467-Episode 269 Gas Writing Techniques Learned from th...




'What is gas ...... writing?

Umaro raises an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term.
It's not easy to explain.
If you try to explain it in words, you'll only get the impression of 'that's absurd'.
In order to explain it, you need to do something a little roundabout.

'People are weak creatures. That is why we live in groups. Our instinct to protect ourselves makes us do it.

That instinct is troubling.

'Humans are under the illusion that if the people around them say something different, it's them who are wrong. No matter how firm our confidence is, it is shaken by the objections and counter-arguments of those around us. There are differences in the extent of the shaking and the time it takes to shake, but there are very few people who are completely unshaken.

The stubborn person who refuses to listen to others, on the other hand, covers his ears because he is aware that his beliefs will be shaken if he listens to others.
If you are a decent person who belongs to a "society" and wants to coexist with others, you cannot completely ignore objections and counter-arguments.
Even if you pretend not to hear them, they will stick in your mind like a thorn.
This is because human beings are weak creatures that cannot live alone. As a species, we have this characteristic, and that is why we form groups. The instinct of such a creature rings a warning bell. It is dangerous to be isolated in a herd. So you doubt your own mind. You can't trust yourself anymore.

'Is that like Delia when there's not enough water?

Estella is probably referring to the time when Delia was on the verge of tears, wondering if she was wrong, when the representatives of the guilds forced her to 'dam up the river to send water to the canals' during the water shortage in District 42.

'It's psychologically close, but it's clearly different from that thing.

When there are several people who have different opinions from yours and stand in opposition to you, your belief in justice can be shaken.
This is exactly what happened to Delia, who almost thought that even her non-negotiable mission of 'protecting the river' was her own ego.
But that was friction caused by a lack of words, misunderstandings, and disagreements on both sides.
Conflicts in a group, big or small, can occur anywhere and at any time.

But not gaslighting.
It's not friction caused by malicious disagreement, as in Delia's case, it's done with clear malice.

'Gaslighting is a brutal abuse ...... or torture that tramples, demolishes and robs a person of his dignity, self-confidence, self, ideology, responsibility, value, and so on.

Estella swallowed her saliva at the horrible words.
It's really something vile and horrible, gaslighting.

'What exactly is it?

She wants to be sure of her position.
Estella asks me with a look of fear.

A concrete example.
There are several types of gaslighting.
They all have one thing in common, they make the target think that they are the one who is wrong. ......

'For example, a man who is violent with his girlfriend says, "I'm violent with you because you've offended me. If he continues to do so, she will have the thought, 'I'm not going to make you angry.

If she were to make the right decision, she should encourage her boyfriend to 'stop the violence,' but she's convinced that she's wrong, so she tries to change herself.
She believes her opponent's absurd theories.
When this goes too far, she falls into a state of brainwashing, thinking that 'he is really a kind person' or 'I am the only one who can understand him'.
These are also a kind of gaslighting, in which one believes that the other person's opinion is more correct than one's own, as a result of being exposed to negative opinions.

'How is that possible?Because you are obviously saying something wrong, aren't you?Does that make you think you're wrong?'

Well, normally I would think so.
When we hear about gaslighting and mind control, we often say, 'It's not true, is it? But they are not lies.
But these are not lies or exaggerations, they are real things that happen.
In short, human beings are more gullible than most people think.

Try this: ......

'Becco, can you help me with this rather difficult experiment?
'If it's okay with me, I'm all yours!

I stopped speaking at this point and wrinkled my brow.
The change in my expression makes Bekko look slightly quizzical.

'...... No, well, if you don't like it, you can say no.'
'No, no. I don't know what you're going to do, that I don't know what you're going to do, but I'll spare no effort to help you if I can, that I will.

After Bekko's words, he averted his gaze and muttered to himself as if to throw up.

'Even if you say it with such a disgusted face, ......'.
I'm not trying to make you look bad. This is my true face, that it is.
'............'

Silence.

'............ Um, Mr. Yashiro?
'......Well, if I pay you, will you do it?
'No, no, no!No reward is necessary, that it is!I'd be happy to help you, that I would!
'Huh ......, then why do you look like that ......?'

I let out a big sigh, ruffled my hair, turned my face away and talked to myself, and then Bekko moved.

