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

"It feels like... a part of it has been cut off?"

Chang Rong pondered as he looked at the fragment of the book in Tachibana Sherry's hand. At the same time, he took out the Noah drawing he had taken earlier from his pocket. After searching through it, Chang Rong found the lower half of the drawing. However, just like the pages of the ancient book in Tachibana Sherry's hand, the cut surface looked neat, but in reality, it could not be pieced together at all.

"Oh dear, why is this 'older sister' so mean... Why did she have to cut the book out of nowhere? Now we're all stuck with no clues! I'm so angry!" Tachibana Sherry complained and protested unhappily.

Since An'an left, Noah has also started to learn from An'an, and likes to run around with his drawing board in front of him.

"Perhaps... cutting up the ancient books and drawing boards was just a convenient thing to do... Is it possible that what it really wanted to cut up was actually..."

Chang Rong realized something. He arranged the pages of the book in Tachibana Sherry's hand and the drawing paper in his own hand together in a way that would form the original outline. He quickly discovered that parts of the book and the ancient book had been deliberately 'cut out'.

That part is just the right size to hold a coin, or rather, a bullet hole.

These things were originally held in front of Noah. If parts of them have been cut off, then it means that Noah probably also...!

"I've found the second bullet hole—at this angle?"

Just as an unrealistic thought crossed Chang Rong's mind, Nikaido Hiro's voice rang out again. She was crouching beside a wall in the warehouse, near a bullet crater on the lower part of the wall. Judging from the angle, Nanoha Kaori's shot this time seemed to have been fired slightly below Chang Rong's shoulder level.

One bullet hits something two heads taller than you, and another bullet hits something one head shorter than you.

What in the warehouse is two heads taller than Nanoha Kaori...? Perhaps it's the guard.

So... what in the warehouse is shorter than Nanoha Kaori?

The bullet embedded in the wall was mixed with scarlet liquid, and Chang Rong was certain that the wreckage did not have the function of bleeding; at least when she shot her 'sister' in the leg, she did not spurt any liquid.

In that case, the 'target' hit by this bullet...

Chang Rong felt trembling all over and could hardly breathe, but even so, he had to continue.

Chang Rong gritted his teeth and came to Noah's side again, but this time he took a deep breath and invited the club president, Tachibana Sherry, to come and help him assemble the super assembly.

The two carefully tried to piece Noah's dismembered body back together, and after enduring vomiting and dizziness, they finally managed to restore Noah to his original, intact form.

It was at this moment that Chang Rong realized in despair that her almost 'fantasy' speculation might be turning into the very fact she least wanted to accept.

That's right, a part of Noah Kinosaki's body had been 'cut off'. The buttons, bows, and patterns on her chest didn't match up, and the missing piece... was just big enough to accommodate the wound caused by a bullet penetrating her body.

Her wound was not a 'fatal wound,' but a cover-up, a cover-up to make it appear as if she had been killed by the guards.

As for why a more thorough method wasn't used to conceal it, it's because the 'Watcher's' attacks are always incredibly simple and clean. It cannot commit acts of torture that are inconsistent with the Watcher's conduct, as that would only arouse everyone's suspicion.

As for what the 'older sister' wanted to cover up... it was that bullet, the one that disappeared and truly took Noah Kinosaki's life.

That's right, the 'older sister' didn't cut her off with the intention of killing Noah Kinosaki, but rather to cover up the real reason for Noah Kinosaki's death.

Perhaps this is just a wild and imaginative idea that came to mind on a whim, or perhaps it is just a coincidence—but... but this 'possibility' has already been presented to me.

The bullet's owner was a 'witch,' meaning that, at least within this warehouse, Noah Kinosaki's death wasn't due to the guards, but rather...

Ring ring!

"Chang Rong... Nanoha Kaori is awake! That's great, that's great...! I had to tell you this. Nanoha Kaori is alright... After she rests and adjusts for a while, I'll try to ask Nanoha Kaori about what happened in the warehouse... Huh, Nanoha Kaori, Kurobe—?"

Arisa, who was left in the infirmary, called. Her tone was incredibly excited, but then a confused voice came through. It seemed that Nanoha Kurobe had disappeared while Arisa was on the phone after waking up.

Chang Rong wasn't worried about this at all; in fact, he probably already knew where Kurobe Nanoha was going.

Earlier—

"Ugh... Ugh...!?"

Kurobe Nanoha woke up in a cold sweat from her hospital bed. The first thing she saw was Shitou Arisa's extremely flustered yet anxious expression.

"Nanoha Kaori, Nanoha Kaori...!? That's great, you're awake...! Um, although your arm... well, Chang Rong said he'd try to think of a solution, so don't be too pessimistic. Just rest for a bit. I'll get you some water. I wish Milia could wake up too..."

