The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find Ice Meluru among the other six people present.

It seems that the one who disappeared this time was Ice Meruru.

"..."

This time, on the way to the meeting room, the seven people had already divided into different 'groups' very early on.

Sherry Tachibana with blonde twin tails, Noah Kinosaki with a white-haired girl in a nightgown, and the rest are Hoshino Utsunomiya with Emma Sakuraba and Shiro Nikaido.

Because she was momentarily distracted by Tachibana Sherry and didn't see anything else, Emma Sakuraba, filled with regret but also happy to see her coat on someone, put her hands behind her back and followed him casually.

She began to recall what had just happened.

Hiro was on top of Hoshino, who was soaking wet, wearing only his own clothes...

As far as I can remember, Nikaido Hiro's attitude towards Utsunomiya Hoshino has always been ambiguous.

It's not about good or bad, or closeness or distance—that kind of ambiguity.

Rather, it means that there was no explicit expression of inclination to say 'he deserved it' or 'I feel guilty towards him'.

Nikaido Hiro simply left everything to his parents, and then seemed to have completely forgotten that there was someone he had beaten into the hospital, without ever visiting him even once.

Emma Sakura thought that Hiro was avoiding the issue, that Hiro was running away, just like when he ran away to a foreign country saying he was going to study abroad for a short period of time.

But it doesn't seem so...

Is it just because she doesn't know how to face the unconscious Hoshino?

Kind-hearted Emma Sakuraba secretly offered an explanation for her good friend, Hiro Nikaido.

Then, she quietly glanced at Nikaido Hiro out of the corner of her eye.

Nikaido Hiro followed on the other side of Utsunomiya Hoshino.

"..."

Sherry the witch reappears, while Meruru on Ice disappears.

To be honest, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Tachibana Sherry.

But she quickly remembered that she had already rewound, and Tachibana Sherry would no longer kill people indiscriminately.

...But if things go wrong, she might still kill someone.

Voting is useless. Even if you know perfectly well that Tachibana Sherry is the witch, if you expose her directly, the result will only be the same as last time.

What should I do?

Everything else left Nikaido Hiro feeling utterly bewildered.

But there was one thing she knew she absolutely had to do.

Turning his head, Nikaido Hiro glanced at Utsunomiya Hoshino, who was wearing Sakura Emma's coat, beside him.

Through the loosely fastened, sleeveless vest, one could glimpse the uninjured skin on his chest. Nikaido Hiro looked at it again and again until he reached the stairs before turning his gaze away.

Her steps couldn't help but bring her a few more steps closer to Hoshino Utsunomiya.

Everything else is fine.

But this time, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely I cannot let him die in front of me again.

......

Chapter 102 Although today is Monday

Although a lot of time was wasted, the owl still seemed to be late.

So, just before he was late, Hoshino Utsunomiya also learned the names of the other two newcomers from the girls' mouths and from their sketchbooks.

The silent princess in the nightgown is named 'Natsume Anan' and refers to herself as 'I am'.

Another blonde twin-tailed doll is named 'Hanna Tono', and she has a habit of adding 'desuwa' to the end of her sentences.

Natsume Anan didn't want to talk, expressing a strong desire to isolate herself and reject friendly communication.

And Tohno Hannah...

Twin ponytails, long curly hair, Lolita style.

A Bonnet hat adorned with feathered headdress covered her hair, and a loose shawl concealed her petite figure.

The girl's dress and hat were predominantly green, which complemented her blonde hair perfectly.

On the right side of the thick skirt hem, there is an embroidered white flower, and on the left side, there is an embroidered yellow flower. This is the same as the hair ornaments at the ends of her hair, which also have two flowers, one large and one small, on the right side of the ends of her hair.

Because the skirt was so long, Hoshino Utsunomiya couldn't see what kind of stockings she was wearing—stockings? Knee-high socks? Over-the-knee socks? Thigh-high stockings?

What you can see are mismatched shoes; there are surprisingly many mismatched shoes and socks in this prison.

And it seems everyone is wearing a hair accessory or hat...

To be honest, this was consistent with the first impression Utsunomiya Hoshino had.

