Chapter 42

Is it a story about a 10% or less appraiser cheating?

It's an appraiser story that comes when you least expect it. ← Hey!

Also, it's been featured in "Today's One Book"! Yay!

It was a question that the members of the "Crimson Lynx" had secretly harbored.

"Don't tell lies."

"Lying is not good."

With her usual beaming smile, Yuriko would casually say these words as she passed by. It wasn't as if she was scolding them, but rather with a nuance of "lying is not good," which, upon closer inspection, was quite scary.

This was because, at the moment she said those words, they were all telling small lies.

To be fair, for their honor, it should be noted that these were not malicious lies. They were exaggerations to make the story more interesting or playful lies to tease someone, a kind of communication to smooth over human relationships. However, that was that, and this was this. They were indeed lying at those moments, and when Yuriko passed by, she would almost always say "no" with a smile, as if she had completely seen through their lies.

...Upon calm reflection, the group felt a chill down their spines.

However, among the group, who were buzzing in the living room, three people remained calm.

One was Allie, the leader of the "Crimson Lynx," Yuriko's guardian, a skilled authenticator, and Yuriko's mentor in appraisal skills. For her, this was just a matter of degree.

The second was Brook, who had known Allie for a long time. Brook knew that Yuriko had abilities that surpassed ordinary appraisers. He didn't know the details from Allie, but he had experienced firsthand that Yuriko was extraordinary during the incident with the subjugation accessory.

The third was Jake, a scholar. In terms of knowledge, he was probably at the top of the class. His knowledge was broad, and anything that caught his interest was absorbed. Though he was considered to have a different kind of intelligence and was a bit eccentric, he also had a fairly accurate understanding of Yuriko's abilities.

Additionally, these three knew that appraisal skills had the ability to discern truth and falsehood.

At a low level, appraisals might not be 100% accurate. They might just sense something off. However, with high-level appraisal skills, it was possible to detect lies. And Allie, who possessed the advanced appraisal skill "Divine Eye," could easily see through lies. They just didn't let it be known, but if asked, they would explain. ...They just didn't get asked.

"Does Yuriko, by any chance, see through lies...?"

"Kure, go ask her yourself."

"Why me!?"

"Because you're best friends!"

"Even so, don't make me ask such a question!"

Kure and Rere were bickering. The apprentices were all siding with Rere, and it seemed like everyone was in agreement that Kure should go ask. They all seemed to want to push the troublesome task onto someone else. Plus, they were afraid of the shock if it turned out to be true.

The three, Allie, Brook, and Jake, were watching the commotion with interest. They were clearly enjoying the show, especially since they weren't telling the others about the ability to see through lies.

"What's all the fuss about?"

"Yuriko!?"

"...Huh? Why are you all so surprised?"

Yuriko appeared with a large plate of cookies, saying, "Here's a snack," and tilted her head in confusion at everyone's reaction. She didn't understand why they were so surprised, as she had just come in normally. The group was so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice her.

After considering who to ask, Yuriko turned to Brook, who had approached her. The moment Yuriko placed the plate of cookies on the table, Brook picked one up and started eating. Despite his knightly appearance, he was a notorious sweet tooth and was often bribed with Yuriko's treats.

"Brook, what's all the fuss about?"

"Hmm?"

Asked with a steady gaze, Brook tilted his head while holding a cookie. After a moment of thought, he took a bite and ruffled Yuriko's hair with a smile.

"It seems they want to ask you something."

"Brook!?"

The group screamed, feeling betrayed. The peaceful mood from the cookies was ruined. The cookie battle, which had been intense, was suddenly forgotten. Brook was clearly doing this on purpose, probably to tease his juniors. He was a terrible adult.

"What do they want to ask?"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

Asked innocently, the group couldn't answer. However, Yuriko, tilting her head in confusion, was looking at them. This made them feel strangely guilty, even though they hadn't done anything wrong. Yuriko's innocent "What's wrong?" made them feel like they were the ones in the wrong. ...Her small animal aura was truly terrifying.

"Um, Yuriko..."

"Yeah, what is it, Kure?"

Kure, pushed by the others, finally spoke. Poor Kure. Despite thinking, "Why me?" he took the lead, which showed he was a good guy. Also, the strange sense of guilt he felt towards Yuriko was probably a big factor. Kure, who considered himself Yuriko's best friend, was much more lenient with Yuriko than the others.

"Can you, by any chance, tell when someone is lying?"

Kure's question echoed loudly in the living room, making him flinch. Under the intense gaze of the group, Yuriko blinked a few times and then answered.

"Yeah, I can."

It was very matter-of-fact.

The room seemed to freeze, but Yuriko was smiling innocently. It was as if she was saying, "What's the big deal?" Considering the implications, it was quite unbelievable, but Yuriko simply accepted what she could do and what she couldn't. She thought of skills as just that. As a high school boy familiar with subculture, he adapted easily.

"Good to know, Kure."

"...! Brook, you knew about this?!"

"Yeah, I knew. By the way, Allie and Jake knew too. ...You guys should have figured it out when you realized you couldn't lie to Allie."

"Ah, aaaaaah!!"

That's right! The group was in an uproar. The leader of the "Crimson Lynx" was a skilled authenticator with appraisal skills and a scary guardian who always saw through lies and gave lectures. They hadn't forgotten this fact, but they hadn't connected it to Yuriko.

Yuriko was an appraiser. Still inexperienced but with potential, as Allie had attested. ...In reality, with the skill "Divine Eye," Yuriko could easily surpass Allie with just a little guidance, but no one knew this except Allie, who had no intention of telling anyone. She didn't want to create more victims.

"...Why are you all making such a fuss?"

"They didn't think you could see through lies."

"But doesn't the appraisal skill have that ability?"

"It's not well-known."

"Is that so?"

While the group was in an uproar, Yuriko and Brook remained calm. Brook was eating cookies while talking, and the others, who were groaning or shouting, made the cookie battle much easier. ...It seemed the others had the same idea, as even Allie, who usually avoided the snack battles, and Jake, who watched to avoid injury, were reaching for the cookies.

The group, now aware that appraisers could see through lies, looked at Allie and Yuriko with trepidation. If they couldn't lie to these two, they couldn't hide anything from them. Of course, they didn't want to hide anything, but not being able to lie at all was a bit problematic. ...Mainly because surprises would be impossible.

"Minor lies are overlooked."

"You can still hide things, you just know they're lying."

Allie said this with a bored tone, and Yuriko tilted her head and added. The group looked at Yuriko for an explanation, but it was Allie who explained, deciding that Yuriko's explanation might be complicated.

"You only know that what they're saying is not true, not what is true. As long as it's not a clear black-and-white issue, you can still hide things. ...Though they might realize you're hiding something."

"In other words, you just need to hide it well. It's good practice, isn't it?"

"Brook, you're being irresponsible!"

"I'm used to it."

"Terrible!"

Brook added to Allie's explanation. Rere shouted in protest, but it was easily brushed off. Kure, along with the apprentices, shouted that adults were terrible, but the two adults were unfazed and simply watched their juniors.

By the way, Yuriko's full effort in seeing through lies was reserved for catching snack thieves. It's a given.

Well, even with such an amazing skill, Yuriko doesn't do much with it.

With this, you could say, "You're the culprit!" or something, right...?

I look forward to your comments and feedback.