Akuma suddenly found it hard to move in that space. He couldn’t say for sure, but he felt like it was the same for the foreign girl by the name Sha Wujing. Perhaps double for her, considering what he had just declared.

  Though, with how perfect her poker face was, he really had no way of knowing.

  Akuma gulped down as he awaited a response.

  It was against the rules for her to confirm whether or not he was right so he could only prepare himself for her own question. Seeing as he started with a rather heavy question of his own, Wujing was sure to fire back with something equally intense. But that was the point of the game. This wasn’t a battle of wits and perceptions. It wasn’t a measure of one’s judge of character. It was a test of how well they could bury their emotions and put on a mask of indifference.

  A game of lies.

  Wujing crossed her arms and made an “x” shape with them while hissing at the boy, “Bzzz!”

  “H–Huh?!” exclaimed Akuma.

  “Nice try, but that move is not legal, human.”

  “What? But I thought the whole point of this game was to not tell your opponent if their guess was correct?!”

  “No, that is not meant just now. I am not denying or agreeing with your claim. I am telling you that what you did was against the rules. I clearly stated that you cannot give general statements as answers. Saying, ‘you aren’t human yourself’ is a blanket statement that covers too much. You need to make a precise guess.”

  “Grh–! Fine! I think you’re a demon in disguise as a human! There, you happy now?!”

  “There you go!” said Wujing while clasping her hands together and flashing a smile brighter than the sun. “See, that is how you play the game!”

  Akuma clicked his tongue, the motion riddled with indignation. He was starting to realise that Wujing did in fact have a special power like him. The ability to effortlessly get information out of him. Revealing to Wujing that he had suspected her of being a demon in disguise wasn’t on his bucket list. It was thought that rested at the back of his mind.

  “I suppose that means it is my turn now, yes. How exciting! Now, let’s see here…” Wujing’s eyes danced around the station playfully. She seemed to be thinking more about the environment than Akuma himself. “Why did you save that woman earlier?” she asked clearly. “...As for my answer,” Wujing continued. “I believe it is because someone is forcing you to save others against your will. And that if you do not follow their command, you will suffer for it. But who could that be, I wonder…?”

  “...”

  Akuma’s stomach clenched down, but he didn’t show it in his face.

  This wasn’t a question he was supposed to answer. In fact, the goal here was to prevent any possibility of Wujing from finding the answer.

  “That makes one round completed. As curious as I am to who won that round, if any of us, that is against the rules. Therefore, we can only continue the game… Alright, your turn again, human.”

  From how giddy Wujing was, Akuma almost wanted to believe she had read his mind at that moment. Unfortunately, he didn't have any definitive proof that she could do such a thing. He had to step his game up if he wanted to apply some serious pressure.

  “I’m already aware that you’re a foreigner. My question is, what business has brought you here to this town? And why is it that you’re headed to the Migration District?”

  “Oh my, how did you know I was headed to the Migration District?” asked Wujing with a surprised look.

  Akuma smirked. He had succeeded in getting a good reaction from her.

  “Well, it was just a hunch before, seeing as the huge festival for the mayor’s birthday is coming pretty soon. But you just confirmed it.”

  Wujing’s jaw tightened, her eyes drooping as if losing some respect for Akuma.

  “I see… So you are that type of person…”

  “Don’t blame the player. You made these rules. Anyways, for my guess as to why, it’d say that you’re not actually excited about the festival. You probably don’t even care about it. What you’re really here for is to investigate the devastating accident from 3 years ago, right?”

  “...Perhaps. Or, perhaps not.” Wujing let out a cute chuckle beside Akuma, snuggling the Pandota in her arms as she did so. “What joy! Is this not fun, human?”

  “Not really.”

  At least, that was the answer he wanted to give. In reality, however, Akuma just sat there and patiently waited for Wujing to take her turn.

  “Alright, my turn! I actually have something I have been burning to ask you.”

  “...”

  “I noticed something quite strange about you, human. Earlier, when you took down that thief, a truly impressive display I have to say again, you made sure your hood would not fall. Even as you were being cheered on by a crowd of people, you did not show your face… Usually, people take honor in knowing their image is remembered. That it is linked to their good deeds. But not you. Despite saving someone, you wanted nothing in return, not even to better your image... But does that stem from a place of altruism, or something else? After all, you were wearing that hoodie even when we first met. And you still are now.”

  “...Is that your question?”

  “Hm?”

  “Your question. I’m confused as to which one of those questions you were asking.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “Oh, ahh, yes, I suppose that was more of an observation than a question, huh? Very well, let me rephrase. My question for you is, why are you so insistent on hiding your face?”

  “And what’s your answer?” asked Akuma after a split second of hesitation that didn’t go unnoticed by Wujing. In a game like this one, hesitation was death. Akuma felt as if the little edge he had gotten after his last question had shriveled up like a raisin.

  “If I had to say, then I suppose it is because you hate standing out. More specifically, you believe that everyone hates you and that no matter what you do to try and change their opinion of you, understanding between you and them is impossible.”

  Yep, that confirmed it.

  Akuma knew it from the start, but it was still aggravating to stand face to face with his impossible disadvantage. This game was practically rigged.

  His lack of social experience could be considered as a factor, yes—as well as her clear ability to read minds and/or predicting the future—but there was one big issue that couldn’t be overlooked.

  While this was the first time Akuma had met Wujing, she clearly had prior knowledge of his existence. Akuma was infamous in this town. Ask anyone and they could tell you exactly what you needed to know. It was pretty much impossible to step foot into the town without knowing about its curse and consequently, Akuma Tiryns, as his name was directly linked to that curse. If Wujing was interested in the curse surrounding this town and had come here to investigate it like he had theorized before, then it was only reasonable that she’d have heard about the name Akuma Tiryns.

