Chapter 4

"Shit!" Yokoya said. Now Harimoto's group is edging over them.

"What's going on, boss?" Lee demanded. "Thought you said your strategy was perfect?"

"It should be—in theory!" Yokoya said. "This is the safest risk-adverse way."

For the next round, Akiyama, Nao, Wan Ting and Yukina blocked off Sakiko and refused to let her enter. Sakiko just laughed, playing with her card.

"So what if you guys let me enter last? Even if all of you chose the most expensive box, so will I. At most we will all die together." Sakiko smirked shrilly.

"Do you see who is entering the room for the group of land, Sakiko? It is Muraji. A boy of sixteen, your age. And he looks just like you, pardon me for saying you look masculine." Akiyama slurred as he crossed his leg elegantly on a chair.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakiko said.

"The Peaceful Paradise cult recently bought an orphanage, right? And so you and your TWIN BROTHER Muraji actually joined the cult. But I wonder why did he let the two of you join Liar Game? Cunning and astute as you might be, he must know you have no chance at tricking us. Well, maybe you're quite good at pretending to be innocent, but one look at Muraji and he is rather blur and slow. I pretended to bump into him and got his card from his back pocket, and when I told him he dropped his card he just hurriedly thanked me and took it away, never suspecting me at all. That is surprising for someone from the Peaceful Paradise cult," Akiyama mused, looking at Nao while he talked.

"And then it reminds me. I read in the newspapers that the Peaceful Paradise cult is coming up with a new high priest—The purple man, Murasaki-bito, who is a psychic. And it is certainly no coincidence that Muraji+Sakiko=Murasaki. Maybe it stands to reason that as the older twin, you would want to win the liar game to break away from Harimoto and protect Muraji from being exploited by Harimoto."

"You don't know anything!" Sakiko snapped.

"That's true. I, however, knew of the Purple Man 10 years ago. Of course Muraji would have been too young to be the Purple Man. But that was when you were in the orphanage, right? The Purple Man was your father. And he died while pretending to predict where the victims of the 2003 Miyagi-Oki quake were buried because a building collapsed and fell on him," Yukina said. "I was a student at that time. I remembered how everyone was saying how the Purple Man was just an unlucky conman."

"But wasn't the Peaceful Paradise cult founded only recently?" Nao asked.

"Oh, but I bet Harimoto was envious of the Purple Man's abilities and when he found out that he had children, well, that was just great," Yukina explained.

"He's not a liar!" Sakiko shouted.

"Quite ironic coming from you," Akiyama observed.

"Papa is the best! You don't know what it's like, losing someone close to you!" Sakiko cried.

"You have a choice. We all voted for the most expensive box. You can either play it so we all die together, or you listen to us and if we win we will save you. You can trust Nao," Akiyama said.

Lips pursed in a thin line, Sakiko shook her head. "Like real. If I don't vote for the most expensive box, I will have to pay for everyone."

"Well, it's your fault for cheating us in the first place," Yukina snapped.

I trust nobody but myself." With that, she disappeared into the room. Akiyama watched her go, shaking his head sadly. Wan Ting looked worried, biting her lips.

"What do we do? She will definitely choose the most expensive box!" Nao moaned.

Inside the room, Sakiko's finger trembled as she touched all the buttons. It's arranged like this:

Top left hand corner: 10,000 box

Top right hand corner: 20,000 box

Middle left hand corner: 30,000 box

Middle right hand corner: 40,000 box

Bottom left hand corner: 50,000 box

Without looking at the button, she slammed her hand on the bottom left hand corner. She ran triumphant out of the room, laughing, "Die, scum."

The results were out. Nao and Wan Ting's face were in shock as they stared at the screen.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Hahaha," Sakiko laughed psychotically.

"I can't believe this!" Nao said happily, smiling at Sakiko. "You changed your mind!"

"What?" Sakiko asked.

"Uh, look behind you," Yukina suggested.

Sakiko turned slowly as she stared at the screen. $2.1 million debt. "What the heck! There must be a mistake! I pressed the right button!"

"You did press the right button. But what if the button was wrong?" Akiyama smirked.

Sakiko's eyes widened in horror as what Akiyama said sunk in. Nao, Yukina and Wanting went in first, then Akiyama. He could have switched the order of the buttons!

"Well, the reason why I ordered them not to let you in was because I was trying to figure out the system. Turns out that the buttons were not fixed to the computer screen. So I just changed the order of the most expensive and the cheapest box button." Akiyama said. "I just knew you couldn't resist screwing us over. After all, you'd rather pay a total of $1.5 million than $2.1 million for the group."

Striding over to the fallen Sakiko, Akiyama leaned close to her face. "Now you're left with $2 million for 6 rounds more to go. Go and press the most expensive button, even if you found it through trial and error, in the end you're forced to give the card to me."

"What is stopping me from messing up your arrangement? Seeing as how I'm forced to obey you is equivalent to having my card in your grasp." Sakiko said.

"You know we won't screw you up. But as to your question, well, I know how to tell the buttons apart." Akiyama said confidently.

Nao, Yukina, Wanting turned their backs and Akiyama stood to go with them. Sakiko shouted behind his back, "It's not over yet!"

"When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead," Akiyama said. "We know your weakness, both intangible and tangible. Question is, do you know mine?"

"Oh I know you got a weakness, Akiyama! Everybody does!" Sakiko yelled.

"But you don't know exactly what, do you?" Akiyama walked away.

In the meantime, at the Group of Water, there is a problem again. Somehow they didn't get $1.7 million like before, they got $2.3 million again, meaning 2 people have no jewels.

"Not again! Who are the three traitors!" Fukunaga yelled. It was now supposed to be his turn and Momoka's to get the most expensive box. "Is it you!" He wheeled on Katsuragi. "You bitch!"

"Hey, I'm a psychology professor, not an elaborate conman. Besides, you went in before me." Katsuragi defended.

"I would never do such a thing to you," Yokoya purred. "I like you better as my ally than Katsuragi."

"What are you guys talking about?" Momoka asked.

"I need wine," Lee slurred.

What is going on in Yokoya's group? Trouble abounds for Fukunaga! Now the leading group AND leading person is Harimoto's group! Is it time for Akiyama and Yokoya to team up? Would Katsuragi agree?

Tallies:

Air: Akiyama: 8+74(32)+43+50=175 gems, 4.1 million. Nao: 2+77(32)+44+58=181 gems, 4.1 million. Yukina: 4+49+43=96 gems, 4.1 million. Sakiko: 2+86(31)+46+17=151 gems, 2 million. Wan Ting: 1+50+51=102 gems, 4.1 million. Total=705

Water: Yokoya: 57+56(10)=113 gems, 2.36 million. Katsuragi: 53+58(11)+54(8)=165 gems, 2.36 million. Fukunaga: 52+53(11)+77(31)=182 gems, 2.36million. Momoka: 53+64(7)+86(31)=148 gems, 2.36 million. Lee: 49+56(8)+73(31)=178 gems, 2.36 million. Total=786

Earth: Harimoto: 42+54+53+56=205 gems, 3.22 million. Kimura: 54+50+52+56=212 gems, 3.22 million. Muraji: 43+37+46+42=168 gems, 3.22 million. Sean: 32+31+34+42=139 gems, 3.22 million. Kenneth: 31+38+35+36=162 gems, 3.22 million. Total=886

Leading group: Earth, leading person: Kimura.