Usotoki Rhetoric is a shojo manga×detective manga series, serialized in Bessatsu Hana to Yume, from 2012 to 2018.

The manga artist, Miyako Ritsu’s specialties are detective or mystery genres and this title has full of such attractions. Usotoki Rhetoric was concluded with 10 volumes and it went viral with the comments like “The more the story goes on, the more we can enjoy the mystery elements.”

The story is set in showa era in Japan.

The main protagonist, Urabe Kanoko, has an ability, where she spots a lie. More specifically, when she hears someone saying things “firmly”, that’s the moment when he/she is lying.

Growing up, Kanako has pointed out those who lie with no offence, however, as time goes by, people start to think she is creepy. In time, not only her but her family also start being harassed. What’s worse, she is able to hear a “lie” of her mother, who has been pretending to be strong so Kanako won’t feel bad.

Kanako decides to live by herself, leaving the village, to protect her family.

There, she meets Iwai Souma, who is a detective, being desperate for getting a job.

Souma is excellent as the detective but unfortunately, he can never make money from that.

However, when he sees Kanako, looking at a loss, he can never leave her there so he treats her to a meal.

While eating, she again “points out” a lie of the boy who works at the restaurant. Everybody in the restaurant hear her point it out, so the atmosphere there becomes awkward. Kanako leaves the restaurant, running away from there.

When she points out a lie, a smile is gone from their faces.

Kanako hates her ability.

Then Souma asks her why she can spot a lie.

Actually, Souma has noticed the boy’s lie even before Kanako points that out. The reaosn why he didn’t point that out is because he also knew that the boy had “a certain reason”.

After that, one incident occurrs and Souma solves everything, reasoning what’s happening. He is literally a “great” detective from how he solves the mysteries.

Souma always seeks for the “reasons” before the “lies”. The reasons why that person has lied…… He makes people smile by deducing such reasons and solving the incidents.

Kanako makes up her mind.

She wants to make use of her ability with Souma, so she can make people smile as well as spotting peoples’ lies.

This is how a combination of a poor detective and a girl who spots a lie was born!