'Mi, everyone!I don't know if I look that bad, that I do!Isn't that normal?Or is it really ......?

Bekko covers his face with his hands and begins to roughly pull the muscles in his cheeks.
Oh, no, no, no!
It's not safe to go any further.

'That's enough, Becko!Experiment over!


'It has not begun yet!I, truly, sincerely wish to help!
'I know!That was gaslighting!
'What about ............?

I didn't expect you to wear out your mind so plainly. ...... Pure?
...... Yeah. I'm going to have to take care of your mind for a while.

'Did you see that?Did you see how normal Becko looked?

I asked those who had been watching the whole thing.
But no one replied.

'No, it's true that he has a funny face that I feel a little uncomfortable calling normal, but this funny face is normal for Becko.
'No, it's not!That's not why we couldn't answer, is it?

It seems that his silence was not due to the fear of being caught by the 'Spirit Judge' by calling Bekko's face 'normal'.

'About halfway through, I realized what Yashiro wanted to do and observed Bekko, but the ...... effect was so great that I was overwhelmed.
'I'm a little surprised about that.

In fact, I was a little unsure and even asked Umaro, 'That's not true, is it? I was expecting to be a little unsure and ask Umaro, 'That's not true, is it?

'Probably because Bekko and I are 'good friends', he was even more distraught.
'Yashiro. 'Good friends' is not a word you say with a crooked frown.

Whatever the truth is, it appears that Bekko has friendly feelings towards me.
His impatience at the thought that such a connection or interaction might be severed is considerable.

'For example, Estella. If you were told by Jeannette, 'You stink, stay away from me,' and you said, 'No, I don't!I can't smell that! Can you argue with that?'
'No, you can't. I'd rather go back to the museum and take a bath than have Jeannette hate me.

In this way, if there is a relationship there that you don't want to break, people will doubt themselves without hesitation.

'In the previous example, it's easy to say, "Look disgusted," but it's hard to say, "Don't look disgusted.

'Don't do it' is something that is difficult to consciously do. Just as it's most difficult to have a camera pointed at you and be told, 'Just be natural.

'Becko was confident that he would never look uncomfortable, but his confidence was shaken when he was repeatedly warned. It was right after he said, 'I'm going to do an experiment.

If this becomes more sophisticated, ...... most people can be easily framed.

'If I were someone who really wanted to destroy Bekko, he'd be out of sight in less than a week. He can even be made into a puppet who only believes what I say and does what I say, saying, "How should I act? That's what gaslighting is all about.

All the faces of the group went pale.
This gaslighting is a foothold for brainwashing and mind control.
It destroys a person's confidence and beliefs and makes them believe that they are wrong.
The person will then believe the words of the person who made them aware of their mistake.

'This is the 'foundation' of gaslighting.

Estella stood up involuntarily and took a half step back.
The sound of water echoed noisily, and the bath water shook.

'This is the ...... foundation?So there's more up there?'
'Oh. It's the application of this thing that got Umaro killed.

You guys, listen up.
And keep it in your knowledge.
There are so many terrible ways to attack a mind.
And it's so easy to do: ......


It can happen so easily and so close to home.



'Who do you think is more susceptible to gaslighting, Imelda or Jeannette?

I ask this question.
They all look at Imelda and Ginette.
The two named people also look at each other.

'Um, ...... me, is it?Imelda is very firm, and I am, well, ...... just a little bit more relaxed.

Wow, Jeannette. You're giving yourself too much credit.
What do you mean 'just a little bit'?

The others seemed to agree with Jeannette's self-assessment.
No one said anything to the contrary, but they looked at each other and nodded.

Ginette is more gullible than Imelda.
It's natural to think that, but ...... this time it's not true.

'In my experience, it's Imelda who's more susceptible to gaslighting.
'Is that you?'

Imelda's lips pursed in disapproval.

'It's easier to break confidence if you're confident in yourself, if you're highly regarded by others, and if you've been pampered to some extent.

This is the reason why celebrities and corporate bigwigs are deceived by fishy fortune tellers and religious people.

'Such people have confidence in their actions and are less likely to hesitate in making decisions. That's why--'
'That's why they're vulnerable when their confidence is undermined,......, isn't it?
'That's what I mean.'

