Liar Game 2a

All of my translations are RESERVED


Liar Game, Roots of A, Chapter 2 (pp. 37~81)


<37>
=Why was I born?
=...Have you ever thought about that?

=Me? Of course I have.
=...Actually, I think about it all the time.
Nine Darts

=Why does a guy with no talent like me even exist in this world...?
=Like... If there is a god, why would I even be here in the first place?
[sign]Job Center
=You sure there aren't any jobs? I really need to pay my rent by tomorrow or else I'm gonna get kicked outta my apartment.
=...Not in this kind of economy.

=Never stayed in high school for longer than 2 weeks,
=Can't hold on to a job for more than 3 days,
=But you still fool around more than anyone else. An endless cycle of drink, gamble, buy. Every single day.
=And now you're knee deep in debt.

=Do you really expect someone to hire a man like that?
=Sh-Shut up!//E-Even I've got...

=Ohh—So you actually have a talent that's worth bragging about?
=Yeah,
=That's right.

=Alright,//Watch.


<38>
[x3]TAP

=See!! Isn't that awesome!?
=I'm a terrible gambler, but I was always pretty good at darts!

WHOOOOOOOOSH

=I'm sorry.
=I'll come back later.
=Oh,

=Mister,
[sign]Job Center
=Did you say you're about to be kicked out of your apartment?

=The wages are horrendously low,//But this one comes with housing and 3 meals per day.
=How's that sound?


<39>
Nine Darts


<40>
=...So that's how I started this job.
=What's the job, you ask?

=There's this facility called the Green Mountain Starlight Park.
=And I'm pretty much the live-in lawn mower and janitor.
=I do all the chores.

=But...
=It turns out this facility was one hell of a place.
=...So you collect the trash bins from all 20 locations, and then...
[arrow]Fell asleep 'cause the instructions are so boring.

=Hey,//You listening?
UCK
=Ye-
=Yes!

=Huh?


<41>
=What was up with that kid just now?//He had green eyes and green hair...
=Well, that's enough explaining for now.
GATHUCK

=Show him around the facility.
=Green Mountain Starlight Park, Director//Shigeo Saikawa

=...Alright, those are all the places you're gonna be responsible for.
=You'll be cleaning them every single day.
=Got it?
=Yessir.

=Oh yeah, lemme introduce you to the patients in the workshop.
=Workshop?

=He—y!
=Listen up—!


<42>
=This is Minoru Shiibara, he's going to be working here from today—!
...Wh-What is this!?

Green faces.

Green eyes.

=Wh-What's up with those people?
=What do you mean what? Those are Green Disease patients.
=Oh wait, is this the first time you've ever seen them?

=Yes...
=Besides, I kinda came here not knowing what this place was.
=Hah-hah, is that right.

=As you can see,
=The Green Mountain Starlight Park,
=Is an isolation facility for Green Disease.


<43>
Green Disease... I've heard about it before.
It's an epidemic... Something about turning your eyes and hair green...
Makes your body weaker and your eyesight worse so its impossible for you to live a normal life...

But what shocked me the most were their expressions, not the color of their eyes and hair.
Blank emptiness... Despair... What is up with this defeated atmosphere!?

=Hey!!
=Who's coming in late!!
UCK

=I-
=I-//I'm sorry.

That kid from before...
=You again!!

=Quit being so lazy—!
[x3]TAP


<44>
CRACK

=Wha-
=What are you doing!//He was just a little late!
=It's alright. This is how you're supposed to handle them.

=These guys,
=Are the dregs of society.

=Green Disease patients are weak, and they spread their sick germs all over the place.//They can't fit in with the rest of society.

=The government set up this facility out of pity.
=Always be thankful for that!


<45>
[sign]Staff Room

[x2]CLAT
=Oh...
=Here it is.

