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

Volume 1: Chapter 170. Teacher Balloon, Stop Sleeping with Your Fans!

"I...uh...I've only been here for less than two days, but I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't fit in and is completely useless..."

An important announcement! Currently, Arisa's self-confidence is severely below average, therefore from now on, except for Potato and Kangaroo Chicken—

"It's useless... Why would Arisa think that?"

Chang Rong shifted her gaze away from the only forbidden item in the kitchen, the "Arisa OUT" agreement, and squatted down next to the white-haired hedgehog-hooded girl to ask her a question.

"It feels like everyone else quickly found what they're good at, but I have absolutely no idea what to do. Even if I wanted to help... tsk, I, I don't really want to help you guys...!"

As Arisa Shito pulled at her hood and spoke, she quickly breathed on her face as if she had forgotten her keys, trying to solidify her tough, rebellious persona.

Witch Island can be roughly divided into three types: those who are really doing something worthwhile—such as Hiro, Coco, and Nanoha, who are not affected by the murderous intent wave; Mag, who deciphers the ancient book; the older sister; and Milia, who takes care of the child.

Those who don't do anything productive but are completely oblivious to it, still lost in their own world—like Noah Anan from the kids' group, the mysterious female entertainer Leia, the sickly and delicate detective, and the mysterious woman with Alzheimer's.

And people who actively accept the status quo and do what little they can—like Emma, ​​Hannah, and Chang Rong.

But Arisa Fujito is quite different from these people. She is stuck in the most awkward position, neither here nor there, and has become the fourth strongest character on Witch Island.

Her magic and abilities are not yet sufficient for her to do anything meaningful, but she is not completely immersed in her own rhythm of life, and she is still somewhat resistant to the current situation and has not been able to fully accept it.

A multitude of reasons combined have led to Arisa's current state of squatting in the corner, looking somewhat sullen and self-reproachful.

"Well, you can't say that, Arisa-san... While everyone has closed the kitchen door for you, they've also opened another window for you, haven't they?"

"The window...?" Arisa Fujito looked up at Chang Rong with some hope, hoping to learn from the boy about her purpose here.

"Yeah, for example... uh... if a global cold wave and apocalypse were to hit, Arisa, you could become everyone's savior, Flame Fist, right!"

"—"

Waaaaaa! Because the examples given were so unrealistic, Arisa's self-confidence plummeted even further!

Seeing that the fiery hedgehog-like girl was about to curl up into a ball, Chang Rong quickly moved closer to her.

"In short, what I want to say is—everyone has different abilities and different personalities. Arisa, your troubles are only because everyone has just arrived at Witch Island and doesn't know what will happen next, which is why you're feeling conflicted. But everyone here has an absolutely indispensable uniqueness, even you, Arisa!"

"If you're too troubled, Arisa, how about we find something you're good at together? I'm a trainee pastor, I'm sure I can help you out!"

Chang Rong patted his chest and said to Zifang Arisa, but the hooded girl gave him a somewhat displeased look.

"Solving other people's problems and stuff... that sounds nice, but during the day it's just an act, and then you 'solve other people's problems' at night... just like you and that Sawatari last night..." Arisa said, blushing and acting like she was being difficult.

"I feel like you've misunderstood something, Arisa... I did help Coco fall asleep peacefully last night, but it's nothing shameful, okay? It's just sleeping, after all. If it were Arisa, I would accept everything and let her get some rest so she can temporarily escape those complicated thoughts and have a good night's sleep!"

"Get a good night's sleep... Don't you... don't you have this or that?" Hearing Chang Rong's response, Arisa finally raised her head slightly.

"No, no, no!?" Chang Rong hurriedly waved his hands in denial. Although he had inexplicably planned to sleep with Coco-chan in the early stages, it must have been Hiro's fault... But at the crucial moment, he finally remembered his Sigma Man Oath!

"Is that so...? Well, that makes sense. After all, we're all only 00 years old. Even a delinquent like me wouldn't do that... Nikaido and Sawatari were definitely lying."

Arisa Shito nodded, then finally pulled her head out of the hood, her expression becoming less gloomy and somber.

Although I don't know why my earnest advice couldn't make Ari Shizuka get as excited as saying "Nothing happened between me and Coco," as long as the result is good... I guess so.

