After shuffling the papers together, each of them drew a new one before the second round began. The question appeared on the glowing wall:
"Describe a moment when you felt completely helpless… and what you did then."
Silence settled for a moment, and the first to speak was Akio, lowering his head:
"The Great Rift disaster… that day the ground shook, and the city collapsed under our feet. I was holding onto my family as we ran, but I let go because I wanted to save a little girl. I didn't realize my adoptive mother was falling into that damned crack until it was too late. She fell… and I couldn't save her. She fell… and I couldn't grab her hand!"
His words stopped in his throat. His head dipped, his shoulders trembled quietly, and then he cried. It was a silent cry, unlike his bright cheerful personality. No sound… just a faint shake in his breath and tears sliding slowly down his face.
Ann rushed toward him, bent down, and wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry."
She held him tightly, as if trying to ease a weight too heavy for any heart to carry.
After a long minute of quiet crying… Silvara finally spoke:
"Helplessness… doesn't always mean losing someone. Sometimes it means watching someone drown in front of you… without knowing if they even wanted to be saved."
She paused. Her eyes were sunken in old memories, but her words were carefully chosen.
"I was young… and there was a boy who watched birds from his window every day. He never talked to anyone. One day, I saw him cut the wings off a little bird… then put it in a cage. I didn't understand. I didn't speak. I didn't tell anyone. I just… watched from afar. The next morning, the cage was empty, the window was open, and the boy was gone. Only then… I realize I wasn't helpless to save him… I chose to stay silent. And that is worse."
She grew quiet again. She didn't explain who the boy was or what happened to him, leaving everyone spiraling in questions.
Mabushi looked as if he hated the question from the beginning. He stood still with his crossed arms, as though he's holding something back from breaking loose. His voice finally came out, but it wasn't his usual tone.
Staring at the floor, he said:
"I thought I could save him."
Then he lifted his gaze toward nothing in particular, a faint mocking smile twisting his lips:
"But instead… I'm the one who killed him."
The room filled with a charged silence. He continued in a rougher voice:
"Pathetic, isn't it?"
No one understood what Mabushi meant, but none of them asked for more. Something in his tone was enough to choke every question before it was spoken.
Ken stepped forward, then began telling his story:
"When I was 11… I lived with an old man who wasn't related to me. Just a stranger who gave me a place to stay after he found me wandering because of the war. He didn't have much, but he treated me like I was his grandson."
"One day… he suddenly fell ill. He started vomiting blood, and I didn't know what to do. I ran to the next village… begged a doctor to come with his tools. But he refused. He told me, 'Your kind doesn't deserve to be saved.'"
"I returned at dawn… and he was dead. I couldn't even give him a proper burial. I just sat beside him… and watched him grow cold."
The silence after his words hit even harder than the story itself.
Finally, it was Ann's turn. She let go of Akio once she made sure he had calmed down, then spoke quietly:
"I… used to be part of a ninja team before coming here."
She took a deep breath and continued:
"There were three of them. We trained together, ate together, laughed together for years. We swore we'd become the strongest team in the valley. I was the one who chose their code names, the one who always raised their spirits… even when they complained about training, I joked and pushed them forward."
She paused, then smiled faintly, almost hollow:
"One day, we were assigned a secret infiltration mission. We all knew that if one of us got caught, they'd be expelled from the village. We made a plan, but… something changed."
Her voice softened:
"In the moment of danger… they backed out. They left me alone. They said I was the fastest, that I'd find a way… but they didn't say that to my face. They didn't warn me. They just… vanished. A month later, I saw them together on another mission, laughing as if I never existed at all."
She lifted her head:
"I didn't cry then, or after. I just learned not to attach my heart to anyone more than necessary. Even if I love them. That's why I'm here. I want to prove… I'm not just someone who lightens the mood, or a cheerful spark that fades once everyone laughs. I want to be strong… in my own way."
A light chuckle echoed, followed by slow clapping. Mabushi was the one clapping, his usual mocking expression is on his face.
He spoke loudly, stretching his legs and leaning back:
"Wow, little Ann… I had no idea there was a story that deep behind your silly smile."
He tilted his head toward her, raising a brow:
"Three friends, missions, betrayal?! And you didn't say a word?! You tell me every useless detail, like how many pies you ate, but this? Nothing. I'll admit, you surprised me. I thought you were an open book, but it seems there's something deeper under that purple head of yours."
He pushed his sunglasses up over his hair and stared at her for a few seconds before finishing lightly:
"For the first time… I feel like I don't fully know you, Ann."
A spark lit in Ann's eyes, her jaw tightening sharply. She marched towards him, raised her fist, and punched him hard on the left cheek.
"Idiot!"
She shouted with sudden heat:
"No one asked for your opinion! And you don't need to know anything!"
