rested one hand on her hip and averted her eyes a bit, like someone giving an excuse.

“Um…look…don’t get the wrong idea…”

“…? Wrong idea about what?”

“Me being here. You’re totally misunderstanding, right? I’m not here because I’m worried about you. I didn’t ask Urasaka for help, and I didn’t get worried when she said, ‘It was a pretty dangerous-looking place. Why don’t you check up on him later, mystery lady?’ Also, I’m not a mystery lady. So…you know, it’s just a coincidence. I was walking around to kill some time, and I happened to see you here.”

“…Oh? That’s sure one crazy coincidence.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. This act was so very like Saionji.

Interacting with her during a Game would normally be a little dangerous, but as I’d confirmed earlier, there was no helicopter shooting footage around here. Saionji didn’t seem too alarmed about helping. Anyone nearby must’ve been safely shooed away.

“Hey, Saionji, do you know what time it is? How long was I out?”

“I don’t know when you fell unconscious, idiot…but a little more than thirty minutes have passed since the Game began. There’s still over an hour left in the Collect Phase, but most of the cards are already taken.”

“Oh… Well, good. At least it’s not over. Listen, Saionji, can you ask the band girl to come back here for me?”

“…What for?”

“What else? I think I can walk okay, but it’s going to be hard to run. Kugasaki’s gonna take all the cards if I just stagger around. I need to get back in this as soon as I ca—”

“Quit being so stupid!”

Saionji, cutting me off, crouched down to get a closer look at my face. I was still on the ground, so this was my first good look at her ruby eyes since she’d shown up. They were filled with steely resolve.

“I already called for her a moment ago. Do I need to do it again? Because I will! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! You need an emergency room, not another card! I’m not in a position to help you, but I can at least call for an ambulance. You need to get checked out right now!”

“…”

Her serious tone left no room for humor. The intensity made me gasp a little. Saionji seemed genuinely concerned about my condition, which helped me realize I was in pretty bad shape. However…

“What are you talking about, Saionji? I can’t afford to lose this. Now’s no time to go to a hospital.”

“Yes, it is! …I had no idea you were this stupid. Well, let me spell it out for you in a way you’d better understand. You need to resign right now, Shinohara. At this point, there’s no way left for you to win. It’s impossible.”

“…! Why are you saying that…?”

“Oh, are you angry? I’m only telling the truth.”

“No. I’m… You’re screwed, too, if I lose. Shouldn’t you be forcing me back to my feet?”

The question came out heated more because of my astonishment than because of any animosity.

“The real Sarasa Saionji is still missing, isn’t she? You’re posing as her so you can get her back, aren’t you? You’ve been fighting for this the past year, right? Don’t just give all that up because I’m a little hurt. Your lie’s no longer your own, all right? We’re partners in crime. If you decide to duck out on me, I’ll be in deep trouble.”

“…!”

“Listen. I don’t want to lose this. I can’t let it end like this. For myself, for this girl I’ve never met before, and maybe just a little for you. So just drop whatever’s telling you to get in my way.”

“…I’m not getting in your way!” she replied, her voice shaky. Then she glared hard at me for a while with tears in her eyes. It was clear she wanted to say something, but she held it back. Seeing Saionji appear so frail reminded me of Himeji’s words. This was a girl fighting by herself, keeping something secret even from the Saionji family. Something vital.

I didn’t know how much time passed before Saionji finally nodded. “…It’s a lie,” she whispered.

“Huh? What?”

“…Don’t make me say it again, Shinohara! I had to drum up a lot of courage for this!”

“Wait, it’s my fault now?! Well, sorry! But I have no idea what you said, so one more time, please!”

“I told you…!”

Saionji gave in and shut her eyes. Then, in a much louder, almost defiant voice, she shouted it at me.

“I mean about Sarasa being kidnapped! That was all me telling a lie!!”

“…What?”

It took a little bit to comprehend the admission.

“W…wait, Saionji. What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said, all right? Sarasa—the real Sarasa Saionji—hasn’t been kidnapped at all. She’s fine. She’s attending high school over in mainland Japan. She can’t remain inconspicuous with the last name Saionji, though, so she’s adopted an identity similar to my real one. That’s basically it.”

