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

Upon receiving the signal, Chang Rong prepared to climb over the ventilation duct, but as soon as he stepped onto the stepladder, Tachibana Sherry grabbed his arm. He quickly begged for mercy, urging her to stop using her supernatural powers and at least not to do anything strange in this situation.

"Like I said before, no matter what you see, no matter what you remember, no matter who you are—to me, Watson is just Watson~"

"……Um"

Seeing the smile that Shirley Tachibana gave him, Chang Rong nodded.

Taking off his coat, a cold current, sharp as a dull knife, instantly surged out from the ventilation duct. Chang Rong hurriedly and shiveringly crawled into the duct, following the direction of the rope.

The ventilation duct was a bit longer than I expected. I thought it would be a little over 2 meters long, but it was actually at least the length of two rooms put together.

Fortunately, when Tachibana Sherry punched, she not only shattered her own ice block, but also opened the door to the underground freezer. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how she would have gotten out of such a long passage.

"Finally arrived... It's so cold..."

Upon reaching the other exit, Chang Rong tugged on the rope to signal Tachibana Sherry that it was time to start. What they saw was Wisteria Arisa crouching beside a small campfire that had already been lit.

"It's really cold here, but I saw some empty wooden crates nearby, so I used them to make a fire—why are you just standing there like an idiot? Why don't you sit down?"

Arisa, squatting by the campfire, tilted her head, wondering why Chang Rong was just leaning against the side.

"I always feel like monsters will start spawning around me once I sit down..."

“?” Arisa frowned, but she had gradually gotten used to the fact that the white-haired boy in front of her would occasionally have a fit of madness.

"Ugh, it's so cold! It wasn't this cold when I played ice hockey here last time!"

As the two crouched by the campfire, waiting for everyone to start a game of Nightfall, Shirley Tachibana soon emerged. The exploration team was now officially assembled, like the Avengers.

The room where the three were located was extremely spacious, several times larger than any other room in the castle, almost as large as a giant screen movie theater.

The room was completely dark, lacking any natural light, with only a few faint blue lights barely illuminating its general outline. Various standing cabinets were piled everywhere, and against the walls were stacks of all sorts of miscellaneous items, including the wooden crates that Arisa Wisteria had used to make a campfire. A whole row of high-powered air conditioners, all running, were embedded in the walls, the source of the bone-chilling cold.

The reason for creating such a frozen, ice-crystal-like environment in the room is because of the rows and rows of giant ice blocks and sealed containers that stand silently like coffins.

This is the graveyard of witches… No flowers, no tombstones, no watchmen, no eulogies, only physical and psychological coldness. The witches, permanently sealed here, cannot find peace, nor can they even receive a proper 'trial'. All they can do is remain forever silent in this frozen tomb.

"...I feel a little uncomfortable," Arisa Fujito said, frowning as she looked around the room.

"The lights were on when I came last time. It seems like Coco turned them on. She seems to know a bit about the buttons in the control room outside, so who knows?"

Shirley Tachibana looked at the somewhat dim surroundings and said, "I am in a strange and chaotic state of mind."

"Coco-chan..."

The thought of Ze Du Ke Ke, Natsume An An, and the others being sealed in this witch's graveyard made Chang Rong feel an urge to vomit.

However... I didn't come here to make a fool of myself in front of Coco-chan, but to put an end to this 'bullshit farce'...!

"We'll have to make do with using flashlights for the investigation. Fortunately, the 'giant ice blocks' that are the main targets of our investigation are emitting a pale blue light, so the investigation won't be too difficult."

Chang Rong took a deep breath. The cold air not only tore at his nasal cavity and throat, but also allowed him to focus his consciousness on the present moment.

"Speaking of ice... what are those huge rows and rows of things? And why are there three different styles?"

Arisa Wisteria, holding a torch that provides heat, frowned as she pointed at the rows of 'coffins'.

There are three different types of vertical storage containers in the underground freezer: one is the most eye-catching, huge block of ice that gleams coldly; another is a full-metal iron barrel that resembles a fermentation tank or sealed container; and the third is a vertical drawer filing cabinet that looks somewhat like the ones in an office.

"Hey! I know that! Because boxes of the same type can't be stacked too close together!" Shirley Tachibana happily raised her hand to answer.

"...What kind of bizarre game mechanics are those?"

Chang Rong muttered a complaint under his breath, then walked over to the storage cabinet to observe. However, as the investigation progressed, a grim and solemn expression appeared on Chang Rong's face.

"If I'm not mistaken... those three different 'storage cases' actually correspond to three different containment states."

