This is a story from before chapter zero.
The perspective is Hariu’s.
“Why are we doing this right at the start of the new year?”
“Hmm? Isn’t that because of our hobbies?”
“During the winter break, the only day everyone was available was today, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“It costs more to use the community center at the beginning of the year because it’s usually booked…”
Happy New Year.
For some reason, we are now gathered in a karaoke box’s party room, with tables pushed together, and everyone has been handed a piece of paper.
The person distributing the papers is President. The rest of us flip our papers over to make sure no one else can see.
“Ah, I’ve figured it out already.”
“Really? That’s impressive, Hagasaki-kun. I have no clue what this is about.”
“Eh… that means Suzumoto is the Wolf, right…?”
“No, I think it’s probably not. It’s just that Suzumoto genuinely doesn’t understand.”
As we each react, President grins mischievously, his eyes gleaming as usual.
“Has everyone received their paper?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Did you read it?”
“President’s handwriting is pretty neat.”
By the way, on the way here, Kariya was supposed to be the parent, but the game was disrupted because the handwriting on the distributed paper was too messy, so we had to start over. Hahaha.
So technically, this is our first game.
“Let’s roll the dice.”
President rolls a 20-sided die (we don’t need that many sides, since there are only 8 of us excluding President) several times.
“Let’s start with Toriumi. We’ll go clockwise. The game starts now.”
Right now, we’re playing a game called “Word Wolf.”
The rules are simple.
First, each person is given a piece of paper by the parent.
Written on the paper is a “topic,” and everyone must make a comment about their “topic” in turn.
However, there’s one person who has a slightly different topic from everyone else… the “Wolf.”
Of course, the Wolf doesn’t know they are the Wolf.
You could be the Wolf, or someone else might be.
So, everyone has to comment on the “topic” while being careful not to give themselves away if they are the Wolf, and hoping someone else will slip up if they are.
Well, you’ll understand once we start playing.
By the way, my paper says “tea.”
Eh, if I say something like “afternoon,” then it’ll be obvious it’s my topic, but I don’t know much about specifics… It’s tricky.
Toriumi starts.
“Um, I’m first? Yeah… well, let’s just say ‘drink’ then.”
That’s safe.
Since my topic is “tea,” I assume the Wolf’s topic is also a drink.
…I don’t think President would mix something like “gasoline” in with “tea”! Probably!
Next is Katori.
“Am I next? Hmm… well, I don’t really have any special knowledge about this.”
Me neither!
…Wait, does that prove that Katori’s topic isn’t a simple drink like “water”?
I mean, if someone asked me, “Do you have detailed knowledge about water?” I’d say, “No!” Hahaha.
But at least Katori is talking about a drink that requires some knowledge.
Next is Suzumoto.
“Ah… ‘I’ve started drinking it recently.'”
Personal information is so ambiguous. But well, it’s Suzumoto?
Next is Maito-san.
“Um, how about ‘a product of failure’?”
…Ah, Hagasaki-kun and Toriumi are smirking! Did it!
What does this mean, is Maito-san the Wolf? No, it looks more like they’re sure that “Maito-san and their own topic are the same.”
…Does that mean it’s confirmed these three aren’t the Wolf?
Since there’s only one Wolf, if there’s someone who seems to be talking about the “same topic,” it means they’re confident they aren’t the Wolf.
Next is Kariya.
“Please go with ‘available in vending machines.’ Yes.”
Eh, you could say something a bit more obvious.
Next is Kadomi-kun.
“Uh… ‘It’s dark’.”
Dark? Black… is tea black? Black…? Uh…?
Next is Hagasaki-kun.
“Maito understands, I think. Probably, our topics are the same.”
“Yes! My friend!”
“Annoying… Well, then, ‘sold in cans.’ That’s it.”
Cans… there are canned milk teas, right.
…Ah, did Hagasaki-kun set a trap?
And lastly, it’s me.
“It’s weird to say this after everyone has said so much…”
It feels odd to try and say something clever like Hagasaki-kun, and giving out too much information might make it easier for a Wolf who has realized they are the Wolf to mimic others. Nah.
“Then, ‘it was also available at the drink bar below’!”
…Well, the reaction is so-so…
Then, another round.
Toriumi.
“Hmm, ‘not much produced in Japan.'”
Katori.
“I drink it when I want a change of mood.”
Suzumoto.
“It’s closely related to a certain time.”
Maito-san.
“Um, ‘not produced in Japan, but Japan is one of the best environments in the world to drink it.'”
Kariya.
“Uh, what should I say… Oh, then ‘there are many types.'”
Kadomi-kun.
“There are specialty stores.”
Hagasaki-kun.
“I already know who the Wolf is… ‘The aroma is important.'”
And finally, me.
“I’m last so I’ll just say it, ‘afternoon’!”
“Now that we’ve gone around twice, let’s move on to voting. If there is a tie with the highest number of votes, those individuals will have a final vote.”
So, it’s voting time.
Everyone votes for the person they think is the Wolf.
If the Wolf gets the most votes, those who voted for the Wolf win. If someone other than the Wolf gets the most votes, the Wolf wins alone.