“That’s it, huh?” My confused brain went into overdrive trying to process this. The best I could do was ask, “Why? Why would she do that?”

“Because it’s what she wanted. I told you a little about it already. Her family basically held her hostage until she graduated middle school. She was going to be forced to participate in the star-hunting system in high school to establish herself as the family heir. But…I heard her. When she was half-asleep, she confessed, ‘I sure wish I could’ve gone to a normal school.’”

“…”

“Sarasa’s a good girl, so she’d typically never admit that to anyone. She resigned herself to her family’s plan and followed it to the letter. But she wanted to be free. And…well, don’t you see? After I heard that, I wanted to do something. It’s not like she explicitly asked me to. I wanted to surprise her. So…I decided to pretend that Sarasa had been ‘kidnapped.’ I took her back to the mainland and made it look like an abduction.”

“…All by yourself? You against the entire Saionji family?”

“Yes. By myself. I’m a genius, remember? And the Saionji family is beholden to whatever Masamune dictates. I didn’t have any help getting Sarasa.”

“Yeah, but…what about Himeji? She worked with Sarasa and used to be close with her. Couldn’t you have teamed up with her?”

“Absolutely not, stupid.”

Who knew how many times I’d been called stupid today? It had kind of pissed me off at first, but once I considered it a natural part of Saionji’s dialect, it started to sound cute… Maybe I was deluding myself.

Saionji, still crouched down beside me, sighed. “You have to understand. Masamune Saionji’s the most powerful man on the island, and he’s really set in his ways. He’ll punish everybody involved if he discovers a plot that goes against what he wants for the Saionjis.”

“Oh… Right.”

“Plus, this lie is set to expire. Sarasa will graduate in two years, and it will come out. Knowing that, how could I drag Yuki into it? Listen, I don’t think you know this, but I really love Yuki. She’s every bit as important a friend to me as Sarasa. That’s why I couldn’t tell her. I’m even deceiving Sarasa. I told her the Saionji family decided to transfer her to another school.”

There was sardonicism in Saionji’s voice. Another lie had been lurking behind her first this whole time, one dearer to her that could normally never be revealed to anyone. And yet here she was, fighting through tears, as she laid it out for me.

“It’s fine. Just concede already. If my lie’s revealed, then Sarasa’s dream will never come true…but I’ll be the only one to blame. Yuki wasn’t involved in the kidnapping, and Sarasa doesn’t know the truth, either. I’m sure nothing bad will happen to you, either. I’m the one who posed as Sarasa Saionji and sat on the Seven Star throne for a whole year. So please…quit being stubborn and just resign, Shinohara. Because if you keep doing this, you really will die eventually!”

Her order sounded more like a scream this time. Undoubtedly, she’d been anticipating a collapse since all of this had begun the year before. She was prepared to be held accountable the moment anything went awry. That’s why she’d kept even Himeji at arm’s length—to protect this second lie.

Now she was even trying to help me. That’s why she’d revealed all of this to me. Saionji was offering herself to me as a sacrifice, telling me to use her as a scapegoat, despite looking ready to cry.

“…”

After hearing the truth, I lowered my gaze and sank into thought. Saionji’s true feelings, my complicated predicament, and the little bit of selfish desire Himeji had revealed around me. I replied with all of that in mind.

“Ah… Now it makes sense.”

“…What?”

I could tell Saionji’s mouth was hanging open. She likely hadn’t expected my reaction, but I paid that no mind.

“When I asked about your lie before, I thought it didn’t feel characteristic of you.”

“Uh…wait. So you knew I wasn’t being totally honest?”

“No, I wasn’t that certain. I only wondered if posing as your friend after she was kidnapped to bait the criminal was really the kind of plan you’d go for. I mean, you challenged me to a Game after an obvious accident! If there was truly an abduction, you wouldn’t rest until you found those responsible and took them down.”

“Ah… Y-yeah. Maybe.”

Saionji meekly nodded as she looked into my eyes. Honestly, I was surprised to hear her confirm my idea. This was the girl who’d deceived the Saionji family for an entire year. When she set her mind to something, nothing was impossible.

