Liar, Liar, Vol. 1: Apparently, the Lying Transfer Student Dominates Games by Cheating, page 1
Copyright
Translation by Kevin Gifford
Cover art by konomi
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Liar • Liar Vol. 1 USOTSUKI TENKOSEI WA IKASAMACHEATCHAN TO GAME WO SEISURU SODESU
©Haruki Kuou 2019
First published in Japan in 2019 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2023 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kuou, Haruki, author. | konomi, illustrator. | Gifford, Kevin, translator.
Title: Liar, liar / Haruki Kuou ; illustration by konomi (Kinokonomi) ; translation by Kevin Gifford.
Other titles: Raiā raiā. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York : Yen On, 2023-
Identifiers: LCCN 2023015022 | ISBN 9781975370596 (v. 1 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: LCGFT: Light novels.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.K849 Li 2023 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023015022
ISBNs: 978-1-9753-7059-6 (paperback)
978-1-9753-7060-2 (ebook)
E3-20230811-JV-NF-ORI
Contents
Cover
Insert
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue: Lies, Fiction, and the Declaration of War
Chapter 1: The Liars Meet and Clash
Chapter 2: The Fake Seven Star Is Born
Chapter 3: Sharing the Front Lines
Chapter 4: Rashness, Recklessness, and Uncontrolled Mayhem
Final Chapter: The Lying Genius
Epilogue
Afterword
Yen Newsletter
Prologue
Lies, Fiction, and the Declaration of War
My new leather shoes tapped against the floor. I didn’t need to turn around—I could sense on my skin that tens of thousands of eyes watched my every move.
It was customary at the welcome ceremony here at Shiki Island, aka the Academy, for the first-year student who had earned the top score in their year’s admissions exam to give a short speech. That’s generally how they wrapped up the main program, with the speaker often greeted by little more than some sparse applause along the way. But now, there was a kind of heat filling the auditorium like nothing before during the day’s proceedings.
“…”
My steps echoed softly as I walked up to the microphone, breezing my way through the intense atmosphere effortlessly. After a small breath, I looked around. I’d heard this was the largest auditorium on the island, but it seemed like every seat was occupied. A few audience members spoke in hushed tones with their friends. Some were yawning like they wanted to be elsewhere, and a few were playing with devices. But even those uninterested in this ceremony were clearly paying close attention to me.
Of course, that was to be expected. As the person introducing me explained, I was the student who had gotten the highest score ever recorded in the history of the Academy’s entrance exam, one of the most difficult tests in the country. Then I’d followed it up on my very first day by doing the unthinkable. I’d become the highest ranked on the island in an instant. The quickest rise to the rank of Seven Star in Academy history; the most promising rookie of all time; the name on everybody’s lips after he’d taken down the previous year’s unbeatable champion in one day…
Of course, it was all a lie.
Ohhh… Oh man, I think my heart’s gonna stop. Why am I here? What am I doing?
Most of the information the emcee gave to the audience was complete bullshit. In fact, the only facts in that intro were my name and gender. The truth was that I’d just barely passed my classes, I wasn’t a Seven Star, and I wasn’t even close to being the strongest here. In fact, the school had told me I’d scored the lowest out of the entire student body. I was a minnow among minnows. I didn’t even register as a face in the crowd.
But apparently, no one had been informed of that. We had to keep these lies going at all costs. So, doing whatever I could to calm my racing heart, I smiled and opened my mouth.
“…Hey, everyone. My name’s Hiroto Shinohara, and I’m your new Seven Star. First of all, let me say that my reign over this island as a Seven Star will last my whole time here. I have zero intention of giving those stars up to that little miss, or anyone else, for that matter. Oh, but if you don’t like that, you can always challenge me, okay? I’m always ready for a Game with any would-be opponent. Of course, that assumes you don’t mind getting smashed into a pulp.”
I wrapped up my speech, trying to sound as inflammatory as possible. I’m pretty sure my voice wasn’t trembling at all.
“…Phew…”
The auditorium was already starting to buzz about my tradition-bucking speech as I stepped away from the lectern. A tireless smile spread across my face, but in my mind regret and worry churned.
Oh man, I really said all that. Am I insane? Or just stupid? No, I definitely just have to be stupid. No way I can go back on any of this until it’s all over.
Well…yeah. That was the problem. I’d have to fool everyone for the next two years until I finally graduated. This lie would have to hold up, and I’d need to do whatever it took to protect it.
