On the Identification and Exposure of Lies (2)

"That's just what I should do. But still, thank, thank you." Ichinose's face flushed slightly: "I thought..."

"Thought I would discourage you, is that it?" Dongfang Yi asked, looking composed.

"I... just a little bit." Ichinose truly didn't think Dongfang Yi was the type of person to be indifferent toward victory.

"I'm not the kind of person who would stop a friend from walking the path they desire. On the contrary, I sincerely hope all my friends can achieve their wishes." Dongfang Yi smiled: "I'll wish you a flying start and immediate success right here."

"Thank you, I... I really didn't expect Dongfang-kun to acknowledge me so much."

"My judgment of people has always been quite accurate." Having read the script, Dongfang Yi spouted nonsense with total confidence: "However, in my view, while Ichinose is very capable right now, she is still missing a few things."

"What are they?" Ichinose was desperate to increase her odds for the afternoon interview.

"Identifying lies." Dongfang Yi steered the conversation back on track.

His previous question had only been to confirm the time of the student council selection, as the original work didn't describe it in detail, only mentioning it was on a holiday.

But since Ichinose was participating this afternoon, Dongfang Yi might as well help her patch up her weaknesses before she went in.

As for the mission report or whatever... that could wait until tonight.

I'm sure the me tonight will definitely work hard.

"But... in school, we shouldn't really need those, right?" Ichinose was still naive: "After all, everyone is friends. Even if someone has to lie, there must be some private reasons or justifications for why they can't speak the truth."

"That is true, but lies create misunderstandings, and misunderstandings breed harm." Dongfang Yi shrugged: "We don't see through lies to expose them, but to better care for our friends' feelings, to see the problems that might exist behind their lies, and to better help them out of their predicaments, don't you think?"

"When you put it that way, Dongfang-kun... it does make sense." Ichinose was convinced.

"So, would you like to learn about it now?"

Ichinose hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Very good." Dongfang Yi was satisfied with her attitude: "Then, to see through lies, the first thing we must understand is—how to construct a lie."

"How to construct a lie?"

"Yes, only by learning how to craft a lie can you understand the internal logic of how a lie is born." Dongfang Yi explained eloquently: "Generally speaking, we divide lies into three types based on their internal linguistic differences: those composed entirely of truth, those composed entirely of falsehoods, and those composed of a mix of truth and lies."

"Is there a difference between these three?"

"The first type is the most difficult to use, but also extremely difficult to see through. Without a lack of information or suspicion, unless it's the final moment and the liar intentionally gives away the answer, it's basically impossible to detect. Because it requires a very high level of mastery to use, most people can't grasp it, so we won't introduce it today."

"As for the second type, it is too elementary and inferior. Users of this kind of lie are usually honest children; it is extremely easy to see through and requires no study, so we won't introduce that either."

"Therefore, Ichinose-san, what I am going to teach you next is the method for seeing through the third type of lie."

Dongfang Yi's gaze sharpened. He dropped his playful, carefree demeanor and began to give Ichinose the "answers."

"The third type? A mix of truth and lies?"

"Correct. That's what I just used. Any thoughts?"

"It feels... very hard to detect." Ichinose recalled Dongfang Yi's acting from just a moment ago: "Exaggerated, sad, and full of emotional impact."

"No, it's only hard for Ichinose to detect." Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow: "Because Ichinose is a good person who is used to caring about the feelings of friends around her and has her own logic for handling things, that's why you were deceived by me. If a stranger were here, no matter how sad I pretended to be, they would remain indifferent."

"Are you saying that for this kind of lie to succeed, one must specifically adjust their strategy toward the person being deceived?"

Ichinose seemed to have a realization.

"Exactly. Saying the same thing in different ways produces different effects." Dongfang Yi held up a finger: "Let's assume an extreme scenario."

"If you were a tourist with poor morals, and your wallet fell into the water. You can't swim and must ask a stranger nearby for help to retrieve it. How should you achieve your goal?"

"...Ask them to help find a stick to fish it out together?"

"Your morals clearly aren't low enough, Ichinose." Dongfang Yi wore an expression of 'you can't carve rotten wood': "If the stranger is noble and kind, the tourist should cry sadly and tell the stranger it's a treasure left by a deceased relative. If the stranger is greedy and foolish, the tourist should tell them the fallen wallet is worth a fortune and offer to split it if they fish it out."

"In other words, the tourist should target the weaknesses in the stranger's human nature to successfully provide the motivation for the stranger's actions and lure them into acting for their benefit."

"I see. But Dongfang-kun, what does this have to do with seeing through lies?" Ichinose was puzzled.

"Ichinose, what is the primary requirement for seeing through a lie?"

"...Is it analyzing the other person's words?"

"It's not being deceived!" Dongfang Yi made a funny face: "It's remaining unmoved! It's staying calm! It's suppressing your inner emotions at the critical moment! Think about it, if you were that noble and kind stranger, what should you do?"

"I should... help them fish it out?... No, that's not right, then..." Ichinose fell into confusion: "I don't know."

"Is their wallet more important than your life?"

"...No."

"Then why would you go down there?"

"...But..."

"If they don't have money to eat, you can spend a little to give them food. If they don't have money to get home, you can help them buy a ticket. It's their wallet that's lost; why should you take the risk of losing your life to help them with some vague emotional value?"

Ichinose nodded, acknowledging Dongfang Yi's approach.

"So, this is the first step in identifying lies. I call it—Self-Restraint."

"Self-restraint?"

"Restraining your emotional impulses during a conversation and maintaining independent, calm thinking—this is the foundation of everything."

"But, how do I... no, what I mean is, what exactly counts as calm thinking?" Ichinose wrote down Dongfang Yi's words, but she was still a little confused.

"That leads us to our second step." Dongfang Yi smiled and said, "Ichinose, can you manage to restrain your inner impulses and not be driven by disappointment, sadness, self-reproach, guilt, or kindness?"

"I... I will be mindful of that."

"Very good, then we can proceed to the second part."