Hikami Meruru's corpse was gone.
This was the result Emma obtained after exploring the "Cold Storage," and it genuinely took Suke by surprise.
"Emma, you really do have a bit of a jinxed mouth."
"I suspect I'm being set up by some dirty entity, but I have no evidence."
"I'm just a Farmer; can't I just experience a normal plot for once?"
Page after page, it was no different from a standard Magical Girl Witch Trial. It was custom-made, custom-made, do you understand?!
Wearing an expression of utter hopelessness while listening to Sakuraba Emma's report, Suke, who had just crawled up from the Garbage Chute, collapsed onto the sofa in the second-floor Entertainment Room.
Perhaps because the girls had all run downstairs to investigate the case of Sawatari Koko being attacked, there was absolutely no one on the second floor right now, especially in the Entertainment Room where they had just been.
"Please pull yourself together, Mr. Farmer," Sakuraba Emma said, putting away the bone wings on her back and organizing the intelligence on the coffee table with a thoughtful expression.
"You said before that every world is like a grape with many branches. Perhaps the timeline we have arrived in is outside of your cognition."
"This probably isn't a bad thing... I also have many things I want to discuss with Meruru face-to-face."
She had already learned from Suke that the method to save everyone was to gather the power of thirteen Witch-transformed girls and then summon the Great Witch, Tsukishiro Yuki.
Originally, upon first arriving in this world and learning that Hikami Meruru had been completely killed by Hosho Margaret using a drug that kills Witches, Sakuraba Emma had been somewhat hesitant, worried that she couldn't save everyone.
But if Hikami Meruru hadn't truly exited the stage via death, this conversely indicated that there was still a chance.
"As long as you're happy. The plan was made by you, Little Emma, and I'm just doing my best to play along with your performance."
"The way I see it, that landmine girl Tsukishiro Yuki really has nothing better to do. If she really knows thousands or tens of thousands of types of magic, why not just blow up the human government directly? Why torment you underage girls individually?"
Suke patted the Chef Uniform he had been too lazy to change out of. Perhaps it had stuck to him in the Garbage Chute, but a piece of red and black lace intimate apparel—belonging to who knows which discarded girl—fell out from a crevice, startling Suke.
He immediately and subtly stowed it into his backpack interface, preparing to throw it in a trash can later.
Really, who is working for whom here? The boss is crawling through garbage chutes in the incinerator, while the employee is responsible for happily ogling her old crush and fantasizing about being lovey-dovey.
Is this good? No, this is not good.
Little Emma, if this goes on, I really will have to subject you to some harsh labor reform!
"I don't know what Yuki's thoughts are, but perhaps she has her own difficulties," Emma said.
"Since Meruru might still be alive, we will have to continue relying on you, Mr. Farmer, to help me push the 'Trial' forward together..."
"As long as the initiative is in our hands, everyone will surely be fine."
Suke and Sakuraba Emma chatted idly, drifting from intelligence about the Prison Island to what they would eat back at the farm that night.
Little did they know, the third party beside them—that is, Sawatari Koko, who was trembling with fear and detained by Sakuraba Emma's magic, not daring to speak loudly—had long wanted to scream for help.
Damn it!
Help!
Someone come!
Sawatari Koko had never regretted possessing her magic, "Clairvoyance," as much as she did now. There is a saying: the more you know, the less happy you are.
When she arrived at the Bathroom this morning to prepare for her live stream, Sawatari Koko thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when she walked to the door.
What did she see?
Sakuraba Emma was chatting with the air? Had her depression flared up, causing hallucinations?
Up to this point, everything was still normal.
————Until an incomparably handsome man, who had the potential to become her "Oshi" if he changed into some trendy clothes, walked out of the thin air.
Only then did Sawatari Koko realize something was wrong.
That handsome guy... why did he seem familiar?
And Emma, why did she seem so strange? What did she mean by saying she could use her own magic in this world?
Wait, could they be?!
The information she had previously seen through "Clairvoyance" suddenly flooded into her mind. Sawatari Koko abruptly realized that the Sakuraba Emma before her was not from their world.