Arisa was overjoyed to see Naoka wake up and immediately got up to prepare a water glass.

"Chang Rong and the others went to the warehouse to investigate clues. Although this incident was probably just the guards going crazy, everyone is still preparing for the Witch Trial—Nanoha Kaori, were you all killed by those crazed guards?"

"I……"

—Chang Rong is investigating the warehouse? Does that mean I…

No, what am I thinking? Don't harbor any illusions... I'm already... I'm no longer qualified... Even if Chang Rong and the others haven't found anything, I can only...

Nanoha Kurobe's expression instantly turned one of intense pain. She glanced at the fruit knife on the table beside her, then at Arisa Fujito, who had her back to her. After a moment's hesitation, Nanoha Kurobe made her decision. She immediately picked up the fruit knife and gripped it tightly in her hand.

“——！！？”

However, the moment she touched the fruit knife, a flood of hallucinations rushed into Nanoha's mind: who had used this fruit knife to kill, what rotten fruit had been cut with it, how this seemingly unremarkable fruit knife had been transported by sea and land to Witch Island for people to use—

All the images she wanted to see, didn't care about, and were worthless were crammed into Kurobe Nanoha's brain at once. She almost screamed because she couldn't bear the stinging pain.

As the hallucination ended, Nanoha Kurobe blinked, realizing something. She hastily wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, then tentatively touched the table again. Countless fragments of hallucination flooded her mind once more, about this table, about the batches of prospective witches coming and going around it.

"The power of illusion... is increasing..." After two rounds of testing, Kurobe Nanoha realized this, feeling almost completely exhausted.

If that's the case, then what I should be doing now is not running away, but... using this ability to do something more for Chang Rong.

I'm sorry, Arisa, I'm sorry, Milia, I'm sorry, Noah, Rhea, I... I need just a little more time... Even though I can feel that terrifying, irreversible urge consuming me, even so... I need just a little more time...

Ignoring the persistent stinging pain in her right arm, Kurobe Nanoka took advantage of Arisa making a phone call and jumped off the balcony of the infirmary, running desperately toward the warehouse.

"—"

At the corner behind the castle, Nanoha bumped into her 'older sister'.

"..." Kurobe Nanoha's expression was extremely painful. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something to the wreckage, but in the end she just covered her right arm, lowered her head and continued to run towards the warehouse, as if she were running away.

"—" The wreckage that had lost its hairband did not give chase; it stood silently in place, watching Kurobe Nanoha Kaori walk further and further away.

I have to get there before Chang Rong discovers the truth in the warehouse... I did something unforgivable, but even so, I... I still hope to be able to do something...

Click!

Nanoha Kaori rammed open the warehouse door, gasping for breath to keep from falling, while quickly looking around and spotting the white-haired boy standing next to Noah Kinosaki's corpse.

"Nanoha Kaori!? Aren't you in the infirmary?! Go back and get better right now, it's not right for you to run out like this!" Hiro was stunned at first, then quickly gestured for the girl in front of him who was missing half an arm to go back and get better.

"Naoya Kaori-chan...?" "Whoa!? Suddenly you popped out, you scared me...! But thank goodness, you're alright..."

"Nanoha's eyes... Hmm, that kind of look doesn't feel good..." Tachibana Sherry noticed Kurobe Nanoha's gray eyes, which seemed to be the kind of eyes that no longer cared about anything after making a certain choice.

Everyone was startled by Kurobe Nanoha's sudden intrusion, but Nanoha didn't have time to respond to them and went straight to Changrong.

If it were the current version of himself, he would at least be able to "phantomize" some information, some information that Chang Rong has always wanted to know, such as what the bell with the snowflake pattern, which is closely related to Chang Rong, actually represents.

I don't have the time anymore, and I'm no longer qualified, but even so...

"Chang Rong, I might be able to see the history of the specified item now. Take out that bell and let me try again."

Kurobe Nanoka extended her intact left hand to Chang Rong, and despite being covered in cold sweat and walking weakly, she spoke in a seemingly relaxed manner.

however--

"So...it's you, Nanoha Kaori? Why?"

With an expression that suggested he was about to cry, the white-haired boy softly asked Kurobe Nanoha Kaori.

Looks like... I'm a little late. But that makes sense, considering he's Chang Rong, after all... a terrifying veteran who's speedrunned the Witch's Judgment several times in a row.

Nanoha Kurobe forced a smile. The boy she admired and loved had, as always, found the real culprit in a dashing and stylish manner.

The wicked witch has been found, but no one smiles as a result, except for the witch herself.

Volume 1: Chapter 139. The Girl Who Was Afraid of Being Protected

Is that you...?