  Especially if she was interested in the accident.

  Akuma curled further back into the bench and contemplated everything thus far. The forces leading to his current predicament. One moment stood out to him. A boy from the past. His first ever friend. His only friend.

  “Say, Wujing, have you ever killed someone important to you before?”

  The question crashed into the tension like a bowling ball. Akuma’s melodramatic tone didn't at all fit the gravity of what he was asking. Even still, it did not disrupt Wujing’s mood at all.

  “Is that your 3rd question?” she asked as calm and eagerly as ever. It was a contradictory mix of emotions, but she somehow managed to make it work.

  “No, I was just asking…” said Akuma in the same mellow tone.

  “Then, apologies but I must refrain from answering. For all I know, answering that question could give you the answer to another question.”

  “...Fine, it is my 3rd question.”

  “I must apologize again then, human, for answering that would be against the rules.”

  “...”

  The two looked directly ahead, facing the train station before them. Akuma sat with wide legs and his arms in his pocket. Wujing carried herself in the same manner a maiden would as she clung to the plushie in her arms. From that perceptive, the two looked like two completely ordinary civilians. Hell, it’d be hard to assume they weren’t strangers had Wujing not been sitting so close to Akuma.

  “I think you have.” answered Akuma after giving it some thought.

  “Is that the impression I give off? One of a cold hearted killer capable of putting down a close friend?” Wujing asked curiously.

  Akuma didn’t answer her.

  Truth be told, he didn’t actually believe Wujing had done something so horrific. He just wanted to believe she had. That he wasn’t alone. That out there, somewhere, possibly even right there beside him, there were other people just like him.

  “What about you? Have you done such a thing before? And yes, that is my 3rd question.” asked Wujing.

  A waste of a question. Knowing how perceptive Wujing was, there was no way she needed to ask it. So, it was really just a formality.

  “Can’t really answer that, now can I?” said Akuma.

  “Yes, I suppose not. Then, I can only assume you have.”

  The tension was so heavy that it felt like the two were being smothered by it. Wujing was almost tempted to ask if Akuma wanted to end the game early before Akuma sat up straight on the bench and rested his elbow on his knees and asked his next question.

  “Do you believe in the existence of angels and demons?”

  For a moment, Wujing's expression faltered. Her gaze became distant, as if seeing something far away. The ruins of Ceprun… And the gods who destroyed it.

  “Absolutely.”

  “...!”

  At that moment, the world froze for Akuma. The air, the sound, the lights, everything. Within that train station, time itself came to a halt. His eyes slowly widened. Even slower, his neck twisted as his gaze turned to Wujing.

  Immediately realizing her blunder, Wujing blinked, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

  “O–Oops…” she said, her voice muffled behind her delicate fingers. “C–Could we just call that your 4th question, please? And of course, it would be a free point for you as I couldn’t deny it now. Not that I had planned on lying anyways.”

  Akuma was frozen stiff. He didn’t know what to think.

  He wanted to ask more about it, but he got the feeling that Wujing wouldn’t make such a slip up again. Although, he wasn’t sure what had caused it in the first place.

  The seriousness in her voice had made it all the more unsettling. Her words weren't speculation, or a belief. It was a truth that had been carved–no, burned into Wujing’s very soul. A truth that was so real that it simply had to scream out after Akuma’s question.

  “...Yeah. Sure.”

  “Wonderful! Then let us quickly get to it. My fourth question for you is something a bit more thought provoking. I doubt even you know the correct answer to it. No matter. I am simply curious as to what answer you will come to at the end of all this!”

  A golden ticket laid before Akuma. The girl known as Sha Wujing had proved herself an anomaly that defied his comprehension of “normal." Was she a special existence or not? Akuma had hoped to find that answer with this game. Now, the opportunity to do so was right there. Should he pry open the girl beside him and take a peek at the secrets trapped beneath her exterior?

  If not now, then when?

  “Here goes…” Wujing forced a small laugh. “My question is, do you consider yourself a good person?”

  An interesting question to say the least.

  There were many ways one could go about answering such a thing. For Akuma, there was only one. But of course, he had no reason to do so. It was against the rules, after all.

  “As for my answer, I will have to say that you–”

  “I’m not a good person,” answered Akuma without hesitation, startling Wujing. “In no way, shape or form am I a good person. It doesn’t matter how much people I save, nor does it matter what good I do. I will never be a good person… Some sins just can’t be erased that way. Or at all.”

  He had every reason to remain silent. Yet, he didn’t.

  Akuma glanced over and noticed Wujing’s perplexed face—likely wondering why he’d just broken the rules to the game like that.

  “Ah, would you look at that, I ended up breaking the rules too. Guess that makes us even, huh? And just when I got a good advantage too.”

  Akuma attempted to play it off as an accident, but Wujing’s eyes sharpened like sentient lie detectors. It seems it’d take much more than that to fool the likes of her. Though, Akuma already knew that.

  “I see. Yes, you really are that type of person…”

  Wujing’s lips spread across her entire face as she smiled. In a way, it was a lot like her usual chirpy expression, but it also had its differences. Rather than the adventurous eagerness of her usual expression, this one had a sense of closure. Like she’d finally found the end to a long and desperate journey.

  A lone tear dripped down the side of her cheek. As it landed on the wooden bench, something inside Akuma’s chest tightened.

  “...You don’t understand how overjoyed that makes me.”

  Several moments later, a deafening honk filled the train station. The expected release of steam and exhaust could be heard.

  The train had arrived.