And that man's identity was even more bizarre—
Just thinking about the series of incomprehensible messages she had seen earlier with "Clairvoyance," Sawatari Koko began to lose SAN points.
It was also at that moment that her whereabouts were discovered, and she formally became a "POW" of these uninvited guests.
"Hey, hey, I say, Emma, and this Uncle... it's almost noon, right?"
"I'm a little hungry. Can you let me go to the Cafeteria to eat? I didn't even have time to eat breakfast."
"I promise not to tell anyone about your affairs! I swear on my life! Anyway, with your magic, Emma, you can put me to death at any time, so there shouldn't be a need to keep me..."
"Oh, young girl. Do you know that you are already 'dead'?"
Tossing Sawatari Koko's mobile phone back in front of her, Suke looked at her with a few extra degrees of pity in his eyes.
"...Eh?"
"To tell you the truth, I just transformed into your appearance, Little Koko, started a live stream, and was headshot by Little Nanaka during the stream, resulting in death."
"In other words, Little Koko, you are currently in a state of social death. So, it is impossible for Emma and me to let you walk out swaggering like that."
"Hah...?!!"
Hurriedly picking up her phone, Sawatari Koko flipped through the history of the live stream room, and her whole person froze completely.
She saw a person wearing her face. First, the person punched and broke the Garbage Chute trapdoor in the Bathroom. Then, with two punches, they beat Nanaka so hard she couldn't parry and fell into the Garbage Chute. Immediately after, the person ran to the Incinerator Room on the underground level and took a series of exaggerated selfies with their back to the incinerator.
What kind of joke is this guy playing?!!
If this stream footage spreads, her persona as an idol streamer will be completely ruined!
Does she have to establish a new persona? But she doesn't have that kind of monstrous strength!
You guy, are you the long-lost biological brother of that brainless woman Sherri???
Sawatari Koko sat down weakly with a dazed expression. Her phone slid to the side, and now it was her turn to collapse on the sofa.
It would have been better if she had truly been headshot by Nanaka.
If the heavens wanted to punish her, please just give her a quick end, rather than letting this adulterous couple take turns torturing her physically and mentally!
"Also, you said you were hungry just now, right, Little Koko?"
"'Uncle' isn't an unreasonable person. I will still satisfy Little Koko's desire to eat."
Suke sneered, withdrawing the roasted fish he had originally intended to give Sawatari Koko for lunch.
Instead, he took out a Sunfish from his backpack that he had originally planned to throw away to clear up inventory space. It was still flopping about vividly.
This ungrateful brat simply doesn't know what's good for her. If he hadn't dressed up as her and elbowed it out with Nanaka, following the original plot development, she would have been the one shot dead by Nanaka.
Is this the attitude she shows to her savior?
With a snap of Suke's fingers, a Sunfish appeared before Sawatari Koko's eyes, along with a dinner plate.
The orange-red Sunfish was extremely energetic, as if it had just been fished out of the river.
It even used 'Splash,' nearly bouncing onto Sawatari Koko's face, making the already dazed girl even more dazed.
"Come, eat generously, don't stand on ceremony with me!"
"Oh my. Although this is a prison, bullying prisoners is also NG behavior."
And then, at that very moment, a swift shadow suddenly swept across the tabletop.
A hooded Owl, appearing out of nowhere, grabbed the Sunfish and flew up to the high projection screen nearby.
It tentatively pecked a bite, and immediately revealed a look of pleasant surprise before deliciously devouring it.
"Extremely delicious. I haven't eaten fresh river fish in a long time on this island surrounded by the sea."
"Respected but unknown gentleman, and... let's tentatively call you Miss Emma? Welcome to the Island of Witches."
The Owl spoke in human language. It turned its head in an extremely human-like manner, its gaze sweeping over Suke and Emma, who did not seem surprised by its appearance.
It then spread its wings and bowed towards Suke like a gentlemanly butler.
"My Master is willing to cooperate with you two. I believe our goals are not contradictory."
"Let us get along happily in the coming days, how about that?"
____
🔥 We hit 140 members! 🥳 As promised, here are the bonus chapters 📚✨ 🔥
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan