Whose youth romance story begins with a witch's trial?!

Chang Rong didn't back down either, silently smiling and nodding in response.

After all, besides being the "top dog on the Leia Ranking" and "Hannah's Guardian Knight," he's also a "suspected mastermind behind the scenes." He needs to stay focused and not lose face. Well done!

[Ze Du Ke Ke]: You lured that guy into the cell and then killed him. Twenty minutes later, we heard the sound of breaking glass in the cell and rushed over to find Meruru's body. Now everything is clear!

[Nikaido Hiro]: This logic is absurd! Are you all idiots? Sorry, I shouldn't have used a question. You are all idiots.

[Arisa Wisteria]: Huh!?

(While this statement was cool, and it was satisfying to slap Keycaps in the face, could you at least consider that you're now the prime suspect? Stop breathing on other people, lady!)

Looking at Hiro's performance in the Witch Trial, Chang Rong understood why this guy, who looked like a core team leader, ended up getting the sewing machine set meal.

Even Chang Rong could directly conclude that if this guy were left unchecked, he would eventually pull off a shocking feat like 1 Ha 12.

[Nikaido Hiro]: First of all, the fact that he "rushed to the scene after hearing the sound of breaking glass" is strange in itself. If I had killed Meluru Ice, then that sound of breaking glass should have been heard 20 minutes earlier as evidence of a struggle.

【Arisa Wisteria】: So you smashed it after you killed Meruru, right?

[Nikaido Hiro]: That doesn't make sense either. I also fell into a coma after killing Meruru, so why would there be a sound of breaking glass 20 minutes later in a room where no one could move?

[Kurobe Nanoha]: ...Indeed, I have some doubts too. Judging from the previous discussions, it's hard to find a suitable explanation for this 'shattering sound'.

[Sherry Tachibana]: Hannah must have accidentally made the bottle float above the room with her levitation magic and then forgot about it. It probably fell down on its own after the magic wore off!

[Hanna Tono]: My magic isn't that convenient or long-lasting!

[Nikaido Hiro]: Secondly, the reason for my coma is also very strange. There were no signs of a fight at the crime scene, and even the footprints on the ground showed no signs of tearing or rigging. The glass shards also cannot be considered a weapon used by Meruru in retaliation. Don't forget, the 'shattering sound' only reached your ears 20 minutes after she died.

[Ryota Hasumi]: Hmm... uh, I think I understand now, it is indeed a bit strange!

(She didn't understand)

[Nikaido Hiro]: If that's the case, how did I faint? Ah, let's not talk about the sleeping pills for now. The point is that, as it stands, Meruru has no way to retaliate against me.

(Sleeping pills? What sleeping pills? Hero seemed quite embarrassed when the word was mentioned.)

【Ze Du Ke Ke】: Well, for example, after you defeat Ice Meluru, you accidentally fall and pass out?

[Nikaido Hiro]: Don't treat me like an idiot like Sakura Emma.

[Sakura Emma]: Hi, Hiro-chan!?

[Milia]: Could it be that Meruru used karate or something similar?

(I remember in the previous discussion this person called "Nowhere to Hide" could also heal people, right? He knew tea ceremony and karate... It's undoubtedly true, he's a ninja!)

[Nikaido Hiro]: (Why is Chang Rong suddenly nodding seriously at this kind of prank testimony...?

[Hannah Tono]: Meruru doesn't seem like that kind of character at all, right? Right, it must have been that gorilla woman! She knocked Heero unconscious with one punch, that's it!

[Sherry Tachibana]: Huh? Is that how it is?

(Those with perfect alibis have started voting for each other... What will our witch trial turn out to be?)

【P Second Tier Ertang Xiro】: 〆Third point~, the scene of the incident is not far from the room where (Leah and Hannah Miria were walking). How can I commit a crime without alerting the people next door? Even someone like Sakura Emma would at least scream if she was stabbed, not to mention that Meruru was definitely not killed in one blow, judging from the wound.

【Sakura Emma】: Okay, that's too much...

[Kurobe Nanoha]: While there are ways to kill with a single blow, Meruru's chest injury doesn't quite meet the criteria for a fatal strike.

[Sherry Tachibana]: I know~! It was Hannah who lifted Meruru up high and then dropped her to her death!

[Hanna Tono]: It was you, you gorilla woman, who punched Meruru through!

(Is Tachibana Sherry Akaza...? Why does it feel like a sex-themed character has been mixed into the magic test?)

