On Distinguishing Lies and Seeing Through Them (2)

"That was only what I should have done. But still, th-thanks." Ichinose's face turned a little red. "I thought..."

"Thought I'd discourage you, is that it?" Dongfang Yi asked, looking perfectly at ease.

"I... only a little." Ichinose really hadn't thought Dongfang Yi was the sort of person who would be indifferent to victory.

"I'm not about to stop a friend from following the path she believes in. Quite the opposite—I sincerely hope all my friends can achieve what they wish for." Dongfang Yi smiled. "So let me wish you success in your selection and every good fortune."

"Thanks. I... I really didn't expect you to have so much faith in me, Dongfang."

"I've always been good at judging people." Having read the script, Dongfang Yi spoke with complete confidence. "But in my view, even though you're capable, Ichinose, you're still missing something."

"What is it?" Ichinose asked eagerly, hoping to improve her chances at that afternoon's interview.

"Knowing how to spot lies." Dongfang Yi brought the conversation back on track.

His earlier questions had only been to confirm when the Student Council selection would take place. The original story hadn't gone into detail, only mentioning that it was on a day off.

But since Ichinose was taking part that very afternoon, Dongfang Yi might as well help her patch up a few weaknesses before she went in.

As for the mission report and all that... he'd deal with it that evening.

I'm sure I'll work hard tonight.

"Th-but at school, I don't think we really need to do that, do we?" Ichinose was still innocent. "After all, we're all friends. Even if someone lies, there must be a private reason they can't talk about."

"That's true, but lies can cause misunderstandings, and misunderstandings can lead to hurt." Dongfang Yi shrugged. "We don't see through lies so we can call people out. We do it so we can better care about how our friends feel, understand what problems might lie behind their lies, and help them get through difficult times. Right?"

"That... does make sense, Dongfang." Ichinose was persuaded.

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

Ichinose hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Good." Dongfang Yi was pleased with her attitude. "To see through lies, the first thing we need to understand is—how to make one."

"How to make a lie?"

"Exactly. Only by learning how to make a lie can we understand the logic behind how lies come about." Dongfang Yi explained at length. "Generally speaking, we can divide lies into three kinds based on the truth or falsehood of their words: lies made entirely of truths, lies made entirely of falsehoods, and lies made of a mixture of truth and falsehood."

"What's the difference between the three?"

"The first kind is the hardest to use, but also extremely difficult to see through. Without enough information or a reason to be on guard, you basically can't see through it until it's too late—unless the liar deliberately gives away the answer. It takes a great deal of skill, and most people can't manage it, so we won't cover it today."

"The second kind is too basic and crude. It's usually used by honest children and is extremely easy to spot, so there's no need to learn about it. We won't cover that one either."

"So, Ichinose, what I'm going to teach you is how to see through the third kind of lie."

Dongfang Yi's gaze sharpened. He dropped his carefree attitude and began giving Ichinose the answers in advance.

"The third kind? Lies made of both truth and falsehood?"

"Right. That's the kind I just used. What did you think of it?"

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"It felt... hard to see through." Ichinose recalled Dongfang Yi's performance. "Exaggerated, sad, and very convincing."

"No, it was only hard for you to see through." Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Because you're a good person. You're used to caring about how your friends feel, and you have your own way of making sense of things. That's why I was able to fool you. If some stranger had been here, I could've acted as sad as I liked, and he still wouldn't have cared."

"So, for this kind of lie to work, you need to tailor your approach to the person you're trying to fool?"

Ichinose seemed to have grasped something.

"Exactly. The same thing can have different effects when you describe it in different ways." Dongfang Yi raised a finger. "Let's imagine an extreme situation."

"Suppose you're an unscrupulous tourist. Your wallet has fallen into the water, and you can't swim. You can only ask a stranger nearby for help. How would you get him to go down and retrieve it?"

"...I'd ask him to find a stick so we could fish it out together?"

"Your morals clearly aren't bad enough, Ichinose." Dongfang Yi looked at her as if she were a hopeless case. "If the stranger is noble and kind, the tourist should cry pitifully and tell him it's a treasure left by a deceased family member. If the stranger is greedy and foolish, the tourist should say the wallet is worth a fortune and promise to split the money if he retrieves it."

"In other words, the tourist should target the weaknesses in the stranger's nature. That's how he can motivate the stranger to act and lure him into doing what he wants."

"I see. But, Dongfang, what does that have to do with seeing through lies?" Ichinose asked, puzzled.

"Ichinose, what's the most important thing when it comes to seeing through a lie?"

"...Analyzing what the other person says?"

"It's not getting fooled!" Dongfang Yi made a face. "It's not letting yourself be swayed! It's staying calm! It's keeping your emotions in check at a critical moment! Think about it. If you were that noble, kind stranger, what should you do?"

"I should... help him fish it out? ...No, that's not right, but..." Ichinose was confused. "I don't know."

"Is his wallet more important than your life?"

"...No."

"Then why go down there?"

"...But..."

"If he doesn't have money for food, you can buy him something to eat. If he doesn't have money to get home, you can buy him a ticket. It's his wallet that he lost. Why should you risk your life to recover something of unclear sentimental value for him?"

Ichinose nodded, agreeing with Dongfang Yi's reasoning.

"So, that's the first step in spotting a lie. I call it—self-restraint."

"Self-restraint?"

"Keeping your emotional impulses in check during a conversation and staying independent and clear-headed. That's the foundation for everything else."

"But how do I... No, I mean, what counts as clear-headed thinking?" Ichinose memorized what Dongfang Yi had said, but was still a little confused.

"That's our second step." Dongfang Yi smiled. "Ichinose, can you keep your inner impulses under control and avoid being driven by disappointment, sadness, guilt, remorse, or kindness?"

"I... I'll try to be careful."

"Good. Then we can move on to the second part."