“Everyone ready to vote?”
“Okay.”
“Ready.”
“Good.”
Yeah. I’ve already decided who to vote for.
“Then let’s go. Ready, set—”
Go.
“…Kadomi-san got 2 votes, Suzumoto-san 5 votes, and Katori 1 vote.”
By the way, Suzumoto and Kariya voted for Kadomi-kun. Kadomi-kun voted for Katori.
Everyone else voted for Suzumoto.
“Now, Suzumoto-san, who received the most votes, please reveal your topic.”
Prompted by President, Suzumoto turned his paper over with a resigned expression.
“Coffee… Ah, I knew it. I was the Wolf, right?”
Oh.
That means those who voted for Suzumoto won.
So I won too. Nice.
“I didn’t understand in the first round, so I honestly spoke about ‘coffee’… but in the second round, after hearing Maito and Kadomi-kun, I realized the topic was ‘tea,’ so I spoke about ‘tea.'”
Right.
“Related to a certain time,” means “afternoon,” right? I mentioned that last.”
“The ‘product of failure’ is about how tea was accidentally fermented on ships bringing it from India to Britain, right? And ‘dark’ is because tea is ‘black tea.'”
“Uh… I just thought tea looked dark and said that…”
“…What…?”
…Even though he had no such intention, it turned out to help Suzumoto’s deduction, Kadomi-kun.
“Well, Suzumoto’s first round was fatal.”
“Suzumoto often drinks milk tea.”
“Shut up. It’s sweet. Milk tea is sweet!”
So, the reason we could vote for Suzumoto is because he often drinks milk tea.
The stuff he buys from vending machines is mostly milk tea. The drink he always gets at the karaoke drink bar is definitely milk tea at least once.
Suzumoto has a hidden sweet tooth. That’s why for him, coffee was “something I’ve started to drink recently.”
“Hagasaki-kun and Toriumi are good at setting traps, huh?”
“Hmm, really?”
“I’m scared when Toriumi is the Wolf.”
With the first round over, Maito-san is the next parent.
She looks like she’s having fun writing the topic.
…Oh no. Oh no. Maito-san looking happy is almost as bad as President being happy.
“Sorry for the wait. Here’s your paper.”
Then Maito-san started distributing the papers.
At least Maito-san’s handwriting isn’t too messy to read.
…But still.
“…Uh…”
“Another fine line…”
“This, I can’t even guess what the other topic might be…”
Everyone’s reactions are a bit off.
…The paper I got says, “Lover.”
What is this…
“Let’s skip rolling the dice. We’ll start with President, who was just the parent, and go clockwise.”
“Understood. So it starts with me then. …… …… ……”
Oh no… President is deep in thought… Oh no… Oh no…
“…In the broad sense, it’s something that has been part of human history for a long time, and in a narrow sense, it’s also something new.”
…And then comes this complicated stuff.
Yeah, whatever, I can ignore it when President or Toriumi or Hagasaki-kun say something complicated like this. Ignoring it.
Next is Kariya.
“What could it be… ‘Healing,’ maybe…?”
Oh, that’s surprisingly sweet.
Next is Kadomi-kun, who is also deep in thought.
“Uh… ah… ‘I’ve never had it so I don’t know.'”
Isn’t that true for everyone here? Right? Eh, it is, right?
Next, Hagasaki-kun.
“I don’t need it. I’ve never wanted it.”
Again, huh.
Next is me.
…Uh, what should I say…?
This isn’t just about not knowing what to say, but also about needing to avoid giving a line that makes it clear who the Wolf is.
I have no idea what the other topic might be…
Like the previous round with “tea” and “coffee,” it’s harder when the counterpart topic isn’t something imaginable.
…Well, let’s go with something safe.
“Love!”
“Wow.”
“Wow.”
“Wow…”
…What’s with that reaction! Come on, it’s fine! It’s totally fine!
Next, Toriumi.
“Hmm… I still can’t figure out who the Wolf is, but what the heck… Okay, ‘various sizes, various types,’ how about that?”
Sizes… Sizes? Size… Size.
Yeah. Well… yeah! Okay, next!
Next is Katori.
“What should I say… uh, then… ‘Sometimes it costs money, sometimes it doesn’t.'”
That’s a safe response.
…Yeah. Why do women tend to spend so much money, huh? On meals, clothes, why are some so particular? Even without those, it seems like money gets spent all over.
But I can’t say for sure since a seemingly low-maintenance example is grinning at us right now.
Next, Suzumoto.
“It can also be a partner.”
Oh. Safe.
So, we still have no idea who the Wolf is as we head into the second round.
I wonder if the Wolf has realized they are the Wolf yet?
If they were towards the end of the order, they might have realized partway through the first round and started lying.
Second round. First up is President.
“Well… ‘Sometimes it works.’ …Did I mess this up?”
Next, Kariya.
“Hmm, running out of things to say… oh, about my cousin, ‘Indispensable to have something to roll over carpets with!'”
Next, Kadomi-kun.
“…’Often seen in the city in the evening.'”
