They said this is a team competition,
but it's still every man for himself.
Yokoya
The team could win the game with a billion-yen surplus,
but some of our members could still lose big.
You said it.
Still, I guess we'd better pick who our first smuggler will be.
I'll go after Tsunoda.
Huh? What the heck?!
I'll go after Eda, then!
Huh? Wait a minute! I wanted to be last!
We're absolutely doomed.
Sorry I had to step away during our important strategy meeting!
Where in the world have you been?
I needed a bathroom break.
You're not shy at all, are you?
You know you're technically talking to a man.
So, how far have discussions gotten?
They're squabbling over who'll be the first smuggler.
Oh, really?
In that case...
I don't mind going first.
What? You're not scared?
Oh, no, I'm just fine.
I've figured out a surefire plan for this game!
What is it?!
The guaranteed way to keep the smuggler from losing...
is not to take a single yen in contraband!
Just think about it!
The smuggler enters the inspection room with an empty briefcase.
Let's say the inspector sees through you.
Pass!
Pass
That's what they'll say, right?
The empty briefcase will be revealed,
but the smuggler won't lose any money!
Now, if the inspector becomes convinced you have something and declares "doubt"...
Doubt 100 million!
Doubt 100 million
The briefcase remains empty, so the smuggler wins!
You'd get 50 million, half of what the inspector declared, as compensation!
100 million ÷ 2 = 50 million
The smuggler loses nothing for failing, and you get a big payday if you win!
What do you all think?!
Yeah, I guess that figures.
At any rate, Nao's our first smuggler.
What? Why isn't anyone reacting?
Akiyama-san, is there something wrong with my idea?
Nothing whatsoever.
Don't worry about the reaction.
And I want you to observe the Country of Night members closely.
R-Right.
The time has come.
The game will now begin.
Smuggler, please head to the inspection room via the route outlined earlier.
So, um, I go down the corridor...
When I reach the elevator, I go up one floor, right?
I proceed from there...
I withdraw my money from the Country of Night ATM.
Except I don't have to take a single yen.
My briefcase will stay empty,
but I've got to make them think it's full.
I'll take the empty case down a floor, then head to the inspection room.
It's okay. This is going to work!
Nao's arrived!
We can all see the inspection room from here?
But man, Nao-chan...
So heavy! It's so heavy!
Her acting is abysmal.
So this man is the inspector?
Pass.
The Country of Night inspector declares "pass"!
The full contents of the briefcase will go to Kanzaki-san's third-country account.
But what is she carrying?
Zilch! There's nothing!
The Country of Night inspector saw through the ruse!
How did he figure me out?
We'd all already considered the empty briefcase tactic.
Wait, really?!
It's the simplest idea anyone could have.
Meaning the Country of Night players have already considered it, too.
That's why he passed you.
It wasn't because of your awful performance.
My performance was awful?
Anyway, they'll probably try the same strategy.
It's all reward with no risk, after all.
But that can't go on forever.
True.
We only get fifty rounds.
The nine members of the Country of Night have 2.7 billion stashed in our bank.
They'll need at least 27 rounds to recover all of it.
So they'll have to start smuggling money eventually.
Let's spend the first four or five rounds sizing them up.
I expect they'll make their move around the sixth.
Then I'll play inspector next!
No fair! I'll do it!
Then me!
And then me!
Ugh, they're so self-serving...
The Country of Night will now take their turn smuggling.
Country of Day inspector, please wait in the inspection room.
Quite a predictable beginning, agreed?
Agreed.
Tch, what a lousy attempt at acting. I know that thing's empty.
Pass!
The Country of Day inspector declares "pass"!
Any money in the briefcase will go to the Country of Night's third-country account!
There's not gonna be anything inside.
Incredible! He's got 100 million in cash!
Say what?!
Amazing! The Country of Night successfully takes 100 million in contraband!
Magnificent.
They made off with 100 million out of the gate.
Would this be Yokoya's strategy?
Didn't I tell you?
Yokoya is truly a man to be feared.
Sorry. I didn't expect them to make a play for 100 million this early.
You bastard!
You let 100 million slip past you!
Didn't you realize something was up?!
H-Hang on!
You're the one who said they'd try the no-risk tactic for the first few rounds.
Shut up!
Knock it off.
This means we're not starting with a stalemate.
Our next turn is crucial.
We need to get serious about taking money from the ATM.
So who's going next?
Rock, paper, scissors!
M-Me?
Let's go ahead and decide the rest of the order to prevent fighting.
