Liar Game 6a

All of my translations are RESERVED


Liar Game, Roots of A, Chapter 6 (pp. 175~205)


<175>
When I was little, I read in a book...
That every gendered species is naturally born with the ability to "sense" a partner that is best suited to them.
Supposedly, it's caused by the attraction of the DNA, wanting to create the best possible combination of genes for the next generation.
Humans are no exception. We also have this ability.
And the instant it comes into play is called—
Love... At first sight.

@Lovers

=...And according to that legend, Hisashi's destined to be with his current girlfriend. This lady right here.
Well... Heh-heh
=Wow! {She's cute...}

=That's such an unbelievably poor match.
=This photo totally lowers the credibility of that legend.
=What!? How come—!?

Yep... My instinct told me that she... Miss Haruka was the one.
It truly was love at first sight.
But if you ask me if I think I'm really destined to be with Miss Haruka...

These days, I'm starting to lose confidence.


<176>
@Lovers


<177>
*tension*

=Which wine will you have, sir?
=W-Wine?
=Let's see...

=Oh!! I've heard of this one before!
=How about Calon-Segur?//It's a really nice wine.

=Okay,
SMILE
=Let's have that one.

We're almost a year into our relationship. She's kind, quiet, elegant, and I know she loves me. The problem is...
PHEW—
[bubble]Good thing I read that sommelier manga

I just don't feel at ease when I'm with her.


<178>
The biggest reason for that is the gap in our upbringings... She's the daughter of a wealthy, established family, and I'm your typical hick from the countryside.

I invited her to this expensive restaurant saying it was my favorite restaurant, but this is actually the first time I've ever been in here.
I've never had wine before.
And even though I did go to one of the top colleges in the country, I had to apply twice before I actually got in. And I only took evening classes to boot.

But I can't tell her that! No matter what!!
=The city looks beautiful at night, doesn't it?

=Yeah—!! And the wind feels really nice, too.
This is the MG Convertible I bought to go out on a date with her. I'm paying for it in 80 installments... I quit my hobby, betting on horse races, just for this.

=Well?
=How's work? Are you busy?

=Uhh... Yeah.//Our server went down the other day, and I had to stay up all night trying to recover the data.

=Wow... That high-tech stuff really sounds hard...
=R-Really?
I've told her I work at a computer company.

I do work with computers. But actually...


<179>
=Hikishi—! The blowoff valve isn't opening up—!
[x2]BEE—P
=That's weird...
I'm a factory worker.

=Go take a look at the pipes!
=Yes sir!

=Damn it—!
=It's leaking air again—!
PSS—T

It's not like I feel inferior or anything...
But it's not easy...

*sigh—*
Are Miss Haruka and I...
Really meant to be together?

[sign]No internet browsing in the control room!!

=Huh?


<180>
[banner]Your destined lover IS RIGHT HERE!!

=Destined...
=Lover...?

[bubble]CLICK

@Lovers
Are you happy with your current love life?
Is your current partner really someone who you could spend the rest of your life with?
With expert scientific input from psychologists and geneticists,
And 55 years of experience in the bridal business,
Coupled with a rich network of over 1.5 million members,
We'll be sure to introduce you to your ultimate life partner!

Ohh...
Just another dating website, huh...

So what are you waiting for? Register now!!
Your ultimate match is awaiting you!!

...My ultimate...
...Match...

Strangely enough, those words tickled my interest.
ultimate match


<181>
=What!?
=And you registered!?

=...Yep.
Heh-heh
=Wow
=With a cute girlfriend like that?
=You suck
=Pervert
=Freak

=I-I've got nothing to be ashamed of!!
=I just wanna get to know girls who are a good match for me—//And use that knowledge to improve my relationship with Miss Haruka, okay...!
=Ohhhh

=But I thought you were destined to be with Miss Haruka.
=You've got nothing to worry about, right?

True...
If I was really satisfied with my relationship with Miss Haruka, I probably wouldn't have thought about registering in the first place—

=I've already got a message from @Lovers!!
[bottom email]@Lovers


<182>
Dear Mr. Ta-Ke,
@Lovers has found 11 members with whom you are an 80% match or better.

