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

Furthermore, from Coco's perspective in her first playthrough, all she can deduce is that Milia is a gentle, self-sacrificing saint (in a positive sense), but she is unaware of her 'taboo'.

The case of Bao Sheng Ma Ge did not make Liu Guang let Ze Du Ke Yi Ke react (seven, > at the same time) and also made Chang Rong (a little guilty). Who knows how many of these 'automatic explosion' landmine girls around him will be there?

But Saeki shouldn't be the kind of girl who causes trouble, right...? Hmm, why do I feel a little dizzy...?

Chang Rong lifted the hidden floorboards concealed within the crystal chamber, revealing a staircase leading downwards to the underground cryogenic chamber. However, a wave of dizziness washed over her, accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart.

The same thing happened last time. When I and the president of the company came to search the frozen room, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cellar, cold and piercing, instinctively resisting nausea.

But this time the feeling seemed even more intense. When facing the dark, downward-sloping staircase, Chang Rong felt as if the wooden planks under her feet had turned into cotton, and she uncontrollably fell forward.

"Ugh—" "Xiao Rong! Watch out!!"

Saeki Miria, who was standing nearby, immediately reached out and grabbed Chang Rong, pulling him back from the hidden staircase.

"Wow... Thank you so much, Saeki-kun."

Chang Rong blinked and shook her head, trying to clear her head.

"I really can't go without eating for several days in a row anymore. I feel like I've gotten so weak lately. Anyway, let's hurry up and go see Saeki-kun before lunch."

Chang Rong patted his cheeks, preparing to continue down to the underground freezer, but before he could take a step, Saeki Miria blocked the ladder.

"Xiao Rong, what you need to do now is not to explore underground, but to rest immediately!"

"Huh? No need, I slept really well last night," Chang Rong said, tilting her head.

"This isn't a question of 'whether to use it or not,' but rather my requirement for you as someone who's been through it all!"

Saeki Miria's tone was uncharacteristically firm and serious, a departure from her usual timid manner.

In other words, Saeki Miria instantly transformed from a 'humble office worker who dared not argue when scolded by her boss' into a 'tyrannical senior who lashed out at subordinates who failed to perform their duties'.

"This is making a mountain out of a molehill, Saeki-kun. I know my body very well—" Thump!

Saeki Miria closed the hidden staircase, then locked the door to the Crystal Chamber from the inside. She then hid the key in the 'Absolutely Do Not Touch' gap in front of Chang Rong, before plopping down on the sofa next to her, patting her legs together, and looking at Chang Rong.

"You're not allowed to go out until you're asleep!"

"……what?"

The only 'ordinary Galaga heroine' seems to have disappeared at this moment.

Volume 1: Chapter 91. Two People Losing Into Physical Pleasure

"Alright, Xiao Rong, what you need most right now isn't finding clues to the truth, but to rest immediately!"

"Uh... this..."

Chang Rong admired a certain law student who was adopted by a local tycoon and aspired to replace him by defeating the tycoon's son. However, the student ultimately ended up being dragged into Tokyo Bay by the tycoon's son. This student's words echoed a certain sentiment:

"The more shrewd a person is at scheming, the more likely they are to fall into unexpected predicaments and lose all their previous efforts."

Clearly, his overly clever schemes have backfired, trapping him in a bizarre room where he can't leave unless he sleeps.

Chang Rong didn't know much about Saeki Miria, but from their previous interactions, he knew that Miria was the most stable and 'most normal' among this group of god-like candidates for witches.

She won't suddenly bark and pounce on you, kissing, rubbing, and licking you; she won't inexplicably transform into a witch, grab a ruler, and repeat herself with a vertical slash; and she certainly won't come over with a grin and say, "I've made a pact with the gods to punch you to death, Feng."

Although her attire is as bold and unrestrained as a sexy woman, Milia's personality is that of a typical middle-aged person—a peacemaker who tries to smooth things over and avoid conflict. She can even stand up and speak well of Hiro (the witch's trial) simply because she feels that "everyone is criticizing Hiro."

But even though Chang Rong thought there would be "absolutely no mistakes," just like when there was a fragment to organize, he would organize the fragment; when there was a shield to poke, he would poke; when there was a black smash, he would use the black smash. In the end, something still went wrong.

"What's wrong, Xiao Rong? Do you think this old man smells like an old person... or is it that this old man is just too unpopular and has only embarrassed himself..."

Seeing Chang Rong still hesitating, Saeki Miria showed a disappointed expression. Her light blue eyes drooped slightly, and she placed one hand on the corner of her eye, as if wiping away a small tear. She looked like a helpless mother who could only watch her son spend his days in gangs, playing marbles, smoking, drinking, and getting perms, powerless to correct his behavior.

"No, no, no, that's not true!"

Chang Rong quickly waved his hand in denial, then walked somewhat stiffly to Saeki Miria's side and sat down on the other side of the sofa.

"Well……"

She had already prepared to rest her head on his lap, but the white-haired boy didn't appreciate it at all and just sat to the side, which made Saeki Miria frown with some disappointment.