The Country of Day will now take their turn smuggling.
Smuggler, please proceed to the Country of Night.
How much do you think he'll withdraw?
We're 100 million behind.
I hope he'll go all-out and take the same for himself.
Pass.
The Country of Night inspector declares "pass"!
He passed!
If he's got 100 million yen, that means we get it all!
Now, how much is inside the Country of Day's briefcase?
It's empty!
The Country of Night saw right through him!
Darn it.
I figured he'd doubt me and I'd get the best of him.
I can't believe he passed me...
What a lamentable state of affairs!
They're already at each other's throats.
He acted like it was a strategy, but that's just an excuse.
He's simply a chicken out to protect his own neck.
The others will surely go for the same no-risk tactic when their turns come.
Humans are inherently cowardly,
incapable of overcoming their greed and self-interest.
That's what makes the Contraband Game so fun. It's essentially a game of chicken!
Pass...
The Country of Day inspector declares pass!
What's inside the briefcase?
The Country of Night was carrying 100 million!
Round 3 Country of Day Smuggling Turn
Pass.
The inspector declares pass!
What is the Country of Day carrying?
Zilch!
Damn it. They've gotten 200 million by us.
If we don't get them this time, we're never coming back from this!
You're our next inspector, Sato!
You'd better doubt them this round!
W-Wait a minute! They've got a safe lead of 200 million already.
Maybe they'll play conservative for a bit.
You're scared, right?
Don't worry. I'll be the next inspector.
Oh?
I think you dropped something.
Crap! Did I—
People can keep up an act as long as they've got a script.
But the minute life strays from that script, the truth comes out.
Sorry to deceive. This is mine.
Your panic proves that the briefcase isn't empty.
Doubt 100 million.
The Country of Day inspector makes a call of "doubt 100 million"!
And inside the briefcase is...
100 million!
Brilliant! The Country of Day takes back 100 million!
That was an awfully reckless move, though.
If the case had been empty, you'd be out 50 million yen.
That wouldn't have been the worst result in the world.
The main thing I wanted to do was make the "doubt 100 million" call.
What for?
Why do you think the Country of Night team
is so confident smuggling 100 million every time?
"The Country of Day is afraid of risk. They're chicken."
That's what they think of us.
So I had to make a call of doubting 100 million.
"The Country of Day can make big gambles, too."
The only way to stop their momentum was to convince them of that.
Brilliant! He's grasped the essence of this game already.
Impressive, you see?
Shinichi Akiyama...
He may indeed make an excellent rival for Yokoya.
Round 4\h\h\h\hCountry of Day Smuggling Turn
Doubt 50 million.
They doubted us for the first time!
Akiyama had the effect he wanted!
They think we're going to challenge them!
Now, what's inside the Country of Day's briefcase?
Nothing! The doubt fails!
Sato from the Country of Day gets 25 million in compensation!
Nice going!
You did great! Just great!
You rock, Sato!
He was just too scared to take any money.
Akiyama went and made that big play for us.
If you can't muster the nerve, we'll end up back where we started.
I have an idea.
Let's discuss, as a group, how much each smuggler will take.
Well?
The smuggler has to go along with what we decide.
That way, team strategy takes precedence.
Anyone who goes against it...
I know. As a penalty, they'll be pushed back twice in the order.
There are fifty rounds total in the Contraband Game.
If all nine of us get a fair go,
we have a maximum of six chances to smuggle.
Being pushed back twice would be a major handicap.
I guess a rule like that would make us all play fairly.
True enough.
That works for smuggling, but what about inspecting?
I'm up to inspect next.
We can't exactly decide the inspector's declaration of doubt in advance.
Country of Day inspector, please proceed to the inspection room.
Just go. We'll think about it while you're gone.
R-Right!
What's wrong?
The next smuggler...
He seems a little different from the others.
Though it's hard to describe what it is.
My!
Kanzaki Nao has noticed Yokoya.
He's taking his sweet time.
The ten minutes is almost up.
What's he doing in there?
Pass.
The inspector declares "pass"!
But what's inside the briefcase?
It's 100 million!
The Country of Night smuggles another 100 million!
What the hell were you thinking?!
I spent the whole time in there feeling him out.
I was sure the case was empty, so I passed him.
I just got it wrong. That's all.
You went and played it safe again!
Enough, Fukunaga-san.
Kikuzawa-san, what exactly did you two talk about in the inspection room?
Well, I asked a bunch of questions and tried to trick him and stuff.
Did you get the feeling there was anything different about him?
Different?
