Whose youth romance story begins with a witch's trial?!

"Ugh...!?"

The boy behind her stepped forward and embraced the vain, dreamy young lady.

"Did you catch a cold, young lady? You've been shivering the whole time."

The voice of his own stupid, white-haired knight came through.

"No, no, I just... I just—"

Is this what it feels like to be 'embraced' by someone?

Thinking about it carefully, I realize that I've always been the one embracing others. It's all about bringing warmth to my younger siblings and stopping them from crying.

Being hugged like this...it really feels warm.

If I could have kept that company for my sister, and if someone had supported me like they do now... would everything have been different?

Could it be that our parents didn't cruelly abandon us?

Is it possible that my sister survived that snowy night?

Could it be that I could... could become...

"Waaaaah... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

The young lady in his arms suddenly started crying. At first, it was just a small sob, as she tried to hold back her tears, but in the end, they still flowed.

She kept apologizing to someone. Was it out of regret for past mistakes? Or fear of never seeing them again?

Chang Rong didn't know or ask, but silently held the overly light-footed young lady, hoping that after she finished crying, she could return to the young lady's dream.

…………

"...that, that one."

After the [bedtime service] ended, Tono Hannah straightened her slightly wrinkled, gorgeous dress while looking at Chang Rong with some embarrassment.

"What's wrong, young lady?"

"I used to... that Desuwa..."

"What happened before? I was sleeping soundly."

Chang Rong yawned and asked with an innocent look on her face.

"You've really drunk so many sleeping pills that your brain is completely ruined..." Tono Hannah frowned and complained, but quickly smiled again.

"When the time is right... I'll tell you, Chang Rong. When I can muster the courage to leave my young lady identity... Anyway, thank you for today, but don't get too proud. As a knight, this is a basic duty! Also, don't tear your clothes next time. Even if you're going to storm the execution ground, take your clothes off first, understand?"

"That's going too far, Miss Tono..."

"Hmph, if I don't set some requirements for you, you knight will only become more and more lax."

After saying that, Tono Hannah turned around and prepared to leave the infirmary.

However, when her feet touched the door frame, the young lady stopped.

Opportunities like this... are perhaps truly rare. Wouldn't it be a bit too... wasteful to end it like this?

There are still things I want to try, things I absolutely want to try even if I'm just a fake heiress—

"Well, actually, there's one more thing I'd like to experience!"

Tono Hannah mustered her courage, turned around, and spoke again to Chang Rong, who was about to crawl back into bed.

"Oh? And—of course, no problem, Miss."

Although Chang Rong did not expect Tono Hannah to make a comeback, she immediately agreed.

"……snow White"

"Ok?"

"……sleeping Beauty"

"Uh, huh...?"

"Well, it's basically that kind of plot, desuwa...!!"

"Huh?!"

Upon realizing Hannah Tono's needs, Chang Rong's face instantly turned as bright red as an apple in a witch's hand.

Ah, I never thought this guy would blush because of me... Looks like I'm not as insignificant as I thought.

Seeing the adorable sight of the white-haired boy blushing because of her 'overly troublesome request,' Tono Hannah's smile became even more pronounced.

"Well, anyway, I was just saying it offhand—"

"……sure"

"...Huh?"

Tono Hannah blinked her emerald green eyes and looked at Chang Rong in disbelief.

"If you don't mind the taste of potato and vegetable soup, Miss..." Chang Rong looked away and said softly while rubbing her hair.

"Vegetables...potatoes?"

Although she didn't know what nonsense this idiot was spouting, Tono Hannah swallowed hard and slowly approached the boy in front of her.

"Then, will the young lady continue to lie down—"

"No need for all those formalities...!" Tono Hannah interrupted Chang Rong in a very 'inelegant' way.

She wasn't sure how long this courage would last, so Tono Hannah wanted to fulfill her little wish while the 'Cinderella magic' was still in effect.

"You don't need to lie down, and you don't need to be in any particular position. You just need to lower your head... no, you don't need to do anything, desuwa...!"

Riding on this momentum that surprised even herself, Tono Hannah walked up to Chang Rong. She swallowed again, staring at the boy's dry lips, trying to calm her increasingly rapid heartbeat.

I'm the protagonist of a shoujo manga who can fly, so this kind of height... is easy for me to overcome!

Tono Hannah slowly floated up, her gaze gradually becoming level with Chang Rong's.

