The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

"Judge Shirley Tachibana will decide right and wrong for you!"

With her left hand clenched into a fist, Tachibana Sherry gently punched her chest.

Hoshino Utsunomiya had already gone around to the back to get her food, but Hiro Nikaido, who had sat down, stared straight at Sherry Tachibana.

She took a deep breath and spoke softly:

"unnecessary."

“Although the cafeteria is a public space, it might not be appropriate for me to say such things at this time.” Nikaido Hiro paused, “But if it’s possible, could you two please step outside for a moment after you finish your meal?”

"After all, this is a private matter."

Let the witch judge right and wrong?

Are you kidding me?

“Eh…” Tachibana Sherry looked quite disappointed: “Why is it like this?”

"That's it."

After Nikaido Hiro finished speaking, a subtle silence fell over the cafeteria.

Shirley blinked, as if she wanted to say something and struggle a bit more.

But before she could speak, Tono Hannah tugged at her sleeve.

"Let's go, you idiot!" Tono Hannah finished cleaning up her dishes and turned around. "Don't get involved, Desuwa."

It was already worrying enough, and now they're going to get closer and mess around.

Really.

"Alright alright."

Tachibana Sherry waved her hand helplessly.

Soon, the quiet cafeteria was once again left with only three people.

......

"To be honest, I never intended to bully Emma."

The conversation began with Hoshino Utsunomiya's calm voice.

"It has always been the same, whether outside or inside the prison."

Hoshino Utsunomiya thought for a long time, but he knew he couldn't find a solution to Emma's problem anytime soon.

But doing nothing is definitely not his style.

After thinking it over and over, he suddenly remembered something.

The witch can rewind time.

Although we don't know under what circumstances the witch will rewind, since it has already rewinded twice, there's nothing to be afraid of now.

What he wouldn't do is simply use the guise of retrospection to commit morally corrupt acts.

But if we simply lay things out, explain them clearly, and clarify everything with Emma, ​​saying what can be said and hiding what cannot be said, going straight to the point and explaining the situation to Emma one by one, and then observing her reaction...

It should be clear and understandable.

If the reaction is too strong, I won't say anything next time; if the reaction is appropriate, I'll just copy the homework next time.

Once he had made up his mind, he sorted out his thoughts and memories and started the conversation from there.

"Ugh..." Sakura Emma placed her hands between her legs, pressing down on the inner thighs of her thighs, the pressure leaving slight marks on the flesh. The girl lowered her head: "Hoshino, Hoshino didn't, didn't bully me..."

She stammered and spoke haltingly, reluctantly, but insisting on saying something that might be true.

Why would Hoshino bully me?

It's just that I myself am unwilling to accept it.

"That means I bullied you."

Nikaido Hiro said.

"Hiro, Hiro..." Even though she was pointing, Emma Sakuraba raised her head slightly, glanced at Hiro Nikaido's expression, and quickly lowered her head again, stammering, "Did Hiro bully me...?"

The evil villain Hero must have bullied her.

If she were to dredge up old grievances, Emma Sakura would never be able to finish.

From the start of my school years, through befriending Xiaoxue, before I went abroad to study, and after I returned...

Nikaido Hiro had already committed countless evil deeds.

But if she actually pointed at Hero and said something like, "You're bullying me," in front of Hero...

Emma Sakura wasn't very brave.

Especially now that Hoshino has clearly started to side with Shiro and is talking to him about some ridiculous romance.

Without Hoshino backing her up, and without her emotions running high, she didn't dare look Hiro in the eye.

"I was just bullying you."

Emma Sakuraba wouldn't dare, but Hiro Nikaido would.

This is something she has to admit.

If we don't acknowledge this, we can't move forward with the topic; Emma's problem ultimately needs to be addressed.

Just as Nikaido Hiro was about to say something more, Utsunomiya Hoshino, who had pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, silently placed his hand on her thigh.

A fleeting touch—a hand that was warm yet burning hot—instantly melted the coldness from her face.

"?!"

Nikaido Hiro suddenly turned her head and saw Utsunomiya Hoshino shaking his head at her.