Estella was listening more intently than ever.
Perhaps more than anyone else, she felt the danger of gaslighting.

'Maybe Imelda's spirit will wear out if people keep saying, "The old one was better."'

Imelda's creations are artistic in quality and beautiful in appearance.


This includes, of course, one's work as a lumberjack, one's own appearance, and the things one has made in the past.
Those who have been praised by those around them are convinced that, because of their successes at that time, their work was good, and that their self-esteem and that of those around them were high.

It is difficult for any human being to keep surpassing the past.
You may be able to surpass it someday, but not every time. We are all aware of that.

That is why, when you are told that 'the previous one was better', a small self-criticism grows in your mind, comparing it with the successes of the past and saying 'sure, it is not as good as the previous one'.
If this self-criticism continues, the small self-criticism will continue to accumulate and become larger and larger, and you will think, 'I can't surpass my past works,' 'My talent is exhausted,' or 'I am a finished person.

The reason why singers, writers and cartoonists falter after a hit is because they suffer from such 'comparison with past successes.
'The past is the past!What I'm making now is the best! If you are not a person who can say, 'The past is the past!

It doesn't matter if it's work, fashion, or anything else. For example, what if someone tells you that last year's hairstyle was better?'Last year's dress was great. I'd like to see you wear it like that one more time.' What if someone says to you, in a roundabout way, 'Your clothes are so lame these days.Would you be able to say, 'You have bad taste?I'm sure you'll agree.
It depends on the ...... person.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

That "little" will give rise to "small self-criticism.
Once the self-criticism grows, it will grow at an accelerated rate. Before you even realize it.

'On the contrary, people like Jeannette, who can simply say, "Yes, I'll do my best," when someone points it out to them, are less likely to get caught.
'I see. ...... Then you can rest assured, Ginette.
'By the way, Estella.

Even such a Jeannette can be driven into a corner by gaslighting.

'Jeannette. You've fixed the order of the knives, haven't you?
'Yes. I put them in a certain order every day and put them in a certain place.'
'How would you feel if the order was changed?
'Well, ......, I'm wondering if someone has used them.'

The order in which Jeannette arranges the knives is already ingrained in her body.
It's so ingrained in his body that it's impossible for him to accidentally put them in the wrong order. In fact, the order of the knives is so fixed in Ginette's mind that the more unconscious she is, the more she arranges them as usual.

If the order is changed, it is natural to be suspicious of others.

'But what if I told you that neither I nor Magda touched it?
'Then I must have misplaced it.'

Ginette would agree.

'I'm sure she'll be a little more careful that day, and arrange the knives in a certain order. But the next day. But the next day, the order has changed again.'
'That's .......'

Jeannette raises an eyebrow.
It's an example, not a fact. But it's still creepy enough.

'This time you ask if I or Magda touched it. But we say we don't know. If it goes on like that for three or four days, even you start to think something is wrong. Finally, you begin to suspect that an outsider has entered the kitchen and is changing the order. But there is no way that is possible.
'............'

She must have heard my words and is imagining the situation.
Jeannette makes a difficult face and covers her mouth with her hand.

'And as she does that, I say this. 'Jeannette. You've been acting strange lately, haven't you? And I'll say. And you'll think. '...... Maybe I'm weird.'

The bathroom is silent as if it's been flooded.

'Finally, you become afraid to check the order of the items and start to put them in a mess, ignoring the order. Estella sees this and asks. 'Ginette, what's wrong?The old Jeannette would never have done this. Then you would think, right?'I've gone crazy, haven't I? . And Magda says, "...... Manager, you need to take a break. And Loretta said, 'We'll protect the Sunshine Pavilion. It's hard to breathe and you look to me for help. And I'd say to you. "Don't worry. The three of us can make it without you.

If he really said that, Ginette would have to go to ......

'Then you'll think like this, won't you? 'Oh, I'm not needed at the Sunshine Pavilion.'
'............'

Ginette's eyes flickered, and I pinched her cheek.
Don't believe it. It's just a parable.

