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

The blade was not easy to wield; 'Sister's' attacks only left non-fatal wounds. However, just as 'Sister' had driven Milia to the brink of death and was about to pierce her to kill her, Kurobe Nanoha finally made her move—

"I don't want this...no, no, no...no!!"

With a roar, Kurobe Nanoha rushed towards her 'older sister'. After a slashing sound, Kurobe Nanoha's right arm, along with her spear, was severed by her 'older sister'.

"—!!"

The 'hairband guard' who was originally chasing Milia was completely stunned. Kurobe Nanoha collapsed to the ground due to severe injuries and bleeding. Only Milia managed to escape from the warehouse and eventually returned to the corridor between the sunroom and the storeroom, where she was discovered by Shito Arisa.

After that, when 'older sister' was checking on the injuries of the unconscious Nanoha Kurobe, she discovered that her hairband was missing, so she could only give Nanoha Kurobe the hairband that she had wrapped around the controller.

Next, it attempted to erase the traces of Kurobe Nanoha's murder, cut off the part of Kinosaki Noa that was shot, and eliminated the traces of the 'witch', and then planned to find the survivor Saeki Miria.

But before it could leave, the white-haired boy it knew and loved most arrived in the warehouse first and witnessed the hell it and its sister had created.

Volume 1: Chapter 140. This was my first kiss, my accomplice.

“I…I’m afraid of being protected…The sacrifices my older sister made to protect me are a nightmare I can’t bear…But, even so, I never intended to hurt Noah…Why did I kill Noah? If it weren’t for my sister’s intervention, I would have even killed Rhea with my own hands…I, I really didn’t want to—”

After telling everyone what she knew about the whole story, the shock of Kurobe Nanoha's first kiss/French kiss gradually subsided, leaving only endless despair and regret brought about by the suppression of her witch factor and the return of rationality.

After hearing Nanoha Kaori's account, everyone's faces darkened and they remained silent. To break a taboo and become a witch to kill someone simply for the sake of "protection"... this was the cruelest joke imaginable for Noah Kinosaki and Rhea Hasumi...

As for Chang Rong, after hearing Kurobe Nanoha's account, he was in a state of near-shutdown.

—Nanoha Kaori's 'older sister'... killed me? I died protecting someone? She even slaughtered all the prospective witches in that year's Witch Trial...?

Things that were incomprehensible, things that he didn't want to understand, and things that he hadn't yet been able to comprehend all rushed at Chang Rong. The deaths of Noah and Leia were like razor blades, shredding and severing all the thoughts that Chang Rong was trying to gather together.

"Nanoha Kaori-chan... No, no, Nanoha Kaori-chan...!!! Waaah... You, you have to live... live!"

"Running away like this won't solve anything, Nanoha Kaori!"

It wasn't until Sakura Emma's almost screaming voice reached his ears that Chang Rong finally snapped out of his dazed thoughts.

"Naoka...!?"

Chang Rong immediately noticed that Kurobe Nanoha seemed to be trying to kill herself with a long spear, but her actions were immediately discovered by Tachibana Sherry, who pinned her to the ground and restrained her body. Meanwhile, Emma was crying and shouting loudly, telling Nanoha not to commit suicide like this.

"What...what do you want to do? Suicide...that's absolutely wrong, Nanoha Kurobe, you absolutely can't do that...!!"

Even Hiro's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth and spoke with utmost seriousness.

"I...I killed Noah and Rhea, but they were doing it to protect me—someone like me...someone like me—"

"That's because of the witch transformation, Nanoha Kaori-chan...! That, that's not the real you, but a fake whose personality has been temporarily replaced by the witch transformation...! That's right, we all know that Nanoha Kaori, you are definitely not that kind of person, so you can't do this!" Sakura Emma shouted at Kurobe Nanoha Kaori. The usually soft and sweet pink and white-haired girl was now on the verge of tears, but she still gritted her teeth and desperately spoke.

“This time we found it ahead of time and knew the whole story beforehand, so we absolutely can’t do what happened to Coco-chan, right…! We already know about Nanoha-chan’s situation, and it’s definitely not your fault. You never really wanted to kill anyone, and besides, Changrong-kun can absorb witch factors, so… we have to live together, right…!?”

Emma Sakura desperately pleaded, insisting that the witch's trial hadn't begun yet, and there was still room for redemption. Nanoha Kurobe wasn't a witch… she hadn't truly intended to kill anyone; she had simply had her taboos violated, and thus her reason had been consumed by the witch's influence…

Faced with Emma Sakura's pleading words, everyone fell silent for a moment. Although there was no "execution" button at the moment, everyone had already seen that button in their hearts.

"Hmm... I agree with Emma's suggestion! After all, I'm an old hand who's been dragged back from witch transformation, and I understand Nanoha's situation back then, you know? Besides, I've personally experienced the Watson brand sex release device, it's really useful, amazing and delicious!"