However, she also realized that the white-haired boy in front of her wasn't the type who spent years blocking bridges and would pounce on any woman he saw, calling her "Mom." So maintaining a certain distance for now was fine. If she rushed things, she might scare him into a panic and he might just jump out the window in a daze…

"..."

Chang Rong and Saeki Miria sat side by side on the sofa, and for a moment the atmosphere became somewhat strange and awkward.

"Well, that thing!" "Speaking of which—"

Seemingly sensing that letting the silence continue wasn't good, Chang Rong tried to find a topic to talk about, only to bump into Saeki Miria, who shared the same idea. After a brief hum, the two returned to their mode of mutual silence.

—This, this isn't right, is it?

Sitting on the sofa, Chang Rong was frantically wondering if she should have just snuggled into Milia's arms and lay down instead.

Originally, Saeki and I were the perfect 'acquaintances who could chat when we met'. Logically speaking, we were the perfect match to avoid trouble and get down to business without causing a chain reaction that would make others complain.

While others might not know, Chang Rong was certain that if she really went for a walk and picked mushrooms with Sakura Emma, ​​Nikaido Hiro would definitely feel more pressure when they returned. The little squabbles between the two of them had been ongoing ever since she arrived.

The only difference is that at first, it was Heero who was unilaterally angry at Emma, ​​but after spending time together, the two of them have started to compete with each other.

Hmm... I guess it's a kind of relationship improvement. It can't be that the cats and dogs ignored their old grudges and started fighting over food by breathing on each other instead... Their relationship must have improved again, that's right.

In short, Milia, whom he barely knew, suddenly threw out a "fan service" scene that shouldn't have been triggered by their current level of affection, which overwhelmed Chang Rong's brain for a moment, and he instinctively chose to keep his distance. But his action only made things more awkward between them.

Why did you lock the door and make me sleep on your lap?! That's not how it works in Galaguer! You should have shown your lawyer's badge first, let me whip you a couple of times before re-interrogating you, and then finally fed you the Cold Killer Z. Only after I got sleepy should you have put me on your lap for a knee pillow!

"Um... I'm sorry, Xiao Rong. Did I scare you, Uncle?"

Saeki Miria spoke again, awkwardly rubbing her cheek with one hand while cautiously glancing at the white-haired boy beside her.

"Well, in a sense, I was indeed startled... I thought Saeki-san wouldn't act in such an eccentric way."

Although Hiro wouldn't normally do such extreme things, if she decided that the idiot rabbit in front of her needed rest, who knows what kind of terrible things this guy would do while repeating "that's right"? He might even tie her up and throw her on the bed.

The president... I always felt like she was some kind of superhuman who could punch herself and instantly enter a high-quality sleep and rest mode.

Naoya Kaori might add a mysterious little powder to the white bread (without the word "bread"), so that she can escape and go straight to sleep, while she waits nearby.

Emma and Hannah have already done it.

The only exception was Saeki Miria. I never imagined that she would just pat her thigh and let me face her directly. Isn't that ridiculous?

"Well... how should I put it... hehehe, I'm a little anxious too, aren't I? Because I see a reflection of myself in Xiao Rong."

Saeki Miria's tone was somewhat dejected. Her usual hesitant, fearful voice, as if she had just finished overtime, was gradually being masked by the natural demeanor of a young girl like Saeki Miria. And this young Miria—her words were filled with unease and inferiority.

"shadow?"

Chang Rong realized that Milia's words seemed to contain a certain kind of enlightenment, which made him stop wandering his gaze and turn to look at the blonde bombshell next to him.

"Hmm... how should I put it? Xiao Rong, the feeling you give me right now is like, well... like you're forcing yourself to move forward, but inside you're wavering as if you want to give up... If this continues, Xiao Rong, you'll definitely collapse first. Because... because I've experienced something similar before."

Saeki Miria gave Chang Rong a smile, but the smile on her face could hardly be described as 'radiant'; it looked more like a forced one.

—Is it because she recalled memories she didn't want to remember? Even though she wanted to completely bury and forget, Saeki-san chose to bring those memories back up for my sake…

"This, um... this is just a story that the uncle heard secondhand, okay? It's about the uncle's friend—that's right, just the uncle's friend's story! Xiao Rong, just treat it as a boring bedtime story, okay?"

"If you're feeling unwell, Saeki-kun, it's okay if you don't say anything. There's no need for you to—"

"Oh dear... Uncle actually thinks it would be better to say it out loud, after all... An'an and Coco have left, and Uncle actually wants to complain a little."

Milia interrupted Chang Rong with a smile, and the latter nodded and said nothing more.

Although I don't know if Saeki really wanted to confide in someone about her pent-up emotions, or if it was just an excuse to comfort herself, I should respect her choice now and be a silent listener.

"Well... it wasn't really a very interesting story, in fact, it was rather boring—"

Saeki Miria gave an awkward laugh, pretending to put on armor, and then used one hand to twirl and fiddle with her hair to ease the embarrassment before slowly recounting the story of 'a friend of hers'.

The story itself isn't exactly 'exciting'. 'Milia's friend' was a celebrity in her class's social circle because of her outstanding figure and face, as well as her great sense of style. She also had her own little group of friends.

