novelraw Chapter 14 : Chapter 14
Chapter 14 : Chapter 14
Chapter 14: That’s Right, I Am a Refined Gentleman
【Tono Hanna】: I-I remember now. Meruru suddenly called me before. It should have been around twenty minutes before the body was discovered? I think what she said was... um...
【Chang Rong】: There is no need to be so nervous, Miss Tono. Just proceed at your usual elegant and perfect pace.
【Tono Hanna】: I-I know that perfectly well, desuwa!
Right, what Meruru said at the time was, “I want to hold a dinner gathering so everyone can get a little closer, because Hiro-chan has seemed to be in a bad mood lately. And since Hiro-chan is looking for her as well, I was thinking of asking what kind of gathering Hiro-chan would like.” Yes, that was it, desuwa!
After saying that, Tono Hanna nodded forcefully, as though trying to encourage herself.
【Nikaido Hiro】: What...? I never heard anything about that!
【Milia】: It does feel like something like that happened? I remember Little Coco was complaining about Leia messing around with the phones, and Little Hanna answered a call around then, but she hung up after only a few words.
【Tono Hanna】: Because I did not know what to say... How was I supposed to know what Hiro would like?
【Sakuraba Emma】: Um, Hiro-chan really likes correcting other people’s mistakes!
【Milia】: Rather, that hobby is probably exactly why Little Hiro and Little Noah had their falling-out in the first place...
【“Purple Kimono Girl”】: Hehe, girls in the bloom of youth quarreling now and then is perfectly normal~❤ But if that is the case, Hiro’s suspicion just grew even stronger, did it not~?
(This girl had barely spoken at all before now, and the moment she opened her mouth, she was already stirring the pot...)
【Kurobe Nanoka】: Indeed... If Tono Hanna’s memory is correct, then twenty minutes before the body was found—that is, within Leia’s estimated minimum time-of-death window—Hikami Meruru should still have been alive. I saw Sakuraba Emma in the infirmary thirty minutes ago. While that does not completely clear Sakuraba Emma of suspicion, analyzing it from the perspective of the time available—Sakuraba Emma’s schedule was too tight.
【Milia】: That’s true. And I remember Little Emma was helping Little Meruru organize medicine bottles at the time, right? Judging from how the medicine in the infirmary has already been sorted, Little Emma really did stay in the infirmary for a while.
【Nikaido Hiro】: Wait! How can you be sure that was a call from Meruru? And the time may not necessarily have been what you remember either!
【Tono Hanna】: H-How rude! While I certainly still cannot completely distinguish everyone’s voices, I can recognize Meruru’s voice just fine, okay? It is super distinctive, desuwa!
And right, there is even a call record here!
Faced with Nikaido Hiro’s rebuttal, Tono Hanna grew a little irritated. Puffing out her cheeks, she pulled out her phone, first showing the call record time to the girl beside her, then directly dialing the number.
Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!
A crisp—or rather, grating—ringtone suddenly sounded, and the place it rang from—
【Nikaido Hiro】: ......!!?
Hiro pulled a phone from her pocket. Her pupils widened in terror as she stared in disbelief at the phone vibrating in her hand.
At the crime scene. No alibi. Carrying the victim’s phone. Mentally unstable.
Chang Rong could clearly sense it. The girls’ already wavering hesitation was visibly collapsing, replaced by fear, confusion, and... murderous intent directed at Nikaido Hiro.
They were beginning to consider it—to consider the image of using their votes to personally kill the black-haired girl standing there, isolated and helpless before them.
I have to do something, but right now there does not seem to be a single fact here that can be changed.
—Hiro... no, she does not seem to have the spare capacity to think at all. And for some reason, she is still glaring fixedly at Emma. That look is different from before. It feels... like she is genuinely considering the possibility of killing Emma.
Does she think Emma secretly slipped Labubu’s phone into her pocket? But during that stretch of time in the hallway before the trial began, anyone could have done that.
That murderous intent is so pointed that it is hard to understand. But even so, that does not mean Hiro is the murderer in this case.
After all, if she really were the killer, then with the way I kept messing with her in the cell earlier, I probably would already have become one piece of Chang Rong here, another piece of Chang Rong there, and yet another piece of Chang Rong over there...
Although, because he had accidentally skipped over a portion of his life, Chang Rong still had no grasp whatsoever of the full picture of the case even now, he had to do something.
—Speaking carelessly would be meaningless. My credibility is at the exact same table as Hiro’s.
