I just adore Hotaru and Natsume like gaaaah. Okay. XD


#12

Lie Detector

A person can lie, but a certain contraption just can't.


Imai Hotaru has been known to produce some of Japan's greatest inventions—from simple things like toys and gadgets to enormous space shuttles. None of these inventions have been known to experience any malfunction until after about a decade of usage. Whatever he clients ask, she always manages to pull those things off.

At age ten, she was already at the top of her game.


It was a beautiful day and our stoic inventor locked herself inside her laboratory, tinkering with her inventions silently when a knock disturbed her thoughts.

"Imai-sama, Persona-sensei is here," the robot said through closed doors and the amethyst-eyed girl sighed.

"Let him in," was what she said—and her visitor did.

"What now?" she languidly asked her teacher without even sparing a glance at him.

"Imai, I know I've been so pushy or needy about you joining the Dangerous Ability Class," he started.

"Oh? I'm glad you're aware of that," she sardonically replied.

"Bu if you really want to decline, give me a legitimate reason why you don't want to be part of my class," he continued, ignoring her remark.

"What do I have to do just so you'd stop bugging me?"

"I have a proposition. I want you to make the best lie detector you could ever make. If anyone ever lies to you in front of me, then you must join the DA. However, if everyone says the truth, I will not bug you anymore."

She smirked at him. It was all too easy.

"You're on."


The Northern Woods was packed with DA students from all divisions that day. Hotaru brought her invention—a lie detector—and placed it in the middle of the crowd.

"Imai here will be interrogating you all so answer her as truthful as you can be," and the masked teacher smirked at them.

Everyone formed a line to wait for their turn to get interrogated. Nobara sat first, picked a paper from the fish bowl and, after reading the question, muttered a strangled No for an answer, and a bell tinkled. Hotaru smirked at her and another person sat on the lie detector chair.

This went on for half an hour, and so far, everything has been going smoothly according to Hotaru's plan. Even Persona looked like he'd kill somebody any minute from now.

It was Natsume's turn now, and he lazily picked up the last paper from the fish bowl. He mentally read the question and his eyes widened immediately after doing so. The inventor's eyebrows quirked up, confused with his reaction.

"Answer it, Natsume," Persona's monotonous voice broke the silence blanketing them.

"N-No, of course not," the raven-haired lad answered and stood up to leave, only to stop when he heard a buzz from where he came from—it indicated something.

He lied.

He turned around to see Hotaru's shocked face, Persona's smug expression and everyone else's confusion.

"H-Hyuuga, give me your paper," Natsume threw the paper back at her. When she caught it, she was surprised with what was written there.

Do you like the girl in front of you in a romantic way?

She could vaguely remember that she was the only girl standing in front of him the moment he sat on the lie detector chair.


End

Ria