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

"Hmm... Hiro-chan was my best friend in elementary school and the first and second years of junior high... Although some things happened later, Hiro-chan has already apologized to me!"

Emma responded with a smile, but her mind was in turmoil. She had indeed felt worried and curious after watching the live stream, but Emma was somewhat surprised to realize that these feelings were not because of her good friend Hiro, but because of 'Hiro's fiancé,' the white-haired boy.

"Hey, why are you acting so strangely, you gorilla girl? You haven't said a word the whole time?"

"...Hmm? Really? Hehehe, no way~!" Tachibana Sherry quickly gave a thumbs up to show that she was still the little fairy, but her eyes seemed a bit deep.

—What exactly happened? When I saw that boy, my heart, my manhood… well, it feels like a mystery that needs a major investigation!

As for Hannah Tono, who kept asking questions to steer the conversation, she herself didn't even realize that she had been 'floating' on the ground in a state of excitement ever since she started watching the live stream.

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.

"Hmm...?"

Arisa, who was originally planning to attempt an escape, stopped in her tracks after seeing the live stream. The unusual temperature of her body made her initially think her magic had gone out of control, but when she removed her mask and looked in the mirror, she realized that the burning heat wasn't magical flames, but her own body.

Or maybe we should just take a look... just one look?

Arisa Fujito, who originally planned to continue being a lone wolf, inexplicably had this idea.

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.

"Huh, sister...?"

After the group disbanded, the lone wolf, black-haired twin-tailed girl Kurobe Nanoha, who had been roaming and farming in the jungle on her own, had her jungle farming temporarily interrupted by her live stream.

She hadn't originally planned to watch the live stream, because Kurobe Nanoha knew that these aspiring witches would eventually fight each other. This childish behavior was pointless.

Her primary goal right now is to confirm whether the bandaged remains guarding her sister are indeed her sister, however... Kurobe Nanoha can't find any trace of her sister at all.

Just when she was at her wit's end, she inadvertently glanced into the corner of the corridor in the live broadcast room and saw a guard with a headband who looked like her sister standing there. The guard was leaning against the wall and staring intently at something, looking extremely strange.

...The reception room? I'd better go and take a quick look.

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.

"As expected of Xiaoya, she's so elegant and handsome!" "Hmph, of course..."

In the restaurant, Ryota Hasumi posed and enjoyed the praise from audience member Miria Saeki. However, Ryota Hasumi, who would usually be overjoyed by praise, seemed rather listless this time.

—I feel like…something’s not right. The ‘fans’ I really want, the ‘attention’ I hope to gain, shouldn’t be…not like this?

Leia's confusion and bewilderment were interrupted by the live stream. She didn't quite believe that the so-called 'behind-the-scenes manipulation' would be exposed so quickly; perhaps it was just a prank by that girl named Zedu Coco.

What truly piqued Ryota Hasumi's interest was the 'boyfriend'.

He's absolutely perfect for the role of 'prince' in my stage play, no doubt about it! I have to keep that boy firmly in my grasp!

"Wow... at least six illegal acts in a 3-minute live stream... This is really worrying. I'll have to go check it out."

Saeki Miria rubbed her head and sighed. Although she didn't know why, she had a strange urge to press that boy between her legs, stroke his hair, and lecture him that "bigamy, cohabitation, and marriage at XX age are wrong, and it's more reliable to be with an older man."

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.

"Hmph hmph hmph~~ Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

Inside the cell, Noah Kinosaki hummed an off-key song while spraying paint around, but the drawing paper in front of him was quickly covered in paint, which made Noah want to paint the entire cell white and turn it into a canvas.

"..."

However, when Noah was about to spray paint, she suddenly stopped. Even Noah herself didn't know why she stopped. It was supposed to be artistic creation, but she instinctively realized that this behavior 'seemed inappropriate'.

As Noah was pondering, her phone notification interrupted her thoughts.

"An'an, do you want to watch the live stream?"

"...We want to sleep."

Noah took out his phone and asked An'an, who was curled up in the blankets, a dull and lifeless voice.

"Hmm...marriage? Marrying together...? Noah doesn't understand, but..." (The last part is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

Noah's iridescent eyes suddenly flickered as she watched a white-haired boy flash across the live stream. The paint tube that had been drooping in her hand suddenly became stiff and upright, and she even accidentally sprayed out a few drops of thick white paint.

"Noah—it's decided, Noah wants an even more extreme art...that's right, body painting!"

"—Huh!?"

The outrageous and eccentric remarks made Natsume An'an peek out from under the covers and look at this balloon-like, eccentric artist girl with a look of utter disbelief.

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.

"Oh my, this is such a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect there to be tarot cards. Maybe this will help me pass the time... Hmm?"

