Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Please... Look at Me Properly
Although the warden had declared the Witch Trial begun, everyone stood frozen in place for a moment, all those brightly colored eyes fixed directly on Chang Rong.
A mysterious boy had suddenly appeared, dressed in expensive, extravagant clothes, standing in the chief judge’s seat while looking down at the girls with disdainful, contemptuous eyes, the warden perched obediently on his shoulder like a pet—
If this person was not the mastermind, then I would stand on my head and eat my monitor.
“Warden, um... could you maybe change my position?”
“—”
That damned bird had started playing dead again!
As always, after going “Hey! I have a plan,” then dragging him into a pit with it, the warden now seemed to have entered full slacker mode.
“Um... everyone, although the current situation makes misunderstanding me very easy, I can use... uh... I can use Classmate Nikaido’s reputation as a guarantee that I am absolutely not the mastermind!”
Chang Rong wanted to say something to reverse the terrible impression everyone had of him as number one on their must-kill list, but at the moment, he did not seem to have anything at all he could present as proof, so he could only throw Hiro out there instead.
“Hah?”
“Hiro-chan? As your guarantor? You cannot possibly be joking!”
“A mastermind who sells out his subordinate the moment things begin—how low, desuwa...”
“M-Mister, I think things are getting really weird now...?”
Chang Rong presented Hiro-chan!
Everyone’s suspicion deepened!
—Why is your credibility score so low!?
—Is that rabbit head of yours stuffed with nothing but rabbit fur!?
—Hah!
—Hah!!
His attempt at self-defense failed. The supposed mastermind and the supposed murderer glared at each other and hissed back and forth. At any rate, Hiro could not exactly run over from the speaking stand and Ora Ora him.
This was awful... But then again, Hiro had no information and no influence over the discussion, yet she had already been shoved into the “suspect” seat. Was he not in exactly the same situation?
Whether it was testimony or physical evidence that could prove his innocent, upright nature, all of it was blank. It was practically like showing up at the defense bench only to discover the only thing in your pocket was a lawyer’s badge... Hm?
While grumbling, Chang Rong casually reached into his pocket and felt something inside the inner pocket of his coat.
It was a bell.
Its structure was very well preserved. If he picked it up and gave it a little shake, it would probably ring just fine. Snowflake and white rose patterns were engraved on either side.
It did not seem to be some precious craft item, but for some reason, merely looking at the bell gave him a sense of... ugh.
A sharp pain in his brain, familiar after so long, interrupted Chang Rong’s thoughts. Although this small discovery was of no help whatsoever to the situation at hand, on the bright side, at least the next time someone presented a lawyer’s badge, he would have something he could hold up in response.
In simple terms, it was completely useless.
“Everyone, everyone—【Look at me】!”
The slightly husky yet dashing, androgynous voice of “Prince” Hasumi Reiya suddenly rang out.
Along with her voice came some sort of command that entered directly into their minds. It was a strange power, almost impossible to resist, forcing Chang Rong to look toward Reiya.
And not just Chang Rong. Nearly everyone present had their gaze drawn to Hasumi Reiya.
—Wh-what is this? My eyes are moving on their own... Is this what they call magic?
“This is my magic, 【Guided Gaze】. Well then, everyone, have you felt these burning eyes of mine that make your hearts race?”
With one hand pressed to her forehead, the Prince struck a pose that said, “Honestly, what am I supposed to do with all of you?” and announced her magic.
“Guided Gaze? But Reiya, before this you clearly said it was 【Charm Magic】. Why did it suddenly change, desuwa?”
The tiny girl in green lolita clothing, Tono Hanna, widened her eyes and demanded an explanation.
“Hahaha, forgive me, Hanna. Many people have said my charm is so great it rivals magic, so perhaps that is why I got them mixed up. Yare yare...”
—She is genuinely troubled by the fact that she is too charming? Hasumi Reiya... what a terrifying comedian!
Chang Rong stared at Reiya with wide eyes, and inwardly, he had no choice but to revise his evaluation of her.
From: 【An actor whose brain seems to have a slight problem】
To: 【An actor with a definite brain problem】
“In any case, I offer my true magic itself as guarantee. How about that?”
Hasumi Reiya dropped her smile and spoke to everyone with a serious expression.
“—!” “What do you mean?” “Are you saying...?”
“Yes, exactly. Whether it is Hiro or Chang Rong, I cannot deny that there are mysteries surrounding them, but I absolutely will not make such a frivolous judgment. Everyone! Since this is a courtroom for judging witches, then should we not all the more use evidence and truth to judge the real witch?”
Reiya’s speech was impassioned and stirring. Many of the girls, who had been noisy and lost just moments ago, gradually fell silent and calmed down.
Everyone had previously assumed, for one reason or another, that Reiya’s magic was “seduction,” but her real ability was 【Guided Gaze】. She could have concealed that information, yet she chose to reveal it here in exchange for a fair trial for Chang Rong and Hiro.
“Y-you’re right. We have to find the killer, desuwa!”
Tono Hanna nodded and accepted Reiya’s reasoning.
“Tch. All you ever do is stand up there saying cool things... but you’re right.”
The white-haired delinquent in the black hood and mask still sounded annoyed, but she too agreed with Reiya.
“That old popsicle was never some mastermind to begin with~ What kind of lame mastermind would that even be?”
The blue-haired detective, Ju Xueli, said this cheerfully.
Little by little, everyone gradually calmed down from that overly extreme initial line of thought of “Never mind anything else, let us vote Hiro to death first and then figure out how to kill the mastermind Chang Rong.”
Seeing the situation turning around, Chang Rong acted immediately:
“The me who previously thought Lady Reiya was just some washed-up actress with brain problems was as filthy, petty, lowly, narrow-minded, and disgusting as an ant. I forgot the first half and forgot the second half too, but in short, Lady Reiya is now the one and only genius-level idol I will support for the rest of my life, HOOOHHHH REIYA-SAMA!!!”
“Eh? Ah... oh, hahaha, hahahaha! A fan this passionate is a kind of unexpected trouble even for me, but I shall accept all the love you offer me, Chang Rong-kun!”
Although Chang Rong’s sudden bout of deranged behavior startled Reiya for a moment, she very quickly burst into laughter and gladly accepted this brand-new, fanatically devoted supporter, even beginning to wonder how she would cope with his nonstop harassment during life in prison from now on.
As for Chang Rong, when he looked at Hasumi Reiya’s expression—happy, proud, and just a little flustered—
Hmph. She is even easier to handle than that stray tomcat outside my house after it got neutered.
—A sinister smile of “just as planned” spread across his face.
To be honest, whatever unlucky fool named Ururu or Duduru or Gugulu or whatever had been killed, it really had nothing to do with him at all.
At worst, he had either been frozen inside a refrigerator or lying on a bed idling away. His alibi could go argue the case itself.
The only thing Chang Rong needed to do was 【canvass for votes】.
As long as he could make more people believe he was not the mastermind and feel favorably toward him, then that was his victory. And on top of that, if he could also clear Hiro of suspicion, then so much the better.
Heh heh heh. What a little amateur you are, Reiya. Amateur, amateur! To think you fell right into my scheme. The purity of you as an idol can only be described as tragic!
Still, after the Witch Trial ended, he really would have to thank her properly. Should he bring a gift? He had no idea what she might like... maybe a weird mask? If you wore that thing on your head, no one would be able to resist looking twice.
Scheming and cackling while making use of someone, yet afterward still going in person with genuine sincerity to offer proper thanks—
That was the kind of social code a qualified, mature adult ought to live by.