'Don't worry. You're needed at the Sunlit Pavilion, and we'll do everything we can to help you if you're in trouble. That's an absolutely impossible parable if we were all planning to kick you out of Sunlit Pavilion. I assure you, we all don't want to see or accept a Sunlit Pavilion without you. What we like is the sunny pavilion with Jeannette.



Pinch both cheeks, look him straight in the eye, and assure him.
Because it is important for a mind that has been shaken by gaslighting to know that there is a clear and definite 'ally'.

'That's right, little Ginette.
'...... Magda likes the manager more than the sunlit pavilion.'
'I love the manager, too!I'd hate to be in the sunny pavilion without the manager!
'...... everyone'.

The three of them gather around Jeannette and hug her.
I've taken the liberty of using their names, Estella, Magda and Loretta.

I felt the warmth of their skin, and a soft smile returned to Ginette's face.

'I'm sorry I scared you.'
'No,......, but yes. It was a scary story.'

I pat Jeannette on the head to atone for my sins.

'Um, Yashiro-san.
'Hmm?

Ginette looks up at me as if she's peeking.

'Um, thank you for the ....... You said you like the sunny pavilion. That ...... is where I am .......'

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
I'm not sure if I've been exposed to hot water or not, but my face is bright red and I'm looking up at her.

I must have made her very uneasy.
I'll do you a big favor here.

'Of course.
'...... ehehe'.

She grabbed my hand that was stroking Ginette's head with both of hers and gently wrapped it around her. Ginette's moist eyes turned into a smile.


I'll never forget what you just said.


...... Don't say things like that with that face when you're in the bathroom, even in a bathing suit, and you're taking a mixed bath.
I'm sure you'll want to hug her.
............ If I blow a nosebleed, will I be able to cover it up by claiming I 'froze'?

'Mr. Yashiro!
'Ooh!

The face of a crying Bekko interrupts Jeannette, who smiles with moist eyes.
I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll be fine.I thought my eyeballs would be gouged out from the sheer drop!

Please give me some kind words, that I would appreciate it!

Well, I've cut his heart out too. ...... I can't help it.

'Becco, don't worry.
'Mr. Yashiro ......!
'Your face is quite funny...'
'No, it's not!That's not what I was looking for.Mr. Yashiro, do you like me, that you do?Don't you hate me?Hey, Mr. Yashiro!
'Idiot!Don't come crying to me!You almost touched my lips!I'm scared, so calm down!
'Please tell me you like me, Mr. Yashiro!

A crying, half-naked Becco clung to me, rubbing his cheek against my abdomen. ...... I couldn't take it anymore and shouted, 'I LIKE YOU! I shouted.
...... I've never heard of this kind of torture. It's too intense, really.

It's a good thing that the two people who took advantage of it seem to have gotten over the after-effects of gaslighting,............?I'm not sure if I'm the only one who lost something....... d*mn.



Now, Ginette's parable of the knife is often used in vicious religions.
They keep giving you the slightest sense of discomfort, driving you to doubt and deprive you of normalcy.

'When more than one person does this, a person's self collapses to the point that they cannot recover.

They can no longer make normal judgments.

There is a case in which a feared power-harassing boss of a certain company was forced to resign by his subordinates who colluded with him.
What the subordinates did was very simple and easy.
Every morning, they slightly changed the height of the boss's chair. That's it.
The rest of the time, they just ignore him, don't make eye contact with him, and don't talk to him.

Changing the height of a chair gives you a very uncomfortable feeling, the more familiar it is to your body. It is very uncomfortable.
If it continues every day, the person who is hit by the chair will have a hard time.
You try to find the culprit, but your subordinates collude with each other, and each of them contributes to the other's alibi.
The boss, who can't get any evidence no matter what he does or how hard he tries, eventually begins to doubt himself, wondering, 'Am I crazy? He began to doubt himself, went to hospital, became mentally ill and eventually left the company.

The boss, who was hated by everyone, disappeared. Congratulations.
'Congratulations on ......, what's the story?
'It depends on where you stand,......, but I'd say it's one of the most brutal ways to do it.

It's a way to not only kick them out, but to cripple them again.
It's not something I admire.

'And that's what Umaro and the others did, multiple gaslighting.
'But, but, Mr. Yashiro. There is no evidence that Norton Engineering did any subterfuge. ......'


'Of course you didn't show up.'
'Of course ......?