Hearing that from her lifted my spirits, although I’m not certain why. I smiled at her. “Right? That’s why I doubted that kidnapping stuff. The real reason makes much more sense. Still, fooling the Academy and the Saionji family to make your best friend’s wish come true… It’s nuts. I don’t think you’re allowed to call me stupid anymore.”

“Wha…? You don’t have to put it like that. You might think it’s silly, but it was really important to me…”

“I know, I know. Look, Saionji, when I say something is ridiculous, I’m not trying to say it’s wrong. In fact, it’s the greatest compliment I can give. I do think it’s crazy, but it makes sense to me. I relate to it in a way. It’s awesome. So…let me help with your lies.”

“Uh…what? What do you…mean?”

“Let’s keep this farce going a little longer.”

Saionji didn’t seem to understand…or maybe she didn’t want to. I just grinned at her. It was about time. I’d been relying on Himeji and the simple secure approach of cheating my way to the top. However, that had run its course in a way. I needed to get serious or I’d never win this Game.

A switch flipped in my mind, and I looked back into those ruby eyes with renewed vigor.

“We’ve kept this up so far. There’s no need to ruin it by quitting midway. I haven’t accomplished what I came here to do, and I know you don’t want to give up yet, either. Didn’t you make up that kidnapping because you didn’t want Himeji or Sarasa to suffer for your actions? Then what’s the harm if I get involved? Unlike them, I’m not your friend, or anything else, really. I’m your accomplice. You’re only one. We’re both liars, so let me shoulder your burden with you.”

“Ah… B-but…!”

“No buts. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying this for your sake. This whole thing—me as a fake Seven Star and the secret connection to the Saionji family that rules the Academy—is actually really good for me. Being discovered will be even more of a risk, but this will give me more info than if I was just another student, and that makes it worth the trouble. So you do it, too, Akabane. Take advantage of me, too. Don’t be afraid to. And don’t throw it all away just because you can’t shoulder it any longer. Let me take half of it instead. Because otherwise…it won’t be balanced, right?”

“Shinohara…”

Saionji swallowed, but her eyes remained focused on me. For a while, there was just the sound of our heartbeats in this shell of a building… It felt as though we both got our feelings across, even if we didn’t vocalize them. I reached out to Saionji’s shoulder. She twitched, retreating a little, but then closed her eyes and carefully brought her face closer…and closer…closer…

Huh?

“Um…Saionji?”

“Huh?! Wh-what? Was that weird?! I don’t know! This is the first time I’ve ever…”

“Oh, your first time, huh? Even if it is, you won’t be able to stop the blood with your eyes closed.”

“Stop the…?”

“Yeah. Stop the blood. I want to get back in the Game… Or were you talking about something el—?”

“…N-no! No, no, I’ll take care of you, so shut your stupid mouth, Shinohara!”

“Whoa?!”

Saionji, now bright red, pushed me back. She really should’ve been more careful. I almost got hurt again.

Himeji arrived at the construction site a few minutes later, having tracked the coordinates of my device.

“Let me update you… First, we are approximately forty minutes into the Game. In that time, Mr. Kugasaki has obtained a total of sixteen cards. As a result, there are just two cards left on the playing field—and no information has been revealed about either.”

I fell silent at her defeated voice. However, it wasn’t too surprising. In fact, it’d be weird if I still had wiggle room at this point.

“Okay, I’ll likely be stuck with just the seventeen and fourteen. Kugasaki’s bound to have five high numbers, so I’m totally gonna lose as it stands…but what’re we gonna do now?”

“Yeah, it’s not possible for you to pick up any more cards like this. We need to figure out how to turn this around before the Reveal Phase.”

“Um, wait one minute, please.” Himeji sounded a little hesitant. “Are you two saying…that you’re not giving up yet? All the cheats our Company came up with have been countered. Nothing we came prepared with has worked… You think we can still pull out a win from this desperate situation?”

““Of course.””

“…Oh…”

Himeji’s blue eyes widened a little as Saionji and I gave the same answer. She stood frozen, but swiftly recovered and gave us a light smile, as though overjoyed.

“Heh-heh! I’m surprised. Very, very surprised… I can hardly put it into words. Thank you very much, Master, for making my selfish wish come true.”

