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

The deadline is [12 PM on the 17th].

Actually, the monthly ticket ranking actually awards bonuses, and the top 3 and top 6 actually receive surprisingly large bonuses...!

Although I'm already heavily in debt, my credit score is still pretty good, right? So I hope you guys can give me some monthly tickets so I can try to crawl into the top 6. I promise I'll do my best to pay off my debts, just like before!

Thank you again to all the readers who supported me to reach the million-word milestone. I am truly, truly, truly grateful.

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all a fantastic Year of the Horse! See you the day after tomorrow!

Volume 1: Chapter 174. Coco: I want to die too!

"Waaaaah!? What...what's going on? This is terrifying!?"

Hannah Tono, who followed Emma Sakuraba and Sherry Tachibana into the room, exclaimed in surprise with a dark expression on her face as soon as she entered.

It's understandable that Hannah Tono was so surprised, after all, the scene in the infirmary at that moment was indeed quite 'shocking'.

The infirmary, which should be extremely deserted on weekdays, with at most only a single jellyfish appearing, is now overcrowded. The only two beds are occupied by the student council president, Nikaido Hiro, who is usually incredibly assertive and pushes through all matters on Witch Island with an almost unquestionable attitude, and the super popular blonde prince-like idol, Hasumi Rhea.

Next to the two hospital beds, there were two makeshift "portable beds" made from sofas, which were placed in a slightly crowded manner. On them lay the balloon teacher Noah Shirosaki and the pigeon-transformed Natsume Anan.

The four aspiring witches, who had little in common and whose height, weight, and hair color were completely different, were all currently immersed in a slumber as cool as midsummer, their fates unknown.

Beside these four witches were the bewildered and equally clueless Sister Ice Meluru, and the white-haired boy Chang Rong, who covered his face in embarrassment.

At first glance, this scene is undeniably visually striking.

"Waaaaah... Hiro-chan, Hiro-chan, you're going to die from this tonic...! Waaaaah... How could this happen—waaaaah!"

When Emma Sakura saw the unconscious Nikaido Hiro, her expression instantly turned panicked and frightened. She trembled and tried to rush towards Nikaido Hiro, but because her steps were too hasty and unsteady, she accidentally stepped into the air with her right foot and fell flat on her face, inevitably plunging into Chang Rong's arms next to Hiro.

But just before the pink and white puppy jumped into Chang Rong's arms—

"Heave-ho~!! Hehe, got you! Oh my~! How about that? As friends, we should always pay attention to each other's situation and lend a helping hand in time. Sherry is indeed a kind, resourceful, and loyal friend, right!"

Just as Sakura Emma was about to fall into Chang Rong's arms, the blue-haired detective Tachibana Sherry suddenly grabbed her collar from behind and pulled her back to regain her balance.

"Mmm...no, as expected of Sherry-chan...she's really, really reliable..."

Unable to snuggle up to Chang Rong in a legitimate way, Emma looked somewhat disappointed and let out a pitiful little whimper, as if she had charged at the food bowl only to find herself blocked by a glass door when she got close.

"It's okay, it's okay, we're all good sisters!" Tachibana Sherry gave Sakura Emma a thumbs-up and smiled sassily, while glancing at Chang Rong, the human-shaped meat bun who was almost tackled by Sakura Emma.

Shirley Tachibana was certain that Chang Rong had secretly prepared to avoid the collision before he saw Emma pounce on him. It seemed that this white-haired boy was not as naive as she had imagined. Rather, he had actually known a lot of clever tricks, but he just didn't want to expose them or was instinctively unwilling to expose them.

"Emma, ​​Sherry Hannah, what brings you here?" Chang Rong secretly withdrew from her stance to face the sumo wrestlers and asked the Momozono trio who had suddenly appeared.

"It's because I was startled after seeing the photos Meruru posted in the group, so I rushed over to check on the situation immediately... But, what exactly happened?"

Tono Hannah looked again at the four unrelated but simultaneously exhausted prospective witches, still confused about the current situation.