The question posed by the white-haired boy would have sounded rather abrupt and inexplicable to others, lacking any clear context or cause for discussion.

However, when Kurobe Nanoha saw Chang Rong's expression, and when she heard the boy in front of her ask in a soft voice, everything was already over. She knew very well what Chang Rong was asking, and she also knew very well... that she was the 'witch' who had been found.

"……Yes."

After a brief pause, Kurobe Nanoha nodded, admitting her original sin without any concealment or explanation. She had killed Kinosaki Noa, that innocent and pure girl, piercing her chest with her own spear, and witnessing her fall to the ground like a broken doll with a bewildered and confused look in her eyes.

"Seriously, Nanoha Kaori finally woke up, and the first thing you guys do is talk about something serious? Are you trying to deduce that Nanoha Kaori is the culprit? Hannah is the culprit, isn't she? — Huh?"

Tachibana Sherry also came over. She noticed the strange silence between Kurobe Nanoha and Chang Rong, so as always, she came over cheerfully to try and liven up the atmosphere with a joke.

However, neither Nanoha Kaori nor Chang Rong responded to Sherry's words. Chang Rong looked at Kurobe Nanoha Kaori with an extremely conflicted expression, while Nanoha Kaori looked somewhat relieved and smiled at the boy in front of her.

"Could it be that you, Nanoha Kaori—"

Even Shirley realized that her seemingly joking remark was not a joke in their eyes, but a fact that was actually happening.

Not only Tachibana Sherry, but also Hannah Emma Shiro, who rushed over, had their expressions gradually shift from the joy of seeing Kurobe Nanoha Kaori awaken to a suffocating feeling that made it hard to breathe.

"Nanoha Kaori, you...you killed Noah with your spear, and Rhea-sama witnessed it and rushed over to stop you, but she was attacked by the other guards instead...or rather, you were both attacked by the guards at the same time. But those two guards were stopped by another 'hairband guard'—that is, 'older sister'—who disrupted the controller, right? And Milia barely escaped because she wasn't completely caught up in the commotion...or perhaps you tried to stop 'older sister' and that's how Milia escaped...is that right?"

Chang Rong slowly shared her guesses, revealing to everyone what had happened in the warehouse.

After hearing these deductions, Kurobe Nanoha didn't hysterically scream in denial, nor did she frantically shake her head to show that things weren't as you thought. She simply nodded, her face bearing the same calm and somewhat naive expression she had when she first met Chang Rong.

“You’re right, Chang Rong. The situation is almost exactly as you described… You’re really amazing, Chang Rong. Although I knew you could easily pinpoint me, I never imagined you could deduce so much about what happened here.”

Nanoha Kurobe nodded affirmatively to the white-haired boy, acknowledging all of his reasoning.

"No...no, don't just admit it like that, at least refute me a little! There are clearly many loopholes in this kind of conjecture that doesn't even qualify as reasoning! For example—for example, the 'bullet hole' that Noah hasn't found yet, for example, you were clearly wearing a hairband, for example..."

Faced with Kurobe Nanoha's candid admission, it was Chang Rong who was somewhat disarmed. He shouted, hoping that Kurobe Nanoha could refute his reasoning, hoping that the black-haired twin-tailed girl in front of him could point out with a serious face that what he had just said was all fantasy and was unacceptable false evidence.

But Kurobe Nanoka looked somewhat confused and bewildered.

"A hairband...? What hairband? And what does 'the wound is gone' mean...?"

"It's the hairband you always kept safe in your pocket! It's right there in your pocket, so Rhea didn't attack you, but 'your sister'... Isn't that a blatant fallacy? There must be other loopholes too, so—"

"Hairband... I don't know what you mean. Do you mean the hairband I always carry with me...?"

Nanoka Kurobe still looked somewhat confused. She awkwardly reached into her pocket with her left hand and took out a hairband.

"That's right, isn't she in your hands, Nanoha Kaori? So, Rhea... um?"

Chang Rong wanted to use this reason to overturn his conclusion, but when he looked at the hairband in Kurobe Nanoha's hand, he saw a strange tear on it. A semi-circular notch protruded on one side of the hairband, as if it had been nailed by a ticket punch.

No, this shape and curved notch... was caused by a 'bullet' piercing through it.

Nanoha Kurobe's first bullet was fired at something taller than her... the controller wrapped with a 'hairband' on the head of the headband guard.

The bullet hit the controller, triggering an alarm that attracted other wreckage guards, and also pierced through the headband, leaving a half-hole.

Why does Kurobe Nanoha have her 'older sister's' hairband on her, and why does she look completely unaware of it... Right, is it because she 'truly doesn't know'?