“Your wish, Yuki?”

“It’s nothing, Rina. Don’t worry about it. All right, I will put some thought into this, too. If my best friend and my master intend to persevere, then I’d be a failure as a maid if I left it all in your hands.”

“Y-your best friend…! Yuki…”

It sounded like Saionji had a complaint in the chamber, but her pout loosened into a smile. I watched the two for a moment, then changed focus to the screen of my device. It displayed a list of the Abilities I’d installed for this Game: Display Bug, Variable Control, and Luck. There was also text outlining how each worked.

I actually had a plan in mind. It was something I had come up with while Saionji patched me up. But first…

“…Hey, Saionji. I want to ask you something: Are there any Abilities that can rewrite the rules of a Game? And if there are, are they pretty well known?”

“Game-rewriting Abilities… Well, there’s Rulebreaker. It exists, anyway, and a lot of people know about it, but it’s not as all-powerful as you think. The most it can accomplish is altering a few words, and it’s only available to Six and Seven Stars.”

“Nah, that’s okay. The only thing that matters is that it actually exists.”

“Huh?”

“…Oh, do you mean…?”

Saionji raised an eyebrow, perplexed. Himeji, on the other hand, was attuned enough to potential cheats to catch on right away.

I nodded at them, then laid out my plan for a comeback. There were three keys to making it work: an Ability to change the Game rules, Kugasaki’s ignorance of my Abilities, and his belief that I was a Seven Star.

“Mm…”

As I went into more detail, Saionji’s expression gradually grew sterner. “It’s an all-or-nothing ploy, but it seems worth a shot. Heh. What a surprise. You really have some ridiculous ideas sometimes.”

“Uh…i-is that bad?”

“Oh, I thought ridiculous was the greatest compliment a person could give.”

“…Having you flatter me is really scary. Still, we can’t win as it stands. All Display Bug does is mess with device screens. I need to expand it, or update it, I guess, so it has a greater effect. Himeji, how long would it take to add the feature I described? Because honestly, I think this all hinges on whether it’s in time or not.”

“Right…”

Himeji brought her right hand to her lips and calculated something in her mind. Normally, changing Abilities mid-Game was impossible, but that didn’t necessarily include updates to selected ones. That was our tiny little seed of hope, the only way to turn things around.

A few seconds later, Himeji let out a deep breath.

“Yes. If we bring the whole Company together, I think we’ll make it in time for the Reveal Phase… No. Let me correct that. We will make it in time.”

“Great. Thanks.”

“Not at all. And…I apologize, Master.”

“Mm?”

“I think…I misjudged your talents.”

Himeji bowed, a little smile on her face. Then she turned away from me, no doubt to contact the Company. Her device was in her hand, and while I watched her tap away…Saionji poked me in the cheek.

“Take that!”

“Huh? …What was that for?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought your gaze was a little suspicious. Are you sure this is okay? Remember, if you give up now, you can pin all the blame on me. The deeper you get, the worse it’ll be.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ve already decided, so stop bringing it up. Getting cold feet now won’t help anyone.”

“Y-yeah, but…”

Saionji’s eyes strayed a bit. Perhaps she was getting anxious now that we’d finalized our plan. After all, there was no turning back if we continued. If my stubbornness caused me to lose to Kugasaki, it’d be akin to destroying the lie she’d spent a year guarding.

“…Ugh.”

But despite that…or perhaps because of it…

“Quit worrying, Akabane. No matter how awful things are, no matter how precarious my situation…that’s nothing but paper-thin truth. We’re about to trick the entire Academy. That’s our outrageous goal…”

…I looked back at her clear ruby eyes and grinned.

“If we can’t even trick a single Five Star, what am I even doing here?”

“Ahh, it’s a shame. It’s truly a shame, Hiroto Shinohara.”

We were back at the Principal Athletic Field in the Fourth Ward. Kugasaki, in his jet-black cloak, performed like a stage actor before the crowd of five thousand.

“I assumed you were the victim of a simple accident, but I still had my eye out. You’ve defeated my goddess, after all. I was hoping for more from you. More from this Game against the man who surpassed my goddess. This contest should have sent my heart soaring. No one was looking forward to this more than me…yet it has ended in such travesty.”