In the recreation room, a kimono-clad girl named Mako Hosho was fiddling with tarot cards when her phone vibrated, piquing her interest. She smiled as she watched Coco Sawatari's 'graduation livestream' on the screen.

"Oh dear... It's clearly a sincere emotion, but it's shrouded in layers of lies? How interesting... I'm getting more and more curious about the awkward relationship between you two... Wouldn't it be even more interesting if we could trick that boy into our hands right now? Oh dear, I really... can't seem to shake this bad habit of indulging in such wicked pleasures~~"

As a con artist, Baosheng Mag easily saw through Coco and Hiro's clumsy lies, but precisely because of this, Baosheng Mag became even more interested in the white-haired boy they were willing to fabricate false evidence to keep by their side.

It's not that I want to be in a relationship or crave protection from anyone. After all, in this world, pure love and pure kindness are like the Loch Ness Monster—creatures that only exist in fantasy.

If I could 'trick' that boy into coming here, this boring prison life would probably become a little more interesting, right? I'm already quite adept at these little, insignificant pranks.

Watching those people being completely fooled by him, nothing could be more interesting and fun than this.

Chang Rong, is it? I feel like I could easily fool this clueless idiot. I hope you can provide me with a little more fun, hehe.

And so, the aspiring witches, each with their own feelings and thoughts, headed towards the reception room after watching Zedu Coco's overly explicit live stream.

Volume 1: Chapter 155. Hero: You incomprehensible witches, come at me all at once!

"Huh... what is this...?"

When everyone arrived at the meeting room following the instructions of 'former anchor Ze Du Ke Ke (who has now graduated and returned home to prepare for pregnancy)', they immediately saw the most eye-catching person in the room at that moment—

"Waaaaah... I'm so sorry... Waaaah..."

Just over ten minutes ago, she was thrown in like everyone else as an 'innocent aspiring witch,' completely unaware of the current situation. The seemingly harmless and even somewhat holy pure white nun, Ice Meluru, was now kneeling and sobbing on the carpet, a sign around her neck reading, "I am the mastermind, I am guilty." The scene was extremely bizarre at first glance. ...So bizarre that none of the aspiring witches who arrived even bothered to ask if this was some strange gathering where they were putting pointed hats on other people's heads.

"Hmm, looks like everyone's here—hmm? Noah and An'an are here too, that's good."

Just as everyone was feeling overwhelmed by the current situation, a girl with long, straight black hair and dressed in a classic black JK uniform slowly walked out. She casually brushed her hair aside, her steps confident and poised, exuding an air of composure and control over the entire situation.

　"No?" "Hmm..."

When Noah Shirosaki's name was suddenly called, she twitched her ears, while Natsume An'an, who was holding a pillow next to her, protested by yawning that she did not want to come over on her own initiative, but was just keeping her roommate company (by watching the drama unfold).

"Hiro-chan...! Huh? Has Hiro-chan stopped cosplaying?"

Emma recognized her childhood friend immediately, and tilted her head in confusion, asking. When they met before, Hiro's clothes seemed to have dissolved, the ends of his hair had turned into small, flicking snakes, and the flowers on his head had withered and fallen, making him look like a character from some dark fantasy work.

However, the girl in front of her had reverted to the dignified, elegant, and graceful young woman she remembered. This gave Emma Sakura a sense of relief amidst her surprise. Although she couldn't understand anything around her, at least the girl in front of her was still the gentle and aloof Yamato Nadeshiko she knew.

"Yeah, I've graduated from cosplay. Anyway, just like what Zetsu Coco said in her live stream, this Ice Meluru is the mastermind behind imprisoning us on Witch Island—no, that's not quite right. Imprisoning prospective witches is a decision made by a national agency, but the fact that we're here participating in the so-called 'locked room murder mystery' game instead of being dragged away for intravenous injection is indeed because of Ice Meluru's selfish desires."

Hiro walked to Meruru's side and began to explain to the prospective witches, whose eyes still held confusion and bewilderment.

"Oh well, even if I say it this way, you won't understand or believe me, right? Well then, let this crazy woman say it herself!"

Zedu Coco also rushed out from the side. She pointed at Ice Meluru and gestured for the black-clad nun, Miss Black, to recount her sins in front of everyone.

"Waaah... Yes, I'm sorry, everyone. I... I really was the mastermind... In order to make everyone turn into witches out of despair sooner, I did so many, many bad things. For example... Waaah, for example, I deliberately asked for the food to be made worse, for example, I secretly messed up everyone's folded bedding that morning, for example, I stuck cat hair that was hard to clean on the sofa, for example, I instigated those children who looked mentally unstable to fight each other, for example, I secretly gave the sick girl a version of the medicine that had the same effect but was more bitter and harder to swallow, for example, after being discovered as the mastermind, I summoned the guards to forcibly behead her to silence her, for example, I inadvertently showed my chest to everyone who had a flat chest, for example, I secretly sewed very irritating tags into everyone's new clothes..."