Green Disease
Formally known as Fedotov's Disease.
The virus was named after Professor Fedotov, a Russian scientist, who did a
An infectious disease caused by the FFSH Virus.
The virus mutates the pigmentation of the body,
Causing the pupils and hair to turn green.
The disease begins by lowering the patient's concentration,
Resulting in complaints such as lack of endurance and strength.
If left untreated, symptoms will include impaired vision, lowered immunity,
A wonder drug for this disease has already been developed,
And the virus is completely curable,
Though the lowered vision and abnormal pigmentation will remain.
The disease has a very low rate of infection, and there is very little chance,
Of the virus being spread over the course of everyday life.

=What the hell.//Green Disease is hardly even contagious.
[close-up]Completely curable//Very low//Everyday Life//Infection
=It doesn't need to be isolated.

=Then why'd that asshole,
=Say they're the dregs of society!?

BLICK
=Hey!


<46>
=Who gave you permission to use this computer.

=Return to your room.

=...Y-
=Yes sir.

=The patients here were really treated worse than prisoners.

=They call this place a treatment facility, but I've never seen them doing any treatment.
=In fact,
=I don't know whether they do it as discipline, or just to vent their anger, but the employees beat the patients pretty much every single day.

=Either way, the patients are forced to do manual labor from daybreak to nightfall. From welding and dismantling, to assembling some sort of machine,
=The surprising thing was, all this labor was being done in the name of rehabilitation. Meaning, the patients themselves are not paid for their work.

[bubble]Quit being lazy—!
=And the employees would always yell this phrase:


<47>
=Don't get the wrong idea—!
=You're the dregs of society, but we're letting you live out of kindness—!

=No wonder they look so lethargic.
=They were being yelled at like this 24/7.
=What the hell are you doing over there—!!

=You're not supposed to be taking a break!!
[x2]THUD
=Uck...! It's him again!

=I'm sorry.
=I'm sorry.
=U-//Uhh!

=I think the director was calling you!
=He wanted you to come over immediately...!


<48>
=*tsk* Alright.//You do the rest.
=Yes sir.

=Heh-heh.
=What an idiot.

DASH
=Oh,
=Hey!

=I felt so bad for them,
=That one day I went and talked to the director.
=I just don't get it.
=Why don't you just let them leave if they've recovered enough energy to work?

=Idiot.//What if they start contaminating other people!?
=I heard Fedotov's Virus has barely any chance of being contagious.//You won't get infected unless you start sharing needles.

=You little—!!

=There are 3 reasons why we cannot let these patients outside.
=1. They become sick very easily because of their weakened immune systems.

=2. The vision impairment will still remain.//3. They tire easily, and their concentration is lacking compared to healthy individuals.
=Those are the reasons why it is extremely difficult for them to return to society.


<49>
=So you see...
=We are keeping them here out of kindness.

=Kindness?
=My ass you are—!
=These guys are crazy—!
[sign above]Archives
[sign below]No Trespassing

=Something's up.
=Something up with this facility.
=What the—!?

A shipment list with two price columns...
This is it!
This is proof that the machinery being assembled by the patients is being sold illegally!

The cheaper price is the market value.
But they're actually selling them at the higher price!


<50>
I knew it. The patients are doing forced labor under the pretense of a rehab education program,
While the employers embezzle the profits.

I see, so this is their plan!
They're basically running a Fedotov's Disease isolation facility to make easy money.
They get a huge subsidy from the government, and no one will ever find out that they force the patients into doing free labor.
The number of infected people has plunged because of the development of the wonder drug, so they don't want to release a single patient.
If more and more patients leave the facility, naturally, there's gonna be cutbacks and mergers, and the free labor's gonna come to an end.

=It's a robbery—!!
=It's a robbery—!!
FLASH
=Shit!

=So it was you!
=What did you steal!?
=I'm not stealing!
=We're turning you into the police!
=Wait.

=Send this man
=To the Garden of Punishment for a week.


<51>
=The Garden of Punishment.

=It's not really a garden. Just a freakishly small courtyard surrounded by huge walls so there's no way to escape.
=Pretty much a prison cell with a sky-blue ceiling.
=Damn it—I was so close to getting the dirt on those guys!

=*sighhh...*
GROWWWL
=But man, I'm hungry.

