The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

In my memory, most friendships began with living together... no, wait, I mean sitting at the same desk.

The point at which things gradually become heated is the same feeling, the same emotion.

For example, whispering insults at the teacher on the stage during class, sighing and complaining when homework is handed out, or accidentally discovering shared interests.

As for more complex relationships, these involve interactions outside the classroom and outside of school, where each person begins to become involved in the other's life.

Games, food, family, romance...

They talk about everything and nothing is off-limits.

Only at this point can we be considered relatively close friends.

It is only at this moment that betrayal is made, only when both parties are aware of the overflowing desire to share deep in their hearts.

Only then can one truly cut into one's heart.

But a single slash is not enough to generate murderous intent.

Therefore, what needs to be done is clearly a deeper level of interaction.

holiday.

Sunny day.

After exchanging contact information, in their first exchange, which might seem rather special, Hoshino Utsunomiya sent a brief message saying "Let's go out and have some fun," and waited for a long time at the school gate.

His witch lady finally arrived.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Unexpectedly kind, gentle words, with a hint of a smile in the voice and words, rang out in front of Hoshino Utsunomiya.

This is the voice of Yuki Tsukishiro.

I've been listening to it for a long time, so there's no way I could have misheard it.

However, this time the sound was even more disorienting.

Because it became tainted with emotion.

On ordinary days, Yuki Tsukishiro's voice is always very soft, very gentle, and very quiet.

Nod gently and say "Mm", smile and look up and say "Okay", tug at his sleeve and say "Let's go".

At first, she hardly spoke at all.

Although he spoke more later on, he still maintained a calm, detached, and emotionless demeanor.

It was because of that voice, coupled with the smile she maintained throughout.

That's why I almost resorted to violence back then, and that's why I emotionally denounced her hypocrisy.

But this expression is fake; this incongruity is something the witch deliberately created.

Whether it was the sound the girl made when she fell on the day they first met, or the fleeting wink she gave on the day they became friends and when they parted ways.

All of this is enough to prove that she is not as hypocritical as she appears on the surface.

But even so, even so.

—This voice, which evokes such vivid fantasies of first love, still exceeded Hoshino Utsunomiya's expectations.

thump.

The voice of the heart resonates in the ears.

The scene I imagined, the image I had envisioned beforehand, the mental preparation I had made in advance, the girl's face that had already appeared before my eyes.

At the moment I suddenly looked up.

Become reality.

Even better.

How can one best describe the scene that was imprinted in Utsunomiya Hoshino's eyes at this moment?

Exquisite? Gorgeous? Dazzling?

Unable to quickly find the precise adjective in my heart, all the superfluous adjectives that made it difficult to grasp my current mood were erased.

What remained at the end.

Only two words.

'nice'

Simple, unpretentious, and sincere.

The witch put on a Western-style dress.

The dresses are gorgeous, intricate, and so dazzling that they can be overwhelming at first glance.

The first thing you see when you look up is the familiar black leather shoes, which you can feel the warmth and breath of, covered by white knee-high socks that fit snugly against your calves.

The white stockings may have covered the thighs, or they may have only covered the calves, but the prying gaze could only stop below the knees.

The incredibly thick cake-like long skirt completely covered the girl's lower body.

This is a very complicated skirt.

If only Hoshino Utsunomiya were to examine it, he could only tell that the dress seemed to be made of four different dresses sewn together.

I don't know if this is a unique design art or the result of simple collage.

But in any case, the dress is not ugly; on the contrary, it matches the overall outfit so well.

The right half of the skirt is covered by layers of black ruffles, and a simple yet intricately embroidered bodice is adorned with a delicate chain.

The left half of the skirt is roughly sewn together with three sides, from bottom to top: black, light blue, and dark blue.

Black, white, and gray.

Thus, they were pieced together.

The shawl, adorned with intricate patterns, featured a combination of ice-silk blue flowers draped around her waist and a wide-brimmed hat with dark blue floral clusters and black lace trim, which sat slightly tilted on her small head.

...At that moment, Hoshino Utsunomiya hallucinated a familiar iron bucket.

The metal bucket is usually hung on her head at this angle.

"(stamp)"

In the next moment of stunned silence and confusion, the girl raised her hand and poked his cheek with her index finger.

The sensation transmitted through the black lace gloves brought Hoshino Utsunomiya back to reality.

"...Yeah, I've been waiting for a long time." Utsunomiya Hoshino said casually, just about to look away.

But for some reason, he couldn't move it.

His gaze was fixed intently, firmly, on the girl.

He had to look at the girl's pretty face and listen to the sound of his own heartbeat.

I kept telling myself this.

Don't be tempted.

Don't be fooled.

This is a witch's disguise, a deliberate act by the witch.

She is a witch.

You must not be deceived by the witch, nor be seduced by her.

What's needed is sincerity.

But it cannot be romantic love.

Therefore, what he wanted to say was not an understanding "I just arrived," but rather a casual complaint like "I've been waiting for a long time."

After all, this isn't a date.

"Um, I'm sorry, then... punish me."

But the witch doesn't seem to think so.

Chapter 40 Calling Him by His Name

As she spoke, the girl spun around on the spot, her thick skirt swaying in the breeze.

"Are you going to lock me in the toilet? Are you going to trample me underfoot? Are you going to pour water over my head and soak this shirt like usual?"

"Hmm... but I really like this outfit, and it would be a bit of a headache if it got wet..."

"...But if I don't like it, then it's not really a punishment, right?"

As they talked more, Hoshino Utsunomiya subtly felt that the witch's character seemed to have changed.

He should have responded.

After a pause and a few moments of silence, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make you drag your skirt and let it get dirty in the toilet right away. I'll pour today's water on you later," or something else.

In short, these are words that sound like jokes, but are actually things that have been done in the past.

But he lost his voice and couldn't say anything.

Because he is no longer a bully.

and......

He couldn't bear to see the girl's dress get dirty like her usual school uniform.

Ultimately, this seemed to be the first time he had seen Yuki Tsukishiro in casual clothes.

Not counting the outfit wrapped in a bath towel, this gorgeous Western-style dress was the first time he had ever seen her dressed outside of her school uniform.

"...Where did you get this outfit?" He finally found his voice, but only asked such a dry question.

Seeing that he didn't seem to intend to punish her, Yukishiro's pretty face showed a hint of regret.

She reached out and lifted the hem of her skirt, giving a graceful curtsy as she asked:

"I've never had a chance to wear it before... How does it feel?"

"...It suits you very well." That was all Utsunomiya Hoshino could say.