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

"...It's all my fault, Emma! I've never been right! I'm sorry, although I know this apology is worthless and meaningless, but...I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you...! You can hate me or curse me, it's all the fault I should bear!"

"Hiro-chan...? Um, well... I, I never really hated Hiro-chan... I'm so happy to see Hiro-chan again, because I think maybe we can make up this time...!"

Although Emma, ​​who was being held in Nikaido Hiro's arms, was completely confused about the situation, she did not choose to struggle. Instead, she raised her hands and placed them on the black-haired girl who was apologizing, as if to comfort Hiro.

"Xiaoxue's situation, the emotional abuse I caused in junior high school, it was all my fault... I will atone for the hurt I caused you. Before everything is beyond redemption, I will definitely make amends for my actions this time!"

"Waaaah, suddenly talking about atonement and stuff... Well, being able to become friends with Hiro-chan again is already a great joy for me! If Yuki knew, she would definitely be happy too!" Sakura Emma smiled cutely, revealing her pointed little fangs.

"That's what I say, but this time I won't give you the idiot rabbit... one thing at a time."

"...?"

Hiro suddenly changed the subject, which left Emma wondering what was going on.

"That kind of terrifying guy is not someone like you, a late-stage Silver rank player, can touch. You'll just get counter-killed, devoured, and have your progress accelerated... Well, as your friend, and also to atone for my sins, this time I will protect you from being touched by that idiot rabbit. Yes, that's absolutely right, my duty...!"

"Hi, Hiro-chan?"

Emma tilted her head. Although she didn't know what her childhood friend with long black hair was talking about, she felt that she was stirring up some nonsense again.

"Ahem... Anyway, the current situation isn't suitable for discussing these topics. And I'm not at the point where I can just chat idly..."

Hero coughed twice and plopped down on Emma's bed. After using Emma's violent elimination to curb part of the witch transformation process, Hero finally had the energy to think about the current situation.

—Although the points of regression are far removed from the trajectory, in other words… do I actually possess the ability to change more tragedies?

If I could go back to the beginning, I could not only save the tragedy caused by Nanoha Kaori, but I could even save everyone...!

Considering that the warden has not yet unlocked the cell door, Hiro can only figure out what he, as a third-time player, should do next.

In my past life, I was framed by a despicable rabbit, pinned to the sofa and brutally attacked by a madman. I fought with all my might but could not defeat him. My purity was defiled, and with no one to turn to for help, I could only hang myself from a tree in the southeast...

In this life, I have been reborn. With my memories intact, I return to Witch Island, determined to transform it into a human world, reverse the tide, and refine the rabbit head in an instant!

At this point in time, the 'Witch's Tome' should still be intact, and I still have a chance to learn about the contents of the [ritual] that Xiaoxue is pursuing by exchanging information. However, considering that Meruru on Ice is still around at this time, perhaps my actions shouldn't be too obvious or aggressive.

No, perhaps I could do the opposite: use the information from the Great Witch Yuki to make a deal with Ice Meluru, restrain this girl, and even turn her power to my advantage.

Hiro learned from the veteran Chang Rong about the true nature of Ice Meluru's fanatical, single-person fanaticism. If he could use this knowledge, he might be able to easily control Miss ABB, the mastermind behind the scenes.

Another thing I must be careful to do is to remove all the "forbidden" landmines from everyone, and under no circumstances should any of the trainee witches be reduced in number.

On one hand, Hiro no longer wanted to witness his companions killing and executing each other. On the other hand, these prospective witches were not only witches, but also Chang Rong's backup hidden energy source. The loss of any one of them would cause Chang Rong to slowly enter a power-saving mode.

Then there's Chang Rong, Chang Rong... that idiot rabbit... he's probably still frozen solid right now... I have to go save him, and my witch transformation still depends on Chang Rong to stop it from fading away—

"Hey, Hiro-chan, your hair looks really weird, it's like...like little snakes, hehehe, it's so funny...!"

