The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

Of course, that's not enough. He should cry, wail, and beg for mercy.

But she will not fire a second shot.

"Nanoha Kaori?!" Because of her sudden shooting, Hasumi Ryoya was startled, and the simple spear pressed against Utsunomiya Hoshino's neck grazed her skin and almost punctured her blood vessels.

She couldn't help but grip the spear tighter again, looking down at the wound.

"Wouldn't it be fine to just tie him up?!"

This is supposed to be a kidnapping, but shooting someone in the leg is just too much!

“Meru’s magic on the ice is healing, there won’t be any problems,” Nanoha Kurobe said calmly. “It’s just to make him understand his current situation.”

This was also to help her calm down again.

"Go ahead and tie him up."

Gripping the gun tightly, her palms slightly sweaty, Kurobe Nanoha instructed Hasumi Ryoya to take action.

She started to get nervous.

“…Wait a minute.” Hoshino Utsunomiya, who was instinctively panting heavily, heard their conversation and couldn’t help but interrupt, “Wait, wait a minute, what are you going to do with me tied up? How long are you going to keep me tied up?”

Killing him is acceptable, but what does tying him up mean?

"What? Finally starting to panic? If I told you it was going to be a forced sex game, would you get excited?" Kurobe Nanoka sneered mockingly.

"But unfortunately, not everyone will be interested in you."

"Your days of toying with young girls' bodies and minds are over. What awaits you now may be a life of darkness and despair."

"How long will they be tied up...?"

"you guess?"

She was just talking nonsense.

That's what psychological warfare is all about.

Try to put pressure on the other party, and gradually find out what they really care about during the testing process. Hide what you want most, and you will be able to achieve your goal more easily.

Seeing that Hoshino Utsunomiya seemed flustered, she knew she was right.

The next step is to find his weakness and then threaten him to reveal everything he knows.

He spat it all out.

But just as Kurobe Nanoha was thinking of pressing her for answers,

"—Buzz, clang."

A dull sound, a heavy shifting sound, and...

The warehouse door is closed and facing upwards.

The door closed.

The guard who closed the door was there at just the right moment, patrolling the area and casually shutting it down.

The air circulation slowed down, and the light coming through the door disappeared completely, making it seem as if the warehouse was about to become dark.

It's more accurate to say that it has completely darkened.

--not good.

Nanoka Kurobe didn't have time to think about why the door was closed, nor did she have time to process the information that the warehouse door couldn't be opened from the inside.

All she knew was that with darkness falling, Utsunomiya Hoshino would finally be able to escape.

Should we shoot him dead right now?

Where's the intelligence?

There was no time to think any further.

Subconsciously avoiding the vital points of Hoshino Utsunomiya from his memory, he fired a shot at his other leg.

"--boom!"

Sparks flashed, and vision was bright for a moment.

"Aaaaaahhhhh—" The next moment, what entered the ears was an extremely sharp scream.

A thud, like something hitting the ground, followed by a terrified scream.

The fleeting glimpse of light from the gunpowder allowed Naoka Kurobe to see the outline of the object.

Hoshino Utsunomiya moved, but instead of snatching the gun from her hand or beating her up as expected, he did not do so.

On the contrary...

He squatted down?

She quickly took a few steps back, avoiding tripping over the debris, and hurriedly took out her phone and turned on the flashlight.

The light shone on the area in front of me, but what I saw was...

It was a very unexpected scene.

The girl crouched down, holding her head, and hugged her Utsunomiya Hoshino, along with the simple spear that had fallen to the ground.

The composition that Kurobe Nanoha saw was probably made up of these three elements.

what happened?

Hasumi Ryoua crouched down, covering her head in defense, her body trembling.

Hoshino Utsunomiya hugged her tightly, kneeling on the ground.

Having been shot in both legs, he had temporarily lost the ability to move.

"Hello, hello?!" Kurobe Nanoka couldn't help but call out.

what's the situation?

My claustrophobia is acting up.

Ryota Hasumi suffers from severe claustrophobia.

The cause might simply be being locked up and unable to be noticed, or it might be unpleasant memories from childhood.

In short, she hated dark places and cramped spaces.

Originally, it might not have been that serious.

It's just a temporary problem that won't escalate immediately. You might tremble, you might feel fear, or you might want to rely on someone nearby.

But it won't take effect instantly.

The reason for the current situation is quite simple.

Those were the two shots fired by Kurobe Nanoha.

The approaching gunfire, the deafening sound, the pierced thigh, the smell of gunpowder, and the dripping blood.

The mingled smells of blood and gunpowder filled her nostrils, already putting Hasumi Ryoua on edge.

At that moment, the environment suddenly went dark, and a second shot was fired simultaneously.

Completely trigger claustrophobia.

The simple spear, gripped tightly, tightened its hold for a moment, but then weakly loosened and fell to the ground.

The girl crouched down, covering her head, trying to protect herself.

"No, no, no, no, no..."

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry..."

"I just want to be noticed, I just want to attract attention, I just think Hoshino is so likable—"

The quick, whispered apology and confession were soon cut short by the embrace.

“Yes, I know.” Hoshino Utsunomiya said, her words sounding somewhat weak. “Rhea doesn’t need to apologize.”

It's understandable to want to attract attention, it's reasonable to be jealous of others, and it's even more reasonable to think that he is the mastermind behind it all.

what......

It seems there's no time left to offer more comfort.

I can't bring myself to say it.

It's not that I'm too awkward or shy to say it, it's just that the literal meaning is a bit...

I can't breathe.

It was a bit of a surprise; I didn't expect it to end so hastily.

As Hasumi Ryoga's hand tightened, the simple spear slashed through her throat.

The gun barrel that Kurobe Nanoha had fired earlier was already bleeding profusely.

Two shots.

Two bullet holes.

The rate of blood loss this time was faster than when I was stabbed the first time.

He thought he would be misunderstood, but before he died, he could at least try to find out why he was being misunderstood.

After all, even if the timeline were reversed, Kurobe Nanoha would probably still express hostility towards him as always.

He can talk, he can explain, and maybe he can reconcile with her. He can persuade her to put down her gun again with words.

But it seems he's still going to die.

Perhaps this can be considered a case of getting what you want to die.

However, while death from blood loss may occur quickly and one may realize that they are about to die, the actual period of time before death and loss of consciousness seems to be a rather long time.

"...Ah, ah, ah, ah—"

Logically speaking, even if they are comforted, even if they can quickly calm down, even if the light is restored quickly.

Ryota Hasumi, whose claustrophobia has been triggered, should also need at least a few minutes to calm herself down.

Unless, of course, something more pressing is taking place that prevents her from adjusting herself.