The reason there is no evidence is because they have not done anything to undermine us.
It's only natural that you won't find any evidence of subterfuge when you investigate those who haven't done any subterfuge.

'I'm sorry to use this metaphor again, but let's say that Ginette is planning to destroy Cantartica.
'That's impossible.'

Estella immediately denies it.

'Oh, it's impossible, so don't take it personally. Ginette, who planned to destroy Cantalcica, went around spreading bad news about Cantalcica. He said, "The food there is not good," "The staff is bad," and "The sanitation is sloppy. Paula then takes action to find the source of the rumors. The first place to look is their competitor, the Sunlit Pavilion.

And if Paula investigates, she will soon find out that Ginette has been spreading false rumors.

'And so, Ginette's misdeeds were exposed and peace returned to Cantalcica.
'As I said, there will be punishment for those who do wrong to others. I think that's the way it should be. We at YODAMARI-TEI will not drag anyone's feet, but will make our own efforts to make this a restaurant that satisfies our customers.

Ginette is genuinely happy that evil has been destroyed.
She is of the opinion that even though her name was used, she should be punished for her incorrect actions.
If I were you, I might get a little pissed off and defend you. ...... Well, that's not important right now.

But what if the mastermind is not Jeannette, but Estella, who loves the sunny pavilion?

What if she hadn't consulted Ginette and was acting on her own to destroy her favorite rival of the Sunshine Pavilion?

'Even if Paula investigates the Sunshine Pavilion, there's no way she'll find any evidence of subterfuge. Ginette didn't do any subterfuge and she didn't ask Estella to do any subterfuge. Because Ginette had nothing to do with Estella's actions.
'...... So that's the reason for the Norton Engineering case, is it?

Umaro's brow creases deeply.
'Well, that's what I'm saying.

'It was a third party who attacked Torbek's store. Therefore, there is no evidence of it.

What's more, the purpose of the third party, the mastermind behind the attack, is not to 'push Norton Engineering to the top' but to 'pull down Trubek Engineering'.
If this is the reason for "pushing Norton Engineering to the top," evidence is easy to preserve.
There are some cases where the rate of increase is clearly unnatural compared to the previous year, and there are some cases where the graph shows abnormal fluctuations.
However, in the case of sabotage against Torbek Corporation, such as this, it is difficult to leave evidence.

All people see is that someone has profited and that they have suffered damage.

That's why Umaro saw only the fact that "Trubek Construction Company suffered damage" and, relatively speaking, the fact that "Norton Construction Company made a profit.
Because I saw that, I couldn't notice the third party who was behind the whole thing, who didn't directly benefit from it.

'But, is there really such a third party?Someone who would go to such great lengths just to interfere with Torbeck's business, even if it didn't benefit him?
There is. There are several reasons for this.

First of all, the sales of Norton Construction Company dropped immediately after Umaro and his team contacted Norton Construction Company.
This is the result of the third party, the mastermind, realizing that he had gone a little too far, and so he restrained himself.
The proof that Umaro and his team's investigation has not become a bad reputation and that the number of orders has not decreased is that construction companies other than Norton Engineering are receiving orders in the same way.
It is impossible that the very same phenomenon that Norton Engineering suddenly increased its orders would begin to occur at other construction companies the moment suspicion fell on Norton Engineering. And not just one, but two or three at the same time.

A job that was originally going to be done by Torbeck Engineering was suddenly done by another engineering firm for some reason. How many times can such coincidences occur at the same time?
This is evidence that the same person is repeating the same trick using a different person.

This happens occasionally in the music and art fields.
In order to destroy the most annoying person, they bury the annoying person by lifting up an insignificant "other person".
This deprives them of the opportunity to be noticed and creates an image of "mediocrity".
Then, wait for the season to pass and they will disappear on their own.
After that, you can leave the insignificant "other" behind. The insignificant ones will disappear with only insignificant results.

The strategy of destroying rivals without exposing one's own pawns to bad publicity is practiced in any genre.

'Also, the speed at which Torbeck's notoriety is spreading is another reason.

They've been waiting with baited breath. They were waiting for Trubek to run out of patience.