"Ta-Ke" is my username, of course. This site always uses an alias to prevent leaking private information.
In case you're wondering, "Ta-Ke" was the name of the pet dog I used to have when I was a kid.

[bubble]CLICK

List of Matches
[names from top]Minami//Tomo//Sumire//Himawari//Nana//Ringo//Murasami//Ryon-Ryon//Mira//Kana//Satsuki
BAM

Listed there were the usernames of girls who (apparently) are a good match for me,
Along with their email addresses, and a percentage indicating the level of the match.

But gee...

With all these matches in the 80% range, this 99.9% match is—
Satsuki

Satsuki...
[x3]THUMP
I want to know what she's like...


<183>
=Ahhh—!!
=What in the world am I thinking—!!//I already have a real girlfriend—!!

But...
It wouldn't hurt just to say hi, right?

Hey there,
My name is Ta-Ke.
I'm a 27 year old working at a paper manufacturing factory in the city.
I joined @Lovers because I wanted to know what kind of girl would make a good match for me.
TTYL

[button]Send
[bubble]CLICK

=I sent it...

But is it really okay for me to do this—?

=Oh well.//Who cares, right?//I might not even get a response anyways!
Hah—
Hah Hah

...However...


<184>
=I got a response the very next day.
[button]You have one new message

=F-
=For real?

=I-I'm about to read the writing of my ultimate match...
[x3]THUMP
[bubble]CLICK

Hi nice to meet you!!
This is Satsuki!!
I guess we're the same age.
I'm an office worker.
...But I just do some paperwork for my father. It's nothing fancy.
He's the owner of a small-town factory.
You seem like a really interesting sort of guy, Mr. Ta-Ke.
[bubble]Maybe it was the TTYL

I was born and raised in downtown, so people tell me I'm pretty headstrong.
[x5]THUMP
=Wow
=She's like the exact opposite of Miss Haruka.

=I wonder what she looks like...
The boyish kind of beauty
The bullyish kind of beauty
The athletic kind of beauty


<185>
To be honest... I actually have a boyfriend right now.
=Wh-Whaaaaaat!?

WHIRRRRR
=Dang
=That sucks

But our relationship hasn't been going too well lately.
It's not that I don't like him anymore.
It's just that things are going kind of awkward...
That's why I want to know what kind of guy would make a good match for me.
=Wow—//Kind of the same as me...

I guess I shouldn't really be doing this stuff since I'm not single...?
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.
See ya

She's really honest...
And she seems like a really nice girl...


<186>
=Alright,
=Guess I'll write up a response!

PWOOO—T

[x2]WHAP
=No no, I'm not doing anything wrong.//I'm just going to tell her that I have a girlfriend too.

Hi Miss Satsuki,
Thank you for responding.
It doesn't bother me at all that you have a boyfriend.
I actually have a girlfriend too.
And our relationship isn't going too well either...
So why don't we take this opportunity to discuss some solutions together?
~Ta-Ke

—The following day

=Hmm...
=Wonder if I got a response from Miss Satsuki...

=Hey!
Satsuki
=I did get a response!


<187>
Hi Mr. Ta-Ke.
So you have a girlfriend too, huh?
I'm kinda glad.
I wonder what she's like?
She must be really cute.
=Yep

My boyfriend is smart, successful, and really fancy.
=...Pretty much the polar opposite of me.

=Hmm...
[banner]Hikishi's imagination:

Our depositors are just worried about the risk surrounding the payoff, you know—
But with the "sweep account," it's
Blah blah...
You're so wonderful

I'm trying really hard to keep up with him, but... It's just really tiring sometimes.
=Yeah—I totally know how that feels.

[screen]I totally get where you're coming from. I've had the same experience and
[x2]CLAT
=Two anonymous people who have never met...

=In some sense, an irresponsible relationship like this actually brings out a person's honesty.
[x4]CLAT


<188>
Even the things I can't talk about with Miss Haruka...
For some reason, I have no problem talking about them with Miss Satsuki.

As we continued to exchange emails,

"Miss Satsuki" became "Satsuki," and "Mr. Ta-Ke" became "Ta-Ke."
Hey
New message

We've only known each other for a few weeks now, but we're so close it feels like we've been friends for years.

