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

Volume 1: Chapter 25. Oh my god, am I hallucinating?

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

The footsteps in the hallway outside the study grew heavier and heavier, finally stopping in front of the house door.

"—"

Even through the blanket, Chang Rong could still feel the guard beside him. He could even clearly feel his own heart pounding.

Of course, it could also be the sound of Kurobe Nanoha's heartbeat as she was being held in her arms, wriggling around like a carp.

The door was turned open, and the strange gaze from something other than humans even penetrated the bedding, making Chang Rong feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and could hardly breathe.

If the warden was like the head of the dormitory inspection department, then he and Kurobe would definitely have been in trouble today. After all, that guy is the kind of person who will wake you up even if you're asleep before he's done inspecting the dormitory.

At this moment, all we can do is pray that the guards on Prison Island have a better sense of boundaries than the head of discipline.

As for Naoya Kaori, who was being held by Chang Rong, she initially twisted and turned, desperately trying to break free, but eventually calmed down.

Although Kurobe Nanoha thought that this guy had finally revealed his true nature and gone wild when Chang Rong used what could be described as a forceful and tough method to drag her into the sofa without saying a word, Kurobe Nanoha slowly lowered her guard from the gray eyes of the other party that were not mixed with any evil intentions.

The boy looked at her without any malice or desire; he seemed not to see her as a woman at all.

And for some reason... this guy doesn't even seem to see himself as a human being.

His gaze was so resolute, like that of the old man in "The Old Man and the Sea," Runtu in "Runtu and the Badger," and Uncle Chen Rui in "Uncle Jules and the Oysters."

He had no worldly desires in his eyes, only a strange obsession with "Hehe, I must win this time"—to be honest, it was inexplicably a little annoying.

Actually, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori harbors a secret that can't really be called a secret.

Unlike other prospective witches who were discovered and taken in by the government as soon as they reached the age of majority, Kurobe Nanoha was a prospective witch who deliberately exposed herself to the government two years after she evaded the witch factor screening and was arrested and imprisoned in this prison as a prisoner.

In other words, she was not a 'fresh graduate', but an older 'transfer student'.

The white-haired boy in front of her should theoretically be younger than herself (but at this moment, being held by him like this, and avoiding) the four twisted inhuman remains she was patrolling in an emergency, Kurobe Nanoha actually felt a familiar older aura that she hadn't felt in a long time.

This aura made her no longer resist, no longer nervous, and she even forgot that she was being "protected" by this boy, a taboo that was absolutely untouchable for Kurobe Nanoha.

She had long been prepared to be alone and never intended to play those ridiculous and childish friend games with anyone.

Even so, this long-lost sense of tranquility made Nanoha Kaori feel as if she weren't on Prison Island, but rather basking in the sun in her own room, held in the arms of her dearest person—

"Sister...Master..."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"...!!?"

The instinctive, unintentional murmur that almost escaped Chang Rong's ears brought Kurobe Nanoha back to her senses. Her cheeks visibly turned into fiery red peppers, and after reaching their maximum redness, they exploded with a bang, launching her directly off the sofa, still wrapped in blankets.

"Whoa!? What's going on—phew, did the guard get away?"

Chang Rong was startled by Kurobe Nanoha Kaori's Flying Thunder God Technique, but fortunately, it seemed that the two of them did indeed use this method to evade the guard's room check.

"Kurobe-kun! I don't know what you're thinking, but next time before you lose your temper, can you at least consider our situation? What if the guards were still here? I didn't commit any illegal acts, but it's a different story for you. If you were caught, at the very least you'd be dragged to the punishment room and put in solitary confinement, or you might even be executed on the spot. Don't you even realize you're breaking the rules?!"

—I was severely reprimanded by someone younger than me…

Looking at the flustered Chang Rong in front of her, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori shrank further into the blankets wrapped around her.

"I'm sorry, I was just... well, anyway, this was just a test... Chang Rong, I will still be keeping an eye on you."

