Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17: A Lie Pierced Through by a Lie
“...My, my. Little brother over there, suddenly interrupting someone else’s dance is very rude, you know?”
It seemed she had never expected Chang Rong to interfere in the witch trial at a moment like this, and in such a direct way. Houshou Margo, who until now had always worn that composed smile at the corners of her lips, showed a brief flicker of dismay for the first time.
And it was precisely that tiny flicker of dismay that let Chang Rong know he had made the right choice. Nikaido Hiro was not the culprit. The true “witch” was this young woman in a kimono, pretending at maturity and armoring herself with lies.
But even after understanding the justice of his own choice, Chang Rong still hesitated.
—How strange. I clearly do not even know the full truth of this case, and yet at this moment I am, to some extent, holding this girl’s life and death in my hands. Do I really have that right?
Even so...
I still have to keep going.
“A dance that is out of rhythm and full of wrong steps only bores people, does it not, Lady Reiya?”
Chang Rong looked toward Reiya.
“Ah, of course! Though even I was not born able to master elegant dancing, constantly refining oneself and showing the audience one’s most perfect side is the duty of an idol!”
“Precisely because of that, I cannot let Young Lady Tono witness such a despairing dance riddled with flaws. That is not what a qualified knight should do,” Chang Rong said, then immediately turned to Tono Hannah.
“Eh? A knight... it is not quite that serious, desuwa...”
As always, the girl in green lolita fashion hid most of her face behind her feather fan. Someone who did not know better might have thought she was borrowing the east wind.
—Watch carefully, Nikaido Hiro. This is how you win votes in Werewolf. There is no need to be too grateful to me... Why has the anger value in this woman’s glare gone up again, damn it!?
He was obviously helping. Even if, at the moment, he really did look like some evil villain embracing beauties on both sides, he was still helping. Yes.
With the “support” of Hannah and Reiya, and with the other girls already layering their “suspected mastermind” filter over Chang Rong, his words had already become argument-bullets with real weight behind them.
“Then may I hear your reason, little brother~❤?”
“My reason? This is not some childish courtroom where people can fool around however they like. I am merely stating the ‘facts’ that I know. Hikami Meruru did not like crowded gatherings, and from the bottom of her heart she rejected becoming anyone’s irreplaceable treasure. To her, this place was a prison with no end in sight. She would never truly love anyone, nor had she ever experienced anyone’s love.”
—I do not know this Hikami Meruru at all, but since she is a “healer nun,” since she is “a gentle person,” and on top of that a “hidden mastermind,” then naturally I can describe her with this kind of vague, all-purpose wording that could apply to almost anyone.
You had better really be the sort who looks soft and sweet and compassionate on the outside, but is actually pitch-black inside and treats human life like dirt, Miss Hikami Mango Pomelo Sago, or I am going to be in serious trouble.
Perhaps the trickster before him, Houshou Margo, could easily expose this string of Barnum-effect nonsense. But that did not matter. As long as someone among these girls believed it—
No. They would definitely believe it.
The human brain was the finest renderer of all. They could only accept it. They had to accept that Hikami Meruru was pure evil. Only by doing so could they numb themselves to her death and classify it as no more than just deserts.
“N-no, that is not true, Chang Rong-kun...! Meruru definitely must have thought about becoming friends with us too, because, because she was always healing everyone’s injuries, always hurting over what happened to everyone, always grieving for withered flowers... Meruru, she—”
“You are wrong, little brother Chang.”
Sakuraba Emma clumsily tried to say something, but her words were coldly and abruptly cut off.
It was Houshou Margo.
—So she still intends to keep going, even now? This is a little troublesome... To be honest, this whole “mysterious expert” persona of mine could fall apart at any moment. The more I say, the faster I am going to lose my grip on it.
“Meruru knew love, because I—loved Hikami Meruru.”
“...Huh?”
Chang Rong, who had been expecting this to turn into a direct rebuttal showdown, was stunned for a moment by Houshou Margo’s words.
“It seems you really were lying after all, little brother Chang~ But this kind of 【Lie】... this is exactly what I have always loved. No, it is the only thing I have ever had.” A smile resurfaced on Houshou Margo’s face.