So like
According to my friend
Her friend's friend is also doing...

...Hey...
I should be getting an email from Satsuki soon.

=Are you listening, Hikishi?
=Huh? Oh!
=I'm sorry.


<189>
=I've just been a little tired from work lately...
I was hooked.

I felt like a drug addict suffering from withdrawal.
Hey—
New message
I just couldn't wait to turn on my computer.

Email stopped being enough, so we're now talking to each other through IM.
*IM (Instant messaging): A service that allows real-time communication among specific users over the internet.

Anyways, I loved talking to Satsuki.
A lot of the time, we would completely forget about the time, and talk to each other till daybreak.

But our relationship never went beyond the internet.
I mean, we're each in a relationship already, and our relationship is just...
[x2]BOOP
BOO—P

Our relationship...
What is our relationship, anyways?


<190>
=You've fallen for her.
=You've fallen for that Satsuki girl, haven't you.

=N-No way!!
=I'm already with Miss Haruka!//And besides...

=You can't fall in love with someone when you haven't even seen their face...!
=Oh yes yes, you certainly can.

=You have a girlfriend, and you sign up thinking it's just a game. But then you get hooked on the emails from someone you've never even met,
=And that develops into a huge love affair that ends up in marriage...

=It's how my wife and I met.

=Whaaat!?
=We actually met through @Lovers.


<191>
=Not knowing each others' faces actually strengthens the connection.

Not knowing each others' faces actually strengthens the connection... Huh.

Ta-Ke> How've you been, Satsuki?
Satsuki> Pretty good
Ta-Ke> Something crazy happened today
Satsuki> What happened?
Ta-Ke> I found out that one of my coworkers met someone on @Lovers and ended up marrying her.
Satsuki> Yeah the same thing happened to someone I know!
Ta-Ke> Guess it happens pretty often.
Satsuki> The site's run by the X Group and they're the biggest name in the bridal business, so it makes sense
True...

These are just everyday conversations,
But they give me excitement, and put my mind at ease...

tsuki> Hey are you watching TV right now?

tsuki> Hey are you watching TV right now?
ke> Nope...
tsuki> Speak of the devil, the director of X Group is talking about @Lovers on TV.

=Really?
[bubble]PIP


<192>
=Wow//So this is the owner of the site, huh.

=You see, all gendered species are naturally born with the ability to bear an attraction to members of the opposite sex that possess DNA suitable to their own. The objective is to create the best possible combination of genes for the next generation.
[lower right]@Lovers is HOT!!//A word with the site's founder!!
=Humans are no exception to this.

=Hey//That's exactly what we were talking about.
=@Lovers has developed a method for determining how good or how poor a match is from a genetic standpoint.

=@Lovers is now approaching its 7th anniversary, and among the 2000 couples that have exchanged wedding vows with partners they met through the site, the number of couples that has since filed for divorce is zero.//I believe this number speaks to the credibility of our method.
=Z-//Zero!?
=For real!?

=What percentage would constitute a good match?
=A 70% match or better can be considered a good match. But we only introduce matches greater than 80% in order to provide our customers with the best possible service.

=So will a person ever find a 100% match?

=I'm sorry to say that's impossible.//But anything over 90% should be considered a stroke of destiny.

=After all, the likelihood of discovering a 95% match is 1 in 200 million. And that's only in theory.


<193>
=If a 95% match is a 1 in 200 million chance, then a 99.9% match must be...!!

Satsuki> You saw that just now?
[bubble]BOOP

Satsuki> You saw that just now?
Ta-Ke> Yeah
[x2]CLAT

[bubble]BOOP
Satsuki> Do you think we're destined to be together?

Destiny... Wasn't I destined to be with Miss Haruka?

Wasn't my DNA seeking to be with Miss Haruka?

I can't comprehend my own feelings.


<194>
=Hey...

=You haven't said anything at all.

GACHUK
=I'm going home.

Shit...

I can't stop thinking about Satsuki,
Even when I'm with Miss Haruka.


<195>
[x2]=CLAT
> Satsuki

ke> Satsuki
tsuki> What?
[bubble]BOOP

=>I had a fight with my girlfriend today
[bubble]CLAT CLAT CLAT CLAT CLAT
=>Oh...

