What Is the Witch Doing?

"Since Number 12 dared to claim to be the Seer, it means he's definitely not in a relationship, because the Seer probably won't survive tonight, assuming the Witch used the antidote last night."

"I just checked, and only numbers 2 and 11 didn't run for sheriff. There's a high probability that there's a wolf in sheep's clothing among the sheriffs. Since number 11 is a confirmed case, number 2 is more suspicious. Let's listen to the speeches after the sheriff election and then see. Actually, I personally think we can push number 2 out."

"Also, since number 12 is the Seer, number 11 is the innocent, and I'm a good guy myself, I can just guess that number 9 is a werewolf based on our positions. But it's just a guess, so number 9 doesn't need to overreact. That's all."

"That's too late."

"Finally, they're starting to mark the wolf pits."

Hashimoto Masayoshi, with his golden hair, leaned back in his chair and turned to Kamuro Masumi, saying:

"Kamuro, what do you think?"

"The simplest way to win at Werewolf is through elimination, narrowing down the possibilities to determine the possible locations of the wolves, also known as identifying the wolves' hiding places."

Kamuro Masumi sat there meticulously, a stark contrast to Hashimoto Masayoshi attitude; she stared intently at the screen, appearing quite focused.

"Although number 10's statement was offensive at first glance, directly suggesting that number 2, who hadn't spoken yet, and number 9, who hadn't had a chance to speak, were werewolves, now that the first round of speeches has reached the middle, someone really needs to expose the werewolves."

"Besides, number 10 wasn't a random choice; there's some basis to the 'copter hiding wolf' theory and positional analysis."

Hashimoto Masayoshi scoffed and shook his head dismissively.

"I think his approach was incredibly stupid. He seemed decisive and bold, but he hadn't thought things through at all. Pointing out number 2 was somewhat reasonable, but guessing that number 9, who hadn't even spoken, was a werewolf... that shows a very low emotional intelligence."

"No, it's not that he has low emotional intelligence."

Kamuro Masumi shook her head and said:

"In a normal Werewolf game, the role of the villagers is basically to follow the role of the special agent, not cause trouble, and participate in the discussion to help eliminate potential threats. However, most of the players participating this time are the elites of their own class, which means that even if they get the villager card, they will still participate in the decision-making process out of habit."

"Because they've become accustomed to being the decision-makers over the past semester."

"So even if they belong to the same camp, they are very likely to clash, just like number 3 and number 12."

"So this game will be more complicated than we imagined."

"Because not everyone pursues ultimate victory, and the victor is not necessarily the one who profits the most."

Shiina Hiyori and Kitagawa Ryo met when they were twelve years old; their first interaction was in a public online chat room.

The two children mingled perfectly among a group of adult netizens, chatting with others about Ellery Queen, Dorothy, or Lawrence Black as if they were their own age. So they quickly noticed each other, or rather, they were both drawn to each other at the same time.

Shiina Hiyori made her first friend online.

For a long time, she was unaware that she was one of only two people Kitagawa Ryo could talk to.

In the following year or two, the two tacitly refrained from inquiring about each other's lives. They only talked about various books, recommending them to each other, teasing each other, and pointing out the flaws of certain authors.

After getting to know each other better, the two started using voice chat because their typing speed often couldn't keep up with each other's thoughts.

Couples need shared interests, because shared interests can continuously generate common topics. There are always books in the world to read, so topics between two people can flow like a spring, and even time differences cannot stop them. They often suddenly start a conversation in the middle of the night.

Just as there are twenty rules in detective novels, the relationship between Shiina Hiyori and Kitagawa Ryo also had its own unwritten rules.

However, it's just a very simple one:

You can chat freely anytime.

I may have 30,000 words of idle talk, but I'll only share them with one person.

"The third rule of detectives: No romance should be added to the story. This will only allow irrational emotions to interfere with purely rational reasoning. What we need to do is bring the murderer to the court of justice, not send a couple in love to the altar of marriage."

