The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

In other words, he already knew I was a witch before he started bullying me.

But if we were to dig a little deeper...

On the surface, Hoshino Utsunomiya's bullying of Yuki Tsukishiro seems to be about beating up his classmate and declaring that from now on, he will be the one to bully Yuki Tsukishiro.

But in fact.

The real bullying started from the very first bucket of water I received on my first day at this school.

We cannot take splashing water as a form of bullying.

so......

From the very first day I transferred schools, he already knew I was a witch.

To put it more bluntly, he transferred schools just to find me, this witch.

Once anything becomes tainted by ulterior motives, it loses its purity.

I can't help but guess, and I can't stop speculating.

Is this relationship, which started with a certain purpose, truly genuine?

Let's put the witch's matter aside for now.

Although the witch is important, that doesn't mean the second half of what Hoshino Utsunomiya murmured can be ignored.

Those were words of 'suicide'.

Chapter 58: Yuki's Retrospective

"I don't want to live anymore," "I really want to die," "Why don't you just jump?" "I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die," "I'll perform a trapeze act for you right now"...

Humans always say such disheartening things, yet they struggle to live through each ugly day.

The more someone says these things, the more they frequently utter these words, the less likely they are to die easily and the less likely they are to cherish life.

...But Hoshino Utsunomiya never said anything about wanting to die, nor did he express any intention of not wanting to live.

Not only did he not get a job, he even started working odd jobs.

Tsukishiro Yuki knew, Tsukishiro Yuki could see, and Tsukishiro Yuki secretly spied on the convenience store from a distance at night.

No matter what you think or how you see it.

Hoshino Utsunomiya doesn't seem like the type of person who would commit suicide.

Although he looked more tired recently, that was a recent development; the thought of suicide seemed to have been there from the very beginning.

Yuki Tsukishiro was even more confused.

How could that be the reason?

Even after school ended and she got home the next day, Yuki Tsukishiro's mind was still filled with immense confusion.

Why?!

For several days in a row, Yukishiro Tsukishiro still couldn't come up with an answer.

Left with no other choice, she could only try to rethink things, not to ponder the reasons why Hoshino Utsunomiya sought suicide, but to reconsider the entire logic.

First of all, Hoshino Utsunomiya came here seeking death; he wanted to be killed by me, the witch.

So he chose bullying as a means, bullying was his way of seeking death, bullying was his way of provoking me, he wanted to use bullying to arouse my will to resist, and then accidentally kill me...?

Seeking my hostility, seeking my hatred, seeking to transform all these emotions into murderous intent.

...There are even humans who would deliberately seek death at the hands of a witch.

Perhaps due to his personality, or for some other reason, although his bullying of himself could indeed be called bullying, it was not at all excessive; on the contrary, it looked particularly interesting.

That's exactly what made me more interested in him.

Looking back, Hoshino's attempt to provoke him in this way actually has a certain endearing quality...

Pshaw, don't get me off track.

In short, his bullying was completely ineffective; it didn't provoke any murderous intent in him whatsoever, but instead provoked...

curiosity.

Yes, it's curiosity.

I don't know if it was because bullying had no effect at all, but on the day he finally took action, on the day he seemed about to explode with his pent-up emotions and smash that iron bucket at himself.

But Emma intervened and stopped him, causing him to completely abandon what he probably wasn't used to in the first place... violence?

That's questionable, but at least when he was hitting the bullies, his punches were quite powerful.

From that day on, he completely abandoned the bullying approach and instead reached out to me, beginning to transform our relationship into friendship.

Looking back now, he had already said it back then: what he said to Emma was also what he was saying to himself.

'I will only stop if they are prepared to kill me.'

After all, his purpose in choosing to bully others was to be killed by me. Once I actually killed him and he got what he wanted, wouldn't his bullying stop?

but......

If he chose to befriend me because he couldn't bring himself to kill the bully, then...

So his suicidal thoughts must not have been dispelled. He is still acting for the same purpose, still seeking to provoke my killing intent by making contact with me.

That means...

—He was holding his own hand so that he could kill himself.

One of the conclusions that Yuki Tsukishiro least wanted to reach was taking shape at this moment.

The witch was already ordering herself to stop thinking; the witch was already scolding herself to stop thinking any further.

However, as the clues gradually become clearer and the truth becomes more apparent, thought will inevitably piece the puzzle together.

From beginning to end, Hoshino Utsunomiya came with a purpose.

His words, his actions, his reactions...

Could it be that even his evasive attitude and awkward emotions, every detail that fascinates me, are intentional?

No, that's not possible.

The purpose can be hidden, but details such as personality reactions can only be the most authentic. Tsukishiro Yuki is not so blind as to be deceived by false emotions.

Everything is true.

All the motives were real, all the concealment was real, all the bullying was real, and all the reactions were real.

Ironically, all of this love was real.

At least, Yukishiro wanted to believe it was true.

After all, with the vast majority of her magic now scattered, all she can rely on is her own intuition.

"..."

Before I knew it, it was already past midnight, and I found myself walking to the other side of the convenience store.

This is the observation point I found to spy on Hoshino Utsunomiya's part-time job; it's a watchtower.

She can watch him work from here.

Checkout, restocking, cleaning...

He kept moving and worked efficiently.

After finishing his tasks, he would stand quietly in front of the counter, lost in thought.

This was the kind of expression that Yuki Tsukishiro loved to see at times like this.

A peaceful, serene expression, as if deep in thought.

Are you thinking of me? Are you thinking of me while also planning how to spend tomorrow with me?

Guessing what he was thinking at that moment was one of the few pleasures that Tsukishiro Yuki had at this time.

But now, looking at Hoshino Utsunomiya, who was stunned again, she couldn't help but think about it.

...Is he thinking about how to get me to kill him right now?

They go to great lengths to cultivate a good relationship with themselves, trying every possible way to improve their own image.

Finally, finally, finally...

Then, he personally tore everything that was most beautiful to shreds, turning the most ardent emotions into the most intense hatred in an instant.

The murderous intent fueled by the fire of hatred will allow him to get what he wants.

...That's the only explanation I can think of.

Very reasonable, very...familiar.

After all, this unexpectedly coincided with what Yuki Tsukishiro originally intended to do to Emma.

She had planned to become friends with Emma and get closer to her, but then hanged herself after being bullied in every way.

In this way, she would be able to see Emma's most intense emotional changes, and she would be able to see the kind-hearted Emma's strongest hatred for the bullies arising from her inner emotions.

...What a coincidence.

The plan that had been abandoned has ironically come back to haunt me in a different way.

His purpose was simply to die.

Ahh...

This feeling is really...

[So annoying!]

[This is so wonderful! (Happy End)]

Chapter 59 The witch will die on the seventh day of the plan.

Really...

That's so annoying.

—Yuki Tsukishiro dislikes Hoshino Utsunomiya.