Emma's words interrupted Heero's thoughts. The pink and white puppy seemed confused and curious about Heero's sudden hug and then sitting on his bed without saying a word, so it carefully sat down next to Heero. But the pink puppy was quickly attracted by Heero's swaying hair.

"Tsk, Emma, ​​someone like you... no, no, it should be someone like me... Emma, ​​feel free to touch me if you want, but, little snake...?"

Hiro, who was about to get angry at Emma again, quickly came to her senses and denied it to herself. Then she realized that the ends of her carefully maintained, smooth and beautiful long hair had gradually evolved into small snake heads with their tongues sticking out.

Not only her hair, but her nails were also growing slowly, with the tips gradually being covered in a deep purple color.

"Well……!"

Hiro realized through his appearance that he was becoming a witch. Although Emma's power had temporarily and violently suppressed it, it was only a temporary solution. If he continued like this, he would be completely consumed by the witch transformation. It seemed that he had to find Chang Rong, which was the top priority.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect Hiro-chan to have this kind of cosplay hobby, and it seems to be a pretty hardcore one! But why do I have to change clothes too, and, and there are leg rings and stuff like that—whoa!?"

"Because we're witches who've been arrested and are in jail, not some cosplay... Forget it, just behave yourself."

Hiro grabbed Emma and hugged her, mimicking the way Chang Rongxiao used to rub Emma's head. Although each touch brought a sharp, gritty pain, like being shaving with a steel wool pad, the pain of having her witch genes 'erased' seemed to suppress the chaos of her witch transformation to some extent.

What was I thinking about...? Right, I need to find Chang Rong and get her to help me absorb and suppress my witch transformation, so I need to kiss Chang Rong—seriously, you monstrous, shameless, and clueless idiot rabbit, you made me look foolish... I really want to kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you—

"Hiro-chan...!? Um, the cell door has been unlocked. Just now, an owl claiming to be the warden appeared on the screen and said we should go to the meeting room..."

Emma, ​​who was being rubbed and kneaded by Heero, let out a puppy-like whimper, but Heero seemed not to hear it at all, still lost in some kind of thought.

"I'll kill you, you little rabbit, I have to give you a good kiss—" Hero, who had transformed into the Great King Hero in his witch form, was completely oblivious to Emma.

"Huh?! What did you say, Shiro-chan...? Um, I must have misheard, right...?!" Sakura Emma was startled by the obsession that came from Shiro's mouth.

Emma's slight movement caught Hiro's attention. She glanced at Sakura Emma and gave her a somewhat disdainful and complaining expression.

"Stop pretending to be an innocent little girl, oh my god...! You were the one who pounced on that guy, licking and nibbling at him, and then instantly gave him nothing but barking and starting capital—"

"Waaaaah!? I-I-I didn't do that, Hiro-chan! What are you saying—Ugh, um, we're being watched by so many people...!!"

Emma Sakura struggled and writhed frantically. Earlier, after the cell door unlocked, the other girls who had been imprisoned like her had gradually left their cells, and almost simultaneously, these girls stopped in front of Emma and Hiro's cell door—

Through the unlocked iron gate, the aspiring witches watched as the half-witch Hero embraced Emma, ​​uttering nasty words about kissing and stepping on her back, while retaliating by ruffling Emma's hair.

"Watching? What watching—whoosh!!"

When Hiro came to his senses, he found himself surrounded by a group of witches. These once-familiar companions were now staring at Nikaido Hiro with expressions of shock, confusion, and panic, as if they had seen a ghost.

On Witch Island, I was like a stranger to them.

"Damn it—I didn't even notice when they surrounded us...!"

Having been reborn, my perfect plan to 'show everyone the true power of the Yamato Nadeshiko' this time' seems to be even shorter than the unbreakable Tea Party Alliance.

However, when Hero saw his familiar companions still standing in front of him, he felt more joy and relief than embarrassment and regret.

That's great... Everyone, everyone is still here. No one is absent, no one has fallen behind, everyone is still here.