You're the one who's talking! Why are you suddenly touching my leg?!

......

If you're a couple, it's not like you can't touch me just because I asked...

Muttering something to himself, Nikaido Hiro once again raised his hand and brushed aside his long, black hair.

A beautiful girl with long, straight black hair unexpectedly exudes a unique charm when she flips her hair back to reveal her delicate earlobes.

Of course, Nikaido Hiro was not consciously trying to exude her charm.

Although she was well aware that she was very attractive.

"Although I met Emma quite early, the time when we actually started talking to her was probably quite late."

Hoshino Utsunomiya has little experience in having heart-to-heart talks with others, but at times like this, he can't help but try to use his own memories to trigger the other person's memories.

“Emma has always been alone,” he said softly, his tone elusive. “She’s always been watching from the sidelines, always quietly watching from behind the table.”

"It is possible to notice it, and it is possible to sense the gaze."

Sakura Emma was reserved, Sakura Emma was cautious, Sakura Emma was timid and hesitant.

"Emma has very few friends, so friends are relatively important to her."

Rather than saying there are very few, it's more accurate to say there are only three; a more concrete number would be more straightforward.

"That's why Emma gets really sad when she thinks she's about to lose her only friend."

The image that comes to mind is Emma Sakura squatting next to a trash can on that street, and the girl that comes to mind is that sobbing girl.

"I just couldn't stand it. I just couldn't stand it. It didn't mean anything by it."

I never intended to redeem anyone, nor did I intend to embark on a new strategy.

Hoshino Utsunomiya simply couldn't stand it anymore.

"However, I don't dislike Emma. Emma is a good girl. The way she peeks at things while lying on the table is a good girl, the way she sits on the edge of the rooftop lost in thought is a good girl, and the way she eats is a good girl." He changed the subject, praising Emma Sakura one sentence after another.

As she spoke, Emma Sakura lowered her head and quietly raised it; as she spoke, Emma Sakura straightened her hunched back; as she spoke, Emma Sakura's ears turned bright red as if they were about to bleed.

The girl's joy was evident.

But Hoshino Utsunomiya didn't seem to notice and continued speaking softly.

"It's not that I like Emma, ​​it's just that I want to prove that even if a relationship starts out of pity, I don't think it's bad."

"After all, there always has to be a trigger for a relationship to begin, and I don't really care what that trigger is."

Hoshino Utsunomiya spread his hands on the table, sincerely revealing his true feelings.

"Even if it's just because you see someone who's good-looking, and you want to strike up a conversation, and during the conversation you agree to continue your interactions and gradually become friends, that's not a bad thing."

If the relationship is genuine and the feelings you have while spending time together are real, why worry about it?

At this point, the illusion before Hoshino Utsunomiya dissipated like mist, and Emma Sakuraba's pretty face reappeared before him.

He looked at Emma Sakura and said softly:

"Of course, Emma can tell me if she doesn't need my pity."

Hoshino Utsunomiya's words echoed softly in the cafeteria.

"..." Sakura Emma kept her mouth shut, but her heart was filled with shouts.

I want it, I want it! Whether you pity me or show me mercy, I want it all!

What's there to not want? What's there to complain about?

Aside from people who are extremely sensitive to their self-esteem, perhaps only those who are overly social and don't care about having one or two friends would dislike this kind of relationship.

Hoshino Utsunomiya continued speaking.

"We become friends, friends who can eat and spend time together at the same time and place, friends who can listen to each other's whispers and share their lives."

He was describing the state of his past relationship with Emma, ​​which was relatively healthy and was roughly a friendship.

"Actually, I didn't initially think I would occupy such an important place in Emma's heart. After all, friends are friends, and it's hard to say who will be friends for a lifetime."

Friends made in elementary school will part ways in junior high, and friends made in junior high will part ways again due to high school. From high school to university, from university to work, friends can still stay in touch through this cycle.

Hoshino Utsunomiya wouldn't say that's what true friends are, but...

"If such a connection exists, it must be a very unique fate, something that truly deserves to be cherished."