It
would be unbearable if the situation were to become so ridiculous that another
swapping is required.
I saw
exactly how Junichi Kasuya was placed inside the statue that was originally
supposed to hold the Confinement King, and how he was carried into the studio
where Detective JK was waiting.
（This
is where my battlefield begins）
I
rushed up the steel spiral staircase beside the studio to the audience booth.
Overlooking
the stage, there was a mezzanine overhanging the ceiling of the studio. It was
a VIP seat, so to speak.
I had
asked Chihiro Kijima to set up a simple sound system there.
It
consisted of a microphone and a small mixer, which was wirelessly connected to
the headphones Kasuya was wearing.
Next
to the mixer, I rolled up the original procedure sheet and threw it behind me.
（He is
a troublesome master, isn't he? He never makes things simple for me）
I
chuckled to myself in my heart.
When
I remembered that unreliable look on his face, even though he had powers beyond
human comprehension, a sigh of dismay, "Yare yare", escaped from my
lips.
（Well
then, Claudia, don't get your hopes up. I will deceive you happily）
According
to the original plan, Fumio Kijima was not involved in the mysterious
disappearance case. That's how it was supposed to end.
However,
that plan had to be changed.
Detective
JK will reveal the true culprit in the mysterious disappearance case. But the
true culprit is Junichi Kasuya not Fumio Kijima, and that's the way it has to
be.
I'm
sure Claudia will feel happy to be in the spotlight.
After
all, she will reveal the truth in front of the TV cameras.
Well,
what fate awaits the girls after that, it goes without saying.
I
first became aware of Detective JK's ability to "detect lies", and
how to deal with it, not from Claudia's edited videos, but from watching some
videos on the Internet, where onlookers had taken hidden pictures of Detective
JK with their smartphones.
Among
the videos, there was only one.
The
video was about where the detective JK declared it was a "lie", but
in fact it was not.
The
author of the video claimed that the video was a fake, but of course it was
not. It's not that simple.
The
guy in the video is the same scammer who was in the video that Claudia edited.
Apparently,
this scene was cut.
『Your
collaborator is Aiko-san, right?』
To
this question, the cornered scammer replies, "This is ridiculous". In
other words, the answer is “NO”.
In
response, Claudia shrugs her shoulders and says, "I guess he's not
lying".
However,
according to the comment of the poster of the video, the collaborator who was
finally arrested was a person named Kimihiko Aiko.
At
this point, I came up with a hypothesis.
Detective
JK's ability is not "the ability to detect lies", but "the
ability to know whether a subject is telling the truth or not from their
perception".
For
example, a person named Aiko is misidentified as another person named Aiko. Or
the person named "Aiko" gave a false name to the scammer, etc.
Claudia may have read the situation where the scammer's perception was not a
lie.
Then,
when it turned out that the scammer victim's wife's name was Aiko, I was
convinced that this was the case.
↓ Continue to Read ↓
↓ Continue to Read ↓
That's
why, during my first interview with Detective JK, I kept two voice recorders in
my pocket, one connected to my right earpiece and the other to my left earpiece
via Bluetooth.
In
the left earpiece were questions to which I could answer “YES”. The right
earphone had a voice recorder that played questions to which I could answer “NO”.
In
other words, I did not answer any of Detective JK's questions.
I just
answered a completely different question that came through the earphone.
There
were four patterns of questions and answers.
1） Yes to a yes question = appears true to Detective JK.
2） No to a no question = appears to be true to Detective JK.
3） No to a yes question = appears to be a false to Detective
JK.
4） Yes to no question = appears to be a false to Detective JK.
Although
it is easy to put into words, this was a very nerve-wracking task.
After
all, I had to choose the answer I wanted to show to the detective JK instantly
by pressing the left and right buttons. If the buttons are pressed wrongly, I
will be immediately suspected.
And
not only was I tired, but I also had a miscalculation.
That
is, the quietness of the bowling alley.
Because
I had a pre-judgment that bowling alleys are noisy, I did not pay particular
attention to the sound of the voice recorder being pressed.
And in
fact, there was only one elderly couple playing bowling leisurely at the end of
the lane.
Although
there was the occasional sound of pins being knocked down, it was otherwise
quiet.
Indeed,
when I pressed the button before the two detectives arrived, I heard a loud
click.
Therefore,
I hurriedly borrowed a knock-off ballpoint pen from the receptionist and kept
ringing it deliberately.
Of
course, the sound of the ballpoint pen is not the same as the sound of the
button on the voice recorder, but if I kept clicking the ballpoint pen in front
of them until then, they would not be able to notice if the sound changed
slightly during the process.
As a
result――I succeeded in gaining the trust of Detective JK.
Claudia
was so confident in her abilities that she never doubted me once I was in her
pocket, and of course, I did not behave in a way that would make her doubt me.
Once
again, I looked down at the sound system in front of me.
The
light indicating the status of the headphone connection is green. No problem.
Then I
switched on the microphone.
「Good
afternoon, I'm from the sound staff. From now on, I'm going to ask you a few
random questions. Think of it as a diversion. Answer yes or no. Please do not
say anything else, please cooperate」
The
outside sound is completely blocked by the headphones. All Junichi Kasuya can
hear now is my voice.
（I
realize how reckless this is...）
Again,
I think so.
As
Detective JK's questions are going to be asked to Junichi Kasuya in no time at
all, the difficulty level can only be described as Hell Mode.
**b
I
repeat, there are four cases in total.
1） Yes to a yes question = appears to be true to Detective JK.
2） No to a no question = appears to be true to Detective JK.
3） No to a yes question = appears to be a false to Detective
JK.
4） Yes to a no question = Appears to be a false to Detective
JK.
I
assume which of these four patterns Junichi Kasuya will answer, and then have
him answer in such a way that the desired landing point is reached.
I feel
my consciousness boosting. My mind is already running at full speed.
In
order to be able to respond to any question that comes along, I keep
considering, loading, and stocking up on questions corresponding to these four
patterns, anticipating Junichi Kasuya's answers.
My
brain started to consume glucose at an abnormal rate, instead secreting
narcotics in a steady stream. My nerves are sharpened, and I feel my
concentration increasing.
Suddenly,
I remembered an interview with a strong hitter in a magazine I used to read.
In
response to the reporter's question, "How can you hit so hard?", the
hitter replied, "I think about how I can hit until my head gets
fuzzy".
At
the time, the phrase “fuzzy head” was simply amusing, but now I can understand
the phrase a little.
Looking
down through the glass over the microphone, I could see a crazy scene of an
Italian mafia-style detective JK confronting an Egyptian-style statue.
Claudia
has given a list of planned questions, but I decide to ignore them.
If the
questions are different from what is expected, I am sure to be confused and get
stuck there.
What I
should have is the image of shooting down each question.
I am
the Aegis-warship, and Junichi Kasuya's question is is an interceptor missile.
I must
shoot down JK's questions one by one, which were being asked to Junichi Kasuya
to achieve the desired result.
『In
this statue, we have a person who is believed to be involved in "the
mysterious disappearance case". Now then, Detective JK-san! Please ask
your questions』
When
the the host announced this, the lights dimmed and the spotlight shone on
Detective JK and the statue.
And
then...
『Please
answer with a simple yes or no. About the mysterious disappearance case. You
know who did it, don't you?』
As
soon as Claudia asks that question, I switch on the microphone and immediately
fire off the question.
Now,
my one and only battle has begun.