At first, everything was normal. Milia enjoyed the attention she received in class while chatting idly in her own little circle. Although her words inevitably carried a hint of 'superiority,' there was nothing she could do about it. After all, Milia was such an outstanding girl; it wasn't 'superiority,' just an unintentional statement of fact. She believed everyone could understand, right?

Maintaining a 'cute girl' image in front of classmates, then laughing at those ridiculous students who are infatuated with her within her own circle, is something every girl goes through during puberty, right? So it's really not a big deal; that's what youth is all about!

But—I don't know why. Was it some unintentional 'truth' I uttered? Or was it a 'little prank' I played on someone I admired that no one would care about? Or was it just a completely unexpected disaster?

Saeki Miria was unaware of this; all she knew was that one day when she entered the classroom, she was no longer met with envious and kind glances, but rather with the kind of disgust one feels when seeing flies or centipedes.

Not only classmates, but even his own social media accounts were bombarded with a barrage of private messages, all filled with vile insults and mockery, and even vicious curses directed at him.

Milia felt breathless. She couldn't understand what had happened until she skipped school and returned home, only to find that her chat history within her "small circle" had been screenshotted and forwarded by some of her close friends. It first circulated on campus, then was used as a "negative example" by some video creators for criticism and attack, and finally evolved into a barrage of insults and condemnation across almost half of the internet.

Even though her three statements (which didn't harm anyone) were objective facts, and even others in her small circle praised and agreed with her words... why did it end up like this? All she did was casually comment that her classmates were country bumpkins, that her homeroom teacher's every word and action seemed like that of an idiot, that she advised her best friend to dress up a bit so she wouldn't look so shabby, and that she noted in a selfie that she didn't use a beauty filter, unlike her friends...

Her own unconscious act of 'recording her youth' ironically became the bullet that ended her youth, piercing through the heart of a girl named Saeki Miria.

She had considered being 'strong' and ignoring the rumors and malicious slander, continuing her campus life. So she pretended everything was fine, forcing herself to stay positive when faced with concerned inquiries from her family and friends, trying to maintain her original perfect and beautiful image.

But Milia's inner strength wasn't as formidable as she portrayed. This forced, fragile resilience ultimately led to her complete breakdown, causing her to flee school and all social interaction. She even went so far as to stand before the train tracks, watching the approaching tram, contemplating suicide—

"Just as I was about to throw myself on the train tracks, a man in a suit suddenly rushed out and grabbed me—that's when I activated the [Exchange Magic], which I had only used once when I was a child and had kept sealed away because of fear. To be honest, I thought I was really done for, but the man in the suit wasn't surprised at all!"

"That uncle said that the people around him are either mediums who can possess the dead, or people who carry whips around and whip randomly, or people who automatically pick up whatever they see, so it's not strange that they switch bodies—but, uncle, I find it very strange... However, after the uncle in the suit found out what happened, he told me to stay at his office during the day, saying that the office itself doesn't have much business, and that I could switch back to my body after school so that he could handle the school matters."

"Later, the online discussion was quickly overshadowed by 'The Witch's Ghost Story,' and everyone suddenly lost interest in me. On the contrary, after I swapped bodies with the uncle, I was inexplicably dragged into court to defend a death row inmate... Waaaaah, thinking about it now is really terrifying! If I said the wrong thing, I would get a wig slapped in the face, whipped, splashed with coffee, forced to listen to a guitar solo, and witnesses would inexplicably pull out bombs and stuff like that... These experiences are so boring that I won't go into them."

"In short, after being tempered by the darkness and reality of those courtrooms, I suddenly realized that my previous experiences were actually insignificant!"

"..."

Yiling (Yi?? Qi Siwu Jiusi) asked, "What, what's wrong, Xiaorong?"

After telling her story, Saeki Miria noticed that the white-haired boy beside her was also looking at her with a look of utter dismay.

"...Uh, it's nothing."

—Why was the part you were really concerned about glossed over in just one sentence?! Tell me how you were dragged into court with zero experience to defend all sorts of strange witnesses and confront genius prosecutors, and still managed to win every case!

Chang Rong felt a kind of agonizing feeling, like watching Lu Mingfei play 29 episodes of StarCraft, finally receiving his acceptance letter from Kassel College, only to have the next episode suddenly jump to "For Your Sake".

but……

“Thank you for telling me all this, Saeki-kun. Um… normally I should also share some of my own past secrets, but I don’t seem to have anything to say right now…”

Chang Rong awkwardly rubbed her hair. In a sense, this heart-to-heart talk was no different from a courtroom defense.

Milia must have been prepared before giving me her testimony, but unfortunately, I feel like I've just been hit on the back of the head with a fire extinguisher and forced to reset my stats. All I can find on my body is the lawyer's bell.

"Haha... Uncle, I didn't say this to exchange stories with others. On the contrary, I should thank Xiao Rong. Although I often accompanied Xiao An to watch movies, Xiao An also had her own troubles and couldn't listen to my boring complaints like this. On the contrary, only you, Xiao Rong, can listen to Uncle tell these boring stories."