“Of course, that would be fine. What did you want to talk about?” I’m sure that Keiko had a lot on her mind after watching everything with Yuto unfold. I figured that playing nice with the game officials couldn’t hurt, which is why I wanted to give her the opportunity to direct this conversation. That way, she could ask any questions or get any answers she needed.

  “Obviously, I understand that you’re something special. I’ve seen smart contestants, but if you keep this up… you’d be on a whole other level. And that was all before I watched you break down Yuto.”

  Keiko paused, swallowing as she blinked. She took a step forward and looked me in the eyes.

  “Who made you like this?” Her rhythm was sharp and static, taking a micro pause between her words, as if she was battling a deep internal conflict.

  “And why did you choose to help Yuto?” Her face held its composure, but I could hear the slightest waver in her voice. Despite that, I didn’t say anything. I waited for her to keep going.

  “At first, I thought you were saying all of those things out of spite and cruelty because he was looking down on you.” She looked me in the eyes, and kept going as she tried to figure me out.

  “I thought you crossed serious lines.” I noticed a trace of anger bubbling up as she thought about what happened.

  “I felt repulsed watching it. More than that, I’m sure you noticed the frustration and anger I felt as I was made powerless to stop it. I thought that you couldn’t be human. I thought you were a psychopath that got off on breaking other people’s spirits.”

  She stopped.

  She was silent for a few seconds, but I waited since I could tell she had something else she wanted to say.

  “But then… you completely subverted my expectations. You revealed that you didn’t do it out of spite. You did it for Yuto.” I quickly realised she was looking for a reason to believe that I wasn’t a cold machine.

  A heartless puppeteer.

  All I had to do was give her one.

  Once I did, she wouldn’t just see me as a good hearted person. She would want to see me as one. Once I create that desire, it would be incredibly difficult for her to see me any other way.

  I was about to say something, but I felt a sudden rush of anxiety as I hesitated.

  Normally, I try to use my knowledge to help people. I felt terrible taking advantage of someone showing me genuine weakness, but all sense of right and wrong doesn’t matter anymore.

  This group kidnapped me.

  She works for them.

  Getting her on my side could be invaluable. This was a perfect opportunity.

  I let the silence hang, waiting for her to show me more.

  “I couldn’t see your face when you reached out for his hand, but the cameras saw you.” She took another pause. Her eyes were glued onto mine. She wanted to maintain eye contact while she confirmed the little humanity she saw in me. I knew what she was going to say and I could’ve cut her off, but this was important for her.

  She needed to be the one to say it.

  This would let her image of me fully transition from psychopath to something new. Something better.

  “I heard that you looked away for half a second just before Yuto grabbed your hand. Apparently, it looked like you felt ashamed or guilty. When he did grab your hand, your face didn’t instantly light up or anything, but you seemed at ease.” Her voice trailed off, but her eyes stayed glued to mine. “Is that true?” I was right. She was looking for a reason to stop seeing me as a monster.

  “You said that there’s no cameras. How do I know you’re not wearing a wire that can record audio?” I looked her in her eyes as I asked, but I already knew she wouldn’t be. Her voice, gaze and body language gave it away. She was asking me all of this out of purely selfish reasons. She wanted to see the good in me. She was initially taken aback. She seemed flustered, not angry at the accusation, but at a loss of words.

  “I suppose you’re right, that’s something I’d be worried about if I were you. I can’t prove that our audio isn’t being recorded, so I’m sorry that I asked.” Her voice was emotionless, but she let her eyes linger for a second too long. She was disappointed that she wouldn’t get an answer.

  Perfect. I was no longer just answering a question. I was voluntarily making myself vulnerable. That’d make this easier.

  “You asked who made me like this, but it wasn't a person. It's mostly down to experience with people, but I won’t elaborate on that right now. As for why I helped Yuto - it’s because I could help him. That’s it.” I paused, looking away from her to feign vulnerability. “I see people as having flaws and strengths. If I can help them, why shouldn’t I?” That was the truth, but if I wanted to make Keiko a pawn, I’d need to transform it into a lie.

  I needed a selfish motivation.

  “I guess it just makes me feel better about myself and my darker worldview.” Keiko’s eyes looked at me with a quiet recognition and acceptance, but I could also detect the curiosity behind them.

  I already knew she wanted to see me in a good light. That’s why I had to act selfish. Now, it was time to tell her what she desperately wanted to hear.

  “But above all of that. I did it because I believed he was the type of person that would listen to everything I said. I believe that once he reaches his potential, he’d be grateful for our conversation. I’m sure that he would love nothing more than to be his best self.” She kept a straight face, but the intensity behind her stare weakened. However, I wasn’t done answering her questions.

  “As for your last question, yes, it’s true. Yuto took longer than expected to grab my hand. I was worried that I’d misread him or that I’d pushed him too far.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  I was worried that I’d put myself through all of that for no reason.

  I was worried that I had broken him and that he would have no hope of ever being fixed.”

  I looked at the floor and softened my voice. “All those painful thoughts dissipated when he grabbed my hand, so yeah, I felt a massive sense of relief”

  The curiosity in her eyes vanished as her eyes regained their normal stillness.

  She masked her reactions really well, so I couldn’t tell if it worked. Was she back to normal because she’d received an answer that satisfied an intellectual curiosity? Or did it satisfy an emotional one?

