[Empress’s Trial: I shall punish the sinners today! #MinazukiIchika#SuzuhaKoga#IzumiKainoh#StarsFlow]
The request for witness summons from Koga was directed to a total of four people in the Miss Code server.
Natsune, Kurokami-senpai, Utsumi, and Akabane.
[Alright, let’s have the witnesses introduce themselves briefly.]
Under Minazuki-senpai’s command, the four summoned witnesses began their introductions in order.
[Hey~ everyone, Konhoshi! I’m Natsune Nanase, the idol from the shining star of dreams! Today, I’m here as a witness for Suzuha’s request!]
[Oh ho ho ho! I’m Kurokami Hikari, the most dignified antagonist! I too came to witness today at Suzuha’s request.]
[I’m Ayaka Utsumi, the kind teacher from the association! It’s truly sad that two of my friends are going on trial, but… I believe it’s a necessary trial for moving forward!]
[Akakut! The red witch has arrived!]
So, all four of them have been summoned as witnesses to this absurd claim that I am some kind of succubus, right?
…Surely, I must be mistaken about who was summoned, Koga?
Natsune is my favorite member, someone I absolutely adore. If I were enchanted by her, that’s one thing, but the other way around? No way.
Kurokami-senpai is always kind to me, but that’s just part of her gentle nature. Just look at how she introduced me to a luxury ryokan during the second-year hot spring trip.
As for Utsumi, yeah, she really does like me a lot, but on the side, she also shares a couple ring with Akabane and Yuzuki-senpai, not to mention Hatakawa.
In other words, she’s not suitable for being a witness in this context.
Most importantly, there’s Akabane. Between her and me, we’ve always felt more like rivals than anything resembling a couple.
Honestly, she’s the least suitable witness in this situation.
What’s going on? It looks like all four summoned witnesses are completely unusable.
I can’t believe Koga made such a ludicrous mistake…
Well, it’s understandable. After all, they were desperately trying to concoct evidence for such an absurd allegation, so mistakes would inevitably arise.
Ultimately, I can confidently say this trial will end in my victory!
Brimming with confidence, I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
[So, shall we start with Nanase? The trial today is about the plaintiff Suzuha suing the defendant Izumi for the ‘Succubus Izumi Crime’… What do you think, Nanase?]
It was Minazuki-senpai who had posed the question to Natsune.
Koga probably avoided directly questioning me for fear it might lead to leading questions.
Surely, it’s a good setup for me.
[Hmm… ‘Succubus Izumi Crime’? That’s quite an interesting trial… as soon as I heard it, I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.]
[So, Nanase, what do you think?]
[Come on, it’s clearly guilty… pfft!]
“Eh?”
[Can you explain why you think so?]
[Well, I don’t particularly want to say, but since I’ve been summoned as a witness… I guess I have to share a bit. I’ll keep it brief because it’s embarrassing. First of all, as everyone among Izutomo would know, recently Izumi caught a cold, right? When Hikari and I visited her in the hospital, I thought, ‘Could it be that Izumi is doing this on purpose?’ As I saw her acting all cute.]
[What do you mean by doing this on purpose?]
[Maybe tempting? Just a thought!]
-Kaino Izumi, guilty verdict confirmed.
-This is clearly Mei’s fault 100%.
“Ah, no… that was because of the cold…!”
I definitely explained last time that I thought it was a dream because I was sick! Bringing this back up is totally unfair!
I was going to protest, but Minazuki-senpai seemed completely engrossed in Natsune’s account.
[And you know what, during Christmas, I went to karaoke with Izumi, and she hardly sang at all! Normally, you’d expect someone to be on their phone, but she was just grinning at me while I kept singing away. Can this count as evidence?]
[Hmm… I think this is certainly a strong enough point.]
“That was because…a, actually, I asked Nanase to sing, so it’s not like that was…”
[My testimony ends here! So see you, Mata Natsune~!]
-Mata Natsune!
-Nanase has also fallen into Izumi’s swamp, huh…
Before I could finish my rebuttal, Natsune was booted off the Miss Code with a ding!.
This is outrageous…
All her testimonies were based on completely understandable situations back then…
[Next up is Hikari, your turn. What do you think about the ‘Succubus Izumi Crime’?]
[…Well, I could say it’s a confirmed guilty, I suppose.]
…Huh?
Could it be that I don’t have anyone on my side here?
[Nanase said just now that she visited when Izumi was sick… but I assumed Izumi would call me Kurokami-senpai. To my surprise, she called me ‘onee-chan.’… Besides that, every question I had during the faction evaluations turned out to be correct… Given all this, it’s hard not to take Suzuha’s words as misunderstandings, don’t you think?]
“W-Wait a minute! I have counterarguments!”
[Hmm? Go ahead, I’m listening.]
Finally, my chance to push back has arrived.
If I miss this opportunity, I can feel the impending 100% guilty verdict creeping through my spine.
“First of all, during the, um, hospital visit! She just wanted to be coddled because she was sick! There were no ulterior motives…! And regarding the faction exam, Kurokami-senpai made it much easier than it had to be…!”
[You claimed I made the faction exam questions easier? Izumi? That’s simply not true! My evaluations have always been fair and strict… I craft them to be unbiased and equitable. I won’t tolerate any slander against that.]
