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

"I...I was having a cold war with my older sister, and I ran away temporarily because I was angry." Kurobe Nanoha Kaori huddled under the covers, peeking out her head and responding softly with a hint of disappointment.

"Uh... are you... having a tiff...?"

It was a completely unexpected reason. Chang Rong had never imagined that someone could have a falling out with a guard.

That's not entirely accurate. The last person to have a falling out with a guard and flirt was Nikaido Hiro, and her little squabbles with the guard quickly came to an end.

"Big sister... is an idiot, that's right, an idiot...!"

"I'm being all grumpy," Kurobe Nanoka said in a low voice.

Chang Rong noticed something: ever since the sisters recognized each other and started being honest with each other, Kurobe Nanoha had visibly become more and more soft and childish. The initial character settings of 'mysterious sniper, silent master, terrifying lock-picker, aloof wild man, and taciturn special agent' had all collapsed and shattered one after another, leaving only the persona of 'cheap, soft, and silly little sister'.

This further confirms one thing: all of Kurobe Nanoha's previous actions were deliberately forced upon her. If she hadn't wanted to avenge her older sister, Kurobe Nanoha might have remained just that clumsy, awkward, and unsociable cute girl.

"...Hmm, Chang Rong?"

"It's nothing, I just felt like rubbing you."

While they were sulking, Kurobe Nanoha was taken aback by Chang Rong's sudden head pat. Chang Rong didn't explain much, but just smiled and stroked Kurobe Nanoha, hoping to tell her in this subtle way, "You've done very well, you've tried your best, you're really great."

"Is that so...? Okay, okay, if Chang Rong, you're ready, then I will too..."

"Don't suddenly pull back the covers and start taking off your clothes!?"

It seems that his subtle and tactful feelings failed to convey to Kurobe Nanoha, while Nanoha's plans were about to backfire.

"Speaking of which, Nanoha Kaori, you came back to jail so brazenly, isn't the warden okay with that?"

After pinning Kurobe Nanoha down again, Chang Rong asked her with some concern if there was anything wrong with her seemingly provocative behavior.

"Hmm... Actually, I saw the warden sunbathing on my way to the castle. He just said to me, 'Please, Miss Kurobe, don't shoot this bird,' and then flew away as if he hadn't seen me." Kurobe Nanoha lowered her head and pondered, recalling the scene of her previous encounter with the warden.

"I see..."

It seems this guy has become increasingly blatant in slacking off ever since he confirmed that Meluru on Ice really did die. Maybe next time we should just send a full-scale search of the basement; the warden said he has no objection anyway.

Although Chang Rong initially thought the warden was the mastermind behind everything, enjoying the suffering of everyone from a high position, after getting to know him for a while, he was basically certain that the warden was just an 'observer'. He didn't have any stance; he was just a miserable corporate slave who had been dragged here to work year-round without a break or a fixed schedule.

Most importantly, the warden, like Niko, always agrees, which is quite nice.

"In short, I found this photo in the basement, and I also recalled some fragments of memory—I do know your sister."

Chang Rong handed the group photo that Meru on Ice was carrying to Nanoha Kaoru, who immediately leaned over to look at the white-haired boy in the photo and the girl next to him with the same face as her, 'Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru'.

"Big sister... As expected, big sister really took my place and went to the witch trial in my place...!"

Although she already knew about it, when it was actually confirmed, Kurobe Nanoha still showed a self-reproachful and regretful expression, even forgetting that she had been arguing with her older sister just seconds before.

"Big Sister... um, Chang Rong... what kind of person is your Big Sister in your memory?"

Kurobe Nanoha sniffed, trying to stop herself from dropping the small pearl, while looking at Chang Rong with some eagerness.

"Her words..."

Chang Rong first gave a gentle smile, but before she could finish speaking, the rest of her words caught in her throat.

—Huh? It seems like there aren't any serious scenes of Kurobe Nanoha's older sister in the memories?

How so? You mean your sister knew I had someone important to me, yet still used false evidence to claim she was her girlfriend shortly after being arrested? And, despite being two years older in mentality, developed a purely fake boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with me? You can fool your brothers, but you fooled yourself too, biting your lip until you were breathless, and then licking your lips and telling yourself it was a necessary sacrifice to 'protect yourself.' Chang Rong, just bear with it a little longer and you'll feel better?

...Isn't this just a perverted woman? A pure, 24k gold, free shipping perverted woman!!