A truly exquisite 'doll'.

This is a compliment.

Hannah Tono liked to hold onto the hem of her skirt when she spoke. Although she didn't say it explicitly, Hoshino Utsunomiya could clearly see her restraint from it.

Interestingly, despite her reserved demeanor, she has a habit of using 'desuwa' at the end of her sentences.

As for what 'desuwa' means, it probably doesn't. If you really have to translate it, it could be translated as 'desuwa'.

A modal particle indicating a bias.

It usually comes from the mouth of a rich young lady type, the kind that maintains elegance... and laughs with an "oh ho ho ho" while covering her face with a fan.

The words that came out of Tono Hannah's mouth...

To put it bluntly, she doesn't have the air of a spoiled princess.

But it has nothing to do with Hoshino Utsunomiya, and he wouldn't gossip about other people's verbal tic.

Compared to Tono Hannah, he still cares more about the two of them.

The previous witch was Tachibana Sherry, and this time, Nikaido Hiro naturally stood beside him, taking on the responsibility of being his left and right protectors.

Tachibana Sherry's statement seemed to be similar to her last one, calling herself the great detective and saying, "Leave the case to me."

After giving his name in a cold voice, Nikaido Hiro frequently glanced at him, as if he had something to say.

It seems that her initial purpose in entering her room was to have something to say privately, but unfortunately she was interrupted repeatedly and missed the opportunity.

That......

"Ahem, sorry to keep you waiting."

After coughing twice, the warden flew down from the familiar ventilation duct, flapping his wings.

Then, that familiar phrase was uttered again...

“One of you is the Great Witch in disguise.”

What followed seemed almost identical to the previous two times.

Hoshino Utsunomiya thought that nothing would change this time either.

But he guessed wrong.

"...You will be living together in this prison for the next week, sharing food, clothing, and lodging."

"Please be sure to follow the prison rules. Those who violate the rules will be taken to the punishment room by the guards."

"The Great Witch will kill the worst, most wicked, most wrong, evil witch at the end of the seventh day."

The biggest change has occurred.

The warden said almost everything exactly the same thing, whether it was that the witch was hiding among them or that the witch would kill people, it was all the same.

But things changed. Time changed. The witch's killing cycle was extended to seven days, and it was no longer the absurd 'random killing' but rather a seemingly serious declaration that she would only kill the 'most wicked' evil witches.

Before anyone else could ask, the warden continued, adding more details to what he was saying.

"Please make sure, make sure, make sure you take responsibility for every word you say and every action you take."

First came words of warning.

"Because your performance will be recorded by the great witch hidden within and scored."

Then came the explanation and admonition.

"It is especially important to note that violating the prison rules will not only result in being thrown into the punishment room, but will also significantly lower the Great Witch's impression score of you. Once the score drops to the lowest level, you may be judged as the most evil witch who will bring disaster to the world."

Then, seemingly noticing that he hadn't said everything properly, he added more details.

"As for the other detailed scoring criteria..." After a pause, it glanced around at the seven people present and said meaningfully, "You've all been taught about these criteria in class and at home, haven't you?"

"Normal behavior, proper speech, correct thoughts, noble character and morality..."

The warden spoke as if counting feathers, saying what seemed to be the truth.

"Make a mistake, and you'll lose points."

"If you deduct too much, you'll die."

In the simplest terms, the warden summarized his words.

I don't know who he was specifically saying it to.

...Will there be anyone who doesn't understand?

Utsunomiya Hoshino didn't know that he was in for another headache.

"Ask a question!" Shirley Tachibana raised her hand and blinked, saying, "How many points would it kill me? Aren't the point deduction criteria too vague? Can I find out how many points I've lost? Can I get extra points? How do I get extra points?"

She rattled off five questions in a row.

Is this meant to guide everyone's thinking? Or is it a reminder to the warden that these points haven't been clearly explained?

The newly revised rules show they've taken it seriously, afraid that people won't understand or know how to play.

“…Well…” The owl looked away, avoiding the question: “It’s up to the Great Witch to judge.”

"I am just a kind, cute, and weak little owl."

It flapped its wings, as if to show its weakness and helplessness.