Shinta Uchiha actually held no true ill will toward Nikaidou Shiro, nor did he have any negative opinions of her.
Even though she misunderstood the Uchiha clan he described, and had red eyes just like that inherently evil old man of the Senju, which almost made Shinta Uchiha have a full-on PTSD episode.
But Shinta Uchiha's intuition told him: Nikaidou Shiro was truly a girl who practiced what she preached, who stood for what was right and corrected evil.
He couldn't bring himself to hate such a righteous ally.
So… the current attacks and denials were only to pull Nikaidou Shiro away from the Otsutsuki's conspiracy.
That was all.
"You're wrong. I am not evil. Uchiha-kun, please explain yourself. Accusing someone of evil without any basis is undoubtedly wrong."
Nikaidou Shiro accepted Shinta Uchiha's challenge.
Her legs, wrapped in black silk, pressed together, her hands unconsciously clenched, red pupils blazing with anger.
If the witch factor affected her now, she'd probably summon an invincible fire shuriken to take on Shinta Uchiha's third power that he didn't even have, and finish him off.
"Shiro-chan, Uchiha-kun, please don't say that. What Shiro is doing is right, Shiro is such a good person, she..."
Sakuraba Emma raised her small, fair hand, unconsciously trying to ease the tension.
But this time, Shinta Uchiha didn't give this little puppy a chance to ruin Yuki Tsukishiro's conspiracy.
"Sakuraba Emma, you are evil too!"
Shinta Uchiha activated a two-tone Haku on Sakuraba Emma.
"Kiang!"
Sakuraba Emma let out a whimper after being attacked.
"I-I'm evil too? Uchiha-kun, what did I do wrong? I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy, but please don't hate me!"
"Huh… it's not that I hate you. What I mean by 'evil' has nothing to do with that. I won't hate you for this."
"Huh?"
Staring at the girl's pitiful little face, twisted by a single sentence from him, Shinta Uchiha felt a twinge of guilt.
But he didn't think he was wrong.
The two girls in front of him might be deceived, but every breath they took, every thing they did, could easily align with Yuki's conspiracy and brew into a tragedy in the future.
So, in terms of the matter itself, ignoring objective factors, directly labeling Sakuraba Emma and Nikaidou Shiro as evil was completely reasonable.
As for… why not call Yuki, the mastermind behind it all, evil directly, and confront the culprit head-on?
Idiot! If he said it directly, wouldn't that let Yuki Tsukishiro know he'd already set his sights on her?
If she got prepared, it would be disadvantageous to secretly stop her conspiracy.
Shinta Uchiha thought he was doing an excellent job at keeping his secrecy.
The evil Yuki Tsukishiro would never realize he was the main character stopping her big villain plan; at most, she'd just see him as a weird classmate.
And this arrogance and lack of information would absolutely become Yuki Tsukishiro's downfall!
Yuki: "..."
The great witch only smiled. She didn't want to talk at this moment.
"Uchiha-kun, based on how you helped Yuki fight against unjust bullying, I see you as a righteous person."
Nikaidou Shiro glanced at Sakuraba Emma, the little puppy who'd been hurt one second and confused the next, only wagging her tail dumbly, then shifted her gaze back to Shinta Uchiha.
"But just like I said earlier, your current actions are wrong. Explain yourself!"
"Hmph, as expected… Nikaidou-kun, unlike me, your eyes can't see that far into the future."
"You may not believe a word I say now, but time will give the answer. You'll soon see clearly who the true evil is by your side."
Shinta Uchiha pointed to his own eyes, speaking to the questioning Nikaidou Shiro, then said nothing more to explain.
Unlike the girls who flew into a rage at being called evil, as a cool, aloof male lead, he wasn't in a hurry at all. He only waited for the victory that would surely come.
Hmph, foolish Nikaidou Shiro!
When Yuki Tsukishiro's conspiracy is exposed, you will bow respectfully at my feet and apologize to me.
Then, you'll say this to me through tears.
——Himematsuri, Uchiha-kun, I was wrong, I am evil, and you are the incarnation of justice! Only you can guide this world. Please teach me what true righteousness is.
At that time, hmph hmph, the victorious him wouldn't be able to easily forgive her current ignorant offense.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I will never think Emma is evil." Nikaidou Shiro's red pupils narrowed, her voice firm.
Emma wasn't a truly good child, either.
She only put on an act of kindness, using it as a way to get close to others.
She also used more masculine pronouns for herself, or deliberately acted clumsy to attract others' attention.
But just because of that, labeling her as evil was obviously wrong.
"So, Uchiha-kun, can you tell me what exactly the misunderstanding between us is?"
"Is it because of those bullies… Yuki's people?"
Sakuraba Emma weakly raised her hand beside her, opening her mouth in a small voice.
This little puppy didn't believe Shinta Uchiha's words either.
Shiro hating herself? Thinking she was evil?
That was… completely impossible.
At the same time, she could never think Shiro was evil, or that she might have done something bad.
"Hmph."
After Nikaidou Shiro heard the second half of Sakuraba Emma's words, her movements and momentum both froze slightly.
She, who believed in righteousness and hated evil, had always protected Yuki, stopping the bullies' misdeeds.
Picking up Yuki's things from the trash can, questioning who did it.
Wiping the insulting words off the blackboard, so Yuki wouldn't have to see it and feel upset.
Holding a weapon, standing in front of the bullies, stopping their violence.
But Yuki was still being bullied, and Shinta Uchiha, the transfer student, had witnessed all of this. It was a fact.
"..."
When Yuki heard this, the smile on her face stiffened slightly.
If her original script played out, it was inevitable that Nikaidou Shiro would call Sakuraba Emma evil.
After all, with Shiro's personality, she could never forgive someone who turned a blind eye to a bullied friend, ultimately leading that friend to commit suicide. She would definitely label Emma as a hypocrite.
And by the time they reached the Witch Island,
The little puppy, pressured and targeted every day, would also bite back during the witch trial.
So, Uchiha-kun was actually right.
Was this… a coincidence?
"Class is about to start."
Shinta Uchiha made no move to help the confused girls. He only said this in a low voice, then stepped ahead of them to take off his indoor shoes, entering the classroom before Yuki.