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

The next moment, the girl gracefully embraced the boy and held him tightly.

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.

"...Ugh...uh...uh..."

Chang Rong, with a sore back and aching waist, climbed out of the prison wooden bed.

A wave of exhaustion, as if she had plowed two acres of land, washed over her entire body. Chang Rong even wondered if she had sleepwalked to the Dharma King's backyard last night and gone on a marathon with a group of supernatural beings who were beyond human comprehension.

But along with this feeling of exhaustion comes an indescribable sense of satisfaction and peace of mind.

Last night, the pain, bitterness, and nausea caused by the execution of the girl 'Sakuraba Nana' by his own hand have greatly subsided, and Chang Rong even has the motivation to continue moving forward in this prison.

Am I, like the other aspiring witches, gradually adapting to this deadly environment...?

Chang Rong knew very well that the sooner he could adapt to these 'abnormal' circumstances, the more qualified he would be to survive on this prison island. But even so, the white-haired boy still felt that some things shouldn't be turned over so easily.

—No, I overslept!

The precise biological clock that Chang Rong had developed while taking care of Xiao Xue suddenly started to groan, so much so that she didn't even need to take out her phone to know that she had woken up late.

Now Xiaoxue is going to give my calves another beating and strengthening... Huh??

Chang Rong hurriedly got out of bed, intending to do the usual pre-bedtime grooming and dressing for Xiao Xue. However, after he got up, he saw a scene that he could hardly understand.

"Good morning, Rong."

The white-haired girl, who used to always just sit in her own lap, dozing off and pecking at the ground like a chick while being groomed, was now sitting at the table, clumsily but earnestly combing her long hair.

"Hmm, uh, wow—^q^ A dream within a dream? That's so Inception-like."

After a brief moment of shock in her pupils, Chang Rong immediately understood why this scene was unfolding before her eyes; she must still be dreaming and hadn't fully woken up yet.

"Do you want to sleep a little longer, Rong? If so, I'll bring you breakfast later. You can continue sleeping."

Xiaoxue gave Chang Rong a rare, adorable, and gentle smile.

"Group—no, that, don't tease, although I don't know why the waist is sore, it seems like the sleeping posture is not right, but... well, just like before, let's go together."

Chang Rong blinked, looking dazed, and stammered a reply to Xiao Xue.

—What happened? Has Xiaoxue been bewitched? Why does she seem like a completely different person after sleeping all this time...? Could it be that the witch's trial last night was too shocking, causing her to develop multiple personalities to protect herself?

"Waaah—"

Chang Rong's chaotic speculations were interrupted by Xiao Xue's short, mournful cry. The comb in her hand got stuck in a knot in her hair because of her incorrect technique, and as a result, she pulled hard on the girl's head, causing her to whimper.

"Let me do it, Xiaoxue."

"No... I can do it myself, Rong."

Xiaoxue shook her head and refused Chang Rong's help. She sat at the table, carefully and clumsily trying to tidy herself up. Then she slowly tried to put on the pure white dress, which was very pretty but too complicated to wear, onto her small body.

"……All right."

Although it seems that Xue has changed a lot, she is still the same Xue. Chang Rong can be sure of that.

Chang Rong started wearing Yi Qiqi's own clothes, while occasionally glancing at the (short, clumsy second-year girl) awkwardly trying to change her clothes.

After a while, the promising witch finally changed her clothes.

"How is it, Rong?"

The big witch, with her messy hair and crooked clothes, stood in a starfish shape and looked at Chang Rong.

"Great job, Xiaoxue, but I need to make a few minor changes."

"Um...it's all because Meruru is sometimes too filial, and over time that's why I've become a useless person..."

Xiaoxue realized that her answer sheet was not even 'barely passing', so she turned her head away and muttered an excuse to herself in a slightly sullen manner.

Chang Rong finally helped Xiaoxue tidy up her clothes and hair, and the girl showed a subtle expression of being both unwilling and happy.

"Um, well... Chang Rong-san, Xiao Xue, good morning..."

The blonde nun's signature timid yet adorable voice, so adorable it made you want to rush over and punch her—almost to the point of violence—came from outside the cell.

"Ice Girl, are you alright? That's great." Chang Rong immediately greeted her while observing whether the nun was putting on a brave face.

"Waaaaah... I'm so sorry! If I had woken up sooner, I could have treated everyone... Oh, and I almost made Nanoha Kaori a suspect, waaaaah..."

As the jellyfish continued talking, it started dropping small pearls again.

"Don't worry about it, Meruru. Thanks to Chang Rong and Fu Te's efforts, the culprit was eventually found. Besides, didn't you treat me immediately after you woke up? You did a great job."

A black-haired girl with twin ponytails wearing a cycling helmet appeared from behind Meruru on the ice and patted Jellyfish on the shoulder to comfort her.

"Waaaaah, no, I never imagined that Ms. Chisa and Ms. Nana would actually plot to kill Ms. Nanoha... I, I was trying to run away, but my 'clothes' were 'fixed' in place. When Ms. Nana wrapped me with rope, I, I really thought I was going to die... If Ms. Nanoha hadn't come, I, waaaaah..."

As Melulu was talking, she started to drop her little pearls again, forcing Chang Rong to join in and comfort her.

