It was Akiyama who had kept Kanzaki Nao safe in the Liar Game. From the very beginning, he had hovered around her, telling her what to do and what not to do, who to trust and who not to trust. How ironic, really, because Akiyama was absolutely the only reason (besides Nao's natural idiocy) that Yokoya was able to manipulate Nao as he was doing now.

Akiyama wasn't there, of course.

He'd fallen out of the game in the last stage of this round, losing and leaving with a heap of accumulated debt. It had happened before, Akiyama losing, but this time the dealer had been clear that there would be no Revival Round. Yokoya had watched him leave with a smile, and then with the same smile had watched Nao sob in the corner of the room, cradling her head in some kind of pillow that she was dragging around with her. The poor dear. Separation from the man must be a hardship to her after all.

When she had not stopped crying after ten minutes, Yokoya sauntered over to her particular corner of the room. With a bland smile he asked, "Why are you upset? You have not lost yet."

It was a round played in stages. So far about seven different people had had to leave, and Nao had come close, but she was still hanging on.

Yokoya was surprised to receive a watery-eyed glare. "Don't be ridiculous. Akiyama-san has lost. I would rather it were me."

Her tone was miserable. Yokoya worked to keep his smile from widening. "Oh? I suppose now that Akiyama is gone you have as good as lost anyways. He was the only one able to save you from your own stupidity. Without him, I suppose you will fall by the wayside. Perhaps this round."

He watched as Nao's eyes widened, then narrowed. (The tears had stopped flowing out of them so freely, and they were barely leaking anymore. Funny that she didn't start sobbing again at the mention of her imminent loss.) Then she said, "What happens to me doesn't matter. Akiyama is in millions of yen of debt, and there's no way for him to pay it. What will happen to him?"

She seemed to actually expect an answer.

Yokoya rubbed his chin. "Well, I can't say. If the LGT comes to collect, he'll probably lose everything he has. Of course, it wouldn't be nearly enough. He's used up all his extra money paying off the other losers. Because you asked him to."

Nao looked at the floor, allowing the pillow to slip down onto it. "Yes," she whispered.

"Maybe they'll sell him off somewhere," Yokoya mused. "I can't imagine who would want to buy him. But I'm not the LGT." He didn't really care what happened to Akiyama anyways. He had been an interesting opponent, but Yokoya had had interesting opponents before.

Nao didn't say anything. So apparently there was a limit to her good humor, to her hope. If Yokoya left things the way they were, he had no doubt this would break her. She would lose the game, maybe even in the next stage, and meet the same fate as Akiyama. But while Yokoya did not care in the slightest what befell Akiyama, he did have some interest in what happened to Kanzaki Nao.

So as much as it made him wince, he would have to give that perpetual good humor and hope a bit of a boost.

"Of course," Yokoya said casually. "If someone were to pay off Akiyama's debt, he would be saved. You might not see him again, but he would be able to go on living his life. The LGT would never bother him again."

Nao glanced up from the floor. She wasn't looking him in the eyes, but Yokoya could still observe her fully, even if she couldn't bear to look at him.

"Why are you so cruel?" she murmured. "I know that. But I don't have that kind of money. Even if I won this round I wouldn't have that kind of money."

"Yes," Yokoya said. Of course Nao was penniless. She had won even more money than Yokoya at this point, with Akiyama's help, but the two always gave it away. "Well. I do."

Nao wasn't as surprised at that remark as he thought she would be. Once, she would have been wide eyed, gaping at him, saying, "Would you really...?" The Liar Game had taught her a little, though. If it hadn't taught her not to trust anyone, it had at least taught her not to trust him.

He would have to shake that teaching off her today.

Nao's eyes were narrowed now, rather than widened. Slowly, she looked up from the ground and straight at his face. As if anyone could read Yokoya's poker face.

"You wouldn't pay off Akiyama's debt," Nao said. "You don't give away any of your money. And you hate Akiyama."

Yokoya shrugged.

"I don't hate Akiyama. He's just a nuisance. As long as he stays out of the game, I don't care if he lives or dies."

Then he smiled.

"You're right, of course. I don't give money away."

"Why-!" Nao's face flushed. Apparently she was still innocent enough that she had started to believe he would do just that. And oh, that expression of outrage. If Yokoya had been allowed to take a camera into this round he would have snapped a picture.

"Calm down," he said, raising a hand. "I don't give money away, but I'd still be willing to give you the money to save Akiyama. But you will have to sell me something worth that much. And you know, that is millions of yen."

Nao glanced down at the pillow still lying on the floor. Then, frowning, she started rummaging through her pockets.

"No, Nao," Yokoya said, annoyed. "I don't think you have anything with you worth that."

Nao gave him a purely bewildered look.

"Loyalty!" Yokoya said, throwing his hands into the air. "I want to buy your loyalty. If you promise to be loyal to me and follow my instructions in this game and any games in the future, I will give you the money to save your Akiyama."

"Eh?" said Nao.

Yokoya gave her a look.

"Is my loyalty really worth that much?" she asked, chewing at her lip.

"It got Akiyama more than that," Yokoya pointed out. "Except you two fools gave it all away."

"What we won was because of Akiyama's plans," Nao said.

Yokoya rolled his eyes. It was very helpful to have a team mate around who absolutely trusted you and whom you could absolutely trust. Akiyama had had good plans, but without the partner he had in Nao he would not have done half as well. Besides, honest Nao had a natural talent for making people believe in her and cooperate with her. He could put that talent to good use.

On the other hand, he didn't really want to have to explain that much to Nao. Best not to stoke her ego, and anyways it would waste time.

"Just accept that I'm ridiculously rich," Yokoya said. "And that I can do whatever I want with my money." He allowed the smile to slide back onto his face. "Do you want the money to save Akiyama or not?"

And she did.

Yokoya waited until after the round was over to make the transfer. Of course, there was no way he was going trust Nao with that much money, never mind Akiyama, so he gave it directly to the LGT instead. He could tell they were a bit confused by his choice of paying off Akiyama's debt, of all people, but they did not object.

One girl's loyalty bought.

She had behaved admirably in the game. At first she had protested at his strategies, at the way he forced her to lie, but he smiled and said he could do it all perfectly well without her (a lie) and he only wanted her to prove herself. And, he had whispered in her ear, she knew what would happen if she proved herself disloyal.

He had gained millions of yen this round. Less than he had lost, but he expected his latest purchase would make up for it.

He received a phone call later that night. An unknown number that turned out to be one Akiyama Shinichi.

"Why would you pay off my debt?"

"How do you know I paid off your debt?" Yokoya countered.

"I was informed by the LGT. What are you planning?"

Yokoya smirked into the cell phone. "You're out of the game now. My strategies are none of your business."

It was a pleasure to hang up on that particular caller. Akiyama would call Nao later, no doubt, to find out if she had passed the round or lost, but Nao wouldn't tell him anything. Or if she did, so what? There was nothing Akiyama could do about it. Nao had made the deal, and she was honest enough that she would stick with it, even now that the transaction had already been made.

The next round would be very interesting.

AN: Not my best work, but I figured it was about time I wrote something for the Liar Game fandom, because I love them so much. Is Yokoya in character? I haven't read the manga in a while, and I think he might be a little off.

Reviews are much appreciated, always.