When the two reach the same height, their lips only need to gently move forward to touch—

"Right, right...! If it really is a shoujo manga—"

Suddenly, Hannah Tono thought of something. She quickly canceled her levitation and landed back on the ground. Then she jogged to the door of the infirmary, closed the door tightly, and quickly locked it. She tugged at it a few times to make sure there was no problem and that the door was locked. She nodded.

—That solves the problem!

After confirming that she wouldn't be disturbed by some strange guy pushing open the door like in the comics, Tono Hannah ran up to Chang Rong again.

I tilted my head back and stood on tiptoe. Although I still couldn't reach it, it didn't matter. I still have the ability to fly!

Hannah Tohno activated her magic, and what stood before the white-haired knight was no longer the 'fake fantasy heiress,' but the genuine, gorgeous, and elegant heroine of a shoujo manga who could soar through the sky.

The girl's toes lifted slowly off the ground, stopping at just the right height, then she leaned forward slightly—

The princess's curse was lifted at that moment, and the ugly duckling in the fairy tale transformed into a swan. The rich princess from the slums found her knight and prince.

1 seconds, 2 seconds...

After 1, Yi Yuanye, Leng Han, and Qi Na's small black and green cloth shoes stepped onto the ground again. Although her steps were a little unsteady, they were filled with an indescribable joy and happiness.

"Thank you, Chang Rong."

The young lady wiped the sweat from her forehead, smiled at the boy in front of her, and then, before the warmth on her cheeks had faded, left the infirmary—like Cinderella about to arrive at midnight.

"..."

As for Chang Rong, he stood there blankly, blinking his eyes in bewilderment.

He was kissed by both Heero and Tohno Hannah in one day—

Could it be that I really am a master of Galaga...?

No one could answer Chang Rong's questions, but at this moment, someone else was facing the same dilemma.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Um... Hiro-chan, Sherry-chan, Nanoha-chan... are you all alright? Changrong-kun is awake!"

Inside the punishment room, Sakura Emma stood in front of the trio of Iron Bars and Tears, speaking with a mixture of happiness and confusion.

"Tsk...Are you here to show off, Emma!"

Although he should have been happy to hear a familiar voice visiting him in prison, Nikaido Hiro still hissed at the pink-haired puppy as always.

She had finally made some real progress with that idiot rabbit, only to have Hasumi Rhea's good intentions backfire, making her so angry she was almost turning into a witch. Now that Sakura Emma had appeared at this time, Nikaido Hiro naturally vented all her old and new grievances on the unfortunate pink-haired puppy.

Unlike Hero, Sherry Tachibana, the president of the Monster Detective Club, put her hands on her hips and wore a proud and happy expression after hearing the news.

"Hmph, I knew my Watson wouldn't be so easily defeated! In the end, he'll definitely join forces with me to send the mastermind behind this prison island flying with one punch!"

"Your Watson? If you call yourself a detective, at least investigate the most basic thing like ownership before you speak."

Nikaido Hiro's crimson eyes coldly stared at the blue-haired detective.

"Oh dear... Hero seems to have a slight doubt about the affiliation of our Monster Detective Agency's members~?"

Shirley Tachibana's amber eyes were unyielding; she forgot what came before and what came after, but there was a lion in her eyes.

"Waaah, please, please don't argue at a time like this...!"

Hiro Nikaido and Sherry Tachibana start clashing over a single sentence from Emma Sakuraba, but Emma Sakuraba, who seemingly started the fight, tries to mediate.

"Oh right, Nanoha Kaori-chan—"

"Let's go, I want to go see Chang Rong."

"Woof!?"

Emma Sakura wanted to check on Nanoha Kurobe, who lived in a luxurious single room in the punishment room next door, but when she turned around, she found that the mysterious black-haired, twin-tailed jungler had somehow opened the door.

"Hey, Nanoha Kaori, let us out too."

Hiro Nikaido immediately asked Kaori Nanoha for help, but the latter shook her head indifferently.

“I’m sorry, the sin of being hunted down by the prison authorities is too heavy for me to bear alone… Please reform yourselves well. I will feed you with Chang Rong when I have time.”

"You bastard—Sherry, just smash this door open!"

"Oh dear, my magic is sealed by these handcuffs~ But does Hiro have any good ideas? How about using your concealment magic, which is comparable to Silver Warrior's, to think of a way?"