"Hmph! Is it finally my turn to make my appearance now? The scene is shrouded in an inescapable fog, and the only one who has seen through the truth is the cute and charming blue-themed fairy, Sherry-chan—OK, OK, I completely understand the situation now!"

Shirley Tachibana suddenly stepped forward, humming and snorting. She put one hand on her hip and held a magnifying glass in the other. This posture reminded Chang Rong of Baosheng Mag's mysterious description, and he instantly felt a pain in his neck.

"Therefore, there is only one truth—"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if you, you gorilla woman, ever say anything like 'The culprit is Hannah~!' again, I, I really will make you fly through the air!!"

"...Hehehe, then I have no objection!"

Tachibana Sherry was full of confidence and ready for the blue-haired little girl to raise her hand and speak, but Tono Hannah, who was next to her, was like a player who had also played through multiple playthroughs and rewound, and she beat her to it with a face full of black lines and a sarcastic remark.

After hearing Hannah Tono's complaints and threats, Sherry Tachibana lowered her arm with a bright smile and switched to 'I have no objection' mode.

"You bastard...!!" Tohno Hannah's forehead veins bulged instantly as she grabbed Tachibana Sherry's collar and shook her wildly, never expecting her own words to come true.

It's clear that this seemingly soul-bound duo will one day fall apart due to the irreconcilable fate between the "arm wrestler detective who pursues justice" and the "culprit of all cases in this world." Aren't they also a pair of star-crossed night herons?

"Although I'm not entirely sure what happened... everyone can rest assured, this isn't attempted murder or intentional assault, at least that's what Marg says."

Chang Rong reassured everyone not to be too nervous, but in her heart she was also wondering about what Bao Sheng Mag had said to her earlier and his reaction.

[Hehehe~ Although I did witness the whole process, wouldn't it be a waste of the hard work of that enthusiastic mastermind if I just told Chang Rong directly? Anyway, we'll be staying on this witch's island with its limited entertainment for a long time, so how about we treat it as a rare pastime? In case a witch's trial really happens in the future, we can consider it a rehearsal~]

As a purple-clad observer who witnessed the entire event, Baosheng Mag said this. Even when Chang Rong pressed her for answers, she only smiled mysteriously and remained silent. She then made up an excuse that made no sense of refusal: "I feel like I've rested enough. I'm going to translate some ancient texts now."

In short... Zi Ren simply wanted to have some fun.

"Waaah... Well, um. I did a quick check here, and everyone was actually in a 'sleep' state. Miss Hiro and the others also ingested a certain amount of sleeping pills. No, but thankfully, even Miss An'an, who ingested the most, was far from having a life-threatening level."

Part-time doctor/Gundam repairman Meluru timidly raised her hand and said to everyone, "According to the autopsy report... no, according to the physical examination, you didn't faint from poisoning or external impact. You simply fell asleep after taking sleeping pills."

"Sleeping pills? I still don't understand what happened, but if everyone accidentally ingested sleeping pills, can Meruru-chan's magic cure them?"

Emma tilted her head; the clues she had obtained were not enough to help her piece together the whole truth of the situation.

"Well, that... although theoretically it's not a problem, it's just that the treatment process might be a little... cruel." Meruru timidly placed her hands on her chest armor and responded softly.

"Cruel? Isn't it that if you put your hand on it and a green light appears, everyone will recover? At least that's how Zedu Coco described your magic desuwa."

"Well, in that case, only external wounds can be healed... Since everyone has ingested extra fluid, my healing magic will work by 'restoring the abnormally ingested fluid back into the body,' and this process... well, it might be a little scary. It'll feel like everyone suddenly has fluid gushing out of all seven orifices... Although, I think you inferior beings shouldn't care about such an ugly and ridiculous appearance, if it frightens the Holy Child—wailing!? Please, please don't cause a medical disturbance, Miss Sherry!"

Halfway through her sentence, Meru was lifted high by Shirley Tachibana with a laugh, and immediately started crying and trying to beg for mercy.

