The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

A relatively well-known commercial street in the area.

The mode of transportation chosen was the tram.

The way to get along is through friends.

With the options confirmed, Hoshino Utsunomiya began her day's schedule.

At first, it was just holding hands.

Having held hands countless times, Hoshino Utsunomiya felt that even holding hands with friends was a little awkward. But seeing the high school girls on the street holding hands, exuding youthful energy and looking like their friendship would last forever, she thought that holding hands might not be so unacceptable.

For girls, holding hands is the true symbol of friendship, right?

Since they've already held hands, it's no surprise that they can sit close together on train seats, something that seems intimate and without much distance between them.

Ultimately, when you're with friends, the most important thing to do is to keep pushing and shoving towards them, pushing them against the wall.

Compared to that, simply sitting together is really no big deal.

This should be the distance between friends.

Since the time was chosen to be noon, having lunch was a natural thing to do, and inviting friends to eat together was a routine event.

The restaurant that Yuki Tsukishiro chose was quite unique; it seemed to be full of couples, and the sign at the entrance even had the words "Couple's Set Meal" in big letters.

It seems that couples get a discount at this store.

The discounts are quite good, and the couple's set meal seems to have a pretty good selection of dishes.

If you don't take advantage of the couples' discount...

With the meager living expenses that a normal middle school student living alone should receive from the system, even if he doesn't have any extra expenses on a daily basis, it would still be a bit of a struggle.

I hate this feeling of not having money. Even though I've been saving every penny, my spending still seems so extravagant.

It's not that I don't have money; my money is just stored in another world, and I'll be able to get it when I die.

With a soft sigh, Hoshino Utsunomiya finally agreed to pretend to be a couple and have the meal.

This is just a necessary investment.

As for why not switch to another one... this is a bustling commercial street, and cheap fast food can only be found in convenience stores.

Although people always say that when you're with your brothers and friends, even buying them a bottle of Coke is worth calling them "Dad," Yuki Tsukishiro is a witch.

Hoshino Utsunomiya felt that he should maintain a certain degree of respect for witches.

Using cheap bento boxes to get by for lunch is something that should be done when bullying someone. Now that he's trying to build friendship points, he can't play like that.

The couple's set meal has a wide variety of dishes, but the portion sizes are a bit lacking. Although the variety of dishes makes up for this shortcoming, it seems that there are no two of the same dishes in this set meal.

In other words, if one person eats a dish, that's it; another person can't taste the same flavor.

Tsukishiro Yuki explained this to him very solemnly.

Then a suggestion was made.

Let's all try some.

"Feed me some of what's on your side, and I'll feed you some of what's on my side too."

That way, both sides can have the best of both worlds.

Something feels off.

And won't they get saliva on each other if they feed each other?

To be honest, it's a bit...

"You're disgusted by what I used? I didn't mind at all! I don't think friends should care about such details, right?"

Hoshino Utsunomiya surrendered.

Since you've already called us friends, what else is there to say? Here you go.

Miss Witch, how come there are rice grains stuck to your face while you're eating?

Utsunomiya Hoshino noticed it, Utsunomiya Hoshino reminded her, and then Utsunomiya Hoshino saw it.

Yukishiro tilted her little face up at him.

It was like they were begging me to take it down.

It was just a small favor.

After taking it down, you either throw it away or eat it to avoid wasting food.

Hoshino Utsunomiya had no intention of eating the rice grains on someone else's face.

But just as he was about to wipe it off with a tissue, he noticed that Yuki Tsukishiro was staring at the grain of rice on his finger.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" she asked softly, seemingly noticing his gaze.

Hoshino Utsunomiya shook his head.

Then, Yukiko Tsukishiro leaned forward and took his finger into her mouth.

The moist, soft, and almost tooth-like sensation clearly came through my fingers.

The soft tip of the tongue moved smoothly, sweeping away the grains of rice from the fingertips.

Her lips parted slightly and sucked gently, the sensation from her fingertips sending a tingling sensation through her body from head to toe.

Hoshino Utsunomiya was stiff all over.

Chapter 49 I've Fallen into the Witch's Trap

A moist mouth, a licking motion, all combined with a witch's face.

Hoshino Utsunomiya was under strict control for a very long time.

He seemed to gradually regain his composure only after the witch finally released her grip.

...Don't worry about it too much. She just cherishes food very much and can't bear to waste even a single grain of rice.

After wiping my fingers clean and settling the bill, I was pulled into the clothing store by Yuki Tsukishiro, my mind completely blank.

The air conditioning in the clothing store was very strong; the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors was immediately noticeable the moment you opened the door.

Tsukishiro Yuki carefully selected clothes, gesturing and fiddling with them, and then shoved him into the fitting room.

The curtain in the fitting room was opened and then closed again.

"Turn around once."

He turned around.

"Raise your hand."

He lifted it up.

"Try smiling?"

He twitched the corner of his mouth.

Following the witch's wishes, they changed their clothes and outfits.

Hoshino Utsunomiya was manipulated by the witch and received new clothes.

The witch pays the bill.

Wearing the newly chosen clothes and carrying the old school uniform she had taken off, she walked out of the store.

Utsunomiya Hoshino finally came to his senses.

...Isn't this just a date?

Although he didn't know why he hadn't reacted at all before, now that he'd calmed down and looked back...

Holding hands, sitting next to each other, couple's meals, feeding each other, dressing up.

Next, wouldn't it be a good idea to go shopping again, wander around, watch some horror-romance movies, then go into a hotel, check in, and have sex until dawn?

I feel like I'm about to be completely manipulated by the witch.

Why did it turn out this way?

Exactly, all the steps from the beginning seem fine, right? But when you connect them together, it suddenly becomes clear.

Wow, isn't this just a date?

The friendship has soured, the interactions have become distorted, and it seems to be heading towards a deeper romantic relationship, perhaps even entering into an ambiguous and intimate realm of lovers.

I can no longer deceive myself with the excuse of having friends.

Even the closest friends of the opposite sex wouldn't feed each other based on simple words.

Even the closest friends of the opposite sex would not lick each other's fingers just because they are friends.

I have my own rhythm, and I have my own style of play.

Hoshino Utsunomiya should have tried hard to convince herself that the current developments were undoubtedly normal and reasonable.

But the image of the witch kept flashing through my mind—those captivating eyes, that utterly serene smile, those luscious red lips, that iron bucket balanced on her head...

Thump, thump.

The noise in my ears, the noise in my heart.

He had to admit that he seemed to have gone a bit too far.

If this were a battle of wits in love, then without a doubt, it would be Utsunomiya Hoshino who would be defeated at this moment.

But this is not a love war.

“…Thank you for today.” Hoshino Utsunomiya suddenly stopped and then took the initiative to let go of the girl’s hand.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and smiled: "I'm very happy."

The hand she was holding was released, and a feeling of emptiness immediately welled up in Tsukishiro Yuki's chest. Looking at Utsunomiya Hoshino, who had stopped, the witch was stunned.

Why are you suddenly bringing this up?

Miss Witch had a bad feeling.

“However, it’s getting late, let’s call it a day.” Ignoring the clear blue sky, Hoshino Utsunomiya said softly, “Let’s meet again at the school gate tomorrow.”

He delivered a verdict that seemed to conclude there.