"What the hell is this, Desuwa!? Is this really a prison? The first thing I see here is a tough inmate!?" — A twin-tailed girl in an expensive green lace dress covered her face and huddled behind a blue-haired girl, loudly complaining.

"Hehehe, this looks like it's going to be a really interesting experience~!" The blue-haired girl, wearing a detective hat and holding a magnifying glass, looked delighted.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot... You should do this kind of thing after the lights are out, you moron...!" The white-haired girl, wearing a hood and mask and speaking with the tone of a delinquent, widened her eyes.

"Waaaaah... Uncle, I was supposed to go see the Great General movie, why did I end up in this weird place...?" The blonde hot girl, dressed in a sexy outfit but with an expression that couldn't hide her office worker vibe, rubbed her face in bewilderment.

"Hey, let go of that girl in your hand right now... Hmm, but is this really bullying? It seems like you're enjoying it..." A tall girl with handsome short blond hair and dressed in a dashing outfit like a noble knight had one hand on the sword at her waist, but she had a moment of self-doubt before drawing it.

"How could... there be such ignorant people... This prison island is definitely not normal..." The black-haired twin-tailed girl wearing a cycling helmet and goggles stared speechlessly at the two people in front of her who seemed unusually relaxed.

"No, no, no... No?" The girl with rainbow-colored hair, who carried spray paint cans like a balloon, tilted her head, puzzled by what she saw and heard.

The girls' expressions and demeanor varied, and among them...

"Waaaaah... This, this isn't right! This is the Witch's Judgment, not some weird place... Why would someone wake up and do this... this is really wrong, waaaah...!" The blonde girl in the pure white nun's habit frantically shed pearls, seemingly questioning whether even God and Buddha had closed their eyes. However, unlike the girl's current tearful and soft demeanor, she was the real mastermind behind the Witch's Judgment, Ice-Skate Meruru.

"【The roof's falling! What sins have we committed? Is this the revenge for having too many eunuchs...?】" Wearing an overly puffy dress, a long-haired white girl with a sickly, half-asleep expression stared wide-eyed at Hiro, who was creating a silver-gray artwork, while silently protesting with a writing pad in front of her. She was Natsume An'an, a death row warrior possessing [brainwashing] magic.

"Oh, she seems like a cute girl with overflowing desires and nowhere to put them~ I don't dislike someone who stays true to themselves, hehe, it sounds like it'll be quite interesting." A girl with short black hair and purple eyes, wearing a black and white checkered kimono covered in butterfly patterns, looked at Nikaido Hiro with interest, her tone filled with a dangerous allure. She was none other than Hosho Mag, a con artist who made a living through deception, refusing to understand love, unaware of love, and unable to comprehend love.

At the same time, he also framed his 'nemesis' by exposing his own buttocks on the spot and stomping on his t-bag to humiliate him.

as well as--

“@△@…”

For some reason, it seems like something's wrong; Hakimi and Zetsu Coco are completely out of the loop.

"What's wrong with this guy... He's been spacing out since the beginning, and every now and then he'll suddenly yell 'No!? Don't touch him!' as if he's about to explode, and then he'll just go back to spacing out... Is this so-called prison really okay?"

The blonde, twin-tailed young lady waved her fan, looking at her roommate Hakimi with a mixture of helplessness and worry, and complained softly.

Just as everyone was being held captive at the cell door by Hiro's declaration of affection and his behavior of petting the pink-haired dog, heavy footsteps came from not far away.

A monster over 2 meters tall, the 'Headband Guardian,' appeared before the prospective witches. The scythe it held in its hand temporarily forced the prospective witches, who had originally been watching the spectacle, to obediently follow the guard to the reception hall.

"Where is it taking us... Waaah, it looks so scary—wait!?"

Emma followed the group forward under the guard's guidance, but she accidentally tripped and fell on flat ground. Emma then sat on the ground in a duck-sitting position, looking at Hero with a tearful expression.

—Emma, ​​she's always made these little tricks on purpose to get my attention.