=There's some apricots up there...
=If only I could munch on those things...

WHAP

PLO—P


<52>
=Heh-heh-heh
=Hey!//You're...

=Was that you?
=...Heh-heh

=You helped me out before, so...

=What's your name?
=Kyo.
=How long've you been here?
=Ever since I can remember...//I got Green Disease right after I was born.

=So you've never met your parents or anything?
=Met them?
=I don't even know what they look like.

=I've never gotten a single letter,
=Or a phone call from them.


<53>
=You wanna see them, right?
=I used to want to.

=Used to?

=When I was little...
=I asked the director to let me see my parents.

=But the director laughed, and said this:
=Hah-hah
=No way.
=That's impossible.

=You don't get it, do you.
=Why do you think your parents have never tried to contact you after putting you in here.

=They don't want people to know that someone in their family has Green Disease.
=Get it?
=Your very existence is an abomination to this world.


<54>
=Kyo...

=It's frustrating, but it's the sad truth.
=We're not human beings.

=All of the patients here think this way.
=We're useless.
=In fact, we scare people.//The employees are right.
=We have no reason to exist.

=Don't say that!//No reason to exist...!? That's just...
=Don't you dare say something so depressing!

=A reason for existing—!?
=No one actually knows the answer to that!

=I don't...
=Either...


<55>
=...But,

=I'm glad.
SWUP
=I'm glad I met a nice person like you, Mr. Minoru.

WHAP

=...Man,
WHAP
=You're really good at that.

=Yeah,//I'm slow and weak, so I got put in here all the time.
CRICK
=I was pretty much lived in the Garden of Punishment at one point.

=...And when you're in here, you get really hungry, right?
WHAP
=So I started gathering nuts and berries like this so I wouldn't starve to death.

=That's amazing.
=So you developed a skill to survive, huh.
=Heh-heh

=Oh yeah,
=Let me teach you a cool little game.


<56>
=TADAA—H

=What is that?
=It's a dart.

=The rules are simple.
=You're awesome if you can hit the parts of the target with the highest points.

=Seeing is believing.
=Let me demonstrate.

BWHIP

[x3]TAP


<57>
=Yeah—!
=You saw that!? All 20s! Plus one double!//I'm pretty good, aren't I!!
=I'm a terrible gambler, but I was always pretty good at this!

=Try it.
=O-//Okay.

=It's hard to throw from there, and besides, it's your first time.
=First, let's try getting at least 1 of the 3 throws into the 20-point area.
=Umm...

=Does the center of the target award the highest points?
=Huh? Ohh, that's called the "double bull*" and it's worth 50 points, but...
[margin]*The outer circle is called the "bull," and is worth 25 points, while the inner circle is its double, worth 50 points.

=The highest is this part.
=The triple 20 gets you 60 points.

=Then I'll try and throw it there.
=Hey hey, that's impossible. You won't get it on your first try.

[x3]TAP


<58>
=I did it!!
=That was okay, wasn't it!?
=...Okay?//Forget about okay...

=Hey, that reminds me,
=Isn't impaired vision a symptom of your disease?

=Yes... It is.//But it's really no different from being nearsighted.
=But in our case, it's considered a defect because we have Green Disease.

=Being nearsighted isn't a big handicap for normal people. But for us, it's different.

=...I know!

[sign]Director's Office
=Now what do you want.

=Now now, please relax.
=It seems like we had a little misunderstanding,//So I thought we'd play a little game and call it a truce.

=Darts.
=How 'bout it?


<59>
=Oh,
=I may not look it, but I used to be quite an avid player.
=Oh really?
=Then how about a game of 501?

"501"
Is the standard game of darts, practiced by amateurs and professionals alike, where the objective is to decrease your points quicker than your opponent, starting from 501. The characteristic of this set of rules is that the players must reduce their scores to exactly zero by hitting a double on their final throw in order to win.
In competitive matches, the players take turns, making 3 throws at a time. But in this case, each player will not switch out until they finish. The player who takes the least amount of throws to finish will be the winner.