“So Chang Rong really was lying after all. Noah had felt that something was weird for a while now, but why was Chang Rong lying? This case has nothing to do with him at all. Was it to protect Hiro? Noah totally does not get it...”
“Y-you-you-you little brat, what are you blurting out!? Everyone, do not mind her, kids just say random things—”
Noah, who had not spoken a single word throughout the entire trial, opened her mouth for the first time only to land a devastating filial strike on Chang Rong. The cute little padded jacket instantly turned into a tattered, draft-leaking rag, and Chang Rong could only hurriedly try to rebut her and shut the little menace up.
“Noah... do not say random things. That is 【Incorrect】...! That guy would never...” For some reason, Nikaido Hiro also covered her face with one hand and turned her head away, refusing to meet Chang Rong’s eyes and line up their stories.
“Hehe, how nice. Even though you only just woke up, you have already made so many friends. Perhaps within your 【Lie】, little brother Chang, there is some warmth that even I have never experienced. If I could, I really would like to talk with you a little longer and watch you spin helplessly in circles after being tricked by me.”
Watching the slight commotion among the others, the smile on Houshou Margo’s face grew even brighter, as though she were truly experiencing some kind of happiness she had never touched before.
And then, in the very next second, Houshou Margo put away her smile.
“I loved Hikami Meruru. She was so beautiful, so radiant, so warm—
“That I loved her enough to kill her.”
————
——
After a short, deathly silence, the courtroom erupted into its greatest uproar yet.
“Marg-san...!? N-no way? No, that cannot be!”
“You killed because of love? W-what are you even saying...? That is far too strange, desu!?”
“Mhm mhm, I totally do not get it, but girlie understands you!”
“I mean... did this girl just admit she is the murderer?! That is terrifying!”
“Old man, old man also thinks something is seriously wrong here...”
Houshou Margo’s self-detonation left the girls utterly at a loss. Only Nikaido Hiro and Chang Rong simply watched the girl in the purple kimono before them.
“The shelf life of lies is surprisingly short. At least, from the looks in your eyes, I can tell that the lie I so carefully cooked up has already rotted and decayed. Since that is the case, why not end this nauseating little game of friendship make-believe as quickly as possible?”
“Marg-chan...”
“Houshou Margo, I will not sympathize with you. The crime you committed truly exists. No matter what reason you offer, that cannot be changed.”
“Is that so? What a pity ❤ But I do envy you, Hiro. If our positions were reversed... would you weave lie after lie for someone like me with all your might, little brother Chang?”
Smiling, Houshou Margo looked at Chang Rong and asked him softly in a frivolous tone.
“I...”
“Hehe, there is no need to answer. A lie is at its most beautiful before it is exposed. An expired lie, a torn-open lie, a meaningless lie—they are all just scraps no one cares about.”
“What a pity. If only I had met someone as interesting as you a little earlier... ah, perhaps then I could have killed you with my own hands~?”
“Marg, what the hell are you still saying at a time like this—!” Hiro was just about to rush up and question Margo face-to-face when the Warden, who had been motionless until now, suddenly spread its wings, flew off Chang Rong’s shoulder, and landed atop the tip of the wooden stake standing at the center of the courtroom.
“So, are you all finished? If I had not been watching my show... coo, coo—if the first witch trial were not granted a little extra leniency, your time limit would already have run out.”
“That girl admitted herself that she is the murderer!” Sawatari Coco hurriedly pointed at Houshou Margo.
“Oh my? Since the culprit herself has stepped forward, then hurry up and vote for the execution. There should be a button on all of your phones now. As long as you press it, the execution will be carried out.”
—A button... What a vile sense of humor. And I am included too, am I?
Chang Rong looked at the phone in his hand. The screen had turned into a pale gray button, and in the center of the button, in simple and direct lettering, were the two words: 【Execution】.
There was no buffer, no room for self-deception, no way to run.
Press a finger down on the button and keep holding it there, watching crimson liquid slowly fill it up.
Accompanied by a brief sigh, as mournful as the chanting of angels, everyone in that moment became an accomplice.