What's Hiyori's opinion on this?

While washing up in the morning Shiina Hiyori Kitagawa Ryo chatted with Kitagawa Ryo, who had just gotten into bed and snuggled under the covers, about their views on love.

The girl suddenly slapped a hot towel over her face in front of the mirror.

"Have no idea."

A good detective novel needs to be logical:

The methods used to commit murder and solve crimes must be both reasonable and scientific.

The truth behind the mystery must be clear and logical.

In the end, every criminal case must be able to provide a plausible explanation.

The pre-defined detectives and criminals act and perform like puppets on the stage constructed by the author, deceiving the reader before the truth is revealed.

Shiina Hiyori had always been obsessed with this literature until the incident involving Kitagawa Ryo occurred.

Reality is not a cleverly plotted mystery novel; it can have the most incomprehensible motives, the most unbelievable processes, and then be accompanied by the most magical ending.

Sherlock Holmes and Watson first met in their rented apartment, and that's how their story began.

Shiina Hiyori and Kitagawa Ryo first met in court, one standing in the defendant's dock and the other sitting in the audience.

She had heard the boy's voice countless times; it was cool yet soft, but also so warm it brought tears to her eyes.

"Regarding the defense attorney's argument that the assault was motivated by a subjective intent to protect a classmate, and therefore warrants a lighter sentence."

"Has the witness mentioned in this statement come to the scene today?"

Everyone turned their heads away, but the defendant remained standing there with his back turned.

Who knows?

The boy spoke like this, then smiled indifferently, like a bottomless abyss.

Shiina Hiyori thought she and Kitagawa Ryo were the same kind of beings, without wounds, without past events, like the white earth after a snowfall, everything was blank, waiting for each other to leave their own marks and symbols.

As Kitagawa Ryo was being tried in court, Shiina Hiyori recalled a morning when he asked her about love. The hazy feeling of waking up early was like a hot, damp towel on her face, making her feel as if life was still long and their story had just begun, like the purest angels holding each other's clean hands.

Shiina Hiyori remembered the girl's name from the argument.

Karuizawa Kei.

[Player #10 has finished speaking]

The radio broadcast beside her ear pulled the girl from her memories back to reality.

Shiina Hiyori and looked at her identity card in her hand:

[Werewolf]

She didn't crave victory; all she wanted was for Karuizawa Kei to fail.

To achieve this goal, the first step is to find out what number Karuizawa Kei is and which faction she belongs to.

Once the other person's identity is confirmed, even if Karuizawa Kei is a werewolf teammate of hers, Shiina Hiyori will not hesitate to betray them.

Hiyori Shiina pursed her lips Shiina Hiyori began to narrow down the possibilities of Karuizawa Kei in her mind, with number 3 being the first to be ruled out.

[Player #9, please speak]

Now, it's time for one of her werewolf "teammates" to speak.

The girl recalled the events of the first night; there were three werewolves on this board.

Alongside her in the werewolf faction were number 9, and...

Currently available information:

No. 3 Koenji Rokusuke

#5 Shiina Hiyori, Werewolf

No. 6 Ayanokoji Kiyotaka

Number 8, Sakayanagi Arisu a hunter and is in a romantic relationship with Number 4.

Number 9, Ichinose Honami werewolf (it is currently unknown whether she is the werewolf king).

Number 10, Kanzaki Ryuji

#11 Horikita Suzune: A good person (specific identity unknown).

No. 12 Ryuen Kakeru, the prophet

Chapter 48: What is the witch doing?

[Player #9, please speak]

"Number 9: Single Good Person Card"

"Player 10's judgment was too hasty. Positional analysis is a rather mystical theory. If you were truly a good person, you wouldn't be stirring up trouble like this."

"Your statements before were all quite good, but your last sentence made me want to tag you in the werewolf pit and attack you."

