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

Volume 1: Chapter 145. The sentimental Chang Rong, perhaps we...

"What... what are you talking about, Emma? With me? What is this... are you under too much pressure or what? This kind of behavior doesn't make any sense and is completely meaningless! I'm the one who can use the rewind magic, it has nothing to do with you, there's absolutely no need to take such a radical risk with me!"

Faced with the group who had somehow acquired the 'Witch Slayer Potion,' Nikaido Hiro immediately widened his eyes and retorted to dissuade them.

"No... this isn't an adventure, Hiro-chan."

Emma Sakura shook her head and refuted Hiro's question. Usually, she was a soft and submissive girl, but this time she showed a very serious and determined emotion, as if she was not discussing it at all, but rather giving a one-sided notification.

"We all believe in your abilities, Hiro-chan. If it were Hiro-chan, you would definitely be able to go back in time and change these tragic events that are like a cruel joke by the gods... That's right, this is everyone's choice. It's because everyone believes in Hiro-chan that we've done this!"

"What... Even if you trust me, there's no need to do this...! These are completely different things...!"

Nikaido Hiro continued to grit her teeth and refute Emma's response, unable to accept such a reason.

"Hmm~ So, Hiro, you'd rather I spend all my time with Watson doing *that* without a care in the world after you're gone? Thinking about it, it doesn't seem so bad! Of course, I'm the cute, kind, sickly, and delicate fairy Sherry-chan, I won't eat alone. I'll occasionally invite Hannah, Emma, ​​and Arisa to join me! Anyway, guess who wasn't invited?"

The blue-haired girl cheerfully raised a magnifying glass and scrutinized Chang Rong, the white-haired boy next to Hiro, as if she wanted to start a major investigation immediately.

"Uh—!? This, this kind of thing..." Shirley's words caught him off guard from another angle, and for a moment he couldn't even find a suitable angle to refute them.

"Anyway, that's the situation, Heero. Although I'll listen to Watson—no, after I get tired of this, I'll take Watson down with me!" Shirley Tachibana suddenly remembered something halfway through her sentence, and her tone changed abruptly, immediately indicating that her death sentence was to take Chang Rong away or be taken away by Chang Rong.

"Huh, am I going to die too? Uh... well, without the witch factor I'd definitely be dead..."

Chang Rong was startled by being dragged into the conversation in this way. He blinked and pointed at himself, asking questions, but quickly nodded, agreeing with Tachibana Sherry's "kmyy" behavior of dragging him into the mess before her death.

—Oh dear, thank goodness! I almost blurted out, "I'll leave the choice to Watson." That wouldn't do. That would only put more pressure on Watson and make him feel more stressed. I'm Sherlock Holmes, after all. As Sherlock Holmes, I sometimes need to have my own decisions and choices. I can't let Watson lead me around!

Shirley Tachibana nodded. When Hiro and Chang Rong left the infirmary, she had already made her decision. This time, no matter what the outcome was, she would at least make a choice according to her own will and could no longer blame Watson when she was indecisive.

"I think you, Hiro... well, you don't need to be so nervous. If this were a manga, the later plot would definitely follow naturally and successfully! After all, people with this kind of ability are usually the protagonists who can save everyone in the story, right? Although I'm reluctant to admit it, Hiro, you are undoubtedly the 'protagonist' in this story, so I will choose to believe you, not because you seem to come from a wealthy family...!"

Hannah Tohno held her fan and gently fanned herself while wearing a slightly sullen expression. As a rich young lady who loved manga and occasionally fantasized about being the heroine, Hannah was a little annoyed by Hiro's sudden revelation. This skill, which sounded like something out of a protagonist's mold... was just too unreasonable!

But... after the initial awkwardness, Hannah felt a renewed longing for hope.

"Most importantly—if that silly knight keeps running around wearing that unfinished scarf, I, as his 'teacher,' will also feel very embarrassed. So, Hiro, you have to save everyone. Then I'll have to switch to serious mode and teach Milia how to knit!"

Tono Hannah looked at the rough, crooked scarf around Chang Rong's neck, then looked at Shiro and said.

“I… well, I trust your judgment too, Hiro. Although time travel and all that still sounds a bit hard to understand, but… I want to see Balloon-sensei draw again. And, and—I also want to apologize to Kurobe Nanoha and Hasumi Ryoa… When we first met, I always argued with them or clashed with them in various ways. Looking back, I feel like I was too reckless, so—you can definitely do it, Hiro.”