"The sealed metal jars are used to contain the remains of those who have become witches, the huge blocks of ice are used to contain the witches who died before becoming remains, and the drawers... are used to contain corpses that cannot be completely recovered."

Chang Rong pointed to the drawers and said in a low voice, and Arisa, upon hearing this, immediately showed a somewhat serious expression.

"...Are you kidding me!"

She immediately pulled out one of the drawers, and inside the drawer was: a hand bone.

In another drawer was a garment soaked in crimson blood. The next drawer contained a pile of white ashes.

"Ugh... Ugh... I'm going crazy, I'm really going crazy...!!"

Forced to activate her spiritual vision and realize what the contents of these drawers once meant, Arisa Fujito nearly vomited.

"Hmm, when I first came here, I had no idea what this place was for. I thought it was just a giant, ordinary refrigerator, so I didn't notice these clues at all!"

Shirley Tachibana covered her face with one hand, tilted her head, and whispered.

"According to Coco's video, the magic she uses on the ice is a higher level than 'healing' called 'restoration.' The corpses of the prospective witches that were frozen in ice were probably pieced together by her magic. However, some of the prospective witches were far beyond the level that could be restored, so this method of containment was used."

—Is this guy a psychopath? Why would he go to the trouble of reassembling the corpse and then freezing it? Was it to satisfy some kind of desire, or... did he have some other purpose?

Chang Rong couldn't understand the true meaning of this witch's tomb, but it did fit the character profile he had gathered so far based on the information about Wahaha on Ice—a conflict between the left and right hemispheres of his brain, not completely evil but not entirely whitewashable.

If the behind-the-scenes manipulation is this long-winded, one wonders what kind of master of long-winded manipulation the 'great witch' they're so desperately pursuing will be.

"Cough cough... You bastard... So, what are we supposed to do?"

Arisa wiped her mouth, forced herself to adjust her mindset, and asked Chang Rong about the next direction of the investigation.

"Search for the body on the ice. Since she was the mastermind behind everything, she might be carrying some kind of token that could prove her identity as the 'Great Witch.' Considering the warden's lazy and unproductive nature, he probably won't do anything to cover it up."

"Also, I need to look for the ice block that froze me before. Maybe we can find some clues related to past witch trials nearby."

"Of course, Zifang, your job is the most important. The only source of warmth here depends on you. You are in charge of my and Sherry's lives, so you are undoubtedly the most important person!" Chang Rong noticed that the surroundings had cooled down again when assigning tasks, as if the shock had caused Arisa's heat to dissipate. So he quickly added flattery.

"I, I'm an important character... Hehe, hehehe..."

The effect was immediate. After being flattered by Chang Rong, Zifang Arisa burst into silly laughter and her body began to radiate heat again, and the flames in her hands became even hotter than the Yiling Fire.

"Then let's get started on the investigation—hmm? Is there anything else, Fujiwara-san?"

Chang Rong was about to roll up his sleeves and get to work when he was grabbed by the hem of his clothes by Arisa Fujito. The white-haired, red-eyed hooded girl had taken off her mask because the moisture would make her feel cold, revealing a cute face that didn't match her usual tone and demeanor. Her cheeks were flushed as she stared at Chang Rong.

"Um... I just wanted to say... thank you. Before this, I always thought my magic could only bring curses and destruction, but—I never thought that one day it would actually be able to help."

Arisa Zifang's crimson gaze darted left and right as she lowered her head and whispered to Chang Rong.

“...You’ve got one thing wrong, Wisteria.”

Chang Rong took the opportunity to grasp the arm of Zifang Yalisha, which was covered with marks from being cut with a utility knife and bleeding from her wrists, and held it close to her eyes.

"Ugh...!?" This was the first time Chang Rong had ever gotten so close to Arisa Zifang since she accidentally revealed her 'masochistic' nature in front of the white-haired boy. It startled Arisa, who wished she could hide behind her hood.

“This has nothing to do with magic. Arisa, you have always been a very important person to everyone. Although your usual way of getting along is a bit clumsy, and you deliberately act aloof and try to appear prickly, we all know that these are just manifestations of your kindness and unwillingness to hurt others.”

“I…I…I’m not as bad as you say…” Arisa Fujito blinked frantically, lowering her head and not daring to look Chang Rong in the eye, staring only at the frosty marble floor.

"I will naturally scold you when you make a mistake, but when you do nothing wrong, it's perfectly fine to stand up and proudly accept praise and compliments from others, okay?"

Chang Rong smiled at Arisa, then placed her hand between the hood and Arisa's hair, gently stroking the sensitive and suspicious little hedgehog who had never intentionally hurt anyone.

"Ugh...! No, don't touch me...ugh..."