"Anyway, my confessional is almost ready. If you still have any troubles, Arisa, remember to come and talk to me. Although I may not be able to guide you in finding a solution, I can at least be a good listener and help you relieve stress—"

"Huh, is Chang Rong-kun's confession room ready...? Um, actually, I also have something I want to confess! I... I've always thought that fries with chocolate sauce are fine, as long as they taste good...!"

Upon hearing that Chang Rong's Wonderful House was about to open, all the other aspiring witches in the cafeteria immediately gathered around.

"I also want to confess...! Hmm... Actually, I once threw all my clothes into the same washing machine to save time..."

"Hmph! When I was solving the missing pen case, Sherry-chan, I claimed to have found the culprit through clue analysis, but actually I just punched each of the suspects one by one, and the real thief popped out on his own. It has nothing to do with logic; it's a kind of arm-strength crime-solving technique—"

"Well... I've used other people's Wi-Fi before... I even kicked a vending machine because it swallowed my coins..."

"Waaaaah, wait a minute! At least let's line up one by one! I'm not your auntie, I can't help if they all rush at once!"

The crowd scattered and surrounded Chang Rong in the center, chattering about their original sins in an attempt to beg the novice pastor's forgiveness.

"Oh dear~ It doesn't matter if you hear me clearly or not, just hurry up and fast forward to the part where the priest sells his body to help believers exorcise demons and bear the sins~~~"

"There's no such thing!!" Chang Rong seriously refuted Tachibana Sherry's fantasy.

"Then, when will Chang Rong-jun punish the greedy little dog... like putting a collar on him or something—"

"There's no such step!" Chang Rong sternly corrected Sakura Emma's misconception.

"Lying in bed and whispering in your ear, 'Your sins have been forgiven,' then gently embracing yourself or something, that should be something, right...!"

"There really isn't one!" Chang Rong ruthlessly shattered Tono Hannah's illusions.

It seems my confessional service is more popular than I expected. Maybe I should avoid advertising in crowded places in the future…

However, even though I didn't do much research and just jumped into this idea of ​​starting a business as a middle-aged person, do these kinds of strange steps really exist in a proper confession process...?

I have a feeling that I might have chosen an entrepreneurial path with an uncertain future.

Chang Rong was already vaguely hallucinating the terrifying scene of Hiro wiping his drool while spinning himself 360 degrees, then cutting off the live stream and lunging at him.

In short, after breakfast, Chang Rong still didn't see Noah and An An in the restaurant, so she decided to go to the dormitory to look for the two kids.

Upon hearing that Chang Rong was planning to visit the "Balloon Teacher," Arisa Fujito approached excitedly and shyly. She had actually wanted to follow Noah ever since learning he was the famous "Balloon Artist," but she had been too shy to do so alone, fearing she would be seen as strange. Now, with Chang Rong as a companion, Arisa finally mustered the courage.

Along the way, listening to Arisa recount how great Balloon Teacher was, the two arrived at the underground prison on the first basement level of the Erhling Erz@Yosano Dam.

Although it's called a prison, after Meruru's confession and acceptance of punishment, and the automatic door locks being unlocked, it's basically no longer associated with the word "prison." Baosheng Mag's room, in particular, has been decorated in a fantastical style, resembling a fortune-telling hut, with various bed sheets, curtains, tables, and candles.

However, unlike Magna’s overly decorated house, Noah’s room, which houses two artists, is not particularly clever. All you can see are relatively subtle graffiti on the walls and scattered crumpled pieces of paper on the floor.

Then there were the two caterpillars huddled in the blankets on the bed.

...I'm still in bed.

This is a textbook example of a spoiled brat who stays up all night and doesn't get up in the morning.

Seeing this, Chang Rong felt somewhat helpless. On the contrary, Arisa Zifang, who was standing to the side, made a silly face and muttered something like, "The balloon teacher curled up in the quilt is so cute," which seemed like a terrible statement that could easily land her in court.

"An'an?"

Chang Rong tentatively called out to Natsume An'an, and one of the caterpillars wriggled slightly. Soon after, the white-haired girl emerged from it. Her somewhat lifeless, vacant purple eyes surveyed the source of the voice, and upon discovering that it was Chang Rong, this 'monster', she immediately showed an expression of disgust.

"Ugh... Don't bother me... Go back to sleep with your Hakimi, you perverted monster..."

"Huh?"

I was worried that An'an might be scared by what happened yesterday, but it doesn't seem like that. But what does this have to do with Coco?

Seeing that Natsume Anan had once again pulled her head back and refused further interaction, Chang Rong had no choice but to sigh and turn to ask the other caterpillar.