I stood there as Kugasaki ridiculed me, my head hanging. To put it charitably, I looked like I had gone through hell and back. There were bandages all over my body, making it difficult to stand without Himeji (who had received special permission to assist me). And the bad news didn’t stop there. My actual progress in the Game was just as awful.

Kugasaki let out a villainous chuckle as he examined the screen projected from his device.

“You see this, Seven Star? I have five cards in my hand, while you only have two. You cannot win three rounds. This is precisely what I was going for, but to see you fall so completely into my trap feels anticlimactic. Had you only used a level-seven attack or two on me instead of trying to obstruct my progress, perhaps things would’ve turned out differently.”

“…Yeah. That probably would’ve been the best approach.”

I wasn’t really a Seven Star, so that approach wasn’t available to me…but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Heh! My strategy won the day. I never intended to win the traditional way. Since my Variable Control level is inferior to yours, a standard approach would never be enough to win. So I took the opposite route. What could help me defeat a superior opponent in this Game? Well, it should dawn on you if you put some thought into it. All I had to do was keep you off the field entirely.”

“Yeah, good point. And you played the first phase perfectly. Responding to a strategy like yours while ignorant of it is tough. Maybe even impossible.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that! I’ve engineered similar surprise attacks on my goddess ten times, and you know how those turned out.”

“…Really?” I said, scowling at the weirdly proud Kugasaki. The previous day, Saionji had mentioned the possibility of Kugasaki using Search. My logic had been that I had to make compromises as a One Star. However, I might have breezed through the first half of this Game had I not gotten tunnel vision.

“…!”

Saionji was seated in the front row of the stands, staring right at us. Kugasaki pushed his glasses up his nose, basking in the attention of his goddess.

“But enough of that. Only one important truth remains—I have defeated you. Is that clear to you, so-called strongest on the Academy? Heh-heh! Not that you’ll own that title for very much longer.”

The sharp vitriol kept coming, all played up for maximum entertainment value. His declaration was nothing short of a death sentence for me, and not just in terms of losing my Seven Star status. Depending on Masamune Saionji’s decision, I could wind up losing everything.

I kept silent with my head low. Kugasaki snorted.

“Hmph… So now what, Shinohara? You have no way to win. Instead of carrying out a Reveal Phase we know the end to, I think it’d be better if you retain honor and resign.”

“Yeah, you might be right,” I answered, trying my hardest to squeeze the words out as I peered up at the arena’s large screen. It showed my and Kugasaki’s hands, confirming my defeat. I gave it a self-deriding chuckle as I ran my finger down my device screen.

I stopped it over the Discard button, then tapped it, and my first card disappeared from my display. I did the same with my second card and put my device to sleep before it even finished processing. The half of the arena screen showing my deck suddenly went black.

“…Is this good enough, Kugasaki?”

“Heh… Heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha-ha! Yes, it’s perfect! Now…now victory is mine!!”

Throwing all my cards away was an act that indicated my conceding the match, and Kugasaki was delighted. His joy rang in his laughter and bit into my soul, but I had no way to stop him. I could tell that Himeji beside me was keeping a close watch on the time.

“Hurry up,” she softly urged someone.

“Well, um…all right, then. In that case, as the referee, I’ll make it official.”

Once Kugasaki simmered down from laughing in my face, Kazami, who’d been standing by, finally spoke up. She gave me a quick look, perhaps out of concern, then shook her head and brought her headset mic close to her mouth.

“L-ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to thank each and every one of you for cheering the competitors on through this long contest! Between our news helicopter running into mysterious mechanical issues, all the scrambled video, and Shinohara arriving looking like a Halloween mummy, there have certainly been a lot of bumps along the way! However, the epic battle between this Five Star and this Seven Star has reached its conclusion!!”

Kazami brought out her best broadcaster voice, keeping it light and airy to dispel the disappointment in the stands. She used that cutesy lilt to go over the highlights of this Game, and then, when the tension was at its peak, she finally gave the results.

“All right! The winner of Self-Styled Game #27…”

“…”

I tuned her out, as if her words didn’t apply to me. When Kazami finished her sentence, it’d all be set in stone and there’d be no recovering.

