[Empress’s Trial] Today, I shall punish the sinners! #IchikaMinazuki#SuzuhaKoga#IzumiKainoh#Star’sFlow
“What the heck, this is totally ridiculous?!”
‘The sin of the seductive woman Izumi’… what even is that?
Sure, the content usually involves the prosecution forcing a charge onto the defendant, but still…!
Isn’t this just too much?
– Guilty confirmed
– The wounded heart of Suzuh cannot be healed by any means…
Yet, in the chatroom, no one agreed with me, and instead, it started to flow into the atmosphere that I was the one in the wrong.
…But it’s alright. The final decision of this trial rests with Mina-senpai, who plays the role of the judge.
[Hmm. The sin of the seductive woman Izumi…]
Mina-senpai, who had burst into laughter at Koga-chan’s earlier words, seemed to have regained her composure and reverted to her usual demeanor.
[Well then, the prosecution claims this. What does the defendant think? I’ll give you a chance to argue back. What will you do? Will you present a counterargument?]
“Y-Yes, of course…!”
There’s no way I can admit to such a ridiculous charge…!
“It’s nonsense to say that I don’t value my relationship with Koga-chan! Right at that premise, it’s a faulty indictment!”
I can say this boldly over and over again. Among the Star’s Flow members, the one I’m closest with is Koga-chan.
And to hear such things hurts me so much that I can hardly bear it…
“If I didn’t value Koga-chan, I wouldn’t message her every day! Of all the Star’s Flow members, the one I contact the most is Koga-chan…?!”
[Hmm. I can see that.]
“Of course, Koga-chan said we should start the Build Craft when she’s available, and I did end up starting ahead of her…! But, that’s precisely because I value Koga-chan…!”
[Huh?]
[I want to know what you mean by that.]
– But doesn’t this feel more like a love contest disguised as a trial?
– Suzui’s Tehe
“The Build Craft game requires you to collect materials beforehand, so if you start late, it will just delay the beginning of the content…! So, I started gathering materials in advance so that we could build the house right when Koga-chan arrived…!”
[Oh. That does sound reasonable. But defendant, you know that the charge against you doesn’t end there, right? What do you think about increasing your cohabitant without the prosecution’s permission? Pfft!]
– Burst out laughing, lol
– This is a situation where anyone on the outside can’t help but laugh.
“Th-That’s…!”
I can counter every other point with logic, but there’s no way to argue against this one.
Does that mean I have to admit to the charge?
…No. The Empress’s Trial is just a content that forces a charge onto the opponent.
In other words, a certain level of absurdity is permitted in my counterargument…!
“It’s actually Koga-chan who did something bad!”
[Whaaaat?!]
“If she had just said from the start not to call anyone else…! It’s absurd to claim it’s a sin for saying she didn’t say anything and then calling others…!”
[…Oh.]
– To be honest, when I listen to it this way, I can’t say Suzuh is completely in the right either…?
– I mean, it’s just strange that you have to say that from the beginning, lol.
– If it’s Mei-chan, she has to prepare for everything.
Alright. The flow has shifted to my side.
If I’m going to strike, it has to be now…!
“Making the situation into one where the other party misunderstands is a trick of a seductive woman… there’s no need even to mention it! And I’ve never created such a situation…! Even if there was, I never intended it! In that case, isn’t the one who misunderstood the problem…?! No, it’s bad for a High School Student to misunderstand on their own…!”
– Oh
– Star’s Flow. All guilty confirmed…
“So I am innocent! Yes…! If there’s anything wrong, it’s the other members for misunderstanding the High School Student! More than that, if there’s anyone among our members who should be called a seductive woman, it’s not me, it’s Aki-chan…!”
That comment Aki-chan made during the off-collab, where she seemed to try to seduce me without a care. I still remember it!
[Is the defendant’s counterargument over here? Then, prosecution, do you have anything to say?]
[….]
Koga-chan, unable to say anything.
Well, my counterargument just now was too flawless for her to have a reply.
From the start, I shouldn’t have been dragged into this Empress’s Trial in the first place…
[Of course! Absolutely! There’s definitely something!]