[bubble]TAP

=Phew, finally over.
=Took me 7 throws to finish.
=Yes, this game is difficult because you need to finish by hitting a double.

=Even veterans have a hard time getting it into that tiny little space.
=Yep, totally.

=So what if there was a person who could hit those double regions like crazy!?
=Admirable.
=I would like them to teach me how to play that way.

=Then,


<60>
=What if that person was a Green Disease patient?

=Impossible.

=I agree... If there was someone like that,
=The reasons for not allowing the patients outside...//The vision impairment, the lowered endurance and concentration...//Those things would no longer apply, would they.

BWHUP

=Patient No. 13, Kyo Kisaragi,//Is an expert at darts.
=In other words, he's capable of fitting in with the rest of society.

=Please take a look at his skill.
=Please...

=Play him in a game of darts.

=And...
=If none of the employees are able to defeat him,
=Please allow him to leave the facility.


<61>
=Are you sure?

=Agreeing to a request like that...
=If we can get that noisy fool to shut up with a game of darts, then it's not a bad deal.

=Besides,
=Do you really think we're gonna let them get away with winning?

=2 months later,
=The time has come.

=Hey,//How many of you guys are gonna play 501 today?

=20.
=Think you can beat all of us?

=Don't worry, Kyo.
=There's now way you're gonna lose if you do exactly as we practiced.

=However


<62>
TAP

=Whoaaaa!! The first player on the employee team finishes in only 19 shots—!!
OHHHHH

=No way!
=They couldn't even finish in 50 shots just a couple months ago!

=Anyone can get better if you give them 2 months to practice.

=Kyo—!
=You better not lose on the first one—!
OHHHHHH


<63>
[x2]TAP

=WHOAAAA!!
=Kyo finished in only 13 shots—!!

=I was surprised that they had improved so much,
=But Kyo was simply far too good.

=One by one,

=He destroyed each of his opponents with his incredible control.

=Until finally...
TAP


<64>
=He won—!!
=That's 19 in a row!!

=One more!
=One more!
=So the last one up is...

=The director?
=No.

=He will be the last player.
[x2]MUMBLE

=...I've never seen this employee before.
[x2]MUMBLE
=I hired him just last month.

=It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it's an employee, right?

=This mysterious old man who appeared out of nowhere,
MUMBLE
=Turned out to be...

=One ridiculous old bastard.
BWHAP


<65>
TAP-TAP-TAP

SWISH

TAP

=Whoa—!//Who is this guy!!
=He finished in only 10 shots—!!

=...F-
=For real!?

Heh-heh, he may look like a normal old man,
But actually,

This man is a professional darts player, who even became the U.S. champion at one point during his career.


<66>
=Heh-heh-heh, you've done well,
=But it's all over now.

=I'm sure I don't need to remind you... That in order to beat a 10-darter,

=You need a nine dart finish.

A "nine dart finish" is the lowest possible number of throws needed to finish a game of "501." Even the best players in the world have difficulty achieving this result. This constitutes a perfect game of darts.

=Miracle!!
=We need a miracle!!

SWISH

[x3]TAP
[box]20T(60) × 3= 180//501 − 180=321 pts.
[margin note]*T=Triple

SWISH


<67>
TAP
[box]321 − 20T(60) × 3=141 pts.

=Good!
=This...
=Is gonna be a 9-darter!

TAP
[box]141 − 19T(57)=84 pts.

TAP
[box]84 − 17W(34)=50 pts.

=Yeah—!!
=Just one more!!

=Last throw!!
=Finish it off with a double bull for 50 points—!!

SWISH


<68>
TAP

OHHHHHH
=He did it—!!
=He completed a nine dart finish!!


<69>
=What a comeback—!!
=You did it, Kyo—!!

=Well done.
=To be honest, this is quite a surprise.
[x2]CLAP

=Director
=You were right.//Kyo Kisaragi's vision, endurance, tenacity...
=None of those things should prove to be a handicap if he returns to society.

=Heh-heh...
=As long as you realize that.
=However...


