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

"Please don't abandon me anymore, Great Witch... Shall we live together with Chang Rong-san, okay?"

With a smile, Meluru on the ice spoke of her long-cherished wish, which was also a beautiful wish that the Great Witch had once dreamed of.

That sounds like a great future, but the only problem is—it's not something I should be able to dream about right now.

"Xiaoxue, you... are you the Great Witch?"

The white-haired boy looked at the girl before him, who was more familiar than anyone else yet more unfamiliar than anyone else, with eyes that seemed almost empty, like a snowflake.

"Rong, I...I—"

"Are you the mastermind behind all of this? Are you the one who killed Nanali, Waft, Alice, and the others? Are you the monster known as the 'Witch' who has been using me all along to hide your identity?"

The boy's question was like a heavy hammer, constantly impacting the Great Witch's heart.

She had never seen the boy in front of her with such an expression. No matter when or where, his gaze was always so gentle and kind, as if he could tolerate all her willfulness.

But... at this moment, Chang Rong's eyes were as cold as a stranger's. So cold that the Great Witch didn't even have the strength to speak.

She was wrong, terribly wrong, completely wrong—she had always thought that he was just a human being, and that his existence or non-existence would not change his core desire to 'destroy humanity'.

But the truth is, under the influence of that boy, he has gradually come out of his obsession with 'revenge'.

She always believed that whatever choice the boy ultimately made, she would accept it gladly, after all, it was her destiny.

But the truth is—she was terrified.

She couldn't imagine the boy showing her disgust and disappointment after learning the truth; she couldn't imagine the future where the boy would choose to abandon her after learning her 'truth'; she couldn't imagine the scene of the boy questioning her with the cold and desperate look he gave her, as if she were a stranger.

However, everything she feared became reality at that moment.

Through the ice skating melody, Chang Rong somehow realized that he was the 'real culprit' behind all of this, while the white-haired boy was confronting the real culprit.

"Answer me...! What was your mindset when you chose to be with me?! And what was your mindset when you stood by and watched those girls' tragedies without doing anything?!"

"me……"

Faced with Chang Rong's roaring question, the Great Witch trembled, unsure how to respond.

Even if I tell her my 'difficult situation' now, will it be able to salvage everything? Will he still... smile and stroke my hair, telling me that no matter what happens, he will still be by my side?

No...no way...Rong isn't a saint, how could he possibly forgive himself...he could never forgive himself...

An immense despair and chill engulfed the Great Witch. Even though she was embraced by Meruru, all she felt at that moment was the icy despair that seemed to be drowning her.

Once freed from her obsession, and looking back at the disasters she had created, the Great Witch Yuki finally realized her original sin.

Her revenge brought no real retribution to anyone, nor did it bring her peace of mind, nor did it mourn the passing of her fellow clansmen.

All she received was repeated hurt and betrayal from those who truly loved her.

The one who was hurt the most was naturally Chang Rong, the white-haired boy who loved him the most in the world, who was on the verge of collapse.

"Chang Rong-sang...! That, that, the Great Witch, she, she must have her own reasons! We, we should believe in the Great Witch—"

Enough... Meruru, stop talking... A sinner's excuses will only invite deeper disgust...

Meruru's words sounded so harsh and disgusting at that moment.

"Meiruru, Xiaoxue, you're both here."

"—!?"

A sound that shouldn't have appeared suddenly arose. Looking in the direction of the sound, everyone saw the figure of a girl who should never have been there. It was the deceased Witch of Thought and Writing.

"Huh... Miss Forte? Why are you still alive—"

Meruru stood up and looked at Futt with some confusion. Then, the next second, Futt suddenly took out a long spear from behind her back, aimed it at Meruru on the ice, and pulled the trigger.

boom! !

Meruru's head was instantly pierced, followed by a violent explosion that even shattered her entire brain.

The headless nun swayed and fell to the ground, like a kite with a broken string. Even with the regenerative abilities of a 'perfect witch,' this level of attack still exceeded Meru's expectations.

"Rongrong...no, that's not right, Naoya Kaori...!?"

Chang Rong instantly realized the true identity of the girl in front of him, and the girl smiled back at Chang Rong.

The next second, the girl transformed in front of Chang Rong, becoming a purple-eyed girl with short white hair.

“We made a promise, didn’t we? No matter what happens, I will protect you—Chang Rong.”

The girl, holding a long spear, walked past Meruru's headless corpse and pointed the black muzzle at the great witch next to Chang Rong, who had a bewildered and desperate expression on her face.

"No matter what happens, no matter the cost, no matter what sacrifices are required—"

After saying that, 'Kurobe Nanoka' pulled the trigger.

————A little earlier————

"...This is the only way."

After sitting in her cell for a long time in silence, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori suddenly stood up, picked up her spear, and her eyes were covered by a writhing, dark chaos.

Nanoha Kurobe transformed into 'Meru on Ice' and, carrying a long spear, arrived at the room where the girl with messy hair and a white coat, Mari Ebe, was.

"Hmm? Is there something you need, Sister?"

boom!