As Arisa Shito, her face hidden behind the mask, spoke softly with a hint of disappointment, but she finally mustered the courage to look at Hiro Nikaido and nodded earnestly to the black-haired girl, choosing to acknowledge her abilities.

"That's it, Hiro-chan. Everyone came together to make this decision because they didn't agree with this ending and genuinely trusted Hiro-chan. Everyone believes in Hiro-chan because you are Hiro-chan, right?"

Emma Sakura walked up to Hiro Nikaido, forcing her way into his somewhat evasive gaze. Smiling, she raised Hiro Nikaido's hand, her tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

"What the heck... This reasoning is completely illogical and utterly untenable... Hey, you idiot rabbit, come here too, help me refute these ridiculous and flawed statements that aren't even perjury...!"

Hiro's right hand was held by Emma. She resisted but didn't dare to force her hand back, so she could only look to Chang Rong for help from the white-haired boy.

If it were that overly gentle, overly kind, idiotic rabbit, he probably wouldn't be able to stand everyone's suicidal behavior. He would definitely scold them severely, and maybe in his anxiety he wouldn't be able to speak properly and could only stare blankly and drop little pearls. At that time, wouldn't this ridiculous and fragile group disband instantly?

However, after a brief silence, Chang Rong did not refute everyone as Xi Luo had imagined. Instead, he nodded seriously to Emma and Shirley.

"I believe in everyone, and I believe in Hiro whom you all believe in, so... you're all right, witch, heed my command, let's all commit suicide together—Gap!?"

Chang Rong raised his right hand, striking a pose as if ready to die, but before he could finish speaking, Nikaido Hiro, standing to the side, used him as a military flag and lifted him high into the air, letting him fly in the wind.

"What are you doing...! Don't fool around with those guys like Yin Lingyi, Si Wusi, and Cu Qun at a time like this, you idiot rabbit! Even if you trust me, you don't need to do this!" Xi Luo grabbed Chang Rong and shouted at him to stop making trouble.

"Don't you understand, Hiro? Everyone actually... wants to find that old time and life again."

Chang Rong sighed and explained softly to Xi Luo.

“We are all standing at a crossroads. On one side is the ‘future,’ where we can see the end even though we don’t know how much longer it will last. On the other side is the ‘past,’ which seems to have no road but is filled with infinite possibilities behind the walls. After thinking about it at the crossroads, we finally chose the path that leads to the ‘past.’”

What happened today will not bring this year's 'Witch Trial' to an end. Rather, all the uncertainties have completely disappeared, and there will be no more friction or conflict between everyone. If one only wants to 'survive,' then perhaps one can continue to live on this witch island for a while longer.

But... no one wants to choose this path. No matter how peaceful and stable the 'future' may be, it can't compare to the noisy and turbulent 'past'.

"Everyone has cut off a future that has no 'future' left, and chosen a past that can be changed, one that still carries hope and ties—it's that simple, Hiro. The Witch Slayer Potion is simply everyone's awareness of their own choices. Half-hearted wavering will only mess things up. If you're going to make a choice... then you have to completely trust your own path."

Chang Rong looked at the black-haired girl in front of her and said with a hint of disappointment on her face.

Making choices without awareness is meaningless, and ambiguity will only hurt others. If you make a decision that follows your heart, then you must abandon all confusion—this is the realization that everyone gained after hearing Xiaoxue's story.

"Even so, this is still wrong—" "Perhaps it is indeed wrong, irrational, and illogical, but, Hiro, you possess the power to turn wrong into right, don't you?"

Chang Rong interrupted Xi Luo's words, gently cupping the girl's cheeks with both hands, fixing their gazes on each other, their gray eyes and her scarlet eyes meeting each other without any concealment.

“Even if you’re going to believe me, there’s no need to go this far… I haven’t even figured out how to apologize to Emma yet—”

"In that case, how about Hiro-chan leaves the apology to 'my past self'?"

Emma interrupted Hiro. The pink-haired girl revealed an innocent, lovely, and endearing smile. Looking at her childhood friend who had once bullied her with cold violence and unilaterally avoided her, she expressed her feelings for Hiro with this smile—she still loved this childhood sweetheart who had always taken care of her.

"Emma from the past...?"