“…Huh?”
[If you don’t collect materials beforehand, the start of the content gets delayed? That’s a ridiculous argument! The fact that you gather materials together is part of the content, you foolish Izumi!]
– That’s true
– Suzuh must’ve wanted to do Suzui’s Tehe from the start…
…Wow, she’s strong.
Only then did I realize.
Koga-chan perfectly understands what this ‘Empress’s Trial’ content is about.
The Empress’s Trial is essentially about forcing a charge onto the opponent, and distinguishing guilt and innocence through counterarguments.
In other words, what matters isn’t the truth but a one-time powerful impact.
To have Koga-chan, who usually keeps the balance among the members, sue another member?
And openly insult them by calling them a fool?
She’s tossing away her usual image to that extent. That alone was already a significant impact.
I had already lost from there.
[And I should have told you not to increase cohabitants? How should I know you’d do something like that, Izumi?! Am I some sort of psychic?!]
Huh? Was Koga-chan not a psychic…?
Today’s biggest shock leaves me at a loss for words.
Taking that gap, Koga-chan continued.
[And saying that the one who misunderstood is bad? You’re a Water Avatar, right? You’re not actually a High School Student, are you? Even counting all the third-year students, I’m pretty sure there’s no one older than you among us!]
– Oh
– She’s hitting that spot, huh?
“Y-You shouldn’t talk about a girl’s age!”
Of course my mind is male, but I had to somehow turn the atmosphere around once again.
But such efforts had no effect on Koga-chan, who was already dominating the mood of this trial.
[I’m a girl too, so it’s fine!]
With just that one line, she dismissed my argument, and Koga-chan’s passionate speech was…
[And what’s worse is that you don’t even know why people call you the seductive woman! You should reflect on that!]
She was like a warrior standing in the heart of battle.
– Indeed, Mei-chan is truly a seductive woman.
– Countless Star’s Flow members have already fallen for Mei-chan…
“Ugh…”
How… how am I supposed to get through this situation?
In the end, all I could bring up was,
“I-I have never acted with bad intentions…!”
A pitiful emotional argument.
“Starting the Build Craft early…! Increasing the cohabitant…! I did all that for Koga-chan and for the fun of the broadcast! I’m just acting with good intentions, so to be accused like this is unfair! I… am innocent…!”
But even such a pitiful emotional argument is more than enough to sway people’s hearts.
– Looking at it this way, Mei-chan has some unfair parts too.
– It’s a bit sad that good intentions are being condemned…
As if to prove this, the flow in the chatroom slowly began to shift back to me.
“And I’m absolutely not a seductive woman…! Even if I’m a Water Avatar and not a High School Student… in the end, the one who misunderstood on their own is still at fault!”
[Izumi, you occasionally do actions that aren’t hard to misunderstand!]
“I-I never did…! I’m innocent…!”
[Hehe… Looks like a fierce back-and-forth that neither is backtracking at all.]
– Such an intense trial is enjoyable just to watch.
[…Are you refusing to admit it until the very end?]
“Y-Y-Yes, of course, I can’t do that…!”
The moment I admit it is my defeat, so there’s no way I can agree to that.
No matter how much the opponent is Koga-chan, I can’t back down.
With that firm resolve, Koga-chan quietly sighed.
[Hah… understood. If you refuse to admit it, then…]
“W-Wait, what…?”
[I’ll make it so you have no choice but to admit it.]
“…Huh?”
[Judge! I request the summoning of a witness!]
– Huh?
– Witness summoning, lol.
– This trial could summon witnesses?
The Empress’s Trial had never so much as questioned bringing in witnesses before.
So I naturally thought Mina-senpai would reject Koga-chan’s statement…
[Alright. From my perspective, that seems more fun too.]
Mina-senpai accepted Koga-chan’s proposal simply because it seemed entertaining.
…Is this even allowed?
As I was left speechless by that thought.
[Everyone, please come in!]
Ding! Ding!
At Koga-chan’s words, the sound effect of Ms. Code rang out “multiple times.”
[Yay~!]
[Ohohoho!]
[Akakat!]
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