Chapter 125
Chapter 125
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: I've Been Sentenced Guilty!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
How did things end up like this?
I was clearly just spilling the tea to the Cherries about my day with Verdi-chan during my stream.
How on earth did it come to...?
"Alright, court is now in session for the trial of the defendant, Lulu."
A trial in the VR world, of all things?!
And why am I the defendant...?!
I just hung out and played with Verdi-chan, that's all!
"U-Um... Your Honor. I haven't done anything wrong...?"
"Order! The defendant will remain silent. You blabbed all about your crimes on stream, and now you're playing innocent?"
"Eek!"
I timidly tried to object to the judge—no, to Yuna.
But with her banging the gavel thud thud and glaring at me sternly—well, you couldn't actually see her eyes in the VR world, but the vibe was intense—I had no choice but to shrink back in fear.
Look at the Cherries getting all hyped up.
I'm the one suffering here, and they're just enjoying the show?
Everyone's too mean.
"Prosecutor, you've prepared evidence to prove the defendant's guilt?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
Ugh... And in the middle of this, Lilith's suit is way too pretty.
I gotta screenshot this and treasure it.
Hehe, Yuki-chan in her judge robes looks perfect too.
She gives off total mini-judge vibes.
Click—click—
"Hold it! Who's making shutter noises in this sacred courtroom?!"
"Gasp...!"
R-Right.
Forgot to mute the shutter sound.
In here, screenshots make actual camera noises.
Yuna scans the room, searching for the culprit after her outburst.
Our eyes meet as I fidget awkwardly, and she steps down from the bench toward me.
"Hey, defendant! Is it okay for someone who committed a crime to come to court just to take photos?!"
"S-Sorry...! B-But the judge and prosecutor look so good in their outfits...!"
"W-What did you say...?!"
Y-Yeah, the Cherries get me!
That's right! It's not weird at all!
How could I not screenshot when the judge and prosecutor look this cute?!
"Your Honor, maybe let it slide just this once?"
"Ahem. Y-Yes, alright. We'll overlook it this time, defendant."
"Thank youuu...!"
Bribed? How rude.
Chae-yoon unnie is just kind enough to let it go, that's all.
She's the best unnie ever!
Yuna climbs back up to the bench.
Chae-yoon unnie returns to the prosecutor's table.
The atmosphere resets for the trial to continue.
I still have no idea why we're even doing this...
"Ahem! Anyway, Prosecutor Lilith, what evidence do you have?"
"Thank you for asking. If you'd direct your attention here, Your Honor."
Beep—
Unnie operates the remote in her hand.
A massive screen behind us lights up with a video.
It was footage from earlier on my stream, where I talked about my day with Verdi-chan.
『Thanks for the 10,000 won donation. Oh, where did I sleep? Just in the same room as Verdi-chan...?』
『No way. It was Verdi-chan's room, all to herself? But the bed was big enough for two.』
『I-It wasn't anything like what you Cherries are imagining! O-Of course, I hugged her tight because I loved the scent of her body wash...』
No, but why did they clip just this part?!
I didn't think much of it when I said it live.
But edited like this, it looks like I did something super naughty!
And those Cherries in the chat!
You all know exactly what's up!
Acting all like that when you get it?!
Thud—thud—
"I hereby rule. Defendant, guilty."
"I won!!!"
"Eeeek?!"
As the video ended, Yuna slammed the gavel and declared me guilty.
Chae-yoon unnie's cheer and my scream overlapped perfectly.
W-Wait a sec! Your Honor!
Guilty based on just one video clip?!
You were the one going on about the sacred courtroom!
Is there even precedent for this anywhere?!
"Y-You have to give me a chance to defend myself! Your Honor! This is too much...!"
"Ahem. Y-You're right. I lost my composure for a moment... Defense, you may speak."
Did you just admit to losing your composure?!
You glossed over it, but that's not something a judge should say!
Remove that judge right now!
This trial is invalid! Invalid!
"Yes, the defense will now present its argument."
"Unnie...!"
Ji-ah unnie stepped forward in her suit, speaking in a calm, lawyer-like tone.
A spark of hope lit up in my eyes.
I knew unnie would believe me...!
She's our eldest unnie, after all!
She trusts us members more than anyone!
Speaking of which, where's Ra-hee unnie?
I don't see her anywhere.
Did something come up and she couldn't make it?
"First, while it's true the defendant spent the night in the same bed as Ms. Verdia, there were unavoidable circumstances."
"What circumstances?"