Moreover, after realizing that Kurobe Nanoha's magic was not [Vision] but [Transformation], many of the previously mysterious and unsolved mysteries of the castle were all solved!

It turns out that my sister disguised herself as someone else and tricked me into going to secluded corners where no one was around, and then did all sorts of things to me when no one else was around...!

Some people play big, some play elaborately, and some play a lot. But for her, Nanoha's older sister, playing big, elaborately, and frequently is the way to go.

"Your sister, uh... well, she... she has a very strong protective instinct. She's stood up for me more than once, and often shields me with her body... Moreover, she's very capable; the only thing that can stop her is a door lock. She's also very decisive, passionate, and doesn't stick to old ways of thinking. She often uses unconventional methods in extraordinary circumstances, doing all sorts of things I wouldn't expect, and she's very good at interpersonal relationships—"

"Hmm, as expected of my older sister... I wish I could be half as good as her..." Hearing the adjectives that Chang Rong had racked her brains to come up with, Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru showed a disappointed expression.

Thank goodness Naka didn't inherit her older sister's personality... otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive today...!

Kurobe Nanoka hates that she couldn't become like her older sister, while Changrong is glad that Kurobe Nanoka didn't follow in her sister's footsteps.

"Well, um..." After hearing her older sister's praise, Kurobe Nanoha tugged at her cycling hat, lowered her head shyly, and asked the white-haired boy in front of her in a soft voice.

"Did my older sister really have the same hallucinations I had back then, and... and you... did that... with Chang Rong...? Was her relationship with you, Chang Rong, also...?"

With a flushed face, Kurobe Nanoka stared intently at Chang Rong and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Our relationship is complicated...yes, very complicated!"

While it could be simply summarized as 'being used by your sister as a tool to vent the desires of a 17-year-old girl,' saying such a thing would most likely get you shot on the spot by Nanoha Kaori.

Using this as a last will and testament is a bit too lame; it feels like it's almost like it's sitting at the same table as the commander-in-chief.

Volume 1: Chapter 124. I am the gentle girl... none of you are...

"Complex...? So... Chang Rong, did you and your older sister... do it?"

"Pfft cough cough cough!!!?"

I never imagined I would hear such a direct question from a young girl.

Oh wait, Kurobe Nanoha is two years older than her physical age—but even so, it's still ridiculous!

"No, no, absolutely not!" Chang Rong, who thought himself to be the iron-blooded Xiao Chunan, quickly waved his hand in denial.

"So, kisses and stuff...?" "Yes, we do."

"How about touching it?" "This one too."

"And all sorts of intimate behaviors—" "They also exist..."

"My older sister is an idiot...!!"

After learning from Chang Rong that "she and her sister did everything they wanted except for nothing else," Kurobe Nanoha Kaori blushed and loudly scolded her cheap older sister.

She hadn't even had a chance to enjoy herself with the boy she cared about when she was told that her older sister, a veteran in the industry, had almost completely devoured Chang Rong before he was even put in the freezer. This stark contrast instantly gave Kurobe Nanoha Kaori the urge to "kill her sister without regret."

"Hey, Nanoha Kaori, don't hold a grudge against your sister... The situation was just a bit unusual back then. Anyway, you should cherish the person in front of you and make up as soon as possible, right?"

Chang Rong comforted Kurobe Nanoha Kaori, saying that it would be too cruel for the sisters to be reunited after such a long time, and then have to give each other the cold shoulder for some strange reason.

"Shall we make up...?"

Kurobe Nanoha Kaori imagined herself apologizing to her older sister, then tricking her into helping her kidnap Chang Rong. Afterwards, under her sister's encouragement, she awakened her inner femininity and finally gritted her teeth and stomped her foot to have sex with Chang Rong. Afterwards, she held Chang Rong in front of her older sister, who had become her guard, and frantically showed off their love, making her sister furious and helpless. She could only beg her younger sister to stop having sex with her brother-in-law while smoking.

"Hmm...not bad."

"?"

Chang Rong, who had no idea what Kurobe Nanoha was suddenly imagining, just wanted to ask where it was, completely unaware that she was likely to be tied up and squeezed dry by the guards and witches in turn.

"I'll try to make up with my older sister later... But what was her final fate? What did she do? Did she... also become the murderer witch who killed the other aspiring witches?"

Unlike the anonymous family of three, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori did not completely succumb to the world of illusion. She only briefly imagined a wonderful and happy "what if" scenario before returning to reality and asking Chang Rong about another matter she cared about—her older sister's final fate.