She secretly hid her shoes, then tearfully begged me for help. She tripped and fell while walking, then looked at herself with teary eyes. It was a simple question, but no matter how I explained it, she couldn't grasp the key points, forcing me to explain the thought process over and over again.

In the past, Heero would have used this as evidence to conclude that Emma was an unclean, evil, and scheming person. But for Heero now, these little tricks can prove that Emma values ​​him.

"Are you alright, Emma?"

Hiro smiled and reached out to Emma Sakura. Although she hid her somewhat mutated hand in her sleeve, the act of reaching out still almost caused Emma to reveal her small pearl for a moment.

—Hiro-chan, Hiro-chan responded to me... Hiro-chan, can we really be friends again? That's great, that's great...!

—That's it, Emma. Before I formally apologize, let me atone for my sins in these ways. Besides, now that you're friends with me again, Emma, ​​you won't need to bother with that idiot rabbit anymore, right?

As long as Emma and I become partners again, Emma will stick to me like before, Emma won't be interested in the silly rabbit, Emma won't go down the Changrong route, and Heero can enjoy his food all to himself—Heero, win!

Her remorse for Emma was genuine, her desire to atone for her sins against Emma was genuine, and her desire not to let Emma steal her man was also genuine.

After Hiro reached out and pulled Emma up, who was about to drop her pearl, Baosheng Mag, who was behind them, saw this and gave a meaningful smile.

"Hmm? Hehehe... Interesting. So it was because he fell in love with a man that he abandoned his ex-girlfriend? Oh my, what kind of boy is he?" The girl in the purple kimono seemed to be thinking about something as she smiled and said to Hiro.

"No, that's not it—uh!"

Just as Hiro was about to refute Marg's claim that he and Emma were not just best friends but casual flings, a sharp, stinging pain suddenly shot through him again.

The witch transformation is progressing rapidly, and even Emma can't stop it... We must find Chang Rong as soon as possible.

"Hey, I was actually about to ask you this, were you cosplaying? But it felt a bit too realistic. Considering our current abnormal environment, could it be that you're actually one of those small fry stepping stones in a suspenseful horror story who gets killed/turned into a monster first, used to set up the atmosphere of terror and despair?"

The blue-haired girl approached with her magnifying glass, cheerfully asking Hiro, who was now a witch.

"Ah, it feels like it's been a long time since I've seen you like this... I actually miss you a little." Shiro forced a smile in response. This pure, clueless, and oblivious first-generation malfunctioning robot, Blue Idiot, was indeed someone Shiro hadn't seen in a long time.

Ever since Chang Rong exposed her true nature, Shirley's tendency to speak bluntly and without considering the situation has almost completely disappeared. At most, she might occasionally have a sudden outburst and declare that she plans to knock Chang Rong unconscious, drag him away, and eat him all by herself, draining him dry.

"Huh? You know me? Hehehe~! It seems that the fame of Detective Sherry is gradually spreading across the earth!"

Sherry Tachibana scratched her head and laughed sheepishly, while Hiro was completely unaffected and didn't seem to care at all.

After all... your first championship has already been confiscated, Sherry Tachibana! Now that I've reversed time and stolen the trophy, what can you do, Sherry? What can you do? You can only watch helplessly, right? You won't even realize that your trophy has been stolen inside and out... Hehe, you're already crying.

Thinking of this, as everyone walked towards the corner and arrived at the first floor, Hiro immediately slipped to the other side of the corridor and slipped away when the guards were not paying attention, preparing to go to the underground freezer to thaw the frozen rabbit heads and sing "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing you prosperity).

Hero's truancy was swift and decisive, and the other girls' attention was entirely drawn to the guards ahead and the various decorations and furniture in the castle, so no one noticed Hero's secret escape right under their noses, except—

"Ara...?"

Baosheng Mag raised an eyebrow slightly. As a con artist, she was already used to attention-grabbing tricks, and therefore particularly sensitive to the actions of others. However, Mag didn't make a big fuss about Hiro's escape. She just pondered for a moment, then revealed a thoughtful and amused expression, as if she was planning something.