—Meruru is such an innocent and kind child, to be so directly hurt by Nana's 'malice'...it must have been a huge shock to her. We need to take good care of her during this time.

As Chang Rong stroked and soothed the jellyfish, she glanced at Xiao Xue.

Normally, Xiaoxue would have come over and kicked him at this time, but she did not do anything unusual. She just stood there and watched him and Ice Meluru with a mysterious smile.

It felt a bit like being proud of your child's increasingly realistic acting...?

"In any case, I must thank you again, Chang Rong. If it weren't for you, I might never have had the chance to see my sister again during the witch's trial yesterday."

Kurobe Nanoka walked up to Chang Rong and said to him in a serious tone.

"No, I also worked hard to find the witch... Although I still can't believe it, Sakuraba-san... Ugh!"

Chang Rong's right hand was tightly held by Kurobe Nanoha, who lifted Chang Rong's palm and placed it against her chest.

"No matter what you say, Chang Rong, I will definitely find a way to repay this kindness. As for how to repay it... well, I'm still considering it..."

Shuka Kurobe blushed and turned her head away, swallowing hard as she pondered how to crack the electronic lock problem, or if changing the crime scene would be better.

"As for a reward, that depends on having something decent to offer..."

Xiaoxue moved closer to the two of them, a somewhat gloomy smile on her face, and said softly to Nanoha Kaori.

"It should at least be more presentable than Xiaoxue's."

"Well……!"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Kurobe Nanoka puffed out her chest and said to Koyuki.

"How dare you! I am a... a witch with huge breasts!"

As if her sore spot had been touched, Xiaoxue blushed and immediately retorted, also puffing out her chest as she looked at Chang Rong.

—No, well… even if you look at me expectantly, it won't help, Xiaoxue. No matter how much you try to make a zero stand out, the final result is still zero…

Chang Rong could only turn his head away, unable to bear looking directly at Xiao Xue's hopeful gaze. False evidence needs certain facts as soil to sprout, and it was clear that Xiao Xue currently lacked any such soil.

"...Stupid, stupid Rong—Waaah...!"

Xiaoxue originally wanted to kick Changrong as usual, but as soon as she raised her leg, she let out a short cry and then covered her inner thigh with a sad expression.

"...?"

"Rong, you beast...!"

"What the heck?!"

Although I can't side-kick the rabbit for the time being for some reason, at least I can still headbutt it.

"You're just like a little sister, no, like a child, Yuki," Nanoha Kurobe said with a smile.

"Oh dear, what blind and foolish humans are!"

"...Waaaaah???"

Kurobe Nanoha and Koyuki stared at each other intently, while Ice Meruru looked on in bewilderment, feeling like she was about to lose another pearl.

After pulling Misawa Alice out of her usual sleeping cage, the 'White-Haired Boys' group arrived at the restaurant.

Surprisingly, Rong Fute said she wasn't going to eat breakfast. She lay on the bed like a dead dog, seemingly exhausted from yesterday's data reading and writing.

However, when Chang Rong apologized, Fu Te smiled happily at everyone.

"It's nothing, it's nothing! On the contrary, I'm really super happy! This kind of magic can actually catch bad guys. If I had had that courage back then... no, it's nothing. Anyway, I should be the one thanking A-Rong!"

Fute gave Chang Rong a thumbs-up, and then that thumb was slowly swallowed up by the blankets.

"Little brat, ah."

"Ah~~"

"Hehe, a good child who isn't picky about food."

"Mom doesn't seem as frivolous today."

Inside the cafeteria, Xiaoxue had a slight smile on her lips as she patiently and meticulously fed Alice.

"This is definitely a Lostbelt... Is some ordinary graduate student going to come along with a purple-haired female passerby and elbow me with a shield the next second...?"

Chang Rong watched as Xiao Xue, overflowing with maternal strength, genuinely fed her child, a scene radiating maternal love. While moved, she felt mostly fear.

Why does this sleep feel like I've skipped through timelines...?

“Mom isn’t a nobody, Dad is,” Xiaoxue said cheerfully, pointing at Chang Rong.

"Dad is Dad, Mom is an inflatable fish."

Alice, with a spinach leaf in her mouth, crawled next to Chang Rong, giving him a cat-like expression as he ruffled her hair. Then, she lay down on the table, letting him rub her hair until she drifted off to sleep.

"These despicable humans... may they be destroyed...!" Xiaoxue, who had been betrayed by the cheap cotton-padded jacket, immediately breathed out and pointed to the sky and the ground.

Oh right, right, Xiaoxue still seems to be the same Xiaoxue, that's right.

"Forget it, educating children and having children are not things that can be done in a day or two, yeah, that's right." Xiaoxue sat down again, revealing that somewhat terrifying maternal smile.

Yeah, yeah my ass! Is some kind of evil spirit possessing Xiaoxue?!

Chang Rong looked at the increasingly unfamiliar white-haired girl in front of her and frantically tried to figure out where things had gone wrong to turn out like this.

Forget it, it's probably just a passing fad.

Thinking this, Chang Rong saw Xiao Xue seriously washing dishes and plates in front of the sink, standing on two cardboard boxes after finishing her meal, and felt like the sky had fallen again.