I really don’t think I can stall any longer, guys…

After a glance at my device’s clock, I found myself whispering, “Hurry up… Hurry up…” My feelings were perfectly in sync with Himeji’s. Twenty-five minutes had elapsed since the end of the Collect Phase, and it’d be hard to delay things further.

I bit my lip and put a finger to my earpiece while praying.

“Okay, Hiro, all set! Are we in time?!”

“Whoa, ref! Wait a sec!”

“…is Seiran— Whaaaaa—?!!”

A shout from Kagaya cut through the static, prompting me to call out to Kazami, interrupting her. At almost the same time, my device vibrated, the telltale indicator of an update. They had done it. We’d made it by the slimmest margin.

“…Phew…”

Kazami, Kugasaki, and everyone in the audience looked at me with confusion. I took a step forward, waving Himeji away. There was no need to act agonized over my defeat. I began my show with a grin.

“Hey, Kugasaki…do you remember the conditions for ending Self-Styled Game #27?”

“Who do you think I am? Of course I do. Three wins. To be exact, you need more wins than your opponent in the Reveal Phase.”

“No, those are the conditions for victory. I’m asking about what’s necessary for the Game to end.”

“To end…?”

Kugasaki grimaced, undoubtedly a little irritated that his proudest moment was being interrupted. He was quiet for a second but spoke up shortly after.

“Hmm… If you’re talking about the Game’s conclusion, it’s when both of us run out of cards, I suppose. That’s when the winner is decided. What are you getting at, Seven Star? Dragging this out when you have no hope is nothing short of pathetic.”

“Drag this on? Ha! You couldn’t be more off the mark.”

That part was long behind us.

I’m sure Kugasaki noticed my sudden change in attitude. He gave me a questioning look. His eyebrows soon shot up, and he reached for his device. He called up the rules for Self-Styled Game #27 on the arena’s large screen. One of the rules sections was titled “End of Game,” yet its contents didn’t quite match what Kugasaki had said.

When either player runs out of cards, the Reveal Phase ends, and whichever player has won more rounds at that point is the victor of Self-Styled Game #27.

“…! What’s this?” Kugasaki muttered when he finished reading. “The Game ends when either one of us runs out of cards? That’s crazy. That can’t be right. That makes my strategy worthless! Tch… What’s going on here?! The Game is supposed to end when both sides have run out of cards!”

“Whatever you think the rules are supposed to be doesn’t matter. You can see what they are up there. Either you remembered them wrong…or someone messed with them.”

“…What?! S-so… No… You used Rulebreaker?!”

At the suddenly pale Kugasaki’s exclamation, the crowd erupted into conversation. Yes, Rulebreaker—the Ability that Saionji had told me about. That Ability was strong enough to turn this whole thing around.

I stood amid the buzz from the audience and smiled.

“Did you enjoy that small taste of being a winner, Kugasaki? If that’s what the rules say, the Reveal Phase ended when I threw my hand away. And if the winner’s selected at that point in time, then your deck is meaningless. The score’s still tied nothing-nothing. So, Kugasaki, ready for a rematch? Because I’m starting to get excited.”

“Y-youuuu…!!”

Kugasaki’s face twisted in anger. I’m sure he’d never expected this to happen.

“This is nonsense…nonsense! Sheer nonsense! The Collect Phase is the main battle of Self-Styled Game #27! You and I both know that, and I outfoxed you! Why do you have to flip it all over at the last second?!”

“Why? Well, because you underestimated the Reveal Phase. The Collect Phase is important, sure, but it’s not like it decides everything.”

“You…you dirty little bastard!!”

Kugasaki had lost all handle on his anger. He flourished his cape while raging at me…and I got why. After all, as things stood now, I was guaranteed to tie or win no matter what he tried. The tables were truly turned.

Kugasaki’s ranting went on for a bit longer, and somewhere in the middle I caught him watching Saionji in the stands. She meant everything to him. Not just as the Empress, but as a true goddess. If I beat him, he’d never get to play her again. Perhaps he’d just remembered that part of the agreement, because he swished his cloak at me again, this time grinning as the silver frames of his glasses shone in the sun.