"This isn't a medical dispute. Sherry just wants to see if defeating the mastermind will drop some kind of [hidden clear button] item~?" Tachibana Sherry retorted with a smile, but the taut muscles in her arms didn't look like she was going to get equipment; it looked more like she was going to make the jellyfish explode and scatter.

"Calm down, Sherry. Meruru just has some mental issues; she doesn't really discriminate against anyone!"

"Hmm? But I truly believe that only the Great Witch, the Holy Son, and I are worthy of being called... *sobs*"

Chang Rong quickly came over to try to smooth things over, and incidentally choked Meruru, telling this sadistic angel, whose brain cells were all focused on her chest, to stop talking.

"Oh, so blissful... I'm really going to ascend to heaven...!"

She actually enjoyed choking this guy?! This nanny is beyond saving in every way...

"Well, well... anyway, Meruru's treatment method seems pretty worthless, right? In that case, it's definitely time for this detective to step in! I'll just have to do a thorough investigation—"

"Calm down, Sherry! If you really punch someone, who knows what might come out of their mouth!"

Chang Rong quickly released Mei Lulu and hurriedly turned to stop the blue-haired idiot in front of her, feeling that if left unchecked, she really might do something like that...

however……

"Ugh... Sherry was just joking, why is Chang Rong stopping me so seriously? Is it because in Chang Rong's eyes, Sherry has long been a really, really bad Sherry? *crying*"

Faced with Chang Rong's reaction of half-complaining and half-obstructing, Tachibana Sherry did not try to fool him with her usual carefree, silly smile. Instead, a look of disappointment and sadness appeared on her usually silly and cute face.

"Ah... I, I didn't mean that, Sherry! I'm sorry, I just meant to say..."

Chang Rong was somewhat alarmed by Tachibana Sherry's unusual behavior. He suddenly remembered what Coco and Hiro had said before: Tachibana Sherry's 'taboo' was related to her judgment of her own 'humanity'. Could it be that his half-joking words just now, which concealed a true 'worry', had touched a nerve with Tachibana Sherry's taboo regarding her own lack of humanity?

"You should show your chest when you apologize. That's a sacred commandment written in the reasoning manual that you can't violate, Chang Rong?"

Unlike Chang Rong, who was flustered and apologetic, Tachibana Sherry revealed a subtle, knowing smile.

"Huh? There are such rules? It feels a bit strange, but if it can show Sherry the sincerity of my apology—"

"Sherry-chan is lying to you, Changrong-kun! There are no such strange rules. Rather, Sherry-chan isn't even hurt. Don't be fooled by Ikezawa's acting, Changrong-kun!"

Sakura Emma quickly stepped forward to argue, and the sound of shattering glass also interrupted Chang Rong, who was about to unbutton his clothes.

"Oh dear, Emma, ​​you really are...—v—"

"Well, that evens things out, Sherry-chan...!"

Tachibana Sherry stared at the pink-haired girl with a look that seemed to say, "I can't do anything with you." For some reason, her seemingly lazy gaze was filled with a terrifying and suffocating sense of pressure.

Even so, Emma Sakura did not back down. Instead, she gently bit her lip and glared back, expressing with a cute yet firm belief that she would never give in.

If you won't let me use my clever tricks to get close to Chang Rong, then don't blame me for exposing your clumsy acting skills!

"Hmm... I don't really know what happened, but anyway, everyone's alright, right? Yeah, we should all get along well."

Although Chang Rong, the instigator in a certain sense, couldn't understand why the pink and white-haired puppy suddenly went against the blue-haired detective, she simply regarded it as a friendly interaction between good sisters.

While the pink-haired and blue-haired girls were exhaling at each other in a standoff, the golden-haired girl with twin ponytails took advantage of the situation, silently and slowly approaching Chang Rong.

Just as the pampered young lady was about to get close to Chang Rong and touch the white-haired boy, the door to the infirmary was suddenly pushed open again.

"Ha, ha... Um... what exactly happened!? I was chatting with Xiao Ke when I received a message from Xiao Lu...!"

