[Location: Liar Game - Japan - Tokyo - Nakano - Apartments.]
Shinichi Akiyama, a young ex-convict, psychologist, and known as the "genius swindler," was resting on the bed of his small apartment.
The room was silent, dimly lit by the faint glow of a lamp in the corner.
He had just returned from a long day of work in construction, a job that was part of his reintegration process into society.
As soon as he arrived, he took a quick shower to wash off the sweat and dust, then collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted.
The genius swindler. That title followed him like a shadow, even now, as he tried to lead an honest life.
He had earned it by bankrupting one of the largest multi-level marketing (MLM) corporations of the postwar period: Shuuei Trading Co.
The feat was legendary; he used his intellect to manipulate the corporation from within, gathering incriminating evidence while dismantling its networks.
Not only did he leave them penniless, but he also ensured they could never operate again.
Of course, all the money he recovered was seized by the authorities. But for Shuuei Trading Co., the most devastating blow wasn't the financial loss but the exposure of their greed and cruelty. Behind their façade of success, the company had built its empire by exploiting the most vulnerable, including Shinichi's mother.
His mother's story was tragic but not unique. Like many Japanese families, she faced a mountain of debt after covering the exorbitant costs of education.
The burden grew heavier when her husband and Shinichi's father died in an accident, leaving the family without their primary breadwinner.
Desperate to keep Shinichi afloat, she took on multiple jobs, ignoring her fragile health. But her body couldn't keep up, and she soon fell gravely ill.
That's when an old friend re-entered her life, promising a way out. Convinced she was helping her family, Shinichi's mother joined Shuuei Trading Co., only to find herself trapped in a web of exploitation.
The contract she signed was nearly unbreakable, and the debts piled up faster than she could pay them off.
But through it all, she never let Shinichi see the weight of her suffering.
She was far too pure and honest for her own good, and her love for her son was her driving force.
However, in her deepest despair, she found a solution as devastating as it was final: her life insurance.
One night, while Shinichi was away, she made a decision that would change their lives forever.
When Shinichi found his mother's lifeless body on the street, bloodied and twisted at an unnatural angle, something inside him shattered.
The scene was seared into his memory with harrowing detail. But it wasn't just the act itself that broke him; it was discovering the reasons that had driven her to that point.
When he sought justice from the authorities, he was met with indifference. The complexity of the laws and systemic corruption protected Shuuei Trading Co., while all he received was hollow condolences.
Shinichi couldn't accept that. So, he took justice into his own hands, sacrificing his promising future and his freedom to destroy the corporation from its foundation.
His plan worked: Shuuei Trading Co. was dismantled, but the price was steep. He lost years of his life in prison and his faith in people.
Now that he had served his sentence, he was trying to live an honest life, as his mother would have wanted. But the weight of the past continued to haunt him.
Lying on the bed, in that small moment of calm, a face appeared in his mind: Nao.
Nao was a university student he had met the day he was released.
A naive girl, almost too good for this world, who reminded him of his mother in more ways than one.
He had helped her on instinct, unable to ignore the similarity between the two. Even now, he wasn't sure if he had done it out of pity or something deeper.
"And I supposedly have a postgraduate degree in psychology…," he muttered sarcastically, letting out a sigh. He slowly sat up, determined to eat something before sleep overtook him.
It was then that a strange sound interrupted him.
Ding!
A holographic text window suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking part of his field of vision.
[Do you really want your days to be so monotonous? Work, eat, sleep. Work, eat, sleep... Don't you feel like something's missing?]
"Huh?" Shinichi blinked, utterly baffled.
The message floated in the air like something out of a sci-fi movie, but there was no projector or visible device to explain its origin.
Instinctively, he got out of bed and began inspecting every corner of the room.
He checked behind the furniture, the windows, even the ceiling, but found nothing that could explain the appearance of such a technological anomaly.
Finally, he stopped, placing his hands on his hips and letting out a long sigh of frustration.
A prank? An illusion? I don't have time for this…, he thought. But when the window remained floating there, intact, his natural curiosity won out.
Shinichi slumped into a corner of the room, leaning his back against the wall—a habit he had developed in prison to avoid surprises.
His eyes narrowed as he examined the window, searching for any hint of its purpose or origin.
Who would go to such lengths just to annoy me? he thought, although he knew he had no active enemies… at least, none he was aware of.
He decided to speak, just to see how whoever was responsible would respond. "What is it you think I'm missing?" he asked in a low voice, his tone neutral but loaded with caution.
The window seemed to react immediately, emitting the same metallic sound as before.
Ding!
A new text window overlapped the previous one:
[Of course. A better job. Want more details?]
Below the words, two options stood out clearly:
[Yes. / No.]
Shinichi narrowed his eyes, his mind working overtime. This wasn't a simple marketing trick; it was too sophisticated, too personal. And while he had no proof it was dangerous, he couldn't rule out the possibility.
The Shinichi Akiyama of the past would have rejected this without hesitation. Pride and anger would have spoken for him. However, this Shinichi, wiser with age, understood that he couldn't act solely on emotions or prejudices. In the game of minds, information was the only real advantage. If this anomaly was a threat, he needed to understand it first.
Finally, his finger moved slowly toward the [Yes.] option—not out of genuine interest but because his analytical nature told him this was the best way to gather more information.
Let's see how far this goes…, he thought, his gaze fixed on the holographic window as he selected it.
[Yes (Selected). / No.]
Immediately, the window responded.
Ding!
A new line of text appeared in the air.
[Great! Then, welcome to the "Part-Time Workers Group!"]
Shinichi frowned. Part-time what?
His thoughts began to race. When did I agree to this job? he wondered, irritated. The casual and almost cheerful tone of the message starkly contrasted with the seriousness with which he approached any unknown situation.
He had no time to delve deeper into his analysis. Before he could formulate a response or even look away, the world around him crumbled as if it were a dream. The walls, the floor, even the entire world, vanished in the blink of an eye.
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The introduction of the characters will end in Chapter 8. Chapters 9 and 10 will be the end of this arc, starting with the story itself.