The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

The current outcome doesn't seem so bad.

As for whether he regrets it or not, Hoshino Utsunomiya definitely doesn't.

There's no need to regret things that have already been decided.

However, this commotion has made it a bit difficult to keep track of the time.

Let's put the sheets into the incinerator first.

That's exactly why he came.

A faint smell of burning lingered in the incinerator chamber. Although they hadn't started the incinerator since they came in, the traces of the past didn't dissipate so easily.

Hoshino Utsunomiya raised his hand and ran it along the edge of the incinerator, his fingertips quickly becoming covered in a thick layer of black.

He opened the furnace lid again, and as he did so, some ash rose from inside the furnace.

Looking inside, you can see a layer of black ash accumulated at the bottom of the furnace.

It seems to burn very thoroughly.

It has a high power output.

On the black and gray ground, there was a scattered layer of clothes that the girl had changed out of yesterday, which had been dumped directly from the garbage chute.

It's covered in black ash; it's become dirty.

无法 使用。

Just as he was about to throw the blanket in after glancing inside the stove, Hoshino Utsunomiya noticed other trash besides the clothes.

A crumpled piece of paper.

Noah's?

In the entire mansion, there would probably only be crumpled paper in Noah Kinosaki's studio.

She would crumple up any paintings she wasn't satisfied with and throw them all over the floor.

However, in order not to affect her painting the next day, she would seem to casually throw these crumpled pieces of paper into the trash chute.

Come to think of it, he doesn't seem to have seen many of Noah's paintings.

Because Noah Kinosaki said she didn't like having someone watching her from behind while she was drawing, he didn't see it.

Should I pick it up and take a look?

Forget it.

Even paintings that are to be thrown away cannot be opened without prior consultation.

Hoshino Utsunomiya picked up the bed sheet and threw it into the stove, then was about to leave.

However, the black ash kicked up by the heavy bed sheet as it fell dispersed the black ash at the bottom of the stove, revealing a reflective metal sheet.

"...?"

Who threw it in?

Or is it...?

What was once in this prison, but was not burned away when the incinerator was turned on?

I won't pick up the crumpled paper, but perhaps I should pick up this one.

Reaching out, Hoshino Utsunomiya removed the metal sheet and rubbed the black ash off it with his thumb.

Thus, the inscribed words were revealed within them.

The content of the text...

After 100 days

One by one they escaped

If we fail, everyone dies.

Absolutely no one can escape from here.

Is such that.

The text has no punctuation marks, but it is broken into discontinuous sentences.

Words can contain emotions, but the words engraved on this metal plate are more of a delusional rant of a broken spirit.

Does the lack of punctuation and the somewhat incoherent language convey a strong sense of despair? Actually, not particularly strong.

But it must be a desperate situation.

Are we going to spend a hundred days in this Western-style mansion?

The previous conjecture has been confirmed; these definite traces left over from the past are the best evidence.

Staying in a Western-style mansion for too long will drive you crazy.

Indeed, they shouldn't be locked up here.

After putting away the metal pieces, Hoshino Utsunomiya left the incinerator room.

......

It seemed to be evening.

At least it was completely dark by now.

Although it was almost time to take a shower after a meal, Hoshino Utsunomiya was thinking about Noah Kinosaki.

Today in the art studio, we talked about Noah taking a bath.

She still wanted me to help her wash.

The suggestion this morning was to let Noah decide for himself whether or not to truly treat her like a child.

She did not answer.

Logically, Hoshino Utsunomiya should have taken the lack of response as a negative answer.

Let Noah wash herself, or like yesterday, let Meruru help her.

but......

"Splash..."

Steam rose from the shower, and Hoshino Utsunomiya poured hot water into the bathtub as she entered the shower room for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

They didn't use the ones the girls had used before.

Although it takes a relatively long time to refill the tank.

But what are the warden and his men going to do with the water they're saving? Will the water bill be deposited into their accounts?

If you don't know how, then go ahead and use it.

Besides, it will all come back to haunt us sooner or later, so what's the point of worrying about it?

However, even though the water is changed each time, Hoshino Utsunomiya still takes a quick shower before taking a bath.

In most cases, scrubbing before taking a bath is to allow the bathwater to be reused multiple times.

But his purpose in rinsing was simply to prevent the dirt on his body from floating onto the water while he was taking a bath.

Although I will definitely go back in time, taking a bath is still an essential event that cannot be skipped.

Soaking in hot water at the right temperature, letting the rising steam cling to your face, and casually splashing your hands on the water's surface, your body relaxes and your mind calms down.

It is still a relatively healing process.

After a long day at work or school, many people look forward to this short break when they get home.

Well, it might not necessarily be hope.

It's probably more about not wanting to wash, being too lazy to wash, or lacking the energy to wash, but once they're in the tub, they don't want to get out.

My stamina is running low.

He's probably in a similar situation.

In the morning, I kept thinking about filling my schedule with more events, but triggering a few too many events did make me feel tired.

Fortunately, although I didn't specifically ask or keep an eye on them, the other girls should have finished washing.

He could stay here all by himself until he was grounded.

Thinking this, I sat on the bench and turned on the shower.

The door behind me was quietly opened.

The girl with heterochromia crept closer, stealthily approaching.

Holding her breath and making sure her footsteps were covered by the sound of water, she quickly approached.

"What are you here for?" Without turning around, Hoshino Utsunomiya asked this question quietly.

Noah Kinosaki stiffened, her movements froze, and she replied in a tense voice, "No, Noah, Noah, come here and help Hoshino rub, rub her back."

"No, is it not allowed?"

Noah Kinosaki's voice was timid. Normally, she shouldn't be that nervous, and even if she were caught, she would probably just laugh it off.

But perhaps she was afraid of being rejected, or perhaps she was thinking about what she said in the morning.

This can be considered a test.

"..." Hoshino Utsunomiya was silent for a moment, then turned on the shower, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it on his face.

Water droplets fell, but he didn't turn around.

"it is good."

So, those little hands, hesitantly, touched his back.

After pinching the skin and grasping the muscles, trying to feel the texture for a while, Noah Kinosaki finally picked up the towel that should be used for normal body scrubbing.

"Didn't you take a shower?"

The questioning voice came out softly, and Noah Kinosaki paused slightly before continuing naturally.

"Noah, it's not that I didn't want to take a bath."