Mabushi staggered half a step back, his head tilted from the hit, but he didn't look angry. Instead, he let out a short laugh and wiped his jaw:
"Oh… that actually hurt a bit. Finally seeing you act like an angry ninja."
Before the fight could continue, the mechanical voice interrupted:
"Five statements recorded… prepare for voting."
They all approached the table, but before anyone began writing, Silvara slowly lifted her gaze, looking at each of them one by one, then said in a calm tone:
"Before we write… does anyone suspect someone in particular?"
They exchanged glances, and Akio said while looking at Mabushi:
"To be honest… Mabushi. Your story was too vague. No emotion, no names, no details. It felt like you just… pushed the words out to finish your turn."
Mabushi pressed his lips together, then pointed at Ken with his finger:
"Really? Me? Then what about this gloomy leader? Ken's story was touching, but way too perfect. The evil doctor, the kind old man, the death scene, sitting alone beside him… it sounds like a story crafted to be believed."
Ken stared at Mabushi, then said in a calm tone:
"Maybe because what's real… often feels exaggerated. Luck doesn't care about those who've lost everything, and a death scene doesn't need dramatics. Those who lived it… know."
He paused, then added in a heavier tone:
"And you, Mabushi… you said you killed someone you loved. And then you stopped. It's natural for people to wonder."
Mabushi looked at him for a long moment, but found nothing to say.
Ann bit her lip and said:
"I… don't think Ken is lying. His expression hasn't changed, and he looked the same since the game started."
But as soon as she finished, the mechanical voice echoed:
"New alert: An additional rule has been activated starting this round. If the liar succeeds in misleading everyone and is not discovered… they will receive a special privilege in the second door."
A moment of silence followed… no one expected this to be more than a psychological game. Akio gasped, staring at the ceiling:
"A privilege? What does that mean?"
Silvara crossed her arms:
"Maybe they'll be exempt from the next challenge."
Mabushi stepped back slightly, then looked at everyone with narrowed eyes:
"This changes everything… now the liar has a real reason to be skilled."
He let out a short, mocking laugh as he raised a finger:
"And Ken… is very skilled!"
But Ken didn't respond. He only put his hand in his pocket, stepped forward toward the table, and smiled quietly:
"Or maybe the liar… is the one trying to mislead everyone by shouting."
Everyone exchanged glances after Ken's words, and a subtle tension filled the room as if the air itself had changed. Ann stared at the ground while Akio frowned deeply. Mabushi crossed his arms and exhaled sharply.
Then Ken stepped into the center of the room and suddenly lifted his gaze toward Silvara, saying in a calm voice:
"By the way… don't you think Silvara's story was a bit strange?"
Silvara raised her brow slowly:
"Strange? In what way?"
Ken replied:
"Your story felt like a poem… vague emotions, symbolism, no names, no time, no place. Just a feeling floating in the air. You're the only one who didn't show real pain… just a scene from a play inside your head."
He looked at the others and continued, gesturing slightly:
"All of us gave something tangible. Even Mabushi, despite how brief he was, said enough for us to feel its weight. But you? You described an old feeling and painted it like a picture… without us knowing what actually happened."
Ann muttered quietly, as if the idea was settling in her mind:
"That's true… I didn't fully understand her story."
Silvara responded coldly:
"Maybe because you're not used to someone who speaks without exposing their heart."
Mabushi laughed:
"Or because you're an expert at hiding your intentions, green witch."
Akio said:
"Wait… I really never suspected Silvara before. I don't even know why."
A new silence spread tenser than the previous ones. Now… all eyes were on Silvara. She moved her hand to push her hair behind her ear, looked at them without any visible reaction, and said calmly:
"If you want to vote for me… then do it."
Ann stepped toward the table again, picked up the pen, but her hand froze above the paper. She looked at Ken and whispered:
"Do you really think she's the liar?"
Ken slowly turned his eyes toward her and answered in a low voice:
"I don't trust someone who hides behind pretty words, Ann."
Ann hesitated, lowered her gaze, and began writing "Silvara." One by one, the others followed.
Once they finished, the mechanical voice announced firmly:
"Voting complete. You have failed to identify the liar."
Their heads snapped upward, shock spreading across their faces.
The voice continued:
"Four votes went to: Silvara."
Silvara's expression froze. She looked at them slowly, one by one, saying nothing. Ann opened her mouth as if to speak, but stayed silent. Akio covered his mouth in disbelief, and Mabushi slammed his fist on the table, muttering:
"Impossible…"
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes darting between one another as if the truth was still suspended in the air.
Then the mechanical voice said:
"Liar… reveal yourself."
A charged silence fell. Then Ken moved, pulling a folded paper from his pocket. He looked at them all, opened it slowly… and the red word appeared clearly:
"Lie."
He held it up calmly… then let out a short, quiet laugh that hit them like a slap:
"Heh."
It was enough to shatter their trust and restart the game of doubt all over again.