We know from Umaro's story that the clash between Trubeck and Norton's construction companies took place after the ward field day.
It must have been Halloween, or at the latest around the time of the beauty contest.
And it was the last day of the hot season when the case was filed in the court.

So Umaro chose to settle.
In other words, for the first time, Torbeck Construction officially admitted their fault.

If rumors were to spread explosively, it would have to be after this.
If there were people who had been unhappy with Trubeck Engineering for a long time, they might have started to make a bad reputation when they searched Norton Engineering's premises and found nothing.
But it is hard to imagine that people in distant wards who have little direct contact with the company would take one side of the argument and contribute to the spread of bad news.
If they support the wrong side, they will suffer a painful reprisal when the truth comes to light.

I don't want such people to be involved in the sewage industry, which is expected to expand in the future. We can't trust them.
They will not 'willingly spread bad words' about a construction company with which they have little connection, even at the risk of being ostracized from a major project that will spread toward Chuo City in the future.
At best, they would just ignore it or keep it to themselves.

What's more, this is the season of heavy snowfall.
No one would want to go out and take the lead in dragging each other down.

'Nevertheless, Lucia sent me information as soon as the heavy snow season started. The carpenters of the 35th district are anxious about whether they can work with the Torbeck Engineering Firm.

Who brought this information to the 35th district?
In the waist-deep snow.
'I heard that Torbeck Engineering is such a nasty bunch~. That's terrible! You'd better not work with them!



'It was Lucia who said that the carpenters from District 35 would be used to build the port in District 42. It would be like arguing against the decision of the lord of your district to cooperate with the Trubec Engineering Firm.

Would you do such a big thing based on nothing more than gossip?
The carpenters of District 35 have even raised their distrust to the lord.

'It's normal to assume that the information they got came from a reliable source.

So, what source could be trusted unconditionally with gossipy information about the bad reputation of a carpenter from a distant district with whom they had no particular connection?

It is easy to guess from the testimony of another person.

Perhaps anticipating that this would happen, he went all the way to the sunny pavilion to give us information even though it was snowing heavily. Ma'ru.

'When he asked the Trubecks to repair the ice house in his house, the union recommended Norton Contractors.
'The union recommended ......?

Yes.
The Civil Engineering Guild Union, of which almost all the civil engineering guilds in the district are members.
One of them, a high ranking person who can talk directly to the nobles, is spreading the story.
It's so active that it's spreading to the 35 most distant districts in the middle of the heavy snow season.

'Why, when the union has been paying us ...... dues and providing us with a lot of information?
'Maybe they have a grudge against you, or maybe they're just looking for ...... a good time.'

People tend to make foolish choices because of resentment and umami.
There are countless idiots who are driven by resentment to take revenge, and countless others who are lured by the taste of goodness to do someone's bidding.

'Didn't you do something to attract the attention of some stupid nobleman?
'The aristocrat's eyes ......, no way?'

Umaro's eyes widened.
He had recently rejected an invitation from a certain lord.

You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life.

'...... is the lord of the thirtieth district ......?
'I don't know. I'm just suspicious, but I can't be sure.

Everything I've said so far is circumstantial.
There's no conclusive evidence. No physical evidence. No witnesses.
According to the law, he'll get away with it.

'But what is certain is that someone high up in the union, or someone even higher up who can control that high up, is working behind the scenes to bring down Torbeck Construction.

There is someone who is extremely suspicious, but I have no proof, so I will not mention him.

'From the above, I can assure you of one thing--'

I haven't solved anything yet, but I can tell you this.

'--Torbek's technology and trustworthiness is second to none, and cannot be beaten, it is an overwhelming victory.
'............'

Umaro is looking at me with his mouth wide open.
It would be fun to stuff marshmallows into his wide open mouth, but for now, instead of marshmallows in his mouth, I'll just shove these words into his empty head.


'You should be proud of yourselves and do your work as you always have.


If you lose orders, if you lose clients, it's because someone clever is working behind your back.
It's not Trubec Engineering's fault.

Then there's nothing to worry about.

When I told him this, Umaro's face crumpled up and he sipped his nose as hard as he could.

'Yes, sir!We'll work as hard as we can tomorrow!

Umaro's spirits were restored.
It must be because of me. It must be.
So, what should I ask him to make for me next time... ......