"After all, even if I forgive Hiro-chan here, the Emma of the past is still the same 'bad girl Emma,' right? Wouldn't that be a waste of effort? Hehehe... Actually, I don't really understand things like time and order."

“Emma…” Seeing the girl’s embarrassed and silly smile, Hiro was speechless for a moment.

"Seriously! You, Hiro, usually act like a disciplinary committee member, always giving orders and disciplining everyone, but why are you acting so cowardly at a time like this? Cheer up, cheer up, Desuwa! I'm waiting to see that idiot Leia, wearing a princess costume that's completely out of place and that I personally sewed, and Chang Rong, who also wore a prince costume that I sewed myself, perform a stage play!"

Hannah Tono couldn't stand Hiro's nagging either, so she leaned over, put her hands on her hips, and deliberately struck a scolding and complaining pose.

"Forget it, gentlemen, why waste words with such trash? Anyway, I'll just punch Dass first, then I'll take Watson and have a good meal—wailing, why are you stopping me!?"

Tachibana Sherry chuckled, clenching her fist in preparation to forcefully restart the stuck Nikaido Hiro, but was naturally swarmed and pinned down by the others in a panic.

"I didn't really like you before... I always thought you were a deliberate, hypocritical, and meddlesome person. But I was wrong. Shiro, you really want everyone to live a proper life and you take it seriously. So... no, what's the point of apologizing now... well, anyway, um... you're definitely more adorable when you stick to what you believe is right. And—I'm leaving everything to you, Shiro."

Arisa Fujito, somewhat embarrassed and shy, tried to change the subject. After talking for a while, she tugged at her hood, but then seemed to realize something. So she mustered up her courage, took off her hood and mask, clasped her hands together in front of her, and bowed solemnly to the black-haired girl in front of her to express her gratitude.

“...Yamato Nadeshiko.” “It’s Yamato Nadeshiko desuwa…” “The real Yamato Nadeshiko…”

Seeing Arisa in this state, everyone muttered to themselves in a voice that Hiro could just hear.

"What the hell are you doing...! You're messing with me, you bastards! I'll kill you all, you bastards!" Nikaido Hiro blushed instantly at such a direct and veiled insult; the girl's blush spoke louder than any words.

"...It's a gangster clone." "It's Desuwa, a motorcycle gangster..." "And the real boss of Dorayaki?" "It's Causeway Bay."

Seeing Nikaido Hiro like this, everyone sighed that Arisa was a clueless delinquent, and that Hiro's casual remark was something Arisa could never reach in her entire life.

"Fine... I'm really fed up with you guys."

After a brief period of noise, Nikaido Hiro helplessly brushed his hair aside, looking like he was saying, "I really can't do anything with you guys," but a slight smile lingered on his lips.

She understood that the girls' resolve was genuine, and that their trust in her was unwavering. Everyone shared the same goal: to correct this absurd situation, bring their companions back, and move forward together.

Incorrect behavior? Doesn't matter, I'll just make it correct!

Having already known everyone's beliefs and sensed their domineering spirit, Nikaido Hiro snorted coldly, "Since that's the case, I will become a god!"

"Alright, let's go back in time together. Give me some of the Demon-Slaying Medicine, I won't be polite, but I'll trade it for a large cup!"

Hiro gestured for Arisa to pour some of the magic potion from her bosom for herself, and then the group immediately struck a pose reminiscent of the Oath of the Peach Garden, ready to raise a toast—

"No, no, no, don't drink it, Hiro!? The effect of the Demon-Slaying Potion is to strip away and kill the witch factor. If you drink it, won't you be reset to a blank character and then die? You'll die, but where's the rewind? I'm asking you!"

Chang Rong quickly stopped Hiro, who was in a state of enlightenment. The child was too enlightened; he was only thinking about dying and forgot that there were rules about how to die.

"Uh...!" Shiro belatedly realized what was happening and showed a shocked expression.

"..."

Looking at Nikaido Hiro, who instantly showed an embarrassed expression, Chang Rong suddenly realized that this guy didn't seem to be very reliable either.

Maybe Hiro even realized he possessed the magic of death reversal in a rather foolish way?

For example, she was hit by the same car speeding and going against traffic on the same sidewalk in the same posture several times, and then she realized that this was not divine intervention or "Huh? It was just a dream!", but rather that she had experienced a regression after death... I feel that this possibility is surprisingly high.