"Noah, classmate—"

“An’an has already told me the specific meaning of ‘sleeping together’…you…you’re asking for trouble…”

"Waaaaah!?"

From under the covers emerged a hand holding a spray paint can, aimed directly at him, accompanied by Noah Kinosaki's slightly sulky yet adorable voice, which startled Chang Rong so much that he immediately raised his hands in surrender.

Why are Noah and An'an reacting so strongly?! Does this mean that girls these days are surprisingly concerned about the person a Sigma man chooses for his first time?

Although Chang Rong didn't quite understand the situation, she roughly realized that the two of them were also arguing because of her sleeping with Coco last night, so she had to explain again.

Seriously, what's with this...? Why is it that the first thing I do when I greet someone is always to explain how well I slept and what my sleep process was like last night...?

"I see... Hmm, Noah already knew that... Heave-ho, Noah, wake up!"

After hearing Chang Rong explain that she was "really just sleeping, and sleeping very soundly," the girl, Noah Shirosaki, who was like a colorful balloon, changed her attitude drastically. She immediately crawled out of bed, walked up to Chang Rong and Arisa with her messy, palette-like hair, and gave them an innocent and cute smile.

"Ugh...! Oh, wow... Balloon Teacher...!"

Being so close to 'Balloon Teacher' made Arisa Fujito's cheeks turn bright red instantly, and she even stammered.

"Go for it, Arisa! You can do it!" Chang Rong noticed Arisa's overly shy and embarrassed appearance and cheered her on softly from the side.

"I, I know... Mr. Balloon, I've always been a fan of yours...! Your street graffiti works have been my guiding light when I was wandering the streets for a long time!"

Arisa Shito closed her eyes, feeling incredibly shy, but she finally spoke the words that had been buried deep in her heart.

And Noah Kinosaki is—

"Okay, Noah knows. Hey Rongrong, An'an said you found an art studio, and Noah is super curious. Can you take Noah to see it?"

Noah Kinosaki simply nodded to Arisa, then clung to Chang Rong's side, asking her excitedly and expectantly about the art studio.

"Hey, Balloon Teacher—"

Arisa, the fervent fan who had been ignored by Noah Kinosaki, blinked and stood there, stunned.

Just as Chang Rong was thinking, "What if Arisa has to crouch down and cover her head again?", the next second—

"As expected of Balloon Teacher, that unconventional and independent feeling... Ah, Balloon Teacher...!"

Arisa's face beneath the mask flushed crimson, and she visibly became excited.

Wow, as expected of Arisa! You seamlessly transformed the feeling of being ignored and left out into anticipation for your idol, and even strengthened your fanbase because of it. Your imagination is beyond what most people can imagine...

Chang Rong was taken aback by Arisa's passion for food, but he quickly shook his head, deciding not to criticize Arisa's fervent idol-chasing behavior, and instead responded to Noah's question.

"Ahem, that room can indeed be used as an art studio, but we need to make sure it's completely safe and free from any other strange magic."

"Yes, Noah understands. Anyway, Rongrong, you've worked hard. Have some water first."

"Oh dear, this is really embarrassing..."

I initially thought Noah Kinosaki would be the kind of girl with a bit of an eccentric personality, but she's actually very sensible and well-behaved! She even proactively pours water for guests who come to her house. She's incredibly sensible and adorable. Who raised such a beloved child?

Chang Rong happily accepted the water glass handed to her by Noah, and without thinking, prepared to drink a large cup of wine without hesitation.

But before he could down his water in one gulp, Arisa Fujito, who was standing next to him, frowned.

"Um... I think I smell sleeping pills... Sniff, that's right, it seems that Ms. Balloon accidentally brought the wrong cup. The water in this cup is mixed with sleeping pills."

Arisa sniffed, then pointed to the slightly bluish liquid in the paper cup.

"No, no, no...? Noah doesn't know, someone must have switched Noah's water cup...!"

Noah, who was identified, immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Without saying a word, she snatched the cup from Chang Rong's hand and then tried to put on an innocent act as a complete bystander in a stammering voice.

—Could it be that Balloon-sensei is really abusing sleeping pills in OD, just like that guy Sawatari said...? No, that can't be it. It's just that Balloon-sensei is under too much pressure and needs some way to help her sleep!

—What's with this feeling of déjà vu...? And why do I have absolutely no desire to complain about the fact that there are sleeping pills in the water? Instead, I even feel like I'm used to it...?