"But before we move on to the second part, there's something we need to understand." Dongfang Yi flipped to a new page in his notebook, scribbled something down, then showed it to Ichinose.
He tapped the notebook and pointed at the two characters he'd just written. "That is, what do we mean by purpose?"
"Purpose?"
Ichinose tilted her head, and a big question mark seemed to appear above her smooth pink hair.
She really was a good student. The habit of responding appropriately to the person teaching her was already ingrained in her.
It made him want to answer all her questions.
"People do everything for a reason. When we're thirsty, we drink water; when we're hungry, we go to the cafeteria; when we have nothing to do, we daydream. Those are all things we do for a reason, aren't they?"
"True."
"But what sets lies apart from the ordinary examples I just gave," Dongfang Yi said, setting down his notebook, "is that their purpose is much clearer and more specific. Since I've already deceived you, Ichinose, why don't you guess why I lied?"
Ichinose furrowed her brow and thought for a moment. "I feel like... I can't think of anything. Maybe you just wanted to... tease me, Dongfang?"
"Exactly. I just wanted to have some fun." Dongfang Yi held his head high and lifted his chin smugly.
"...Dongfang, you saying that so openly makes me feel rather conflicted."
"Ahem, don't sweat the details." Dongfang Yi blushed. "Let's get back to the point. The goal of calm, independent thinking is—"
"To correctly identify the other person's purpose during a conversation."
"Imagine this, Ichinose: if you'd known before you got here that I was an ill-natured guy who liked having fun and never left any openings, would you still have fallen for my trick?"
"If that were the case..." Ichinose pictured the scene from a moment ago. "Probably not. But don't you think you've given yourself a few too many qualifiers, Dongfang?"
"Ahem, that's not important."
Dongfang Yi felt that something was off. He had the strange impression that Ichinose had become more confrontational after he admitted he'd been doing it for fun...
How could that be? Ichinose was such a nice person, and she hadn't turned evil or anything.
It had to be his imagination.
He pushed the thought aside and continued, "So, Ichinose, have you realized? Once you had a pretty clear idea of my purpose, my lie fell apart. It couldn't have any effect on you anymore."
"And the goal and direction of what we call calm, independent thinking lie precisely in correctly identifying the purpose hidden behind another person's words and actions. That's the key to the second part."
"I see." Ichinose pondered this. She couldn't help following Dongfang Yi's train of thought, murmuring to herself, "Then how exactly can we do that?"
"Rome wasn't built in a day, and experience takes time to accumulate. If you want to become good at seeing through lies, you need to keep practicing your ability to think in everyday life. Keep imagining different scenarios, starting with the rough outlines and gradually adding detail, then break down and analyze the motivations behind people's actions."
"That takes a lot of practice over time, too."
"Of course. Let's use one of the most common, widespread situations as an example." Dongfang Yi finally revealed his aim. "Like job interviews."
"Interviews for the Student Council?" Ichinose began instinctively thinking through Dongfang Yi's logic.
"No, we're not there yet. I mean job interviews in society."
He turned toward the girl across from them, hoping Sakura would come over and share some of her experience, but...
At that moment, Sakura Airi was swaying unsteadily.
Looks like I overestimated her stamina.
I'd better speed things up.
Dongfang Yi sighed helplessly. He had to lower his voice and get straight to the point. "For most people, working to earn a living is a necessity, and getting a job means going through an interview. That's also exactly where lies tend to crop up."
"Lies tend to crop up?"
"Right. You see, sometimes the interview itself is a lie." Dongfang Yi picked up his notebook again. "For an ordinary job seeker, there are two kinds of companies they might interview with."
"Large corporations and small or medium-sized businesses?" Ichinose ventured a guess.
"No. Companies that are short-staffed and companies that aren't."
"..." Ichinose found the distinction surprisingly reasonable.
"Think about it, Ichinose. Say you're running a company that's desperately short-staffed—so desperate that you need just about anyone—and there's only one applicant. What would you say?"
"What would I say? Something about the benefits, or the working hours?"
"Those things are still too far removed from our lives. I mean how you'd evaluate the applicant personally." Dongfang Yi shook his head.
"I see... Let me think. 'Dongfang, you're outstanding and a perfect fit for our requirements'?" Ichinose tried to put herself in the company's shoes.
"No, no, Ichinose, that's not enough." Dongfang Yi waggled his index finger. "It should be—'Ms. Ichinose, you are the light we've been waiting for. You're perfect, the ideal candidate for our company. We absolutely must offer you the best possible benefits. With you on board, I'm sure our business will reach new heights! Please, please, please come work for us!'"
"Would anyone really go that far?" Ichinose looked stunned.
"Well, there probably aren't any places that desperate for staff in real life." Dongfang Yi shrugged. "But if a company like that did exist, then before you started working there, even if you were a miserable person who bathed only once a year and turned into a human bioweapon the moment you took off your shoes, they'd still see you as the one and only perfect candidate."
"That does make some sense. But Dongfang, I can't just pretend I didn't hear you say that."
"..." Dongfang Yi surrendered at once. "Please, have mercy on me this once."
"I won't hold it against you, but please don't say things like that to other girls." Ichinose let him off the hook easily. "But what would a company that wasn't short-staffed at all be like?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Dongfang Yi perked up again after being let off so easily.
"I don't think I'm nearly as good as you are at imagining extreme situations, Dongfang."
"...I think you'll surpass me soon enough, Ichinose." To wrap things up as quickly as possible, Dongfang Yi went on, "If a company really didn't need any more staff at all, you'd be turned down without mercy, Ichinose, no matter how outstanding or promising you were."
"You'd be rejected either way."
Before you continue