"Yes. The defendant informed us that after dinner with Ms. Verdia yesterday, they spent some time at a cafe before arriving late at the hotel. After a full day out, fatigue made staying there the only option."
Oooh...! That's my unnie!
Her calm, logical words drew admiration naturally.
"Furthermore, friends sharing a room and crashing together isn't unusual. With only one bed available at the time, sharing it was unavoidable."
The Cherries seemed swayed by unnie's defense, bit by bit.
Of course!
What's the big deal about friends sharing a bed?
Plus, the bed was huge—plenty of room for two.
"Objection! The prosecution has a rebuttal. May I have the floor?"
"Yes, go ahead."
I was about to flash a victor's smile, thinking it was explained.
But Chae-yoon unnie requested to speak again and stepped forward.
Why...?
I didn't see any issue with what was just said...
"Your Honor, the defense pretends to defend the defendant while hiding one crucial fact."
"A crucial fact? What is it?"
"It's that... the defense attorney herself has a history of sharing a bed with the defendant!"
"...?!"
R-Right. That's true.
Come to think of it, that day we collabed on the horror game.
I was so scared I begged unnie to sleep with me.
In other words, Ji-ah unnie defending me now...
Was essentially defending her own past actions too.
Chae-yoon unnie was using that to argue the defense wasn't impartial.
I never saw that coming...!
"Defense, is this true?"
"I-It is. But that's completely unrelated to this trial...!"
"Unrelated my foot! Me and Lilith unnie are the only ones who haven't shared a bed with Lulu-chan!"
Ji-ah unnie tried to counter somehow.
But Yuna, her immersion as judge shattered in an instant, wailed like it was the biggest injustice.
We all just stared at her, dumbfounded.
"J-Judge? Please stay in character...!"
"I don't care! I don't know! Ellin unnie and Luke unnie get to sleep and play with Lulu-chan...! Not fair!"
"Hear hear! We deserve hugging rights with Lulu-chan too!"
Tell me about it.
How did the conversation derail like this?
I can't even follow the train of thought anymore.
It started with how I ended up sleeping with Verdi-chan, right?
"At this point, I challenge a duel for the right to spend a day with Lulu-chan!"
"Suddenly?!"
"I'm joining too!"
"W-What about my say in this...?!"
In the end, all legal arguments vanished into thin air.
The debate veered off into nowhere, and I tried desperately to object.
But the members kept arguing fiercely, ignoring my opinion entirely.
At that moment.
Vrrr—
"Hold it right there!"
A familiar voice echoed from somewhere.
The courtroom ceiling darkened like a night sky.
Ra-hee unnie appeared from a magic circle, vampire wings spread wide.
How did she prepare all this in such short notice?!
Totally overkill quality!
Whoa, and Ra-hee unnie's outfit is gorgeous...
Screenshot this one for the collection too, hehe.
"Everyone, calm down. No need to fight among ourselves. If we prove Lulu-chan guilty, we can all make our demands of her! No need to pick just one!"
"Whaaat...?!"
W-Wait! What does that mean?!
Wasn't I ruled not guilty?!
"Gasp! Unnie, that's cheating...!"
"Exactly, the maknae's at fault, so we demand from the maknae."
"What are you all talking about...! Our maknae did nothing wrong!"
Yuna and Chae-yoon unnie perked up, clearly intrigued.
Ji-ah unnie, meanwhile, kept defending me with unwavering trust.
Sniff, as expected, only our eldest unnie...
"Hehe, you sure you can say that after this?"
"Huh...?"
Beep—
Mocking even that trust, Ra-hee unnie raised her remote toward the screen.
She pressed the button, advancing the paused video to reveal a photo.
It was a screenshot of a tweet someone posted.
Timed 20 minutes ago—fresh off the press.
But the content...
Huh...?
Why this timing, of all times...?
Verdi... chan...?
The original was in English, but helpful subtitles made it clear.
The members, staring blankly at the screenshot, all turned to me in unison.
Even in VR, where expressions were hard to read.
Ji-ah unnie's gaze somehow felt utterly dead.
Ra-hee unnie, grinning as she watched, chimed in.
"Well? Still claiming Lulu-chan's innocent?"
At that moment, Ji-ah unnie lifted her head with resolute determination.
She looked not at me, but at Yuna, and spoke heavily.
"...The defense acknowledges guilt and withdraws."
"Unnie...?!"
My last hope, Ji-ah unnie, abandoned me too.
Drowning in despair, I reached out, but no one came to save me.
Even the Cherries reacted like it was karma.
In the end, that day.
I could only reach an agreement by giving every member a "One-Day Lulu-chan Pass."