The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

Page 33

For example, the ever-changing and complex facial expressions of humans.

Wow, this is truly captivating!

When we used to play bullying pretend, what I looked forward to most was not how he would bully me, but how he would react and what kind of expression he would make when I did something unexpected while he was bullying me.

A furrowed brow and a thoughtful expression.

It makes one really curious about what he was thinking, and why he suddenly changed his mind and chose to befriend me.

And referring to the lines he had spoken...

No matter how I listened, it sounded like something I had said to Emma before.

When Emma was separated from her friends, when she had trouble making friends, and when she was isolated and helpless.

It's the same place, on the same rooftop.

She found Emma.

He reached out his hand to Emma.

They said the exact same thing.

Shake hands, good friend.

Familiar words, familiar responses.

I once said that to Emma, and we became friends.

Not long after, Emma reached out her hand to Heero again.

It turned two people into three.

so......

Do I want two people, or three people?

Chapter 34 This is for Emma's own good

Tsukishiro Yuki decides to try the flavors for two people first.

Regardless of whether Hoshino Utsunomiya will later reach out to Emma to turn the two into three, at least for now.

She wouldn't actively involve Emma.

This is not selfishness.

Instead, she wanted to first assess whether Hoshino Utsunomiya was worthy of being a friend on Emma's behalf.

Yukishiro wasn't sure if his friend request was genuine or just another instance of bullying.

If he was actually just looking for ways to bully her, then of course she couldn't let Utsunomiya Hoshino and Emma become friends.

This is for Emma's own good.

......

As more and more people entered the classroom, Emma Sakuraba, who unusually didn't stay in bed but instead got up early to rush to school, wasn't very happy.

not coming.

It hasn't arrived yet.

Normally, the Minor Snow solar term would have arrived by now.

Was there some delay on the way? Did you accidentally oversleep? Or...?

Emma's gaze involuntarily shifted to another spot.

That's where Hoshino Utsunomiya is.

The evil she identified was a gang of thugs who relentlessly bullied Xiaoxue.

His seat was also empty.

He didn't come either.

The seeds of doubt began to swell in my heart, and unpleasant thoughts suddenly surfaced in my mind.

It seems that... there have been instances before where bullying didn't happen in the classroom, but rather started before the students even entered the classroom.

Yes, it was the time when Yukishiro was barefoot.

But that time they eventually returned to the classroom during normal class time, unlike now where the teacher is already on the podium, yet they still can't see the two of them in their seats.

...I recall another time when I couldn't see the two of them in their seats.

'bathroom'

Xiaoxue has disappeared; she can't be found anywhere on campus.

Hoshino Utsunomiya wasn't in his seat, but every time I went to the women's restroom, I could see him leaning against the wall, standing inside.

Back then, my mind was still rather slow. Every time I saw him standing there, my first thought wasn't why he was standing there, but rather the way he bullied Xiaoxue, which made me timid and hesitant.

But things are different now. Now I've mustered up the courage and decided to help Xiaoxue.

Emma Sakura's mind suddenly became sharp.

She wasn't slow-witted to begin with. Although she usually acted clumsy, it was just a facade of failure that she deliberately put on because she was afraid of being disliked.

When it comes to really thinking, Emma Sakura is second to none.

Xiaoxue was definitely not absent, and it's impossible for Utsunomiya Hoshino to be a pervert in the toilet without any reason.

The real reason, the clues in my memory, the evidence that can be found.

—This is it!

The toilet door, which I had overlooked but which was always locked from the outside in, was an objective reality!

Xiaoxue was locked inside back then!

That's why he hadn't been able to see Yuki return to her seat, and that's why Hoshino Utsunomiya had been waiting in the restroom.

The purpose was to lock Xiaoxue tightly in the toilet stall!

"—"

When Emma finally came to this conclusion, many days after the incident.

The sense of accomplishment she felt was not from completing the reasoning loop.

It's not that I feel bad, it's that I feel uncomfortable.

The upper teeth bit down on the lower lip.

How uncomfortable would it feel to be locked in a toilet?

Emma could imagine it without even trying.

That would definitely be more painful than eating alone.

I had to sit on the toilet, surrounded by the stench of urine. I couldn't see or hear anything, except occasionally the sounds of doors opening and closing during breaks.

But the noise always brought an even bigger stench.

He stood up and reached out to push the door, but it was locked from the outside, so his effort was in vain.

He tried to crawl over the edge, but as soon as he poked his head out, he saw Hoshino Utsunomiya, that bully.

I can't even imagine how desperate this must be.

...You ask why Emma knows so much about what it feels like and what she feels like in the bathroom?

Well, of course it's not because she was bullied.

It was simply because she was always reading comics and watching anime. Lonely girls often choose to eat in the bathroom. One time, she actually believed it and happily pushed open the bathroom door with her lunch in her arms.

Then, before even opening the lunchbox and picking up the chopsticks, they gave up on eating there.

...Women's restrooms are not as clean as people imagine.

The clock hanging on the blackboard ticked away, and with each tick of the minute hand, Emma Sakura's anxiety grew.

Should I tell the teacher I need to go to the toilet and then run out to find Xiaoxue in the toilet?

Should I leave work early and skip work to go find Xiaoxue, just like I did when Shiro was there last time?

I, I, I...

If it weren't for Hiro Nikaido, Emma Sakuraba wouldn't have had the courage to defy school rules and go against her student instincts.

unless.

It was when she had a strong desire to help others.

"Teacher! I need to go to the restroom!"

A blush quickly crept up her neck and up to her ears. After loudly declaring that she needed to relieve herself, Emma rushed out of the classroom without even waiting for the teacher's response.

They look very anxious.

Did you hold your hand in until your pretty face turned bright red before raising it?

Emma Sakura, I accept you.

The teacher on the stage paused for a moment, then continued the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Emma rushed out of the classroom and ran in the wind, her heart pounding, and she could clearly hear her own heartbeat.

"Xiaoxue, I'm here to save you!"

She whispered to herself in her heart.

Emma, who was running all the way, quickly arrived at the women's restroom and pushed open the door one by one with her little hands.

Empty, empty, empty, empty. There are people, but not Xiaoxue.

"I'm so sorry!!!"

She bowed and apologized, then quickly fled the nearest restroom. Emma then began to wonder where she might be.

If not here...