Sherry's voice broke the silence. The blue-haired girl stuck out her tongue and made a face, then gave a thumbs up, indicating that if she ever felt down, she could just have sex with a rabbit, and everything would be fine. The only problem was that the rabbit might turn on her.

“Haa… I think Sherry is right… Since Leia and Noah both want to protect you, then… you can’t just die like that and abandon them. That would just be a simple betrayal, wouldn’t it?”

Hannah Tono sighed heavily, indicating her agreement with Emma Sakuraba's suggestion.

"I... I've completely lost sight of the line between right and wrong... but at least one thing I'm certain of is that we absolutely cannot accept this Witch Island... The Great Witch seems to enjoy watching us tear each other apart, so we absolutely cannot easily accept it—you should live, Nanoha Kaori. That way you won't submit to that damned Great Witch...!!"

Nikaido Hiro clenched his fists tightly and said angrily through gritted teeth.

After everyone had expressed their opinions, Nanoha Kaori slightly raised her head. Looking at her companions, tears welled up in her eyes once again. She desperately held back the tears, then looked at the white-haired boy beside her, awaiting his judgment.

"...That's right. If it were Noah and Rhea, they would definitely...definitely make the same choice. And this is only because the [Forbidden] triggered the witch factor, which led to this outcome...That is definitely not a sin that Kurobe Nanoha should bear."

Chang Rong smiled at Kurobe Nanoha, telling the girl in this way that she could still try to live, and that she still had the right to do so.

"Why...? I killed Noah and Leia, and 'Big Sister' even killed you, Chang Rong—"

Nanoha Kurobe's eyes widened. She couldn't understand why these girls were still willing to believe in her even now, and she couldn't understand why Chang Rong could still smile at her.

but……

"But even so, I...I want to live—"

Suddenly, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori thought of something. She forced herself to get up, looked at everyone, and told them her 'wish'.

"Yes, everyone wants to live, we have to live together—hey, is this Arisa? Yes, we see Nanoha Kaori. Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you, Nanoha Kaori is actually a murderer~"

After confirming everyone's thoughts, Tachibana Sherry happily took out her phone and called Arisa Fujito.

Afterwards, intermittently, one could hear "What did you say...!?" "What did you say...!?" "What did you say!?" from the other end of the phone before Tachibana Sherry finally hung up and gave everyone a thumbs up.

"OK, Arisa also agreed, she said she has no objections!"

So, after a brief discussion, apart from Milia who was still unconscious, the remaining prospective witches all made their own decisions before the formal trial—not to try Kurobe Nanoha.

Her pain and regret were real, the scars she suffered were real, but her 'will' to kill Noah and Leia was false.

That was the malice brought about by the witch's genes. This sin should not be borne by Kurobe Nanoha. If this debt really needs to be settled, then the creditor has always been only one person: the Great Witch.

She orchestrated all of this out of hatred for humanity, and therefore we must resist her perverse manipulation.

“Although everyone agrees, it doesn’t mean that your sins have been forgiven, Nanoha Kaori… From now on, you’ll have to spend the rest of your life baking cookies as atonement. No, you’ll have to bake three times the amount, because you need to include Noah and Rhea’s share, as well as Uncle Milia’s compensation… Anyway, do you understand…?”

Chang Rong gently hugged Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru. Although he looked extremely haggard, he still gave the girl a warm and reassuring smile.

"Huh? No, no, a lifetime or anything like that, this is a promise between me and Watson!" Tachibana Sherry quickly interrupted, indicating that this was a no-go.

"Before that, we need to figure out how to restore Nanoha Kaori's right arm..." Nikaido Hiro said helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"Little cookies...!" Emma Sakura swallowed hard, her eyes shining.

"You guys are really... never mind, Nanoha Kaori, I'll mend your cuffs." Tono Hannah waved her fan and snorted coldly.

The girls didn't recover from their companion's death so quickly, but even so, they pretended to be relaxed and tried to act like their usual boisterous selves in order to relieve the pressure on Kurobe Nanoha and stop her from having wild thoughts and trying to commit suicide.

"Yes, I will try my best... everyone."

Kurobe Nanoha, embraced by Chang Rong, nodded and agreed to everyone's arrangement that she would spend the rest of her life as a biscuit-like servant to atone for her sins.

—I'm sorry everyone, I'm so sorry, Chang Rong. But...at least this way I can...

"By the way, my magic seems to have become much more controllable. In the previous vision, I seemed to see some images that were bothering me. If you don't mind, Chang Rong, could I try again?"

Kurobe Nanoka gently wriggled out of Chang Rong's embrace, and at the same time reached out her left hand to ask for the bell again.