[Nikaido Hiro]: These unnatural points are actually easy to resolve—I am not the murderer, but one of the victims framed by the murderer. And the real time of the crime is not '20 minutes before Hannah received the phone call,' but rather the 'strange breaking sound heard 40 minutes before' mentioned in Rhea's testimony. That sound of breaking glass is the decisive testimony regarding the true time of the victim's death!

【Sakura Emma】: So, so Hiro-chan still wants to doubt me?

[Nikaido Hiro]: Of course not. Weren't you in the entertainment hall with Noah and the others at that time? Use your stupid brain! If the incident happened 40 minutes earlier, who would be the most likely suspect?

[Sakura Emma]: Waaah...

[Wisteria Arisa]: It seems that none of the alibis compiled by Natsume Anan meet the criteria...

[Ze Du Ke Ke]: I know, it's that behind-the-scenes maneuver over there, right!

Chang Rong: Huh? (Veins bulge)

[Nikaido Hiro]: ...If you don't understand the situation, there's no need to point to a single person. It's {Kurobe Nanoha} and {Hosho Mag}. Their alibis only cover the 30 minutes before the incident; they weren't recorded for the 40 minutes before the incident.

【Hosho Mag (purple kimono girl)】: Oh dear... Is Hiro-chan planning to drag more people into this and muddy the waters? Just like you did to Emma-chan?

[Nikaido Hiro]: No, don't forget about Hannah's testimony.

[Hannah Tono]: Yes, yes! Meruru spoke to me on the phone 20 minutes ago, doesn't that prove your reasoning, Heero, is...

[Nikaido Hiro]: This proves that my logical chain of reasoning is complete.

(Hmm... is the reasoning complete?)

Chang Rong frowned. So far, he didn't think he could figure out any real logical thread.

[Nikaido Hiro]: The biggest smokescreen in this case is the time of Meruru's death. The murderer can get away with it as long as he can cover that up. If we take 'Meruru died 40 minutes ago' as the latest anchor point, then there will naturally be a conflict in the testimony, and that is Tohno Hannah's call records.

[Hanna Tono]: I, I didn't lie!

[Nikaido Hiro]: Yes, you're not lying. It's 'Meruru' on the other end of the phone who's lying. If the Meruru on the ice was already dead at that time, then that means the phone call must have been faked.

[Kurobe Nanoka]: Forged the call? If that's the case, then...

[Nikaido Hiro]: That's right. A phone call isn't a recording; it requires interaction, so it can't be pre-recorded. Therefore, the only one among us capable of forging this call is you, Baosheng Mago!

[Hosho Mag]: ...Ah, so you've given up on tearing everyone apart and now you want to frame someone else, Hiro-chan? Hiro-chan looks cute even like this~?

[Nikaido Hiro]: I've finally caught you, witch. The fabricated phone call that didn't exist, the extremely subtle cracking sound, the glass shattering sound that shouldn't have been there, killing the victim without alerting the surrounding rooms—all these inexplicable parts become clear once you consider you! That's right, your—magic!

(...)

(……magic?)

What is Mag's magic...?

No wonder I couldn't solve this problem after struggling for so long; it turns out half of the problem wasn't printed out at all!

Volume 1: Chapter 16. The Mysterious Back-Stepping Woman, the Mysterious Perjurer Man

[Nikaido Hiro]: Mag, your magic is 'voice imitation'. With magic like that, it should be easy for you to impersonate Meruru on the phone, right?

[Hoshin Mag]: Oh my, it's such an honor to receive such high praise from Hiro-chan!

[Nikaido Hiro]: Unlike me, who has no magic, you are indeed very skilled in your own magic, Mag.

(Imitating a voice? This magic doesn't seem to match the power level of the Purple Man at all. No, this isn't the time to complain.)

[Lingbao Yisheng Mag]: After all, the more skills you master, the more people you can deceive, right? Of course, I didn't deceive anyone in this case, okay? Trying to defraud or fool others based solely on such unfounded speculation is a bit too much, isn't it, Hiro-chan?

[Nikaido Hiro]: No, this is not deception, nor is it baseless speculation. I simply eliminated all the 'incorrect' options and naturally arrived at the only 'correct' solution. And at the end of this correct path, the hidden witch is you, Hosho Mag.

[Ryota Hasumi]: Uh... um... mmm...

