-Fang
I steeled myself, summoning every bit of calm I could muster as I turned to face Meiying. Her hand was still on my shoulder, her grip surprisingly strong for someone so small. No, I have to stop thinking like that! Thinking of the person in front of me as another regular human would be a fatal mistake! This is Meiying, the Tiny Judge, one wrong move and everything goes up in flames.
"You're Meiying of the Magic Order's Second Battalion, yes? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah, shut it you silver-tongued little brat! I hate arrogant hot-shots like you who make my job more difficult for no reason. Moving around thinking you're some sly fox. Really kid, you've made me spend an afternoon snooping around just to ask a couple of questions!"
"Well, I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you so much. It's just that-"
"Explain why you've been avoiding us, Fang?" she asked, her tone clipped. "Most people in your position would be eager to cooperate with officers of the Magic Order."
She isn't going to let me take the high ground easily. She's likely going to do her best to keep me on my toes. Turning this in my favor isn't going to be easy. Her irritation only seemed to be building with every word that came out of my mouth. Just as she said, I was doing my best to act sly, but that was the only way that I knew how to deal with situations like this. Through personal experience, I learned that this was the optimal way to deal with aggressive people in power.
I offered a polite, apologetic smile, though I knew she wouldn't buy it.
"Apologies if it seemed that way, but I haven't been avoiding anyone. It's just—" I shrugged, letting out a small sigh. I attempted to give myself another moment to formulate a reply, but without warning Meiying grabbed my mouth. She squeezed it roughly before barking harsh words at me with piercing eyes.
"Just now you lied to me. You have been avoiding us. Listen here. I'm not playing around. Right now I'm resisting the urge to throw your arms behind your back and arrest you. The next words to come out of your mouth better not disappoint me!"
I already know that! It's not like I'm calm or anything. Up until now, I did my best not to be involved with your people and your investigation, but as it turns out this was all far more serious than I anticipated. The fact that you've hunted us down means you're desperate and itching to get a new lead. I can't be careless with my words, but I also can't show any weakness or hesitation.
This wasn't just a conversation—it was a test of willpower, and I had no choice but to pass. Even as sweat formed on my brow and every pump of my heart felt like it'd be my last.
I pulled her hand off my face, gently but firmly, and took a deep breath. "Thank you for that, now I understand the gravity of the situation," I said, keeping my voice as even as possible. "And I understand that you're frustrated. But I promise, Officer Meiying, I'm not trying to make your job harder. I simply didn't wish to become mixed up in an investigation I likely wouldn't have anything to contribute to. Surely you know my history. Well, since coming here I've worked towards becoming an everyday normal student. The affairs of the Magic Order aren't something that I wish to become involved in."
Meiying's eyes narrowed and her hand twitched as though she considered grabbing my face once again. "That's all irrelevant. As a mage, cooperating with the Magic Order is one of your duties. I'll let you off the hook with that one, let's get to the important questions."
She didn't let up even an ounce of hostility in either her voice or her posture. She only seemed to become more annoyed with me, likely due to my method of speech.
"Since coming here, have you continued to practice magecraft? If so, have you done any work involving the leylines? Even simple monitoring would be enough."
"I have continued to practice magecraft, but nothing involving leylines. I doubt that I'm even skilled enough or have the resources to do something like that."
Meiying looked down and sighed. She scratched the back of her head as though she was pondering what to do next.
"Alright, next question," she said, her voice low and deliberate. "Have you ever had contact with the Hernandez brothers?"
Huh? I don't recognize them by name... No, now that I think about it I do know who they are. A pair of mages who live in this city. But, I don't think there's any connection between them and Cacophony... Whatever, it's an easy question to answer.
"No, I haven't."
Once again she looked back down. For some reason, I felt like she was dragging out this process simply because she didn't like me.
Soon enough, Meiying's eyes snapped back to me with a sharpness that made my stomach churn. She stepped closer, closing the already uncomfortable distance between us. Her gaze felt like a scalpel, dissecting me for any sign of deceit.
"Outside the Hernandez brothers, Kana, and Tiana, are there any mages currently in this city? Registered or unregistered."
Cacophony. That was the very first thought to enter my mind.
"I…" I trailed off, pretending to search for the right words. I did my best to put on a somewhat joking tone. "Well it's a big city so if there were any other mages living here, I doubt they live anywhere near here."
The answer I gave was perfectly vague and inconsequential. While there was the implication that I didn't know, I never confirmed anything one way or the other.
Meiying's gaze darkened, her frown deepening as the seconds dragged on. I guess that answer wasn't good enough. Though to be fair it was half-baked at best. Now that I have a moment to breathe, I've thought of a better reply. When she yells at me for giving such a worthless reply I'll—
A blunt pain radiated throughout my abdomen. I stumbled backward desperately attempting to regain my lost balance. Before I knew it my back was pressed up against the lockers of the changing room. Despite my best attempts to stay upright my knees gave way and I fell over. I would've felt better if I'd been hit with a sledgehammer.
I clutched my abdomen, wheezing. My gaze drifted upward to Meiying, she was cracking her knuckles as she looked down at me. So that's how a punch from a ranking officer feels like? I bet this isn't even her full power either. My assessment proved to be correct. Without a doubt, she was the worst matchup for me.
There was a question in my mind though. It lingered for a moment before Meiying's booming voice caused me to dismiss it.
Why was she being so aggressive? Was there a real purpose to it?
