The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

"I told you long ago that she protects Tsukuyomi just to enjoy the thrill of exercising justice."

"Don't talk about her like that. She's a top student at school, a gem in the eyes of her teachers, and the very embodiment of a Yamato Nadeshiko!"

"Yamato Nadeshiko?! Isn't that just pure chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?"

The noisy students sat in a group near the door, completely disregarding those around them, and made extremely loud mocking noises.

Through the gap, one could vaguely see that the person in the very center was holding a small notebook.

Perhaps this is what they call a "helping others' diary".

"Let me read it... Hmm, today I still cleared away evil for Xiaoxue, nipping evil in the bud. I wiped away the evil words on the blackboard for Xiaoxue in advance, and changed Xiaoxue into clean clothes. It seems that the world has become a little cleaner because of my efforts."

"Pfft, hahahahaha—"

The strange imitation of someone's cold, aloof voice caused the surrounding crowd to burst into laughter once again.

Mocking.

Unbridled mockery.

Hoshino Utsunomiya originally didn't know who they were mocking, but when they read out the words from the 'Helping Others Diary' as a topic of conversation and made fun of them.

He knew it.

Hiro Nikaido.

Yesterday, a girl stared at him angrily, wanting to save Yuki Tsukishiro from his grasp.

...Speaking of which, that guy has been silent since yesterday.

He clearly had an expression that said he wanted to kill himself.

If only she were a witch.

Too bad she isn't.

That's why Hoshino Utsunomiya so easily forgot about Hiro Nikaido's existence, only remembering now, "Oh, there was such a person."

It seems that Yukishiro had been protecting him even before he arrived.

No wonder her expression at the time was as if she had killed her own mother.

The girl I've been protecting was kidnapped by someone else. I definitely wouldn't be able to bear it if it were me.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Hoshino Utsunomiya.

He doesn't care about, nor does he care about, the feelings of strangers.

To him, Nikaido Hiro was someone whose name and appearance he only knew.

Unrelated party.

So even if her personal belongings are found by others, read through by others, and read out in such a mocking way, receiving loud laughter in response.

Hoshino Utsunomiya should also remain unmoved.

It's pointless to care about someone who isn't a witch. In the end, he's not some great person who can't stand seeing others being bullied. Judging from what they say, Nikaido Hiro herself is the kind of model student that parents and teachers love most. Even if he does nothing now, there will still be teachers to help him get justice.

Just leave it alone and don't worry about it.

There must be something more important at your disposal, right?

There must be something more meaningful to you right in front of you, right?

Turn around, get past them, fill the bucket, and pour it over Yuki's head once more.

Just treat it like watering flowers, a daily routine activity that lowers favorability.

This kind of essential daily routine, which can be gradually accumulated, is what you should be doing.

Hoshino Utsunomiya knew this very well.

And that's exactly what he did.

He turned around and walked towards Tsukishiro Yuki's seat, a seat that was in the back row, close to the back door, and near the group of people gathered around the back door.

—Lift your leg, gather momentum, and then extend your leg.

The extremely sharp whip kick was like lightning, and in an instant it made contact with the back of the person in front of it.

A moment of restraint, a brief moment of braking, but the immense force retained by inertia suddenly burst forth.

"Gah—"

Before anyone could react, the boy who was kicked lost his balance and flew forward.

In that instant, the noisy laughter was abruptly cut off by the scream, and the relaxed atmosphere crumbled into a mess as the dominoes of responsibility collided.

Desks flew through the air, chairs dragged on the floor with a piercing scream, and the classroom became eerily quiet for a moment.

Wailing and whimpering, silence and fear.

The only thing that seemed out of place was Hoshino Utsunomiya's cold face.

Oh, and there's another one, Tsukishiro Yuki, with an iron bucket on her head and no change in expression.

Is it funny?

He lowered his head and softly asked the student who hadn't been affected but was clutching the 'Helping Others Diary' and cowering in front of the door, trying to retreat behind it:

"If someone rushed out and stood in front of you with open arms to protect you at that moment, would you still find it funny?"

Hoshino Utsunomiya wasn't actually that intolerant of this kind of mockery.

As for Nikaido Hiro, Utsunomiya Hoshino didn't have any particular desire to protect him.

But I always feel...

Their actions seem to suggest that after letting go of Tsukishiro Yuki, a target of their bullying, they don't even intend to grant her a moment's peace, and immediately begin to itch and search for the next target to be bullied.

It's somewhat disrespectful of one's own existence.

The student in front of him shook his head frantically, and when he caught a glimpse of the figure being kicked away, he shook his head even more vigorously.

"But unfortunately, such people no longer exist."

Hoshino Utsunomiya shook his head.

"You drove them away yourself."

Chapter 21 Trust Comes So Easily

"..."

Nikaido Hiro gripped his arm tightly, head down, biting his lower lip, leaning against the wall, desperately trying to control his emotions.

It was her oversight.

She made a mistake.

It was because she wasn't paying attention that this happened.

Mingming quickly turned around and rushed back when she realized she had left the Helping Diary behind. She had already done her best to calm herself down.

But when she turned around and ran back to where she had been,

However, it was already possible to see that the group of guys were gathered together.

The person in the very center was clutching the very familiar 'helping others diary' that she held in her hand every day.

"No, you can't, don't open it..."

A voice so low it was almost inaudible murmured from his throat.

In an instant, my footsteps slowed to an incredibly slow pace, and my hand reached out and hung in mid-air. In this world that was slowing down infinitely in my perception, all other noises were blocked out.

There is only one clearest sound that can be heard.

Overlapping, repetitive bursts of maniacal laughter.

Laughing wildly, mocking, snickering, laughing heartily, bursting into laughter.

The malice that had been inflicted on Yukishiro countless times in the past was now clearly and completely projected onto her.

It wasn't the kind of splashing I felt when I shielded Yuki from malice.

Rather, it was direct, targeted malice directed at her personally.

Who is she?

She is Nikaido Hiro, a flawless girl who has won numerous awards in calligraphy, flower arrangement, and kendo. She is a trusted and important Yamato Nadeshiko at school.

Praise, commendation, honor.

There are countless.

Everyone will treat her kindly, and everyone will hide their ugly and evil side in front of her.

So she thought, so she believed.

The bullying inflicted on Yuki Tsukishiro was really only that level of abuse.

Yes, it's heartbreaking, distressing, and unbearable to watch.

But if it were me, I definitely wouldn't...

The sense of superiority buried deep in my heart was completely shattered at this moment.

Nikaido Hiro couldn't utter a word; his usual quick wit had turned into meaningless gurgling sounds in his throat.

She felt a strong sense of powerlessness throughout her body, and she didn't even dare to approach them and sternly stop them.

why?

This is clearly wrong; this is clearly not right.

If it were me in normal circumstances, I would definitely cast aside the pointless emotion of shame in order to uphold justice.

Is it simply because the person in question has become oneself?

...I want someone to save me.

Suddenly, this powerless thought popped into my head.

Nikaido Hiro never imagined that having one's inner thoughts exposed and collectively mocked would be such a powerless experience.

The most subconscious thoughts that arise when people face things they are powerless to change.