The Witch Trial Begins with the OO Buckethead Zombie

Blue hair, looped braid, golden eyes.

White shirt, gray vest, black cape.

A plaid lace skirt, a small black crossbody bag, and a small suit hat.

Her slender legs were asymmetrically clad in black and white stockings... no, not black and white, but one leg wore black stockings while the other wore white ankle socks, one long and one short.

Her unique and vibrant outfit highlighted the lively energy emanating from the girl's loud shouts.

"Leave any problems to me, the famous detective!"

That's what the girl named Tachibana Sherry said.

......

Chapter 84 Where Did the Little Pig Come From?

Ryota Hasumi, Sherry Tachibana, and...

Where did this child come from?

Hoshino Utsunomiya looked at the last girl who hadn't introduced herself.

"Noah is Noah, Noah Kinosaki."

The girl's name then came to light.

Noah Kinosaki.

With her hair dyed in a variety of bright colors, the girl tied her pure white hair into lantern knots and let it fall on both sides in the form of double ponytails, dyeing each end of the lantern hair with the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow respectively.

The same goes for the bangs on her forehead, but they are uniquely interspersed with a touch of orange highlights between the blue and yellow.

It wasn't just her hair; the badge pinned to the side of her beret, the buttons on her half-fallen puff-sleeved jacket, the colorful embellishments on her black and white skirt, and her contrasting black and white mid-calf boots.

All of these outfits feature the three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.

Very...

art.

If it weren't for the strong childlike aura emanating from Noah Kinosaki, Hoshino Utsunomiya might have thought it was the outfit of some unknown artist.

However, his first impression of Noah Kinosaki was that of a 'child from who-knows-where'.

It's hard to say whether it's because her face is too young. At first glance, her height is actually about the same as Tsukishiro Yuki's, and she's probably a few centimeters taller than Tsukishiro Yuki, but Utsunomiya Hoshino still subconsciously labels her as a child.

...I think I know the reason now.

Although not particularly short, Noah Kinosaki was the shortest and smallest among the seven people present.

Not to mention that she likes to use her name as a self-reference, and her relatively childlike voice further reinforces that childlike impression.

"..."

My head hurts so much.

The pain in my chest has subsided, but my head has started to hurt again.

How did it become seven people?

Hoshino Utsunomiya was completely baffled.

It was supposed to be a five-player werewolf game, but I only died once. How did it become a seven-player game?

Arisa was gone, replaced by three almost completely unfamiliar women.

The number of people increased from five to seven, and the once crystal-clear memories suddenly became blurry.

All the previously reliable strategies and steps have now been overturned.

The self-introductions were taken over by Rhea after the owl finished explaining... That's irrelevant; what's important is something else.

position.

The seven people gathered in the reception room stood in different positions, and were arranged around the small square table in the center of the reception room.

Starting from where Hoshino Utsunomiya is, he is in a relatively deep part of the room, facing Nikaido Shiro, with the door leading to the entrance behind Shiro.

Standing to his right should have been his dearest, kind, gentle yet wicked witch, Meluru Ice.

But now, she has become Sakura Emma.

To Emma Sakuraba's right is Rhea Hasumi, and after Rhea comes his witch, Meluru Ice.

Next to Meruru is Shiro, next to Shiro is Noah Kinosaki, and finally, turning around, you see Sherry Tachibana right on the other side.

The change in positioning is significant. Is it because of Arisa's disappearance?

Previously, it was Arisa's dislike that led to Meruru interfering in his relationship with Emma, ​​becoming that obstacle, which also made it natural for him to strike up a conversation with Meruru.

Now that Arisa is gone, Meruru has no reason to get in the way, and Emma Sakuraba can naturally stick to her side as a friend.

...That's bad.

What's wrong with that? The problem is that if you don't strike up a conversation from the beginning, Hoshino Utsunomiya has absolutely no idea how to start a conversation.

I wish I were a woodworking expert.

Only at times like these would Hoshino Utsunomiya have such expectations.

Conquering a witch is as easy as breathing!