Also sporting blonde hair, albeit in a permed, wavy style, and equipped with more advanced reactive armor, the middle-aged woman Saeki Miria, dressed in an incredibly daring style resembling a glamorous hottie, arrived at the infirmary breathlessly and in a panic.

"Don't tell me this is some kind of twisted joke—wait!? How, how could this happen...!"

Behind Saeki Miria, a girl named Sawatari Coco, wearing orange cat-ear-shaped headphones, also peeked out.

At first, her tone sounded somewhat helpless and angry, but after witnessing the terrifying scene before her, she was instantly terrified and her eyes widened, and she visibly activated her Spiny Back form.

"Hey... what the hell is going on...!! Hiro, you perjury woman... and Rhea, Noah, An'an—"

Ze Du Ke Ke's voice trembled, her pupils quivered as if an earthquake had struck, and every cell in her body seemed to be resisting the scene she was seeing.

In the scenes belonging to 'the experiences of other Coco cycles' that Zetsuko observed through the magic [Clairvoyance], she saw not only various wonderful, interesting, noisy and joyful daily lives, but more often than not, 'stagnant and dull daily lives' filled with despair, helplessness and suffocation.

What's even more suffocating than these so-called 'daily routines' is the way those aspiring witches looked when they passed away.

Sawatari Coco couldn't 'resist' her own magic, and because of this, she was forced to observe the witches' demise. Watching those she had just gotten to know, those who had just been considered her 'comrades,' die before her eyes in various ways caused Sawatari Coco to develop symptoms similar to PTSD without her even realizing it.

Hiro, Noah, Anan, Leia—these prospective witches had all been observed by her magic in the form of their lost lives. Now, they lay lifeless in front of Zedo Coco, almost instantly giving Zedo Coco PTSD.

"Um, Coco-chan—"

"Why, why did it turn out like this again...! Everyone's dead...!! Didn't this all mean the time rewind was for nothing!? Damn it... No, that guy's magic is death rewind, which means... now only I have the ability to observe regardless of the timeline, if I die too—"

In her panic and shock, Zetsu Coco immediately realized that if she wanted to 'rewind' the timeline to save everyone after Hero's death, the other observers, namely herself, would have to die as well.

After figuring this out, Zetsu Coco immediately picked up the blue medicine bottle on the table next to her. This should be the sleeping pills that Shito Arisa tried to use to commit suicide in the 'first playthrough'. If she drank it all at once, even if Meruru came, she probably wouldn't be able to save her.

"I...I like you, Onii-chan...and everyone, I like you all. I might have been a little mean before, but...but I really like you all..."

Zedu Coco picked up the sleeping pills, opened the cap, smiled at Chang Rong before putting them in her mouth, and then glanced at the other prospective witches (except for Ice Meluru).

"Um... all that talk about 'doing it all' was just a lie to Onii-chan. I... I haven't actually done 'that' with Onii-chan yet... At most, after watching the timeline records of the Clairvoyance Magic, I... I secretly hid in the bathroom and used it as a side dish... But, but next time I'll definitely try my best to win you over, Onii-chan—"

Zedu Coco blushed and smiled at Chang Rong, saying that she didn't know why she had blurted all this out. Perhaps it was simply to distract herself from the pressure before her 'suicide,' so she casually started a conversation to give herself the courage to face the next cycle of regression.

Just as Zedu Coco was about to let go of her resentment and embrace fate, the black curtain Meruru timidly raised her hand.

“Um… Miss Coco, why are you holding the butterfly pea flower tea I brewed this morning? If you want some, at least leave me a cup… Besides, no one is dead, right? They’re just… asleep…”

Ice Meluru pointed at the mysterious light blue liquid in Sawatari Coco's hand with an expression that looked like it was about to drop a small pearl, and then pointed to the cheek of the 'dead' Nikaido Hiro.

Following the finger, Coco discovered that this usually perfect and elegant, dignified and serious corpse girl was now drooling and muttering something like, "Still seducing me... idiot rabbit... this is not right... I'll fuck you to death... stop fucking me, stop fucking me, Rong-ge..." and other lines that seemed to be a bit too inappropriate for her age.