I need to find a way to keep the trial debate moving. It absolutely cannot stop here. And I need a method that can work even with “mastermind-level negative credibility” like mine—
Mastermind?
After thinking for a moment, Chang Rong came up with something. His face twisted awkwardly as he gritted his teeth, like someone who knew he was about to run up to the podium and blast electronic music out loud in public, and was so embarrassed his toes nearly curled holes into the floor.
This is the only way...!
“Hahaha, good, good. Truly subarashii.”
Three-part refined-gentleman laugh, plus applause, plus some inexplicable praise.
The moment Chang Rong opened his mouth, he instantly exuded the aura of a lofty, behind-the-scenes mastermind, drawing everyone’s eyes to him.
Though he wished he could dig a hole in the floor and crawl into it on the spot, Chang Rong could only grit his teeth and keep going.
“To think you managed to reason your way this far. I am truly impressed. As expected of a young lady—your testimony was so crucial, and even the way you presented your evidence was so elegant.”
“Eh? R-Really? But of course I am a young lady, that is beyond question, desuwa!”
Although Tono Hanna had no idea what Chang Rong was trying to do, she still nodded while hiding her face behind her fan.
“However, this line of reasoning is still far too immature—am I right, Leia-sama!!”
“Ah? Huh? Th-This... I think the reasoning is already quite reliable... Ahem, that is correct, my fan Chang Rong!”
Hasumi Leia was also completely thrown off by the topic suddenly being tossed to her, but she immediately cleared her throat, raised a finger, and put on an expression of sudden inspiration.
—It worked.
Chang Rong knew nothing about this case. He knew nothing about these girls either. But from their brief interactions so far, he had at least learned one fact:
As long as someone built a stage for Hasumi Leia, this girl could start rambling more wildly than a blue hedgehog-haired protagonist, willing to do anything for attention.
【Hasumi Leia】: Although the current conclusion points to Hiro as the culprit, ending things here would be far too immature! Let me think... Ah, right, then I shall defend Hiro!
【Nikaido Hiro】: ......?
(Don’t just stand there wearing that “what the hell, is something wrong with this person’s brain?” expression, Hiro! I do not know the details of the case either. Just now I was only acting like some grandiose weirdo to squeeze out a little more time for you to think. Hurry up and come up with something!)
【Hasumi Leia】: After all, even the culprit deserves the right to extenuating circumstances! Oh, right, that reminds me of something else! It was probably around “forty minutes before the body was discovered.” At that time, I was with...
Hasumi Leia truly did begin speaking at length. The rough content was that while she and the others had been in the room fiddling with their phones, she seemed to have heard a dull crack-like sound.
However, only Leia herself had heard it. Sawatari Coco, Tono Hanna, and Milia, who had been beside her at the time, all seemed not to have heard it, which was why Leia had not brought up that uncertain piece of testimony at first.
【Hasumi Leia】: Well? Isn’t this enough of a super clue to shake the entire case and reverse everyone’s thinking at once?
(I only meant for Leia to stall for time, but this girl... she is performing way beyond expectations.)
【Nikaido Hiro】: Mm... yes. As expected of a famous idol. This one-of-a-kind charm truly is an honor that belongs only to you, Leia.
【Hasumi Leia】: Hahaha, naturally! Though I am afraid that means, Hiro, you can only be second-in-command of the fan support squad. What a pity.
【Nikaido Hiro】: (Even if it kills me, I am never joining such a terrifying organization as second-in-command...!)
【Chang Rong】: (Don’t throw me into that terrifying organization as commander just because you feel like it...!)
【Nikaido Hiro】: Leave that for after the trial... But your testimony just now truly overturned the entire picture of this case. No, more than that—I should say it even gave us the “evidence” needed to point out the true suspect, that witch!
【Shidou Arisa】: Hah? You have evidence!?
【Hasumi Leia】: What, my words really contained evidence!?
【Chang Rong】: What, you really had evidence!?
【Nikaido Hiro】: (So the two of you really were just messing around for no reason just now...!?)
【Tachibana Sherry】: Eh, eh, eh?! Don’t steal the detective’s job!
Nikaido Hiro’s words instantly made everyone’s eyes widen.
No matter what, with Chang Rong stirring the waters, Hanna’s testimony, Leia’s chaos, and Hiro’s newfound resolve of “I am absolutely going to survive,” the Witch Trial began racing toward a stage of fate whose dance no one could predict.