I'm a Con Artist, Not a Sorcerer

[The blurb for my upcoming novel, Making the Top Spot in a Cursed-Energy Manga with a Stand-In Character Script, is now up. Check it out if you're interested.]

Suppose your boss is a capitalist, a schemer, and a cross-dresser all rolled into one.

Then think carefully: the right way to make a living under him would be

I raise my eyes and look at the woman with stitch marks, smiling as she reaches out to me.

Obviously, to become a con artist.

+

As the only underage employee working for Brain Flower, I do my job diligently. I've swindled a temple's secret treasure, served as an agent for the Star Religious Group, and chatted amiably with people from Yokohama's liquor outfit. My experience as a con artist keeps leveling up, but somehow I'm also getting more and more respectable.

Everyone outside thinks I'm a jujutsu sorcerer who knows how to lie.

But I know it's completely the other way around.

+

"Sum up what it's like working for Brain Flower in one sentence."

"...I delivered his baby when he was pregnant."

"Ohhh, how tragic." The white-haired man rubs his chin. "Now give me one sentence about how you feel about him."

"He's a little old as an ingredient, but he tastes great in hot pot."

"… Wow, you actually ate him?" He falls silent for a moment, his expression hard to read.

I hurriedly deny it three times. "I didn't! I never did! Don't make things up!"

+

I've deceived countless people, from a thousand-year-old curse user who serves the King of Curses to the old guard of the jujutsu world. Not one of them escaped my tricks.

But the thing I'm proudest of isn't any of that. It's that I managed to hold on to the precious gem I wanted most.

The suspicious white-haired man in sunglasses blinks at me. "There's something I've been curious about for a long time."

"Hm?"

"Have you ever lied to me?"

"..."

As if he'd discovered a whole new continent, he leans closer in amazement. "Oh? You're quiet. Just how many lies have you told me?"

I look away, suddenly unsure where to begin.

Because every single lie I've told this man has been seen through.

Reading Guide:

1. The protagonist isn't purely good. She's a morally gray character.

2. The story is mainly told from the jujutsu world's perspective. Readers who prefer villains, enter with caution.

3. It's written in first person, but the point of view will shift as the story progresses. The tone leans toward serious drama.

4. The pacing is slow, and the main plot and romance are tightly intertwined. There's a lot of long-term setup, as I try to build a solid story.

5. There's plenty of interaction with characters from the original work: family, friendship, love, hard work, and dreams. The theme is that adults can have it all (?).

6. To build the world, the story includes transformative elements and characters from some older and more obscure anime series. Each one was carefully chosen because I felt they fit the main plot.

7. The story is full of fight scenes. There will definitely be plot holes, and I'll fix what I can.

8. All of the above is limited by the author's writing ability, which is not great. Friendly discussion is welcome.

Theme: Recognize what life is, but keep loving it.