=>Is it my fault?
=>No... It's not like that...
=>Actually...

Satsuki> I've also been having problems with my boyfriend recently

[bubble]CLAT
Satsuki>
Ta-Ke> Satsuki

>
> Satsuki
> What?
[bubble]BOOP

[bubble]CLAT CLAT
[bubble]CLAT


<196>
Ta-Ke> Wanna meet up sometime?

[x?]THUMP

> Really?

[bubble]CLAT
I think now is the time for us to meet
[bubble]CLAT CLAT

[x4]THUMP

[bubble]GULP
[x4]THUMP


<197>
Satsuki> OK

Finally...
Finally...

I'm finally about to cross the line I never thought I would cross.

We agreed to meet at Minato Mirai in Yokohama on Saturday... Three days from now.

=Hello?
=Hikishi? It's me, Haruka.
=Ohh

=Sorry about last time... Storming off like that...
=Nah, don't worry about it.
=Hey...

=Are you free... This coming Saturday?

=I'm meeting with Satsuki on Saturday...!
=Oh... Umm


<198>
=Sorry,//I'm gonna be working on Saturday.
I lied

=Oh...
=I'm really sorry... Thanks for calling me though...
=It's okay.

—Saturday

Since we would be meeting each other for the first time, we decided to carry something that would make us stand out. I would be holding a bouquet of roses, and she would be holding a white purse. That was the deal.

=7 more minutes until the time we agreed to...

My heart has been heavy these past three days...


<199>
My heart was suffering from the guilty feeling that I was betraying Miss Haruka.
=Miss Haruka...

=Man, I'm such a bastard!!
=I'm always thinking about Satsuki when I'm with Miss Haruka,//But I can't stop thinking about Miss Haruka today!

Today is the day I meet Satsuki.

Just 5 more minutes,
And Satsuki is gonna be here—

PWOOOT

WHAP

PWOOOT

DASH


<200>
I ran.
I ran like I was fleeing from those feelings of insecurity...

Away from the meeting spot!!

[x5]PANT

It's alright...
I did the right thing...

=Huh...?

=Hikishi?

=Miss Haruka!!
=Why... Why...?


<201>
=And at a time like this—!?
=What are you doing here?
=I thought you were going to be working today.
=Oh
=Well//You see

=What's with the flowers?

=Oh... Well—
=This is just...
=Could it be—!

=That you lied to me
=So you could meet with another girl!?

...Sh-
Shit

DOOO—M

=I see.
=I see how it is...

=Were you...


<202>
=Planning to meet a girl holding a purse like this, by any chance?

=...Huh?

=...Which means
=...Satsuki is
=Huh!?

=Man,
=I never would've imagined you were Satsuki, Miss Haruka.

=I didn't realize either.
=I mean, you sounded like a totally different person over the internet.


<203>
=You told me you were the daughter of a corporate CEO!
=I never said "daughter of a corporate CEO." ...Besides,
=The owner of a small-town factory is technically a CEO.

=You lied to me too! You told me you work with computers!
=Modern paper factories use computers too, alright!!

=Anyways, you were clearly trying to cheat on me!
=You secretly agreed to meet with someone else even though you're going out with me!

=Same to you!!//You agreed to meet up too!!
=I...

=I didn't know what to do.
=...I really started to regret saying OK...


<204>
=So I called you and asked if we could meet on Saturday...//I was going to turn down Ta-Ke if you promised to meet me.

=Same here. I started feeling really guilty once I was actually about to meet Satsuki...
=I ended up running away anyways.

=*pfft...*
=*pfft*

=Hah-hah-hah-hah
=Hah-hah-hah-hah

=We've never argued like this before.
=Yeah

=We were so afraid of showing each other who we really are, don't you think?

=Yeah
=Ironic, huh. We could only be our true selves when we were on the internet.


<205>
=Miss Haruka
SWUP

=I... Umm...
=You see...

=Hah-hah... Don't push yourself. Just tell Satsuki if it's too hard.

=No
=I'm gonna say it!
=I'm gonna tell you right here, right now!

I knew we were destined to be together.
@Lovers (END)