It's No Big Deal to Frame One Person (2)
Going back in time a little, before the game began. Right after inviting Mazia, Maru was buzzing with excitement.
“Hoo. Finally playing a game together…!”
She had been watching the other members’ collabs, constantly looking for the perfect moment to extend an invitation. But Maru’s particular taste in games meant the chance never came. Mazia’s favorite, 64 Cubics, was all about mining, building, and automating with chunky square blocks. Jump in and you were looking at two to three days of play together just to get comfortable. Most of the puzzle games she enjoyed were single-player by design, making group play nearly impossible.
On top of that, the first-anniversary concert had overlapped everything. While the rest of the members seized the opportunity and stole Jia away one by one, Maru could only sit back and lick her lips in envy.
The real reason, though, was that Maru had been waiting for something natural to happen. She was the most mature of the group and hated bothering busy people, so she kept putting it off, and off, and off again.
Then the perfect opening arrived: news of Mazia’s vacation. Two full weeks off in a row, following the previous week. Team Leader Kang said it was because she had been sick. She had already recovered before the eve festival and was now taking extra time to rest and visit the hospital. The moment a spot opened in the I’m a Wolf group collab, Maru pounced.
She had braced herself for rejection, but—
“Ah, yes. I’ll join. When does it start?”
The cheerful acceptance made Maru so happy she had to fight to keep her voice volume under control. She immediately let Ronze, the host of today’s collab, know the good news. While she waited, her brain spun through every possible scenario of playing with Mazia.
If she struggles, I’ll send private messages to help… If we both draw werewolf, I’ll go full rampage and carry her…
She also decided this would be the day she finally dropped the honorifics. They had known each other for nearly a year. How long were they supposed to keep calling each other “-nim”? Their only real interactions had been equipment setup, regular broadcast maintenance checks, and late-night issue resolutions, but they were the same age. Surely they could be closer.
Still, Maru hated forcing things. She didn’t want to grab Mazia and bluntly declare, “Let’s speak casually from now on!” She wanted a little rapport first.
The absolute best-case scenario was the two of them ending up as werewolves together. Out of twelve players, only two would be wolves; organic teamwork would be crucial. They could build a real bond through strategy talks and subtle assists.
But Maru’s dream shattered the moment the collab started.
Mazia’s popularity exploded. Even though Komari and Maru had been the center of conversation before she joined, and the talk had naturally drifted to the eve festival and then to Mazia herself, Maru had not expected this level of attention. She thought they would treat her like a rare Pokémon—interesting, but not a real broadcaster. Instead everyone was running around with monster balls in their hands, desperate for content.
At least Ronze had told her to thank Mazia, so Maru rode the momentum and slipped in a word of gratitude.
“Ahem. Thank you. If I hadn’t asked her, Mazia would probably have gone home and sent some vicious donations tonight.”
She also tried to create space so Mazia could speak her mind comfortably among the crowd…
“Everyone——!! Mazia has something to say———!!”
After that, the chance never came. People swarmed Mazia like zombies the moment they saw her. What was she supposed to do?
Is Mazia the wolf? Is Mazia the lycan? Is Mazia the vigilante? Is Mazia Canadian?
In that moment Maru thought, Wow, Mazia must be losing her mind.
Every broadcast Mazia had appeared in before had at most two collab partners. This time there were eleven, and all eleven were relentlessly pressuring her. Mazia usually stayed quiet, but once she opened her mouth she could talk like a flowing stream. Maru had expected her to handle it. Instead her replies grew simpler and simpler.
Naturally, Maru—who had invited her—felt terrible. At the same time she remembered the conversation she had shared with the boss.
She looks prickly, but her heart isn’t really like that, so please understand her a little. It’s rare to find someone who rushes over in the middle of the night to fix broadcast issues and leaves after saying only what she needs without complaint. It’s good to invite her, but if Jia ever ends up in a tough spot, you all have to help her out.
That was why Maru stuck to Mazia’s side like glue, determined to protect her. Even though the crowd still trailed after Mazia like a pack of puppies, Maru waited for the moments they scattered to complete missions. Finally she manufactured a situation where it was just the two of them, but—
What came back was the Silencer’s special ability—mouth sealed shut. Maru watched in horror as Mazia pretended to be her and threw Kamik under the bus.
“Ah. Ah! Guys! Can’t you hear me? Everyone! Ah! Wow! No! Mazia!!!! Are you insane?!! Kyaaak!! Voice thief!!!”
“No. Wow. The betrayal. Wow! I was waiting for a chance to help her. Is this for real? No!!”
That meant Maru was obviously next. After all, she had defended Ronze when everyone suspected him. But from Maru’s perspective it was completely unfair. The moment she regained the floor she tried to shout—
“Hold on—”
Komari’s strategic shout was faster. Seven players remained and the werewolf kill cooldown was thirty seconds—longer than the twenty seconds needed to start a new trial. Even if the werewolf killed as many as possible before the vote, the maximum was two. Humans would still hold the majority and could continue the trials. On top of that, they already knew who the wolf was. Victory was guaranteed.
“No, wait! I have something to say!!”
In the end Maru was left standing alone with Mazia in the trial chamber, unable to explain herself properly.