I wanted to say something, but whatever I said felt awkward.

Finally, after hastily uttering this not-so-harsh remark, Kurobe Nanoha slunk away from the study and bedroom.

—I don't need anyone's help. These people are destined to become 'enemies' in the end. My goal of entering the prison island was already determined long ago. Everything else has nothing to do with me... That's right, it has nothing to do with me.

But if Chang San is a 0-chess player? Four Q*? UN. If Rong isn't behind this, then why did 'ta' exhibit those unusual behaviors before?

No... Whenever I think about that boy, my brain automatically triggers its forgetfulness protection mechanism because it associates him with my own series of outrageous and extremely embarrassing behaviors.

Nanoha Kurobe's cheeks began to heat up again. After briefly reviewing her actions during the match against Tang, she felt it would have been better if she had simply been hit by that book and lost her memory.

—In short, let's keep a certain distance and continue to observe. I will personally confirm what kind of person Chang Rong was before she lost her memory.

But... why was [Vision] able to activate again just now, and what did that image mean?

When Kurobe Naoya Lingxiang was stuffed into the sofa by Wo Changrong, the contact between the two people caused Naoya Lingxiang to activate her illusion again. But this time it was no longer a pitch-black void, but a short and fleeting fragment.

In one scene, a white-haired boy in a school uniform leans against the window, seemingly laughing as he talks to a girl sitting at a desk beside him.

The golden sunset shone through the window into the classroom. Nana couldn't see the details in the shadows at dusk, but she could see that the girl had long, white hair, as pure as snowflakes, as fleeting as snowflakes, as ethereal as if she didn't exist in this world.

And the genuine, undisguised smile on the white-haired boy's face.

However, the next second the boy seemed to be kicked in the shin by the girl, and he rolled on the ground clutching his shin and howling in pain.

Although she didn't know the girl's identity, Kurobe Nanoha was absolutely certain that the boy was Chang Rong.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

-

After Kurobe Nanoha left, Chang Rong was in the study—

"...???"

Chang Rong sat on the sofa, holding Nanoha Xiang's simple magic spear in her hands, and question marks popped out like popping beans.

Just as Nanoha Kaori doesn't understand or comprehend Chang Rong, Chang Rong also completely doesn't understand or comprehend Kurobe Nanoha Kaori.

Da Yi went to her own room (the seventh room) at night, and after all that trouble, she tried to pick the lock, confronted me, and threatened me. In the end, she traded her magic spear for the blanket she used to sleep under. What on earth is this woman doing here?!

Chang Rong had always thought that "packing up and leaving" was just an adjective, until he met Kurobe Nanoha Kaori and realized that there really were people who would steal their belongings.

Achoo!

In the empty bedroom, Chang Rong, dressed in a thin nightgown, sneezed and was forced to contemplate the meaning of her life.

Volume 1: Chapter 26. The Strange Smell of the River

I feel like I've forgotten something.

Dong dong dong

I feel like I promised something.

Boom boom boom!

I feel like I've completely lost something.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

I always feel—

Bang!!!

"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... Ugh!? Coming right away..."

The sound, like a battering ram pounding against a door, echoed in the study, instantly kicking Chang Rong back to reality from her dream.

Chang Rong dazedly slid from the sofa to the floor, then barely managed to reshape himself into a half-human form, before finally managing to crawl to the doorway and regain some semblance of human appearance.

Click-clack...click

"You're unusually up early today, yawn... Would you like bread and fried eggs or noodles...?"

Chang Rong yawned as she mumbled a question to the figure in front of her, her tone suggesting she was already used to it.

"You can't get fried eggs or noodles here. Has your brain really been frozen?" The figure in front of the room door responded indifferently.

"Hmm? Ah... Nikaido-kun? Huh? Oh... huh?"

When Chang Rong came to her senses from her sleepwalking state, she saw the familiar black-haired girl in uniform standing in front of her. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she let out a series of ambiguous humming sounds.