The bullet pierced the chest of the girl in the white coat, and the recoil slammed her directly onto the table behind her, scattering all the messy props all over the floor.

"Cough cough... Ah*-Ling Er er1 San Lin! Oh, so that's how it is. Your magic really wasn't some kind of illusion after all..."

While coughing up blood, Ebe Mari looked at the girl in front of her who had transformed back into 'Kurobe Nanoha Kaori' and revealed a look of sudden realization.

"..." Kurobe Nanoha remained silent, her forehead turning ashen, as if she were suppressing the urge to vomit.

"However, you missed. Next time, remember to aim for the brainstem, or I can easily detonate that spear and trade one for one with you. If you're only half-baked... cough cough, then you might as well continue to loaf around and wait to die, otherwise the only outcome will be a piece of crap that nobody likes."

The girl pointed to her forehead and smiled at Kurobe Nanoka.

"I'm sorry... I, I can only do this..." Kurobe Nanoha Kaori covered her mouth with one hand. The feeling of life slipping away in front of her, the feeling of taking life away with her own hands, made her feel like she was about to vomit.

"It doesn't matter... the ending is pretty much the same anyway... Oh right, there are explosive bullets over there. If you encounter a real witch, those would at least be more effective—cough cough! Sigh, if I could meet a real great witch and see what the pinnacle of magic looks like, it would be worth the ticket price..."

Mari Ebe kicked a magazine to the feet of Nanoha Kurobe, and the crimson liquid in her mouth increased.

"So, after killing everyone, what do you plan to do with yourself, fellow witch... Ms. Nanoha Kaori?"

"I...I don't know, but I must protect Chang Rong—"

Nanoha Kurobe's answer was extremely hesitant, but the one who asked the question had already lost the ability to listen.

"..."

boom!

After killing another prospective witch, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori, carrying a spear, used magic to transform into the form of Junfut and slowly walked down the castle corridor.

Having witnessed the young lady's passing, she had come to understand a very simple truth:

There is no way out here, no salvation here, no end here—

Everyone will either become a witch or be killed by a witch... except for Chang Rong, the white-haired boy who always treats everyone with kindness and is somewhat clueless about emotions.

On his first day in prison, the warden informed him that there were 'no witch genes' and that he was the only one on the prison island worth protecting.

I want to live, I want to protect Chang Rong from being killed by the other witches, I want to bring him to see my sister... This is a promise we made from the very beginning.

Five bullets left, and two witches, Meruru and Yuki... that's enough.

The time I spent with you was truly wonderful, but I know very well that this so-called 'wonderful' experience is nothing but an illusion, a pathetic bubble that bursts at the slightest touch.

People can become murderous remnants at any time due to the collapse of their sanity. In that case, the only way to avoid this is to kill all the witches before the next trial.

"Huh... Miss Futter?"

Meruru's confused voice came from the ice. Just as she had expected, the transformation magic made the witches confused when they first saw her, which naturally gave her the opportunity to act.

Nanoka Kurobe took down her spear and pulled the trigger.

------

"No matter what sacrifices are involved—"

Facing the girl who was muttering to herself and was about to completely collapse as a witch, and facing the long spear that was waving at her, the Great Witch did not put up any resistance.

Unlike the 'witch', the 'Great Witch' whom Meru on Ice perceives as something more advanced, like a creator, actually has a body similar to that of a human.

Being attacked will cause pain, a violent impact will cause unconsciousness, and being pierced through the body by a bullet like that... one would naturally die.

Even knowing this, the Great Witch still did not take any action, but silently waited for death to come.

No matter what legitimate reasons one has, no matter how high one's moral standing is... when one chooses to involve that boy, one has already completely lost all justice and become a 'wrong' sinner.

Being hated and abandoned by Chang Rong, such an ending would be better than simply disappearing. Perhaps... one's own death would make that boy feel better.

Meruru loves him, Nanoha Kurobe wants to protect him, and other girls surround him... That boy is different from her; he could have had a more interesting life of his own.

I was the one who entangled him without my consent, and I was the one who hurt him without thinking... In that case, wouldn't my departure free the boy?

—I'm sorry, Rong. I'm so sorry for being so greedy. I... I know very well that from the very first moment we met, I had already lost the right to be with you until the end.

Because of me... because of 'Great Witch Yuki,' who wants to destroy this world, who wants to drag innocent people into it, she is an absolute witch...

Witches need to be judged, so let me face my own judgment.

"Bang--!!!"

The sound of bullets exploding rang out, and the fire serpents at the muzzle propelled the judgment bullets down before the Great Witch.

however……

"Chang, Chang Rong...? Chang Rong—ahhh, ahhh...!?"

The Great Witch, with her eyes tightly closed, heard Kurobe Nanoha's wails and a violent impact.

When she opened her eyes and got up from the ground, there were no bullet holes in her body.

Did Kurobe Nanoha miss her shot?

The great witch, thinking this, turned around and saw that 'thing'.

—Lying on the ground, with a hole piercing through his heart and nearly half of his body destroyed by the [Explosion] magic, was a boy once named 'Chang Rong'.

"……what?"