"Hmph, how about that? My palm strike, imbued with ten years' worth of skill, is something even that guy Hiro couldn't withstand—gaaaaaa!?"

Chang Rong was kneading Arisa with a sinister grin when he was suddenly pulled away by Tachibana Sherry, who had no expression on her face, abruptly interrupting the ritual of conquering Galagumo.

"Watson, you rascal... I've been struggling to suppress my desires, and you just go and try to fool Arisa under these circumstances?"

"No, well... old habits die hard, it's just something that happens on a whim... Anyway, let's investigate as soon as possible!"

The beastly gaze emanating from Shirley Tachibana's direction grew increasingly sharp. Even Chang Rong could sense that he had used up his free quota for the day. Next time, it wouldn't just be a simple matter of being dragged away; he'd probably really get stuck in the ventilation duct by Shirley Tachibana and then...

Although I feel a little sorry for Arisa Shito, who stopped as soon as she was touched... I should definitely do something big right now!

After starting the investigation, Chang Rong and Ju Shirley walked through the huge ice blocks that emitted a cold light and arrived at a block of ice whose upper half was almost completely broken.

"It feels...unbelievable."

Standing before her 'birth point,' Chang Rong sighed softly. It was here that she regained consciousness, and it was here that her 'daily romantic life on the prison island' began.

"Yes, it's incredible. Most ice blocks are so thick that you can't see what's frozen inside, but Watson, your head was right next to the melted outer layer, which is why Hannah saw the anomaly. If you had missed it, or if your head had been facing a different direction, you might still be frozen and sleeping inside right now!"

"...Why say such cruel things?" Chang Rong muttered, still feeling a bit scared.

"Hehehe, because those were just assumptions, weren't they? Watson, you're right here beside me right now. I can touch you, and I can feel you right next to me, not in some block of ice, right?"

Shirley Tachibana smiled, stuck out her tongue, and held Chang Rong's hand.

"Yes... I'm still alive, I haven't turned into an ice cube or collapsed, that's enough."

Chang Rong nodded to Tachibana Sherry, and then began to investigate the huge ice blocks around him, starting from his own spawn point.

Contrary to Chang Rong's initial expectations, the order here wasn't as rigorous as she had imagined. Next to a veteran with over 600 titles might be an even older, more senior figure with over 200 titles, and many more ice blocks weren't even marked with a number. As a result, Chang Rong's investigation was progressing much slower than anticipated.

Most ice blocks require you to get very close to see what's inside due to their thickness and lighting conditions, and the act of constantly looking at the corpses of various aspiring witches is itself extremely tedious.

Only at times like this would Chang Rong feel a little grateful to Ice Ulala; her super-assembled kit at least kept these prospective witches intact. If they were to actually attack in the form of Gundam fragments, she feared she would eventually be reduced to zero and become a demon pill just watching them.

Every so often during the investigation, the burnt-out torches had to be replaced, and Arisa would be there to warm up. However, warming up was a skill; if it was too short or too far away, it wouldn't restore body temperature, if it was too long, Tachibana-senpai's gaze would become murderous, and if it was too close, one would smell the hallucinatory aroma of grilled rabbit meat.

The investigation into the underground cold storage facility proceeded in this complex cycle.

In reality, Chang Rong didn't even know what he was looking for. He just felt that he might be able to see something that would serve as a trigger to awaken his forgotten memories.

But... is it necessary to recall memories that have already been forgotten? Isn't forgetting itself the result of how we process those memories? It's precisely because we judge that 'forgetting is better' that they are forgotten, isn't it?

No... it's not just tragedies that are forgotten; those even more precious moments of happiness will also be forgotten and decay.

"—!"

Standing before a block of ice, Chang Rong's breathing suddenly quickened. Within that massive block of ice, he saw a JK girl with long black hair, dressed in a dark school uniform.

He couldn't recall her name, but Chang Rong knew very well that he had 'seen' this prospective witch before.

And the ice cube next to the black-haired high school girl...

Chang Rong took a breath of the cold air and slowly pressed her head against the ice block.

A blonde girl lay peacefully asleep within the solid ice. She had long golden hair, her eyes were slightly closed, and she wore a long Lolita-style maid dress, like a doll sleeping in a dream.

"—"

My heart suddenly started pounding, each beat accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain, as if I were being stabbed with a knife. My brain felt like it was being hit hard, and a dull, nauseating feeling, along with intense tearing pain, surged up and threatened to overwhelm me completely.

【Rong, do you really want to continue? All of this... is my 'original sin'】

It seemed as if a voice was coming out, warning him to stop here, warning him that all that lay ahead was sin and suffering.

I...I don't know, but...for Coco-chan, for everyone, and for myself, I have to...