"Just now, everyone should have heard what the warden said, right?" Seeing that everyone seemed to have given their names, Hasumi Ryoya quickly stopped waiting in silence and took the initiative to speak: "If what the warden said is completely true, then without a doubt, those of us imprisoned in this cell will no longer have any chance of escaping."

"At the same time, we also need to be wary of the 'witch' hiding among us, disguised as a young girl."

She briefly summarized the meaning of the owl's words again, her gaze slowly sweeping over the other six people present.

Observe and take in everyone's expressions.

"—Hey hey!" The moment the words left her lips, Tachibana Sherry raised her hand: "I know, I know, this is what they call 'Werewolf,' right?"

"Hmph, this kind of game is a piece of cake for a master detective like me!"

"No need to think, the werewolf is definitely—" she drawled, extending her raised hand and holding out only her index finger. She then slowly rotated it for a moment before pointing it steadily at Hoshino Utsunomiya: "—You!"

"The only man in the room is clearly the highly suspicious mastermind!"

Shirley's voice echoed clearly in the living room, and everyone fell silent.

“…Um, that…” Only Emma cautiously raised her hand: “Miss Orange, just now, the warden mentioned it, didn’t he?”

"The only one who isn't a witch in disguise is Hoshino, who is male."

Although the owl didn't explain why Utsunomiya Hoshino was imprisoned along with them, if we believe that the witch in the owl's words was indeed disguised as someone and hiding among them, then there is no doubt that Utsunomiya Hoshino's innocence should also be acknowledged.

"Shirley."

Without showing any excessive embarrassment, Tachibana Sherry simply maintained her 'pointing' posture, turning to point at Sakura Emma, ​​and then repeated her name.

"Shirley."

Emma Sakura: "Huh?"

“Just call me Sherry!” Tachibana Sherry wagged her index finger and puffed out her chest. “Of course, you can also call me the Great Detective.”

For some reason, Shirley Tachibana exuded an aura of confidence and high spirits.

...I can't understand it.

"Ah, um." Emma Sakura didn't understand, but since she said that, she might as well call out, "Snow, Sherry?"

Shirley Tachibana nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it's Shirley!"

“But, Emma, ​​you’re wrong.” As she spoke, she raised her index finger and twirled it in the air.

"Who says a witch can't be a man!"

"It's a common plot in detective novels: the mastermind deliberately adds parts to the information they provide to their advantage in order to cover up their existence, but this becomes the key to their exposure!"

"The term 'witch' might just be a code name and doesn't necessarily apply to women."

After she finished speaking, the living room quieted down a bit more. Shirley Tachibana put her hands down and put her hands on her hips.

"Heh heh, how about it? Are you impressed by my reasoning?"

He made a humming sound.

Utsunomiya Hoshino: "..."

...Where did this little pig come from?

However, it must be admitted that what she said actually makes a lot of sense.

If he didn't already know who the witch was, objectively speaking, he, as the only male, would indeed be the most suspicious and conspicuous presence.

but......

Is it possible that I was deliberately set up as a target to attract attention?

Hoshino Utsunomiya put forward this conjecture.

"Huh? Is that so?" Tachibana Sherry blinked, raised her hand to take off her suit hat, scratched her head, put the hat back on, and said, "Then I need to apologize to you."

"It seems there is someone else behind this."

After Shirley Tachibana's outburst, the atmosphere in the living room unexpectedly eased considerably.

Hasumi Ryoya chuckled and said, "I also think Hoshino-kun isn't the mastermind behind everything."

"Similarly, I don't think there are any witches among us."

"I hope everyone can trust each other and not start to distrust each other because of a few words from the warden."

She was saying things that sounded very sincere.

"I will protect everyone," Hasumi Ryoya said. "So if anything happens, please feel free to rely on me."

It's a lie to say I don't believe there are witches, it's true that I believe in Hoshino Utsunomiya, it's a lie to say I hope everyone can trust each other, and it's true that I want to protect everyone and let everyone rely on me.

Hasumi Ryoa spoke words that were half true and half false, observing the changes in the expressions of the other six people.

The reasons and justifications for doing this...

It's all for that witch, of course.

If the warden had announced this after spending several days together and establishing a certain level of trust, she might have genuinely thought it was just a ploy to sow discord and make them suspicious of each other.