Liar Game (라이어게임)

You found 100 yen on the ground?

And you're how old?

Huh?

Eighteen.

Why do you ask? Is it relevant?

TOKYO POLICE 2ND DISTRICT POLICE STATION

Now that is one honest girl.

Don't see a lot of that these days.

I think you mean stupidly honest.

NAO KANZAKI

"Stupidly honest Nao."

People have been calling me that since always.

But even so, I've never let it bother me.

It's just who I am.

My father instilled it in me from a young age.

He said he wanted me to be an honest girl.

Package delivery.

Hmm.

I don't remember ordering this.

"LGT Office?" Pretty sure I've never heard of them before.

What is it?

"Ms. Nao Kanzaki, congratulations.

You have beaten the one-in-a-hundred-thousand odds

to participate in the Liar Game Tournament."

Huh?

When I think back to that day,

I regret not taking a moment,

and really thinking before I opened that box.

What in the world?

THE LEGENDARY CON ARTIST

That's 80, and that's 90.

One hundred.

There's 100 million yen on my floor!

- -

- Our sincerest... -Hello?

-...congratulations! -Is someone there?

If you're hearing this message,

it means you are now an official participant

in the Liar Game.

-Note, this decision... -

...cannot be reversed.

Be advised, the enclosed 100 million yen

will be your game money for the first round.

I don't get it.

Just what is this "game?"

100 MILLION YEN BATTLE

The goal of this round is simple.

To win, you must take your opponent's game money.

Players are encouraged to use any means necessary.

Participation in this game is by mutual consent.

Actions taken in the theft of game money

will not be considered criminal.

This game will be player versus player.

The moment players are informed of their opponent's identity,

the game will begin.

You will have 30 days to acquire your opponent's game money.

The player with the most game money will be the winner.

At the end of 30 days,

you will be visited by an LGT representative.

They will collect the game money and check the serial numbers

to ensure they match your starting pool.

At such time,

please return this device to the representative.

Anything beyond a player's starting pool

will serve as their winnings.

To that point, the maximum potential winnings

for this game is 100 million yen.

Conversely, players who end the game

with less than their starting pool

must cover the difference or be indebted to the LGT Office.

A hundred million?

I'd be in debt for the rest of my life.

My mind couldn't stop racing.

Not about the life-changing amount of money I could win.

But the life-ruining, 100 million yen debt

I might end up with.

I'm so scared.

I need help, but who can I even go to?

The only family I had...

was fighting terminal cancer in a care facility.

Hey, Dad. How are you today?

Not bad, actually.

Must be all the lovely weather we've had.

You're right, it must be.

We still had some time. But his doctors had said

I shouldn't expect him to make it past New Year's.

Hey there, I know that look.

What's got you so bothered, sweetie?

What? Nothing. Everything's A-okay! I swear!

I'm just still getting used to school...

I only wanted one thing in the world.

For my father to spend the time he had left

in peace and quiet, and happiness.

And telling him the truth in that moment

would jeopardize that.

So I didn't, as much as I wanted to.

MITSUO TANIMURA LAW OFFICE

At this moment,

I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do.

- What? -I am sorry.

But the job of a lawyer is to provide representation

to someone who's suffered damages.

And in this case, there are no damages,

-now are there? -Uh?

So this isn't a problem for a lawyer?

All right then, I'll take it to the police.

I'd advise against that.

It's probably what the sender wants.

- -Isn't it obvious?

Most people'd go to the cops

rather than risk getting pulled into even more trouble,

wouldn't they?

You're right!

More importantly, it's in the rules.

It says all players must return the game money

to the representative upon their arrival

at the end of the game.

The police don't do that.

They'd confiscate the money

and let you suffer the consequences.

And that's how they get you!

Honestly, the best-case scenario

would be that they treat the money like a lost item.

But even then,

there's no way they'd ever give it back to you.

Think about it.

The police only return things to the people who lost them.

The money technically belongs to these "people,"

so they could just claim it from the police.

They didn't collect it from you,

so they can just turn around and say

You owe them 100 million!

Oh, no. It sounds like this really is a scam, then.

There must be something I can do.

Nope. At this point, there isn't anything to be done.

If I can't do anything, could I talk to someone?

If you're looking to beat a con,

then I suggest you find yourself a con artist.

That's all? Where would I even

-find a con artist? -

Well, your free consult is over.

If you wish to continue,

then it'll be 15,000 yen per hour.

I take cash or card.

It's too much.

What even is the Liar Game?

What do they get from doing this to people?

Why did they choose me?

"We are happy to inform you

that your first-round opponent has been selected.

Please review the enclosed for further information."

Mr. Fujisawa?

Oh, no. They got you, too?

I can't believe it.

My opponent is my old middle school teacher.

He was so incredibly kind and generous with me

after Dad got sick.

He's the reason I'm still in school.

Oh, thank goodness!

So, you're my dreaded opponent, huh?

Talk about a lucky break, am I right?

I thought so, too!

Then let's not beat around the bush.

I've been thinking.

What are the odds that a game

where random people are chosen to play

for large sums of money would be legitimate?

The answer's next to none.

You don't think it's real?

Absolutely not.

It's a sham.

This game is designed to make sure

that neither player can possibly win, no matter what.

Really? How?

All right, just for the sake of argument,

let's say you got pitted against a total stranger.

Imagine this, one day you wake up to find

that all your game money has disappeared.

Naturally, you'd assume your opponent took it, right?

I would.

You'd assume.

But who's to say the Liar Game Tournament Office

didn't steal it right back from under your nose?

If they can mail us 100 million yen in cash,

they could take it back just as easily.

But we think we're playing a game,

so of course we'd imagine that our opponents got to it.

The game ends. They keep their money,

and you and your opponent

are left 100 million yen in debt.

That's horrible.

Thank you so much, Mr. Fujisawa.

You saved me from falling for their trick.

Now, before we waste any more time,

we've got to move our money

-somewhere safe! - Huh?

For all we know,

those Liar Game bastards could be tearing your home apart

looking for their money as we speak!

It's all here! Thank goodness.