"You casually assume someone is a wolf, and then tell me not to overreact? Well then, what kind of reaction would be considered overreacting?"

"Should I say, 'Yes, yes, you're right, you're absolutely right?'"

Ichinose Honami was acting completely out of character. She came with the sole purpose of helping Class B win, and foolishly trusting everyone in the Werewolf game would only hasten her demise. What's more, she was assigned the role of [Werewolf King] this round.

As the theoretical leader of the werewolf faction, the werewolf king possesses the same ability as the hunter to take down one person, which gave Ichinose Honami the confidence to make her statement.

Although the exact identity of player number 10 is unknown, since the other party has suspected them first, they must retaliate forcefully.

Ichinose Honami understood perfectly well that no matter what role Kanzaki Ryuji was assigned in Class B, the benefit of her winning would be the greatest.

Since the werewolf faction has at most three members, if they split the 83.5 million points equally, each person can get more than 27 million points, while the good guys and the third-party faction will never get more than that number.

Therefore, I must win.

Anyway, all I'm facing now is an empty profile picture. Ichinose Honami doesn't look into other people's eyes, she can tell lies too.

"I accept that player number 12 is the Seer, since only player number 12 has claimed to be the Seer so far."

"Actually, the seers on this board are in a terrible situation. They can only report information, and they probably won't live past two nights. Plus, they'll be questioned by others."

"Under these circumstances, anyone who dares to claim to be the seer on the first day is at least qualified in my eyes, and there's nothing wrong with their statement on the 12th."

"My personal suggestion is that the thieves should reveal themselves as early as possible, at least to let us know what cards you've buried, and whether the good guys have all the divine roles. This is very important."

"In short, number 10 is practically a werewolf in my eyes. Let's see what he says in the next round."

"That's too late."

After turning off the microphone, Ichinose Honami patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing her forehead with a pained expression.

As the first werewolf identified by the good guys, Ichinose Honami felt a lot of pressure.

[Keep it up! Keep it up!]

The girl took a deep breath to encourage herself, and reached into her pocket to take out a small sachet.

The faint fragrance of Iris lingered around my nose, gradually calming Ichinose Honami's heart.

She sewed this on the leftover scraps after making a sachet for Kitagawa Ryo.

In "The Little Prince," the fox sees golden waves of wheat and is reminded of the Little Prince.

Ichinose Honami clutched the sachet tightly in her hand.

She wanted to be like Kitagawa Ryo, who led Class C forward.

She is the class monitor of Class 1-B.

[Player #9 has finished speaking]

[Player #8, please speak]

Sakayanagi Arisu yawned slightly. She was fairly satisfied with the statement made by player number 4—the couple whose true identities were still unknown. Apart from player number 1, the other players seemed to have been genuinely fooled, temporarily excluding player number 4 from the list of couples. This was undoubtedly a very advantageous situation for them.

However, even Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't determine whether the other player was a good guy or a werewolf based on their speech. Deduction requires information, and conjecture can only exist in novels. Although it is said that some people are born with amazing intuition, making it much easier to play Werewolf and guess someone's identity with just a sentence or two.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu is not this type of player.

After mentally rehearsing what she wanted to say, Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled and began to speak:

"Number 8 is also a single, nice person."

"I also acknowledge that number 12 is the Seer. After all, in this game, apart from the situation where a Thief can use a Werewolf to bury the Seer and openly pretend to be the Seer, it's practically impossible for a Werewolf to boldly claim to be the Seer."

"Well, although Cupid sometimes pretends to be the seer to confuse the situation, we have to wait until the other party confirms that they are on the third side first. Player 12 was the fourth to speak, so this possibility can be ignored. After all, Cupid who can't confirm their side should be very honest."

"As for the arguments between numbers 9 and 10 in the front row, I personally think that neither side's statements were very good. Although number 10 started it, number 9's statement was really too extreme. Doesn't number 9 know what overreaction means? Your reaction just now was quite excessive."