(If you really can't keep up with the conversation, how about you just be a spectator and watch the show from the sidelines, my Lady Rhea...)

Chang Rong silently complained to himself when he saw Leia's embarrassed look, as if she wanted to say something to attract attention but couldn't utter a single word because she was a bronze-level player who had mistakenly entered the master's room.

[Hoshin Mag]: Yeah, I get it, I get it~ After all, the first step to deceiving someone is to pretend you believe it yourself. Unfortunately, Hiro-chan, your lies are useless against me. Your pretense is nothing more than a naked, shivering fledgling trying to find warmth before it freezes completely.

(Judging from the look of disgust on Hiro's face, if I were to say something like that, the warden would probably start another round of witch trials right away.)

(Information obtained: Nikaido Hiro dislikes cheesy and flirtatious remarks.)

[Nikaido Hiro]: Why was the sound of shattering glass 40 minutes ago so muffled and almost inaudible? Because your ability can mimic the 'reverse sound of shattering glass' to actively reduce noise from the sound of breaking glass. The shards of glass at the scene were created when—when you assassinated Meruru—the medicine bottle in Meruru's hand shattered!

[Milia]: Noise cancellation... Uncle knows about that! It's one of those noise-isolating headphones that's been popular lately, right?

(Why does Milia keep referring to herself as "uncle"? Is this some new trend among hot girls?)

[Hasumi Ryoua]: Hmph, that's right. Theoretically, by emitting a sound wave that is completely opposite to an audio signal, cancellation can be achieved, making the sound disappear. This is the basic principle of noise reduction. *Stare—*

[Chang Rong]: As expected of Leia-sama (emotionless)

[Hasumi Ryoua]: It's just basic idol stuff... Hmph!

[Nikaido Hiro]: As for the sound of glass shattering before finding the body? It was the same as before, except this time you used magic to simulate the sound of a bottle breaking! Considering the arched passageway structure of the underground cell, you can not only control the approximate location of the sound, but also use reflection to confuse and cover up the real sound source—yourself in the cell.

[Nikaido Hiro]: This can even explain why you killed Meruru without alerting the people in the next cell. You suppressed the sound Meruru made when she was assassinated. This is a killing method that only your voice manipulation magic can achieve.

(Wait, why does this magic suddenly feel so much more responsive and intuitive?)

[Kurobe Nanoha]: Although Hosho Mag stayed with me in the dorm until she found the body, I didn't pay close attention to her movements. But now that I think about it, that sound of breaking glass was indeed a bit strange; even I couldn't pinpoint the exact location immediately.

[Sherry Tachibana]: But there were no footprints of Mag at the crime scene. It seems the culprit is Hannah, who has levitation magic!

[Hanna Tono]: You gorilla woman, you're driving me crazy!

[Chang Rong]: If it were Miss Tono, the wounds wouldn't be so rough and messy. With her refined manners, it would surely have been a precise, elegant, and swift strike.

(Levitation magic? I wish I had asked Hiro what the other people's magic was when I was in jail.)

:{No, no mistake! Miss Suw is just like that (suw three a! This) when she makes a shot, she is only accurate and elegant!

【Arisa Wisteria】: Hey, how do you explain those footsteps?! All I can see in the paint is your and Meruru's footprints, don't tell me anything like 'Hosho Mag made a rope, hung it on the wall, and swung it over to kill Meruru'!

[Kurobe Nanoka]: If it were me, I might be able to do it.

[Arisa Wisteria]: ...Huh?

[Nikaido Hiro]: It's very simple. Margot didn't use any props, nor did she need to remove the footprints. In fact, there were already footprints on site, so they wouldn't get paint on them.

(Hey, a ready-made flag landing point? I remember that room was almost empty except for the bed, the greatsword, broken glass, the corpse, and... uh?)

Chang Rong seemed to realize something. He looked at Nikaido Hiro, who, sitting at the podium, smoothed his hair and smiled slightly.

[Nikaido Hiro]: The foothold—is me, isn't it?

(To be able to calmly and seriously articulate this CCB theory, Nikaido Hero... an immeasurable woman!)

Chang Rong stared wide-eyed at Xi Luo. If their roles were reversed, he wondered if he could have said with such righteous indignation, "I am the stepping stone of hope (physical level)."

[Sakura Emma]: Hiro-chan...! Are you... you're not hurt?!

[Nikaido Hiro]: You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. At least I can easily take down those guys over there.

Nikaido Hiro glanced at Chang Rong.