So how had it come to this? It all goes back to earlier that morning…
Chapter 1
The Liars Meet and Clash
“Yawwwn…”
It was Wednesday, April 6. I stifled several yawns as I walked along a mostly barren street in the pleasant, quintessentially springlike weather. It was a little after eight, and although it’d typically be a bit eerie for a town to be this quiet in the morning, I reasoned that it was understandable enough here, given the unique nature of this place.
An atlas would tell you I was on Shiki Island, but it was more often called simply “the Academy.” It was an aquafloat, an artificial island, one built a few hundred miles south-southeast of Tokyo Bay. Apparently, this small island had been funded by some massive conglomerate way back when with the goal of “educating true elites” or whatever. However, the system they’d devised had produced results beyond what anyone had expected, creating a seemingly never-ending flow of top-level graduates. This had led to huge crowds of people joining the project. Now the island was home to a pretty large city divided into twenty districts, or wards. By the way, the total population was presently at around a million, half of whom were students. As a newcomer, I found it tough to wrap my head around.
“Okay, the official opening is tomorrow. It’s just this ‘welcome to the island’ ceremony this afternoon… Still feels pretty much like spring break to me. No wonder I’m the only one out this early.”
I thought back to what I’d read in the school guidebook and sighed. Normally, I’d be trying to grab a few more minutes of sleep as well. I’d finished submitting all the paperwork and stuff for my school admission the day before, and I had planned to take it easy today… But thanks to the constant rain for the past two days, the ferries to the Academy had been delayed. I hadn’t made it here until ten the previous night, and by the time customs finally released me, it was past midnight. Obviously, I was in no mood to hit the school at that point, so now my whole schedule was delayed by a day.
Being a newcomer and all, I wanted to attend the welcome event that afternoon. To do so, I had to finish a bunch of little errands before noon rolled around. And that’s why I was presently headed for Eimei School, a private institute located in the Fourth Ward of the Academy. I’d actually spent the previous night at a cheap hotel in the Fourth Ward since I hadn’t completed the move-in procedure. It was in the same district, so I had figured I’d locate the school after a little wandering, but…
“…Man, I think I’m lost.”
Finding the school was going to take a while. This whole island wasn’t even on Google Maps. Maybe there
Despite my age, I was like a toddler lost in the neighborhood. It was enough to make you cry, don’t you think?
“…Hmm?”
Then, just as I was hanging my head helplessly, I spied someone. A girl was walking on the other side of the road. Judging by her uniform, we didn’t go to the same school. I typically would’ve been pretty timid in this sort of scenario, but I wasn’t getting anywhere alone. Plus, the prospect of my first encounter with a local resident (or should I call them “islanders”?) created this odd sort of excitement that pushed me on. I all but sprinted across the street as I called to her.
“H-hey, um…!”
“…? Oh. Um, me?”
The girl turned around and raised an eyebrow at the slightly out-of-breath kid before her. That didn’t make it any easier for me to breathe. I was almost gasping for air now. That’s how much of a true beauty she was, like something out of a fantasy novel. She was a bit taller than average for a girl her age. Her hair—a luxuriant shade of red—ran straight down to her waist. There was an atmosphere around her that all but screamed of her upper-class roots, and her eyes, now fixed upon me, were the purest shade of ruby. Those eyes seemed to express both nobility and strength simultaneously. Just looking into them made me feel as though I might be sucked in. I’d describe her face as more gorgeous than cute, I think. Ten out of ten people, regardless of gender, would immediately fall in love with her. Her slender figure reminded me of a fashion model, and her dazzling, amply exposed thighs seemed dizzily provocative to me, even though she wasn’t sporting a miniskirt.
Plus…
Hmm. Have I seen her somewhere before? Maybe she was on the Academy’s website?
For a brief moment, I felt something like nostalgia. My brow furrowed. The website explanation seemed most likely to me. Anyone this captivating could be an ambassador for a tourism department. Even if her photo was stuffed into the forty-seventh page of the travel guide, she’d still be one of the most memorable things in it.
“Uh… Did you need something? Because I need to get going…”
“Oh, my bad… Um. Sorry, I mean. I do, yes. Need something, that is.”
This elicited little more than a look of concern from her. Hurriedly, I banished all my less-than-proper thoughts.
“Um… So actually, I only just got to this island last night, and I’m a little lost. Do you know how to get to Eimei School in the Fourth Ward?”
“Oh, that’s all? Ha-ha. You don’t have to be so nervous about something like that. You’re a second-year, right? That makes you the same age as me.”