“…Heh-heh! Have you forgotten, strongest on the Academy? While I resent this affront, I still have Emergency Call-Up on my side. If we stage a rematch, I can change up the people I ask for help. You can’t expect this to end in a draw forever.”

Confidence dripped from Kugasaki’s every word. This was the brilliance of Seiran Kugasaki the Five Star in action. With three hundred strategies at his disposal, he never had any blind spots to worry about.

“Heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha! Very well! I am not in the business of beating on the injured, but after such an insult, my honor forbids me to back down! You’re on, Seven Star! You will become the stepping stone on my leap to greater heights!”

With a gallant motion (aided by a gust of wind from †Jet-Black Wings†), Kugasaki quickly threw away all his cards, a clear sign he accepted my proposal. Now everything was reset, and we’d move on to a rematch…or so everyone thought.

Ahhh… Thank goodness.

I heaved a mighty sigh of relief. Himeji, watching from nearby, broke her usual silent demeanor by gasping a little. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Saionji’s mouth open wide in disbelief.

“…Huh? What is it now, Hiroto Shinohara?”

Kugasaki was obviously alarmed by my lack of response. Holding back the laughter gathering in my throat, I pointed straight at the arena screen.

“What is it? Well, I just won.”

“…What?”

“You really should pay more attention to your opponent, Kugasaki. I discarded only one card… Yet you didn’t hesitate to blow through all five.”

The next moment, my darkened half of the screen flipped around to reveal my hand for the first time in the past few minutes. It showed, to all the world, that I had a single card left. That’s right; I’d only dropped one. I’d shut off my device’s screen the moment before it accepted the Discard command, making it appear like I’d relinquished my entire hand.

“Th-that’s impossible!”

Kugasaki blinked helplessly at the bizarre development. He remained stunned for a little while, but snapped out of it and raised his right arm high.

“B-but…you used Rulebreaker to change the rules, didn’t you?! My deck already has no cards in it! No matter how many you have, that won’t affect the score at all! Are you too incompetent to realize that?!”

“Change the rules…? Sorry, but I don’t remember saying I did that. That was your assumption. Understand? I didn’t change the rules. I adjusted your screen display to make it appear like I had.”

“……Ahh?!”

Kugasaki wailed like he was breathing his last.

How could I actually change the rules? As a One Star, I had no right to do anything like that. I’d merely used Display Bug, which had recently received a timely update to work on large-scale monitors like those used in the arena. I’d only changed two words in the rules shown. The actual rules remained unchanged.

There was hardly any magic to it, but my status (officially, anyway) as a Seven Star was a great mislead. Rulebreaker was an obviously powerful ace in the hole for a Seven Star. The strongest on the Academy was bound to have a hidden weapon or two like that.

That led to Kugasaki’s misread. The rules had never changed. The Game wasn’t going to end until both players were out of cards. He had taken my bait and cast away his whole hand.

“…So…so it was all a performance? You made me believe I had the advantage and acted like you were resigning, yet even Rulebreaker was a feint…? I beat you in strategy and selected Abilities…but you pushed through strictly with acting?!”

“You make it sound like a crime. At least acknowledge my quick wits that carried me to the end. Kugasaki, you lost because you underestimated me. Maybe dominating me in the Collect Phase gave you a big head. It tricked you into thinking there was no way for me to win.”

“Oh…I did? I let my guard down? Me?”

“You sure did. Feel free to regret it your whole life if you can’t accept it. Anyway, it’s the Reveal Phase of Self-Styled Game #27, and I’m playing my seventeen. I won’t use Variable Control, since I don’t need to. What about you? Any cards left to play?”

Kugasaki remained silent, his head low. And silence in this context meant agreement.

“All right, then I win. Of course, it’s a given that I win Games like this one, but still.”

The moment I flashed my smile, a hush settled over the entire field. Then, after a beat, I heard a murmur. I couldn’t make out Saionji’s words, but her pink cheeks trembled like she was about to break into sobs.

A moment later, the air was alive with cheers. Himeji’s exhausted voice caught my ear right before I lost consciousness. All tension left me.

“Great job, Master… You were so cool.”