The classrooms at Kamijo Kita High School are roughly divided by grade: the first floor is for first-year students, the second floor for second-year students, and the third floor for third-year students.
While there were still students remaining, Sakuna was searching for her (consultant), Akizuki. She had already seen his face in a photo she had found earlier on Twitter.
However, despite searching, she couldn’t find Akizuki. She kept looking at the image of his face. The photo was grainy, but his features were quite refined. He had pale skin and a slim build, with deep-set double eyelids, yet he gave off a somewhat androgynous impression. Perhaps because it was a middle school photo, he had the kind of appearance that would suit a junior idol in the center of a performance.
Indeed, someone like this would likely be popular. And with such a unique face, it should be impossible to hide it even if one tried. Yet, she still couldn’t find him. Asking upperclassmen, “Is Akizuki-senpai here?” felt cumbersome.
(Maybe he’s already gone home.)
She concluded that might be the case. Deciding to study in the library before heading home, she moved from the classroom building to the adjacent one. The other building, which housed special classrooms and the teachers’ office, was deserted after school. As she walked down the empty hallway, she was suddenly called from behind.
“What’s up?” said Asaichi, standing there when she turned around. Sakuna glared at him.
“Don’t talk to me so suddenly. You surprised me.”
“Sorry about that. I just saw you, so I couldn’t help it.”
“And please don’t talk to me in front of others. I don’t want anyone seeing me talking to the ‘God of Love.’ I don’t want to stand out.”
“That was my bad. Sorry.”
Asaichi shrugged with a wry smile.
“So, why are you here?”
“The library. I was looking for Akizuki, my consultant, but I can’t find him, so I was thinking of studying and going home.”
“Oh, I saw Akizuki heading to the back of the school building.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he was walking with a girl.”
“The back of the school building, you mean behind this one?”
“Yeah, but I’d suggest not bothering them…”
Before Asaichi could finish his sentence, Sakuna ran off. She hurried down the hallway, descending the stairs, and rushed out of the entrance. As she did, Asaichi called after her, “Isn’t eavesdropping not so great?”
“It’s not eavesdropping, more like sneaking a glance. I want to see the consultant’s expression. If possible, I wanted to talk to him directly and confirm it…”
“What are you going to do just by looking at his face?”
“I’m sensitive to expressions. I can tell when something feels off about a face, I’ve been able to do it since I was young.”
“Oh, you can do that?”
“There’s a psychologist named Paul Ekman. I doubt you’ve heard of him?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Asaichi smiled at her.
“He’s an American psychologist and the leading expert on facial expressions. He studied the relationship between emotions and facial expressions. By applying his theories, you can detect lies.”
“Seriously? That’s amazing.”
“It’s not that amazing, it just makes people uncomfortable. I researched why I could tell when someone was lying, and I came across Paul Ekman’s book. It turns out, I was already doing what he wrote about almost instinctively.”
Sakuna had always thought she was an unusual person, but now that she understood the method of facial analysis logically as a skill, it felt like something anyone could learn. That was reassuring. However, for Sakuna, this wasn’t a learned ability but something innate. Apparently, it’s called “shut-eye” in technical terms.
“So, I thought if I met the consultant and talked to them, I could tell if they were lying.”
“That’s amazing. It sounds like a supernatural ability.”
“It feels more like a curse.”
“…Did you just try to sound cool?”
“…Oh, come on. I wanted to say it!”
As they continued their conversation, they approached the back of the school. Turning the corner, they reached a space hidden from various views. It was a spot where confessions often took place, or sometimes where delinquent students gathered. Cautiously, Sakuna moved closer, making sure her footsteps were silent, and overheard the voices of a man and a woman.
Peering around the corner, she saw Akizuki, the consultant she had seen in the photo, and his classmate, Konoe, facing each other. From where she stood, she could only see Akizuki’s face, but not Konoe’s, except for the back of his head.
“So, how can I make you believe me?” Akizuki’s pleading expression was filled with a mix of sadness and a hint of anger. There was no sign of lying in his complex expression.
“I’m not saying I don’t trust you, but seeing this stuff, even if it’s a lie, it still hurts.”
“So, because of this harassment, I have to be dumped by Manami?”
Although the conversation was fragmented, it was clear that the Twitter slander account was known to Konoe as well. Suddenly, Asaichi muttered behind Sakuna, “What a mess.”
Sakuna nodded. This was indeed a mess. As she analyzed Akizuki’s expression, she could tell he wasn’t lying.
“Are you really not dating anyone else? No cheating or anything?”
“I told you, I’m not. I swear, please believe me.”
The sadness and anger in his expression confirmed that there were no signs of him lying. He wasn’t cheating.
That was enough for Sakuna. Anything more would just be idle gossip. Without saying anything further, she turned and left the spot. Asaichi followed her, a bit slower.
“Did you figure anything out?”
“I don’t think he’s lying.”
“Just from that?”
Sakuna nodded. “I can tell from their expressions.”
“Really? That’s pretty amazing.”