But not everyone was good at running. Among the first generation, only Komari had any confidence in her physical ability. Maru kept slamming into walls and corners the entire chase. Mazia, on the other hand, slithered through every obstacle like a snake. It took her almost no time to catch up.
Soon they were alone in a deserted bathroom corner. Back against the wall, Maru begged.
“Mazia. Mazia, please. You borrowed my voice earlier, didn’t you? So spare me…! Just this once!”
A shadow fell across the small facecam in the bottom-right corner of Maru’s stream. It was one of the special functions on Mazia’s panel.
Mazia’s character crept closer. One more step and a single click would end Maru’s life. She had wanted a moment alone with her, but not like this—one hunting, one the prey.
“Kyaaaak. Kyaaaaaaaak! Kyaaak!! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!!”
Fortunately Mazia showed mercy.
“…Uh, yes?”
Maru’s mind spun but she couldn’t read Mazia’s intention. There was no time.
[5, 4, 3….]
“I-I’ll do it! I’ll support you! Just spare me!”
“I know, I know…!”
The moment the promise left her lips, Mazia turned and left. Maru, abandoned in the corner of the building, could only stare in shock.
“She spared me…? What if I tell everyone Mazia is the wolf?”
“Ah. Is it because if I die it proves I wasn’t the wolf…?”
There were suspicious points, but as the viewers said, it was the late game. Maru, half-certain of victory, smiled with confidence.
“Okay. Just you wait, Mazia. I’ll twist the truth somehow and win no matter what.”
Besides, if this had been an internal Parallel civil war it might have been different, but in a big group collab, abusing mechanics could spark controversy. Maru had zero intention of supporting Mazia’s side.
Twenty seconds passed.
With a buzzing sound the trial convened immediately. As expected, two more had died to the werewolf; five players remained. Komari cast her vote without hesitation.
The voting speed was terrifying. The human side had already finished their math. They voted one after another, and even with deaths between trials humans kept the majority. No matter how the werewolves struggled, it was nearly impossible for them to win.
Only Mazia refrained from voting, watching the situation carefully. Komari spoke to her with absolute certainty.
The others immediately agreed, shouting that she was right, to vote quickly, that this game belonged to the humans. Komari’s reasoning had been accurate throughout the collab; everyone already acknowledged her as the brain of the group.
Yet Mazia stayed silent. The clock ticked. The brief moment of dead air while everyone waited for Jia’s choice became Maru’s last chance to speak.
“Wait!! I have something to say!!”
“Mazia is the Silencer. The person who spoke during the last trial wasn’t me.”
Maru’s own chat exploded with laughter; they knew the truth.
“Mazia is really good at voice mimicry! She copied me after shutting my mouth! Don’t fall for it, everyone. Anyone who watched Find the Rain knows what she can do!”
The collab members who heard the full explanation could only stir uneasily. To them, the person who had defended Ronze in the previous trial had clearly been Maru.
They had even heard Mazia and Maru converse naturally. The idea that it had all been one person playing two roles was hard to swallow. If Mazia had been a famous streamer it might have been believable, but she still carried the image of a talented office worker.
Then, as if she had been waiting for exactly this moment, Mazia spoke in an innocent voice.
She had declared it: I’m a newbie. I don’t know the game well.
Only then did lightning strike inside Maru’s head. Her viewers reacted the same way.
It was basic human psychology: tell someone not to do something and they immediately want to do it. Why else would people spam “absolutely do not do this” when they were dying to give advice?
Did she predict it would turn out like this…?
Maru had assumed Mazia simply left after killing the suspected wolf, since it would only become annoying otherwise. But if she had predicted Maru would reveal the truth and still set everything up this way, it was genuinely chilling.
Yet Mazia was lying. Maru shouted again, trying to force a mistake.
“Mazia, this is ridiculous. You know everything but you’re pretending not to? You said it was your first time but you roughly understood all the roles.”
Smart people tended to treat what they had personally witnessed as irrefutable evidence. What mattered most to Komari, who currently held the gavel, was the clear fact that Mazia had spent the entire day running for her life. And Komari wasn’t the only witness.
Yet Mazia was clearly not a newbie. Everyone watching Maru’s stream already knew that.
…The problem was that only they knew.
“No no. There must have been free time! She came to kill me, I’m telling you?!”
Komari snorted.
“No, it’s not a lie! Mazia really is the wolf and the Silencer…!!”
“No, no, wait. No. Wait. Here. Marie, calm down and listen to me? Earlier I—actually it wasn’t me either. Anyway, when my voice was used to push Kamik, Mazia went along with it. Remember?”
Maru tried desperately to defend herself, but this time Mazia immediately tripped her.
It was shameless beyond belief. Not a single tremor of emotion showed while she lied.
Maru, who knew the entire truth, felt like she would explode from frustration. The only weapon she had left was the power of her voice. Deciding logic would not work, she took a huge breath.
“Mazia is the Silencer!! You absolutely cannot fall for it!! You have to vote for Mazia next turn no matter whaaat—!!”
Of course her voice never reached them. Mazia had used the Silencer ability on her again.
“Argh, again?!”
And once again Mazia twisted Maru’s unheard words however she pleased.
Only then did the dawdling Mazia cast her vote. Maru, forced to watch it all, wore a completely dazed expression.
“Is Mazia actually insane…?”