<70>
=This game proved nothing,
=About his concentration.

=!? ...Wha
=...What!?

=What the hell were you just watching!?
=He just threw a freaking 9-darter!!
=Yes, in that last game.

=However, he only managed to do it once.//In other words, he made some sort of mistake in each of the prior games.

=Of course he did.
=It wouldn't be a game if no one made any mistakes.

=You lying son of a bitch—!! You promised you'd let Kyo go if he beat all the employees!!
=That wasn't all of the employees.


<71>
=He hasn't played me yet.

=Don't worry.
=If I lose, I will free him, as promised.

=However, as I said earlier, let's change up the rules for this final match...
=How about a little game that will test Kyo's concentration.

=Give him the blindfold.
=Yes sir.

=Concentration
=Is all about making use of that "one and only" opportunity.

=...So, about this game.
PLICK
=The rules are very simple.

GWHUCK
=Uck...!


<72>
=You'll be hitting the apricot in his mouth using a dart.

=N-
=No way...
=Heh-heh-heh. Clear and simple, and easy to boot.

=After all, this apricot is a far bigger target than the double bull on the dartboard.
=Heh-heh-heh


<73>
=As a tribute to all your hard work,
=I'm giving you this easy bonus game!
=Dirty bastard...!

No way's he gonna do it.
What if he misses it?
Minoru could really get hurt.

That's exactly what the Director is thinking.
Kyo will back out of this match,
And this whole thing is just gonna be declared a no-contest.

How crooked can this guy get...?
=So? Are you gonna do it or not.

=Just to be sure,
=You're gonna let Kyo out if he wins this, right?

=Yes, of course.


<74>
=Then let's do it, Kyo!

=It's your chance to get outta here.//Let's give it a shot.

=But...!
=Don't worry. You won't have any problems hitting a big-ass target like this.

=And besides,//You've got a purpose once you get outta here.
=Purpose...?

=Your purpose...
=Is to show off your talent to the rest of the world.
GRIP

=You keep winning!!
=Make it to the top with those skills!!//And...


<75>
=You show those stupid bastards out there who think Fedotov patients are useless and handicapped!!
=You show 'em what you're really made of!!

=Your talent is gonna save all of these patients. No... That's not all,
=It's gonna save all the people around the world who have their potential blocked up 'cause of stupid shit like prejudice and discrimination!!

=P-
=Potential

=Do I have potential too...?
=Damn right you do!

=Everybody has potential.//They just don't realize it.
=Even Kyo.//Just a couple months ago, he was calling himself a "useless" human being.

=And now you're about to grab a hold of that enormous potential inside of you!!
=So give it a shot!!


<76>
=Hurry up and put a dart through this stupid target!

NOD

[x4]THUMP


<77>
WHOOSH


<78>
BWHAP

=He did it!!
=He won—!!


<79>
=We beat them—!
=This time, we've really...! Really...!

=Won our freedom—!!

=And now,
=Several years have passed.


<80>
=Amazing—! A nine dart finish—!
=Kyo Kisaragi has won the world championships—!!

=He did it.
=People around the world were spellbound by his talent.

=The Green Disease patients were able to return to their peaceful lives,

=The symbols of prejudice that were the isolation facilities,
=And the villains who had profited from them, were annihilated.
=All... Thanks to Kyo.
[headline]Director Arrested


<81>
=Me...?
=I'm still a regular at the job center.
=...Hey,//It's Kyo.

=Mr. Kyo Kisaragi!!//You are said to be the world's foremost contributer to the recognition of Fedotov's Disease patients. What are your thoughts on that?
=Oh... Certainly not... The person who's contributed the most is my benefactor. The one who taught me how to play darts.

=Mr. Minoru Shiibara.
=All the Fedotov's Disease patients in the world are now able to enjoy life, thanks to him.

=Oh! Same name as you, huh?
=Don't you wish you were that other guy.
=I'm still the same...
=But there's one thing that has changed about me.
=You see...

=Now I can really call myself a worthy human being. From the heart.

Nine Darts (END)