"Uh, putting everything else aside, is the order of the details in that long speech really how it should be...?" Tohno Hannah blinked. Putting aside whether Meruru's confession was true or false, wasn't there something subtly wrong with the way she listed her sins? Were many of her actions really on par with each other?

"Yes, right... I also specifically shrunk the size of Miss Arisa's anklet and Miss Emma's leg ring, so that they would be more difficult to put on and would feel very tight..."

"Huh?! Oh, so that's how it is. I thought I'd just gained weight..." "What are you doing... I'll kill you, Kora!"

Emma and Arisa were both stunned when they found themselves caught in the middle of the drama, and then reacted in completely different ways.

"No, no, no, that's why you shouldn't have worn those accessories in the first place! The rulebook here doesn't explicitly require you to wear hammers and leg rings, does it...?" Hannah waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, right, about Miss Hannah… I specifically changed the feather fan to a material that sheds feathers easily…” Upon seeing Tono Hannah, Meruru remembered something and quickly added.

"Oh, it was you! I thought it was because I was using it wrong that Desuwa kept shedding!" Tono Hannah bristled angrily.

"I... I also set Miss Milia's phone ringtone to the default alarm and voice/video notification tone for waking up..."

"Eek!? Dude, I was almost scared to death! When I heard my phone ring, I thought I was going to have to appear in court again without even knowing who the witnesses were..."

Milia also sighed heavily, clearly seeing that Meruru's move was extremely effective.

"Also, I specifically replaced Miss Noah's spray paint can with the cheapest kind that smells the most pungent..."

"Noah...? No wonder Noah felt that the spray paint can was strong this time. Noah is angry, he's puffing up."

Noah looked at the spray paint can in his hand, and immediately pouted at Meruru, turning into a balloon to complain.

“Oh dear, it seems everyone has reached a consensus. This adorable, pure white girl seems to be the real culprit whose heart has long been tainted by darkness.” Baosheng Mag put his right hand, which was wearing a black silk glove, to his mouth, and said in a thoughtful manner.

"So, as mentioned before, Meruru on Ice is the mastermind behind everything, and that's an undeniable fact. Now that you know that, what are your plans for dealing with her?"

Hiro walked up to the crowd and asked for their opinions. However, even though they knew that Meruru on Ice was the so-called 'mastermind', no one expressed any intention to make a judgment.

—Ha, so it's really unrealistic to expect these people to join together to execute Ice Meluru and then ban her. After all, from their perspective, I've only just been captured and sent to Witch Island to work on a sewing machine, and my good days in prison haven't even started yet.

Since none of them had even eaten shit in the cafeteria, it was ultimately too difficult for the situation to escalate to "Hang her! Hang her!!".

After all, aside from the landmine-like forms caused by the witch factor, the girls here are all good kids at heart.

"Hmph... What a bunch of nagging people. Although I don't think that even if everyone unanimously votes to execute this guy, Onii-chan will agree to it."

Coco snorted twice, but it was merely an expression of her displeasure with Meluru on Ice. Coco already knew about the fact that this culprit would have to stay on Witch Island to atone for his sins after their conversation in the infirmary.

"Speaking of which, you're not the kind of person who immediately hugs Emma and rubs against her and bites her—" "That was just a way to help Emma adapt to the environment quickly. I'm not a pervert."

Hannah Tono turned her gaze to Hiro Nikaido, frowning and asking with some curiosity, but before she could finish speaking, Hiro interrupted her forcefully.

"Pfft—weren't you trying to create a Yamato Nadeshiko persona? Why did you start by portraying yourself as a perverted woman? What a weakling www~"

Upon hearing that her best friend had been falsely accused, Ze Du Ke Ke rushed to the scene without hesitation to mock her.

"Coco, are you alright? I saw you spacing out and drooling earlier, sometimes you were all puffed up, sometimes you were all smiles, and sometimes you were crying and saying things like 'Don't fuck me, I'll push you down'..."

"Meow!? That...that was just...just acting in the script for the next live stream—"

"Hmm, mysterious drooling silver-laughing dream woman? Doesn't sound like a good thing." With such a good opportunity, Hiro naturally seized it immediately, following Tono Hannah's words to stab Zetsu Coco twice.

"That's still much better than you, this mysterious, fake witness who's obsessed with Zisha pottery!" "You know nothing! How can the Fifth Law be called Zisha...!"

The two of them left the black curtain on the ice and stood aside, breathing on each other in front of everyone.