"Hmm... Are you sure everything's okay? When you were hallucinating before, Nanoha, you almost..."

"No problem, I'm in excellent condition right now, trust me, Chang Rong."

Nanoha Kurobe smiled as she took the bell, and then—the [Vision] magic was activated as expected.

Ugh...!

A tearing pain, like blood vessels in her brain bursting, shot through her, but Kurobe Nanoha Kaori gritted her teeth and remained silent to prevent Chang Rong from noticing something amiss and stopping her hallucinations.

In her previous hallucinations, Nanoha Kurobe could only glean a vast and complex array of emotions from the bell: regret, anger, despair, joy, and sorrow.

This bell seems to be shackled, not wanting anyone to see it. But this 'shackle' is not invincible; it's like the left and right hemispheres of the brain are locked in a struggle.

Finally, before the nerves in her brain were severed, Nanoha Kurobe hallucinated images of the bell—

She saw that the bell was a 'gift' that Chang Rong had carefully selected from a jewelry store.

She saw that Chang Rong had carefully kept the bell, hoping to give it to that girl someday.

She saw that girl—the slender, snowflake-like girl whom Chang Rong had saved, whom she had once hallucinated in her sister's eyes.

She witnessed Chang Rong and the girl's mundane daily life, as well as the girl's various eccentric and out-of-place behaviors in her daily routine.

She saw the girl's name—'Sato Yuki'.

"—Snow?" "...Light snow?"

Upon hearing the name, Emma and Shiro both paused for a moment. The description of the graceful girl with snowflake-like long hair, 'YUKI', seemed to remind them of something.

But they quickly shook their heads, since the names were completely different, and if 'Snow' had also participated in the witch trial, she could not possibly return to human society.

—Snow, light snow…

Chang Rong kept repeating that name to himself. He felt an urge to cry, an overwhelming sense of longing, the joy of something lost and found, and a despair that he didn't want to remember and wanted to bury completely. But no matter what, he still couldn't remember it, as if there was an unreachable barrier between them.

Just when everyone thought that this 'illusion' was over, Kurobe Nanoha suddenly shuddered.

She hallucinated that the bell's holder had changed from Chang Rong to Xiao Xue.

She hallucinated—a scene of Xiaoxue talking to the bell.

She was a great witch, and she was torn between telling Chang Rong about it. She was terrified, but in the end, she mustered up her courage—

"Chang Rong's childhood sweetheart is a great witch...!!??" "What, what's going on!? Hey, you idiot rabbit—!"

"Wait a minute, doesn't that mean the Great Witch is dead...!? In the underground cryogenic chamber? This, this can't be right, something's definitely wrong!!!"

"Xiaoxue...she's my childhood sweetheart, and also a great witch...?"

The crowd erupted in shock at the information that Kurobe Nanoha had seen through her vision, while Chang Rong stood there with wide eyes, muttering in disbelief as if it were unreal.

"Sorry... that's the end of the scene... the bell was returned to Chang Rong, and I can't read any more... wait, it seems 'Sato Yuki' hid something in the library—the bookshelf on the right-hand side of the second row of the fifth column... cough cough cough!!"

As Kurobe Nanoha's illusion magic ended, she collapsed to her knees, coughing incessantly from exhaustion, and for a moment even her vision was impaired.

"Don't push yourself, Nanoha! Although the witch transformation has temporarily healed your injuries, your right arm was still severed. It's impossible for it not to have an impact on your body. You should rest first!"

Chang Rong quickly helped Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru up. He temporarily put aside the thoughts about 'Snow' and 'Great Witch' in his mind. At this moment, the most important thing was to take care of Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru.

"I'm fine, Chang Rong... How are you? Did this information... help everyone?"

Nanoha Kurobe smiled and shook her head to indicate that there was no need to worry, then looked at the others and asked.

"This is a huge help! At least we've finally caught that damned witch by the tail...!" Yamato Nadeshiko Hiro clenched her fists so tightly they cracked.

"But... Chang Rongjun's childhood friend is a great witch...? Doesn't she hate humans? Then why would she...?"

"Waaaaah... How could this happen... If I were to kill Watson's childhood friend with one punch, Watson, you wouldn't be angry, would you? Giegie, would you still forgive the really, really bad Sherry-chan...?"

"I'm sorry... I... I still can't remember... I feel like I'm just a little bit short, just a little bit more..."

Chang Rong rubbed his forehead. He couldn't even figure out if his current memory loss was due to the magic, or if 'Chang Rong' was actually resisting the memory of 'snow'?

"Didn't Nanoha Kaori hallucinate something in the library? Shall we go check it out later? But judging by the time, that stinky bird should be flying over by now—" Tono Hannah glanced at her phone, frowned, and said with some dissatisfaction. Sure enough, after Hannah's complaint, the warden immediately fluttered over.