The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

Protective instincts, jealousy.

Emma Sakura hates eating alone.

I was afraid of being disliked by Xiaoxue, and I was afraid of letting Xiaoxue see my timid and cowardly side.

Only now has she finally stepped forward.

But that's okay from now on; it's her turn now.

She will replace Hiro as Xiaoxue's protector.

The courage that is finally mustered will not easily dissipate, and the determination that has been formed can sweep away fear.

With her back straight and her posture upright, Emma Sakura turned around and hugged Yuki Tsukishiro.

“It’s okay, Xiaoxue, don’t be afraid, I will protect you,” she said.

Yuki Tsukishiro, soaked to the bone, felt icy cold, and the wet clothes kept transferring to Emma's clothes along the contact surface of their embrace.

The more Emma could feel her clothes getting damp, the more regretful she became.

Why didn't I stand up sooner?

Why didn't I muster the courage to protect Xiaoxue sooner?

"...?"

Emma's feelings were very real, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

However, Yuki's expression became slightly subtle.

I have mixed feelings.

She really wanted to see that, to see Emma's expression, to see Emma's emotions.

That's why she chose to be bullied.

But... not now.

Now that he's blocking her way, how can she continue playing with Utsunomiya?

Well......

Yuki Tsukishiro fell into deep thought.

While she was deep in thought, Emma Sakura finally let go of her embrace and took her hand.

"Xiaoxue, I'll take you to change into some new clothes right now. You'll catch a cold if you wear these wet clothes."

As she spoke, she turned around.

Before Hiro left, he would always take Xiaoxue to change her clothes. He should still have a spare set of clothes there...

After all, Hiro is a Yamato Nadeshiko who is highly trusted by the school and holds an important position. Although she cannot solve Tsukishiro Yuki's problem, she can still apply for a separate activity room.

Emma had a key to the activity room. Although Hiro seemed a little reluctant when he gave it to her, he wouldn't exclude her from such matters.

After all, even Hiro Nikaido doesn't have time to change Yuki's wet clothes every day, so in times like these, you have to rely on Emma Sakuraba.

"Oh, there's one more thing..."

Just as Emma Sakuraba was about to leave, pulling Yuki Tsukishiro along, she suddenly remembered something.

She turned and led Tsukishiro Yuki to her seat, taking a large black bag from the drawer.

When the bag was reopened, a pair of small leather shoes that looked very familiar were hidden inside.

Leather shoes and white socks.

"I picked it up again for you, then took it home, washed it carefully, and brought it back to you. I hadn't found a chance to return it to you before, so please don't let anyone lose it this time!"

She packed the shoes and socks into a bag and solemnly handed them to Tsukishiro Yuki.

Yes, on the day Hoshino Utsunomiya stole Yuki Tsukishiro's indoor shoes, Emma Sakuraba, who always overslept and was late, was unable to witness the bullying.

But later, when Yukitsuki was walking barefoot around the school, she still discovered it.

That was second only to the impact that Hoshino Utsunomiya had on her today, when he held up the iron bucket.

The floor is so hard and the ground is so dirty. Although everyone changes into indoor shoes, it doesn't mean that the campus grounds are places where you can walk barefoot.

Xiaoxue's feet must be in a lot of pain, right?

Although I had already searched through Hoshino Utsunomiya's shoe cabinet that day and found Yuki's indoor shoes and returned them to her, I missed that opportunity when I finally found the little leather shoes and socks in the trash can after school.

Only today have they finally been returned to their rightful owner.

Tsukishiro Yuki: "......"

Looking at the black bag in his hand, and then at Emma, ​​who was looking extremely serious in front of him.

Yuki Tsukishiro blinked.

How am I supposed to explain this to Emma?

Am I just playing around with him? Am I enjoying this feeling? Or...?

'Only now are you stepping forward and pretending to protect me? You've been a bystander for so long; how shameless!'

......

Chapter 31 She's so beautiful, if only she weren't a witch.

Yuki Tsukishiro still didn't say the last sentence.

It wasn't that she thought Emma's expression wouldn't be delicious after she said those words; in fact, she thought that if she actually said them, Emma's expression would definitely be quite delicious.

However, this would completely destroy her original plan, what she originally wanted to see.

It's somewhat a case of losing more than you gain.

After a brief consideration of both sides of the scale, she decided to keep her words to herself.

We'll save it for Emma to hear later.

Compared to things that are still a long way from the future, she felt she should focus on the present issues first.

In other words, how do I explain this to Emma? How do I get Emma to stop protecting her?

After all, Emma is a good girl, and if things aren't explained clearly, she'll definitely persist.

But if we really explained it all clearly, then it wouldn't be interesting.

Just when Yuki was extremely troubled by this problem.

Hoshino Utsunomiya gave her the most perfect answer.

......

Sakura Emma, ​​that child's name is Sakura Emma.

She has short, silver-white hair with pink highlights, sharp fangs, and an underdeveloped body like Yuki Tsukishiro.

She is a 14-year-old human girl through and through.

Hoshino Utsunomiya had always felt that she should have spoken up to stop her a long time ago.

After all, she was in the same class as him and Yuki.

They were in the same class and in the same classroom.

Because the distance wasn't too far, although you couldn't see what was happening in the back row unless you turned your head, you could probably still hear the sounds clearly.

Whispering conversations might be masked, but the sound of rushing water will be crystal clear.

Her decision to step forward at this time surprised Hoshino Utsunomiya somewhat, but it was more of an expected outcome.

Hero, as a friend, is such a righteous person, so how could Emma, ​​also a friend, so easily allow herself to do evil?

...He should be glad that she stopped him from resorting to violence before it became irreversible.

As expected, bullying is unacceptable.

Recalling everything that had happened during this time, Hoshino Utsunomiya sighed softly.

Witches are creatures that humans cannot understand. What seems like the most heinous and intolerable bullying to ordinary people is nothing more than that to a witch.

Yes, that's perfectly normal. Although they may not be the same witches, witches are all used to being burned at the stake. Bullying, a gentle act that doesn't even reach the scorching heat, can't hurt a witch's heart at all.

Not to mention murderous intent.

...In the end, why did I choose bullying as a way to lower people's favorability in the first place, and why did I stubbornly and persistently try to study and try it in a dead-end way?

In a daze, Hoshino Utsunomiya couldn't help but recall that very first day.

It wasn't because of the bullies' whispers; although bullies are despicable, those guys didn't bother him much.

It feels a bit too much like an NPC (player versus player) game.

It wasn't Nikaido Shiro's questioning. Although Nikaido Shiro's murderous intent towards him at the time was quite delightful, she wasn't a witch after all. He didn't need to prove his evil by going against her principles. Being killed by Shiro wouldn't do him any good either.

Even though that expression really did look delicious.

It's even less likely that it was what was seen, felt, or smelled in the Yukishiro family's bathroom.

The girl's delicate body had not yet fully developed, and the witch's charm was not something that humans could easily attain.

reason.

None of these are the most fundamental reasons.

The most fundamental reason is indeed...

It was the same first time we met.

Blurred classmates, focused eyes, ambiguous consciousness, a scene that lasts a lifetime in a single glance.

A silver-haired girl with an iron bucket on her head.

What does it feel like to suddenly find yourself in another world?

You might doubt whether your consciousness is blank, wonder if what you're experiencing is what others call a lucid dream, and feel that everything around you seems so unreal.

Neon lights, a chaotic flow of people, and a city filled with hiragana and katakana.

Amidst the bustling traffic, every face is so blurry.

Neighbors, store manager, sales clerks, security guards...