  What I said wasn’t strictly a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. I turned up the theatrics and grossly exaggerated what was going through my head. I felt a lot of relief when Yuto took my hand, but I wanted to let Keiko think that it affected me more than it really did.

  “Thank you for answering my questions so honestly, Akira. I’m glad that I got to see both sides of you, and I look forward to seeing what else you can achieve here. Please follow me through this door.” She stood up and turned away from me.

  “Before I do, can I ask you a question in return?” She turned around abruptly, surprised by the request.

  “Yeah, of course. What is it?” I put her in a situation where she wanted to believe in my humanity. Now, because I feigned vulnerability when ‘honestly’ answering her questions, she felt indebted to me. I’d be able to ask her anything, and as long as it didn’t violate any of the show’s rules, I knew she’d give me a clear answer. What information would be of most use to me right now?

  I’ll find some information that I can use to turn her into my pawn.

  I still felt uneasy viewing her as a pawn on a chess board. She’s shown me how human she is. How she has her own trauma and her own fear. I hated that I saw her as a potential piece to my victory. But a messed up environment requires messed up measures.

  She deserves this. She works for the people that kidnapped you. She made her choice to do this sickening job.

  She does not deserve your empathy.

  Why was that logic so hard to accept?

  What would Yori and Mei think if they could read my thoughts right now? Would they be repulsed?

  I forced those thoughts aside and pushed forward. If I decide it’s too much later on, I can always stop then.

  “Why did you care so much about my motivations for manipulating Yuto?” I could have elaborated, but I figured a simple question like this would suffice.

  She hesitated, but I knew that if I patiently looked her in the eyes, she would give me an answer. Being silent would be a sign that she doesn’t trust me, even after letting her in on my vulnerability. I knew that she felt too guilty to do that. She took her time, but eventually, she began answering.

  “I’ve had this job for a very long time… I’ve seen a lot of different people. I’ve seen a few people with your talents, but I have met several people… no… too many people… who would be willing to do whatever it takes to win. Lie, cheat, betray, even manipulate their friends, loved ones…” She met my eyes before continuing.

  “As I said, I’ve seen a few people with your level of skill when it comes to understanding the human psyche and manipulating people. Some of them were willing to do whatever it took to win a game, but I’d never seen anyone try to deconstruct someone else after the game had ended. I guess I was terrified of the monster you’d be if you got some sadistic pleasure out of that.”

  There it was.

  Manipulate.

  I suspected she would have a reaction to that word. Using it twice confirmed what I already knew. No wonder she acted so emotionless during the actual game, but then started showing emotion once I manipulated Yuto. She’s seen countless people betray their loved ones. She was terrified of the things I could do if I didn’t care about hurting the people I cared about, and if I used my strength for selfish reasons.

  It was time to seal the deal. She wanted a reason to believe in me, and I had given her one. She was almost there. Now that I knew her vulnerability, it was time to exploit it. From this point onwards, I could use Keiko as a pawn. I steeled my resolve before I committed to this plan.

  “I see. I understand why you must have been so scared when I told Yuto to raise his head… you’ve seen people do terrible things before and you were scared that I would just be another person on that countless list.” I paused and met her eyes.

  There wasn’t any tension in her face, but that didn’t tell me anything. It’s her normal expression she wears as a mask. Without any physical tells, I just had to have faith in my psychological read.

  She already wants to see the good in me. It was time to make that easier. The first step was to empathise with her. To show her I understand where she was coming from.

  “I can’t even begin to imagine the helplessness you felt when your boss told you not to interfere. That being said, I feel like I should be totally honest. I am willing to manipulate the people I care about if I think it’ll be good for their growth. However, I will never betray or selfishly manipulate someone I care deeply about.”

  Now, I was letting her in on a truth. I was doubling down on the fact that I don’t see anything wrong with manipulating people for their benefit. I was doing this so she believed me when I said I would never selfishly manipulate someone. There was only one step left.

  “Trust is one of the things I care deeply about. In fact, I don’t even use the term “friend” loosely - I only see people as friends if I think I could trust them with my life on the line.

  I would never betray that trust.”

  I showed her a fake vulnerability - I wasn’t lying, but I acted like this was hard for me to say. I was trying to return what she had given me by answering that question. I tried giving her an insight into my personality. She was already looking for reasons not to fear me, even reasons to like me.

  She responded by smiling and letting out a quiet, sharp laugh. I instantly recognised it as the laughs she made whenever she spotted one of my moves in the game we just played. Did she laugh innocently because I subverted her expectations, or did she laugh because she saw through my attempt to manipulate her?

  Why do I feel guilty?

  I didn’t lie to her… but I guess that doesn’t change anything. Even though I told her the truth, I did it with the intent to deceive her. She made eye contact with me, and even though I don’t know if she fell for it, I still felt a sudden weakness. I hadn’t felt something like this in a long time.

  I normally have no problem manipulating people.

  Why is this affecting me so much?

  “I see. I’m glad that I got to understand you, Akira. We really should get going now. Please could you follow me.” She turned around and opened the door, officially bringing this conversation to an end. I hesitated.

  I thought about her boss’s words

  “I look forward to seeing what you do in the next game.”

  I took a deep breath in before replying.

  “Of course.”

  I followed her through the door.