"...Should I put you back in the freezer to calm down?" Nikaido Hiro asked with a happy and gentle smile, but judging from the veins bulging on his forehead, this destructive mushroom was about to explode.

"No, no need...! Just pretend I'm still half asleep." Chang Rong quickly waved her hand, now fully awake.

—Just now, I felt like I mistook Hero for someone else for a moment, but I've never been in the habit of making breakfast before, have I? Was I just rambling nonsense from being half-asleep?

"Should I call you magnanimous or an outrageously stupid idiot...? You're probably the only genius who could oversleep in a place like this." Hiro sighed, rubbing his brow helplessly.

I specifically told this guy his breakfast wake-up time last night, but he didn't come over until 8:30, so I had to come over myself.

It's understandable that someone like Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru would be drowsy during breakfast, after all, she just witnessed the mutual slaughter and the execution of the witch yesterday, so it's perfectly normal for her to have trouble sleeping.

But for a superhuman like the boy in front of you who sleeps even more soundly, it's hard not to accuse him of being a 'shady character', 'evil force', 'traitor', 'ambitious schemer', 'black hand', or 'black glove'.

Speaking of which—

Hiro noticed the wrinkled suit Chang Rong was wearing.

"You... you went to sleep without even changing your clothes? Just how chaotic is your life... were you frozen in the ancient times when the concept of 'clothing' didn't even exist? And you still say you're good at changing other people's clothes?" Nikaido Hiro looked at Chang Rong with a fearful gaze that said, 'This guy is no longer human at all.'

"Don't portray me as some kind of caveman who would fight a Triceratops or eat mutated crocodiles in the sewers! I have my reasons—anyway, is it too late to go eat now?"

Chang Rong was also quite unhappy about the matter of 4. Last night, she had changed into her clothes and happily crawled into her own little bed to escape her responsibilities. However, Kurobe Nanoha suddenly rushed in and started bartering without saying a word, exchanging her bedding for her magic spear and then running away.

You can't cover yourself with a gun! Unless you turn into a tactical doll, you can hug it for warmth, except for a certain steel plate.

In the end, Chang Rong had no choice but to put on his clothes and become an incompetent husband, watching helplessly as the quilt he once shared an intimate bed with was taken into Kurobe Nanoha's arms and wantonly ravaged, while Kurobe Nanoha called his name. And so, trembling and green, he entered the dreamland of Freljord.

"The cafeteria is open until 10 a.m., so if we go now, we can still make it in time," Hiro said, glancing at the time on his phone.

"Oh right, you seem to have brought your cell phone with you too. Although the phone can't receive outside signals, it's fine for communication within the prison island. Plus, it comes with a bunch of weird, completely useless functions, like 'spatial sound effects,' 'HD live streaming,' 'a complete collection of 100 years of world fashion magazines,' and 'model assembly, from beginner to burial,' etc. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, they're completely meaningless. Anyway, let's exchange contact information first."

"Waaaah... The little group finally agreed to take me along. You're such a good person, Nikaido-kun."

"I came all this way not to be friend-zoned by you, you idiot rabbit...!"

After exchanging contact information with their fully charged phones equipped with the 'YUKI Love System', Chang Rong was dragged to the cafeteria by Xi Luo, who was pulling her by the hair and making her whimper.

Similar to the retro-luxury decor of the other rooms, the room called the dining hall is covered with an expensive-looking deep red carpet. The fireplace embedded in the wall emits heat with the crackling sound of firewood burning. Opposite a row of dining tables and chairs is a long table full of various foods.

At first glance, it looks just like a luxurious buffet breakfast restaurant in a five-star hotel.

"Wow...! It's supposed to be a prison, but the cafeteria is so luxurious? This is just too, too... uh?"

Chang Rong was initially excited, but when he happily approached the 'food', he was bewildered by what he saw.

The stew was black and sticky, resembling vomit; the apples were wrinkled and dull; the water bottle was covered with foreign matter; and the bread smelled of stale bran.

"—I get it, today is Indian Food Day!"