“Ah…I am? Wait, how did you know?”
“Because there’s a feature on our devices that tells us. You can find out the name and school of any student on the Academy, as long as they’re the same year as you or lower. You really didn’t know? They’re supposed to teach you how to use your device before anything else.”
“Uhhh… I remember someone went over stuff, but I was pretty sick at the time. My main focus was breathing… And, y’know, I’m the kind of guy who skips tutorials anyway…”
“Hee-hee! Sure, sure. So you’re asking random people for help instead? All right. Can I see your device really quick?”
She gave me an elegant chuckle as I pulled my Academy device out of my pocket. I didn’t know how to turn the thing on, so it was little more than this oblong object with a time display on the outside. The girl took my hand and guided my index finger toward a small depression at the top of the screen. It felt cold, interrupting my thoughts for a moment. An instant later, the device started up with a soft sound; I guess it had accepted my authentication or whatever.
“…You see? That’s how you activate it. Beyond that, it’s mostly like any other smartphone.”
“…”
I kept it hidden, but I was feeling pretty defeated. The girl kept talking in her gentle way.
“There’s a blue icon on the bottom, right? That’s your map. Some of the details are different, but you can basically treat it as an island-specific Google Maps.”
“Oh…okay. If I knew this, I wouldn’t have gotten lost in the first place.”
“Well, that’s your fault for not listening to the rundown, isn’t it? That’s called just deserts.”
“You’re right. I can’t even defend myself.”
I half grinned. The girl joined me, smiling herself. She was just…such a nice girl. I don’t want to get caught up in clichés like and that’s how I fell in love at first sight or whatever, but she did a lot to stoke my feelings. I was glad to have met her.
“Okay, I gotta get going. I was on my way to do some shopping. Take care, all right?”
“S-sure.”
She waved at me, smiling warmly, as I basked in happiness. That little gesture was so charming that I thought to say something more than “Thanks,” but I stopped myself and kept it to that.
That should’ve been the end of my exchange with the girl whose name I hadn’t learned. But…
“…Huh?”
A loud noise filled my ears. My attention quickly turned to the street. The Academy’s population was notably almost 60 percent students. There were far fewer cars on the road than in mainland Japan. That didn’t mean zero traffic, however. The guidebook had mentioned that I was likely to see heavy vehicles all around, busily handling construction.
And here came one of them now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large truck coming from the direction the red-haired girl was going. She and I were both on the sidewalk, but let me remind you that the island had suffered a two-day rainstorm, one hard enough that my ferry was delayed for twelve hours. That meant a lot of standing water on the street. And when a truck like this, perfect for transporting would-be heroes to other worlds, passed through that water, it was easy to predict what would happen.
Oh crap!
I dashed forward, catching up to the girl and taking her hand. Forcefully, but not enough so to hurt her, I pulled her away from the danger.
“Hey!”
As for the results… Well, it was very much a “Did I ask for your help?” kind of thing. After all, the moment I took her hand, she was already veering right to avoid the splash of water from the truck. It was at that moment, when she was off-balance, that I pulled her away.
The result…
“Ahhhh?!”
“Whoa!”
Two muffled shouts and a splash could be heard. Then all that remained was the sound of the engine as the truck fled the scene without a trace of guilt.
I opened my eyes cautiously, only to find the scene more stimulating than expected.
“…”
The red-haired girl, her wrist still in my hand, had been yanked down to the asphalt road. Her whole body was soaking wet, which meant the water had gotten her head first. Her long hair clung to her cheeks and neck, and her skirt was stuck to her thighs. The white blouse peeking through her blazer was drenched and just a little bit transparent. It was, to sum up, a sorry scene.
“Ah… Err…”
The girl was right before my eyes. That wasn’t a figure of speech; it was the best way to describe that sort of proximity. Her mouth hung open, and her cheeks gradually reddened. I guess her brain was having trouble processing what had happened, because the embarrassment was only just crashing down on her.
As for me…
Wha…what am I gonna do?! I gotta explain this somehow, and fast!
On the surface, I was staring at her straight-faced, but inside, I was about to explode from sheer panic. I thought to get on my hands and knees and apologize as hard as I could. However, I’d heard somewhere that an apology was a tacit admission of guilt, especially with easily misunderstood body contact like this. Being too free with my apologies could be counterproductive. Perhaps I ought to play the gentleman and lend her some of my clothes? That was off the table, too. It opened up the question of what we’d do with her wet uniform. If I offered to wash it and give it back later, I’d surely be a dead man.