Next, Hagasaki-kun.
“A collar. …Hariu, what’s that face?”
No… No, does Hagasaki-kun have that kind of hobby? Does he? …Eh…?
Then, it’s me.
“None of us here have it, right? I mean, I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
“Well, we’ve never had this kind of conversation.”
Wait, was I just out of the loop? Hey, is that true?
Everyone’s looking at me with a “yeah” kind of face, but what’s going on? Hey, what’s this all about?
Next, Toriumi.
“Hmm… following Hagasaki-kun! ‘Keep it in a cage!'”
Next, Katori.
“I guess, ‘hierarchy,’ maybe?”
And lastly, Suzumoto.
“Well… sorry Hariu, but ‘I’ve had one before.'”
“Eh?”
I was surprised and let out a yelp, but yeah, if it’s Suzumoto, it’s not that strange… No, but I’ve never heard that kind of story from him!
“By the way, when you said ‘had one,’ you meant…?”
“Ah, it died.”
Whaaaat, what’s that! I really haven’t heard of Suzumoto having such a serious past!
Eeeeek…
…Something feels off, doesn’t it?
“Let’s move to voting then.”
Maito-san signaled for the voting, but I have a really bad feeling about this.
…Because everyone’s reactions were clearly off.
This is…
“Okay, ready?”
Go.
…Yeah. As expected. As expected!
Everyone’s votes are focusing on me!
“…So, what was Hariu’s topic?”
“Uh, ‘Lover’…”
The moment I said it, everyone burst out laughing. Toriumi laughed unabashedly.
“I knew it! Something felt off!”
…As expected, it seems I was the Wolf.
Eh… I was playing normally until midway through. What’s this?
“So, this round’s Wolf was Hariu, and the topic was ‘Lover’! Everyone else’s topic was ‘Pet.'”
“Ah…”
Right. Right, right.
Yeah, that makes sense. If it’s “Pet,” there’s no mismatch.
Ah…
“Actually, it’s amazing you didn’t realize at all.”
“Shouldn’t it have been obvious? Why didn’t you realize?”
Suzumoto and Hagasaki-kun are looking at me like they’ve made an amazing discovery!
“No, but come on, ‘Healing’ and ‘I’ve never had one so I don’t know,’ that’s exactly it!”
“Does that mean, Hariu, you didn’t realize you were the Wolf or even what the others’ topics were until Hagasaki mentioned ‘collar’?”
…Can’t help it, can I?
“Right. I figured it out when Hagasaki-kun reacted, so I said ‘keep it in a cage.'”
“I half-jokingly said ‘I had one, but it died.’… Ah, it was about a goldfish, by the way. That was over 10 years ago.”
Goldfish…
…Well, I guess I’ll take comfort in knowing my friends aren’t carrying dark pasts. Decided to take comfort in that!
“Maybe it’s just the luck of the draw. If President had drawn ‘Lover’—”
“I would have thought, ‘Ah, Hagasaki is into that sort of thing.'”
“Stop it, that’s not funny.”
“Well, if anyone, that would be more my taste.”
“Stop it! You’re joking, right!?”
…Well, putting President’s jokes aside, if someone else had drawn Wolf, the outcome might have been better.
I’m a bit frustrated.
“Well, ‘Word Wolf’ includes luck in drawing lots.”
“Right. It would be tough if the person who drew Wolf had to comment first.”
“Conversely, if it was the first… maybe vague comments would be forgiven?”
“It’s tricky, isn’t it?”
Well, it’s tricky, but that’s what makes it interesting.
The inclusion of “drawing lots” allows for that kind of deduction too.
All things considered, the game balance seems good.
“Shall we play another round?”
“I’ll be the parent next… what should I choose?”
With that, we decided to play another round right away.
…I wonder what the topics will be next time.
The personality of the person setting the questions definitely becomes a part of the strategy.
After all, when Suzumoto chose “Infinity” and “Zero” as topics, the Wolf was quickly revealed. Then when Katori picked “Battleship” and “Tank,” it wasn’t until Toriumi excitedly said, “That’s good!” that the Wolf was identified. Following that, when Toriumi chose “Shaved Ice” and “Ice Cream,” the Wolf ended up winning.
Choosing the topics is fun too, isn’t it?
“Excuse me, here you go: two iced oolong teas, one hot oolong tea, Calpis soda, Calpis, melon soda, lemon squash, milk tea, and iced coffee.”
“Ah, thanks.”
…But, you know.
“Excuse me.”
…Yeah.
“It’s kind of funny how the server looks puzzled every time they come over…”
On the table, a plethora of scattered notepads with mysterious words written on them.
…Yeah, it definitely looks suspicious.
Karaoke boxes are great as rental spaces (though a bit pricey).
But it feels awkward at times like this… you know.
“…Should we sing something?”
“Let’s play Werewolf, and whoever is ‘killed’ can sing.”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
“That feels suspicious in a different way…”
…Ultimately, well, yeah.
It feels like worrying about it is just admitting defeat.
“Word Wolf” is a really fun game, so I definitely recommend trying it out with friends. (Spreading the word)