Well, I tried everything I could, and I still couldn't see through him,
so I guess he's a pretty strong player.
You're just puffing him up to hide the fact that you're chicken.
Then let's see you do better!
You're our next smuggler!
That's right! I will do better!
I'll be smuggling 50.01 million!
What's with the weird number?
Think back on the games so far.
The inspectors' calls we've seen.
Pass.
Pass!
Pass.
Pass...
Pass.
Five people have passed.
Doubt 100 million.
Doubt 50 million.
And we've had doubts of 100 million and 50 million.
If we assume those are the three types of calls they'll go with,
and I carry 50.01 million, as long as they don't doubt 100 million, I succeed.
I get it!
That's a pretty good idea!
What do you think, Akiyama-san?
If that's what you all want, go for it.
Country of Day smuggler, please proceed to the inspection room.
Give it your best, Fukunaga-san!
Don't you worry.
Hey, their next inspector...
It's that guy from last time.
He's going in twice?
What's with this dude?
Why does he have a mouse? Little creep.
Hey, what's your name?
My name is Norihiko Yokoya.
Pleasure to meet you, Fukunaga-san.
Huh? How do you know my name?
As it happens, I'm psychic.
What kind of game is he playing?
I can do all kinds of things,
but my specialty is clairvoyance.
I can see exactly what's inside your briefcase.
Interesting!
Let's see you go ahead and guess, then!
Doubt 50.01 million.
The inspector declares a truly bizarre amount of 50.01 million!
What's inside the case?!
It's 50.01 million!
With a shockingly exact guess, he seizes the Country of Day's contraband!
Just who the hell is this guy?!
How'd you screw that one up?!
I didn't screw anything up!
My poker face was perfect in there.
But that Yokoya guy... He said it like it was nothing.
"I've seen into your case with clairvoyance."
Clairvoyance?
He's gotta be talking out his ass.
I was the next inspector.
I declared "pass," and the smuggler's case was empty.
However, right afterward,
we would find ourselves forced to believe in that man's powers.
It's him again, huh?
The next inspector's Yokoya.
Appointing him sole inspector because of his "clairvoyance," huh?
I'm smuggling next.
How much should I take?
How about fifty million... and twenty thousand?
Just off the top of my head.
I see it so clearly.
It's a tiny bit more than last time.
Doubt 50.02 million.
It's exactly 50.02 million!
Yokoya once again intercepts the Country of Day's contraband!
Yokoya-san was unstoppable.
Doubt 90.01 million.
Right on the dot!
Yokoya seizes three in a row!
He's the real deal...
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{\fnArial\shad0\bord4\fs14\fad(520,1)\3c&HFFFFFF&\c&H1E1C1C&\an9\move(620,35,620,-30,1,4520)\clip(0,26,700,97.857)}Country of Day 0 0 +100 million +25 million 0 0 0 Total:+125 million
With seven rounds behind us, the Country of Night has 490.04 million.
The Country of Day has 125 million.
Yokoya-san's scored them a huge lead over us.
Okay, so who's up next again?
I am.
Akiyama-san, do you have a plan?
Not really.
So even Akiyama's helpless before that guy?
What if we don't smuggle when Yokoya's the inspector?
Huh?
Just leave the case empty.
Yeah. Then even if he sees through us, it won't actually hurt us.
We can't afford to be so passive!
It's just for now.
Besides, Akiyama's up next.
He won't be expecting Akiyama to go for the safe play.
But even that plan...
You're the one who stopped 100 million last time...
Pass.
We were completely shut out from victory...
Or so we thought.
But a ray of hope came from someone unexpected.
Hey, mind if I play inspector next?
Go for it, but... how come?
I might have figured out something amazing.
Doubt 100 million.
The Country of Day inspector declares "doubt 100 million"!
But what will the result be?
That idiot!
What? Why is he an idiot?
They're nearly 400 million ahead of us!
They're not going to smuggle a single—
It's 100 million!
Kikuzawa takes 100 million yen!
Hell yeah!
He's brilliantly intercepted the Country of Night's contraband!
Yes! Well done!
Great call doubting that 100 million!
Very impressive!
Let's stop trying to smuggle in our own money
and intercept theirs on the inspector turn instead!
G-Good idea.
Smuggling isn't the only way to rack up the money.
We can also get it by seizing the Country of Night's contraband!
Though that's assuming we have a flawless way of guessing what's in their cases.
As it happens, I've discovered something...
A reliable way to intercept the Country of Night's contraband!
Next Time
Fissures