"You think you can dance around my questions like that?" Meiying hissed. Her voice carried the sharp authority of someone who had done this a thousand times before. "I know a lie when I hear one, Fang. That wasn't just a vague answer—it was you trying to wiggle out of telling me the truth. I'll make this simple and easy. The next time you even think of pulling a stupid stunt like this, you won't be going home."
She made that seem threatening, but it's not like she'd kill me. At best, I'll be locked away in prison. If that's the case, both lying and telling the truth will lead me to the same outcome.
Glaring down at me, Meiying asked the same question again. "Are there any mages living in this city who I haven't mentioned?"
There was a knot of tension in my stomach as I answered her question. "There probably is."
Meiying's eyes narrowed, her piercing gaze driving straight through me as if peeling away the layers of my very being. I could see that in her eyes there was a glimmer of triumph.
'Just as I'd hoped.'
"That's a good boy. Now give me a name. I also need to know everything that you know about them. No, I first want to know why you didn't answer me properly the first time."
"Sorry, even though something came to mind, I wasn't sure if I should say it. Ranking officers such as Farra and yourself shouldn't be going off on wild goose chases. Then again, your entire mission seems like a wild goose chase."
"Cut all the fluff. Elaborate on what you meant."
"I personally believe that there is a mage in this city, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's correct. I've been in close quarters with someone who had an immense amount of energy. By itself though, a fact like that doesn't make me the most confident that it's an unregistered mage. Consider it this way. If I solely used that fact for judgment, then if I'd run into those Hernandez Brothers you'd mentioned earlier, I would've just told you that they were unregistered. In that situation, I would've really thrown you off course. Also-"
"I get the idea kid."
I see then. Using our conversation so far, I'd guessed as much, but this basically confirms it!
"Tell me more about that person you met. Where'd you see them, what do they look like, and when did you meet them?"
"I met them the fifteenth. It was during school hours, but I had left early. We happened to cross paths and I felt their energy. Honestly, I'd say they rivaled a ranking officer in terms of raw power."
"And their appearance?"
"It was a woman. She was between 5"8 and 5"10. She wore a black dress and had long hair. Oh, if you like I could send you the location we met at as well."
"Of course. I'll ask Farra to get it later."
Meiying stood there for a moment, silent, her piercing eyes narrowing as if searching for some hidden weakness in Fang's calm demeanor. She didn't find one. Clicking her tongue in frustration, she finally took a step back, her footstep echoing faintly against the room's cold, tiled floor.
"For now, I'll leave you alone but don't think this will be the last time. I'll be back for a follow-up."
As she looked at me, her eyes still displayed a high level of doubt and sardonicism, but it looked as though she'd finally had enough of this. She dug into her pocket and threw my necklace over to me.
Meiying paused at the door, her sharp gaze locking onto me one last time. "Fang. I'll be watching you closely. Step out of line, and you'll regret it."
With that, she made her exit, slamming the door shut behind her and leaving me alone in the changing room. The sound of the door seemed to be intended to be a final warning, but to me, it was like the ring of the bell at the end of a round of boxing. After a hard-fought battle, I could finally take a break.
I exhaled sharply, finally allowing my tension to drain away. My stomach still throbbed from her earlier punch, and my mind reeled from the interrogation.
Slump on the floor, I may have looked defeated, but stretched across my face was a large smile.
"Sorry Veri, unlike you I couldn't manage to get a perfect ending. I let her know a bit more than I would have liked. Still, I guess even a failure like me can win sometimes."
**
Meiying, it was over the moment I understood how your lie detector worked. From then on it was easy to navigate.
For now, let's refer to Meiying's lie detector ability as 'Tiny Judge'.
Tiny Judge operates as a hyper-accurate gut feeling in Meiying to allow her to distinguish between when someone is lying to her or telling the truth. The only issue is that it only activates when someone lies to her. It doesn't react at all when someone tells the truth. This weakness allows for well-thought-out half-truths to slip through the cracks.
Meiying is fully aware of this shortcoming, which is why she compensates with her forceful personality and interrogative tactics. She relies on fear and psychological pressure to exploit her ability to its fullest potential. By being hyper-aggressive, she keeps her target tense, rattled, and second-guessing themselves. The looming threat of Tiny Judge catching their lies compels most people to either spill everything or falter under the weight of their own panic. She wants you to overestimate her ability—to believe that lying, no matter how small, will result in instant consequences.
There were a couple of clues that helped me to figure this out. Firstly, most of her questions are geared toward yes or no answers. It makes sense, those questions are the most beneficial to Meiying. Second off, she never said that my vague answers were lies. That one was the weakest point by far, but to me, it didn't seem like she was getting any reaction from Tiny Judge when I answered that way. Also, it would make sense that answers like that would make her annoyed. Finally, her aggression itself is a giveaway. The more agitated she became, the clearer it was that she relied on intimidation to supplement her ability. If Tiny Judge were infallible, she wouldn't need to try so hard to provoke a confession. Even factoring in that she's naturally aggressive, her interrogation tactics border on abusive.
By piecing these elements together, I devised my strategy. I avoided outright lies, stuck to carefully constructed half-truths, and gave just enough information to seem cooperative without incriminating myself. The key was to control the flow of the conversation while appearing to respect her authority.
In all honesty, I really hope to never face her again. I was not a born pretender, I was made into one. That means for me, it takes a lot of energy that I really don't have to expend.