After realizing this, Chang Rong temporarily halted the group's plan to speedrun through Witch Island and instead arranged a "retrospective cram school" for Hiro, which meant informing Nikaido Hiro of some important points.

So far, almost all of everyone's taboos have been broken: Heero's suicide, Tachibana Sherry's possession of human hearts, Hannah's abandonment and exposure of her disguise, Arisa's unconditional tolerance of her mistakes, Milia's exposure online, Nanoha Kaori's protection, Rhea's being overshadowed in popularity, Noah's creative AI, Coco's hiding, Mag's feigned love, and An An's happiness being thwarted.

Aside from Emma seemingly having no taboos, or rather, the taboo being that the cafeteria wouldn't be open today, and Meruru's first playthrough being a black hand and her second playthrough ending in sudden death, leaving no opportunity to explore the "taboos," the inner scars of the prospective witches are now laid bare.

Hiro only needs to find a way to remove Nanoha Kaori's taboo beforehand, or if she can't remove it herself, she should tell Chang Rong so that Chang Rong can remove it, and today's tragedy can be avoided.

In addition to preparing the witch and information about Witch Island, Chang Rong also prepared food for Hiro on the road (simple compressed biscuits), clothes for the future, a map of Witch Island, a small Hiro doll (made by Hannah) to keep him entertained on the road, a magic spear for self-defense, and a mobile phone with hands-free mode enabled.

"Remember to drink plenty of hot water if you get thirsty, and don't forget to wear more clothes when it gets cold. Be sure to call me back when you get there. Don't push yourself too hard. If life is tough there, just come back..."

"...Are you some kind of stupid old woman?! I only went back to this morning! And this isn't some time machine where you can just take your things and ride back and forth!"

"Ugh... I was too long-winded, I'm sorry..." Chang Rong replied softly, wiping away her tears.

—This guy has simply transferred all his feelings for Noah onto me…! If he really wanted to raise a daughter, wouldn't Emma Sakura be a better fit?!

Hiro, suspecting that she had been temporarily replaced as the daughter, complained inwardly, while at the same time, Sakura Emma also moved closer to Chang Rong.

"Um... I've compiled the notes into a sticky note, maybe it'll come in handy...!" Sakura Emma carefully handed the sticky note to Chang Rong.

"As expected of Emma! I almost forgot about that, you did a great job, Emma! Yo-shi yo-shi yo-shi—"

"Hehehehe~~~"

Chang Rong took the note and immediately praised Sakura Emma, ​​then casually petted the pink and white puppy, making the puppy wag its ears and tail repeatedly.

—So Emma is a pet? That's quite an unconventional move, isn't it? Evil Emma… No, Emma is kind, I'm the evil one…!

"Um, is just a little rubbing all you want, Chang Rong-jun? At a time like this, a light kiss as a reward shouldn't be... a problem, right?"

"Hmm...that seems to make sense, so let's have a little kiss then."

Emma, ​​who had been thoroughly petted, was still not satisfied. She looked at Chang Rong with a cute and pitiful expression, which immediately captivated him.

—Damn it, Emma really is evil after all…!

"Anyway, stop messing around. After all, it's about reverting memories, not the physical body or tools. I think I know what I need to do, so I'll—"

cluck cluck cluck~~~

Heero's words were interrupted again, this time by her own stomach. And as if synchronizing, after Heero issued a low battery warning, Emma simultaneously emitted a cute gurgling sound on her ice.

"Uh, that... it's not like that...!!" Sakura Emma's face instantly turned bright red, wishing she could disappear into the ground on the spot.

"Fine, I'll kill you first and then go back in time—" "At least don't use such a shameful motive to kill me, okay!?"

Hiro's cheeks flushed instantly, and she immediately looked at Chang Rong beside her, saying that her father was coming to kill her, which made the latter quickly raise his hands in surrender.

"Thinking about it carefully, everyone has hardly eaten anything since breakfast this day, and so many things have happened in between..." Chang Rong glanced at her phone. If we take Xiluo waking up this morning as the cutoff line, there is still plenty of time, enough to have dinner.

"Well then, let's go eat first! After all, as the old saying goes, you can't be a starving ghost, and a good mood can also help prevent witch-like transformation, right?" Chang Rong clapped her hands to indicate that she was full before setting off.