Was she transformed into a guard as a lamb killed by a witch, or was she 'atone' in this way as the murderer who killed other aspiring witches?

"Well, I'm not quite sure... I'm sorry, Nanoha. My memories are still a bit scattered, and among these fragments, there's nothing about how the witch trial ended. Perhaps I should ask my sister."

Chang Rong frowned and replied, resting his chin on his hand. He was actually very curious about how he ended up turning into an ice pop during the witch's trial. He felt that this matter was very important. Even though his body and mind were desperately resisting the pursuit of the truth, Chang Rong felt that he still had an obligation to understand the truth. Perhaps there was some cause and effect that could change everything hidden there.

"Boom boom boom——"

Just as Chang Rong mentioned "sister," the distinctive footsteps of the guards guarding the wreckage rang out.

Now that everyone is gradually familiar with the various rules and regulations of prison life, the only person who could be wandering around the castle at this time is the 'hairband guard'—that is, the older sister Kurobe Nanoha who has been transformed into a guard.

"—"

The guard with the hairband appeared in front of the cell door. The first thing she saw was her younger sister, who had forgotten her sister as soon as she got a boyfriend, and she let out a disdainful snort.

"Wh-what, big sister...! You were the one who stole the food first...!" Kurobe Nanoha retorted defiantly, while grabbing Chang Rong and pulling her into her arms.

"~~~"

Upon seeing the white-haired boy, the headband-wearing guard, who had just been breathing out hot air, instantly transformed into a docile and happy expression. She even ignored the fact that 'touching him would result in burns' and stretched out her twisted, jet-black tentacles to stroke Chang Rong's cheek.

"Um, stop fooling around... It's perfect that you're here, Nanoha Kaori's older sister. I have some questions I'd like to ask—do you have any memories of the final outcome of the previous Witch Trial?"

"—!!"

The tendrils guarding the headband suddenly froze in place, and her previously calm expression trembled violently for a moment.

"I have actually recalled some of my memories, but regarding the outcome of the last witch trial, it's still—"

"brake!!!"

"……what?"

Before Chang Rong could even finish speaking, the wreckage that had been standing in front of the two vanished from their sight at an almost imperceptible speed, appearing in a state that could only be described as 'extremely disheveled'.

Although the headband guard's mask itself couldn't express any emotion, anyone who saw her just now would naturally realize that she was 'running away'.

Completely unwilling to hear this topic, and even unwilling to see Chang Rong, the guard with the hairband hurriedly ran away from the two of them.

"..."

Kurobe Nanoha and Chang Rong stared at each other in the cell, neither of them expecting that the older sister would react so strongly to Chang Rong's casual question.

"Big sister's reaction, could it be that Chang Rong, you..." Kurobe Nanoha seemed to realize something. She lowered her head and pondered silently, then looked at Chang Rong:

"Chang Rong, did you cruelly toy with my sister's feelings and abandon her at the last moment...?!"

"How could that be!" Chang Rong quickly refuted Kurobe Nanoha's absurd guess.

"I'm not the kind of manipulative scumbag who confesses to someone first, then takes advantage of them, makes a life-long commitment, plans a wonderful future together, and then suddenly abandons them, causing all promises to fall apart!"

"Um...is that so?" Kurobe Nanoha Kaori nodded awkwardly. She didn't really think that the white-haired boy in front of her was some kind of sadistic blond-haired bastard who would start a relationship and then abandon it.

If we had to put it bluntly, Chang Rong's passive personality—being bad at refusing and awkwardly accepting invitations from anyone—makes her more likely to be relegated to the role of a victim, a toy-like victim, who gets "taken advantage of" and then has their affections withdrawn.

"By the way, Nanoha, although I asked you not to tell anyone for now, Arisa and Sherry already know about you and Onee-sama. I think we have to tell everyone sooner or later, but the decision is still in your hands, Nanoha."

“Yes, I will find time to tell everyone about my sister... What’s wrong, Chang Rong?” Kurobe Nanoha nodded in agreement, then looked at Chang Rong with some curiosity. She wondered why the white-haired boy was looking at her with a look of satisfaction.

"It's nothing. I just think it's great that you, Nanoha, can choose to trust everyone. Even though you always put on a cold and aloof attitude at first, Nanoha is definitely cuter when you choose to trust everyone."

Chang Rong said with a smile that he was genuinely happy that Kurobe Nanoha was able to choose to trust everyone and gradually build a good relationship with these prospective witches whom she considered 'destined to fight each other'.

"That's all because of you, Chang Rong..."