[Apparently so. Given that you’re a witness in this trial, you’d have no reason to lie.]
-This is 100% a lie.
-This lady has no hesitation in her lies.
-Does that mean it wasn’t illegal hiring…?
Everyone, including me, was taken aback by Kurokami-senpai’s bluffs, yet she held firm with composure.
[Well then, I should take my leave now.]
-Thank you for your hard work, young lady!
-This trial… it’s pretty much decided Mei’s guilty already.
Unbelievable…
[Next up is Ayaka, I believe?]
[Yeah! Of course, I think it’s guilty too!]
-From the moment Ayaka became a witness, the outcome of this trial was practically sealed.
-She’s the member who’s been claiming all along that Mei is a succubus…
“…Eh?”
Is this really how this all started with Utsumi?
[When we meet, she first acts shy and keeps her distance, but before you know it, she’s suddenly right next to me. Even when I hold her hand, she blushes but doesn’t let go… With everything considered, it’s hard not to think of her as a succubus at this point.]
“Th-That has never happened!”
-Mei-chan likely has no self-awareness about it, which is pretty terrifying!
This is absurd.
I swear I’ve never done anything like that! …I probably…!
But this whole situation relies on the flow and context.
Anything I say at this point would just sound like excuses.
What on earth am I supposed to do…?
[Well, I’m heading off now!]
Ding – the sound of Miss Code echoing again.
And now, only Akabane remains.
…Right. The trial isn’t over yet.
And since she’s someone I could possibly call a rival, Akabane should definitely have something helpful to say for me…!
[Finally, it’s you, Yukari… Do you hold the same opinion as the others?]
[Akakut! I’ve claimed on stream that Izumi is a succubus once or twice, but honestly, I don’t have any personal episodes like the others, so…]
Perfect! That’s what I needed, Akabane!
Tell them Koga, Natsune, Kurokami-senpai, and Utsumi just misunderstood!
I was sick when they visited me, and during Christmas I only wanted to hear Nanase sing! Kurokami-senpai’s faction evaluation was clearly predetermined from the start!
What Utsumi mentioned was likely…just a misunderstanding!
Yes! I’m not guilty…!
[But I believe it’s unavoidable that Izumi is called a succubus.]
“Eh?”
[Izumi tends to run a bit hot, and when she falls asleep, she has a habit of cuddling up to whoever is nearby. Given that, how could anyone not misunderstand? As Suzuha said, there’s something about maternal instincts in women that’s only natural.]
-Ah?
-At this point, Mei has no choice but to apologize.
-That’s a guilty verdict, right?
-Izumi… truly a scary girl…
-Suzuha was ultimately destined to get hurt…
[Well, that’s about all I can say. It’s time to say goodbye!]
-The world is moving toward destiny…
-Personal episodes aside, she dropped the biggest bomb and left.
-Is this for real?
-She’s definitely a succubus…
Once all four witnesses had logged off from Miss Code, the broadcast was enveloped in silence.
And it was Koga who broke that silence, calling on the witnesses.
[Based on the testimonies, I’ll once again advocate for the ‘Succubus Izumi Crime’!]
[Haha! So, I take it the defendant has no more words? Hehe…]
“I’m n-not guilty…! It’s just that e-everyone else is only misunderstanding things…”
In the end, all I could say were these words.
Right now, all I could hope for was that Minazuki-senpai would understand my sincerity.
-Misunderstandings can’t occur with just a few people…
-Yes~ guilty verdict confirmed~ Mei’s defeat~
I want to yell, “Could you be any louder?!”
Yet, a single remark cannot possibly change the course of this trial… so I stayed silent.
[Hehe… It’s been a while since we held a trial, but it’s truly filled with interesting stories. Now, let’s see what the viewers of this trial, Ichimin, Soramates, and Izutomo, think… I’ll check the votes I started earlier in the Neito!]
…Finally, the end of this trial begins to draw near.
All that’s left is to see the audience’s opinions and await Minazuki-senpai’s verdict.
After all, the critical factor isn’t the witnesses or the audience’s opinions.
This trial will end precisely how Minazuki-senpai desires…!
In the previous trials with Natsune and Kurokami-senpai, even if the viewers leaned toward their guilt, Minazuki-senpai declared them innocent.
[The voting results are… Haha! I expected this, but you lot… are simply too much!]
“…Eh? What was the result…?”
[Hehe… I’ll announce the results! For the charge of ‘Succubus Izumi Crime,’ the guilty votes are… 99 percent! And only 1 percent for not guilty!]
[Pfft?!]
“…Ueh?”
-This is serious business.
-That result was to be expected.
[But you all know, right? As the Empress, I will always render the result I believe to be right! So, Izumi… in this trial, you….!]
★
[Minazuki Ichika👑☑ @MinazukiIchika · 1 hour ago]
What do you all think about this trial?
Guilty: ■■■■■■■■■ 99%
Not Guilty: ■ 1%
#MinazukiIchika#EmpressTrial#SuzuhaKoga#IzumiKainoh#StarsFlow
[Criminal Succubus Kaino Izumi @KainoIzumi · 10 minutes ago]
Chu! So sorry for being a succubus!
[Criminal Succubus Kaino Izumi @KainoIzumi · 3 minutes ago]
I think this world is wrong.
I’m sure I’m not bad… so why…
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