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

After realizing this, the immense guilt and endless remorse nearly overwhelmed Nanoha Kurobe. But the girl did not succumb to despair; instead, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

She stopped worrying about what to do about her low exam scores and instead desperately tried to master all sorts of attributes and skills to cope with the 'island battle royale'.

After two years that had nothing to do with 'youth' or 'innocence', Kurobe Nanohaka voluntarily revealed her identity as a prospective witch and was sent to Witch Island amidst Commissioner Smith's surprised expression of 'This is 17?'

Unlike the other aspiring witches, while everyone else was still unconscious under the influence of sleeping pills, Kurobe Nanoha had already begun to actively investigate the castle using the clues she had found over the years, and successfully found a spear made of a combination of technology and magic as her weapon of self-defense.

During her exploration, Nanoha Kurobe repeatedly used her visions to touch upon the castle's past history. Those 'memories' were like layers of dried, scabbed blood, piled up so thickly and sticky that they were unrecognizable. Only the desperate screams and wails of the girls before their betrayal and slaughter echoed in Nanoha Kurobe's ears.

This is hell, a hell for all 'prospective witches'. Any talk of friendship, bonds, or hopes for enlightenment is an unrealistic fantasy. Everyone's ultimate fate is death, without exception.

Realizing this, Nanoha Kurobe became even more determined to become a lone wolf. She would explore the castle alone, investigating information about her sister and the mastermind behind it all. She would single-handedly kill the true culprit and then leave with 'Onee-sama'.

Companions are a hindrance, and besides, they're a non-existent, false premise. The moment he set foot on this prison island, the girl named 'Kurobe Nanoha Kaori' had already died on a societal level. What remains here is a lone wolf sniper from the future, trapped in the past and afraid of being protected by others—

"My magic is death reversal. This is already the 'third cycle' world, everyone." "That's right, that's right, meow! I can see it clearly~?"

Thinking she had mentally prepared herself and was no longer the soft and gentle girl she once was, Kurobe Nanoha still showed an adorable blank and confused expression after hearing the introductions from the two girls, Nikaido Hiro and Sawatari Coco, who claimed to be veterans.

What are these two talking about... time travel, multiple playthroughs, and 'saving everyone'... And what's with the 'fiancé'?

When Kurobe Nanoha saw the white-haired boy up close, all the confusion that had arisen in her heart was instantly overshadowed by a sense of déjà vu.

Had her own [Illusion Magic] been activated? Kurobe Nanoha was certain that this was her first and last time visiting this prison island, but when she saw the boy, certain indescribable emotions welled up within her.

This sense of 'strangeness' is real, but so is the 'gratification' of meeting an old friend again.

The sudden situation left Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru somewhat bewildered. In the end, she could only accept the current situation in a daze, while searching for the hairband guard who might be 'Onee-sama'.

She had come prepared with certain expectations, but what awaited her was a bizarre scenario: "I'm a speedrunner with multiple playthroughs. This is the behind-the-scenes Meruru on Ice. She has already confessed and accepted her punishment. From now on, let's get along well and treat this as a trip." This left Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru momentarily speechless.

At night, while everyone was debating where to sleep, Kurobe Nanoha chose the infirmary.

Because her roommate, Hosho Mag, always seemed a bit strange... this made Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru consider staying out all night early on, but between the '(already opened) hidden warehouse' and the 'infirmary', Nanoha Kaoru ultimately chose the infirmary bed.

There wasn't any particular reason; perhaps it was simply that the bed looked nice. After all, now that the mastermind had backed down, and even her older sister's control had been revoked, it seemed she no longer needed to hide and fight alone.

As Kurobe Nanoha was thinking this, she suddenly triggered her hallucination ability when her hands touched the infirmary bed frame.

For Kurobe Nanoha, most of the illusions on Witch Island only affected her mental state. She was forced to watch as the former witches fought each other and cursed each other in despair.

However, the content of this 'hallucination' stunned Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru for a moment—in the hallucination, she seemed to be having sex with that white-haired boy...?

Blushing, Nanoha Kurobe quickly touched it again. After repeated, serious examinations—cough cough, after repeated 'careful confirmations'—Nanoha Kurobe finally realized something—

Let's return to the present. In a corner of the storage room that connects to the sunroom, Kurobe Nanoha is pinning Changrong against the wall of the shipping container.

At this moment, the girl with pigtails wearing a cycling helmet, though her gray eyes remained as serious and focused as ever, couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks, revealing her excited heart.

"Nanoha Kaori...? Um, is there something you need?"

Stuck in the corner, Chang Rong swallowed hard. He and Hiro had just made a pact to part ways not long ago, deciding to 'conquer' all the prospective witches before offering them to Hiro for the first time. But then, he was immediately lured to this secluded corner by the mysterious, elusive jungler, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori, who appeared out of nowhere.

When I met Nanoha Kaori earlier, I don't know why she ran away as soon as she saw me, and said something meaningless like 'I wasn't ready at that time'.

But this time, Kurobe Nanoha took the initiative to approach her, and her flushed cheeks and determined eyes made it seem as if she was about to instantly lock down Draven and give up first blood in lane.

"...I'm ready."

Nanoha Kurobe swallowed hard. Her voice, as always, was cold yet carried a hint of feigned profundity and childishness, making it hard to reconcile with her incredibly shy yet still trying-to-stay-at-home expression.

"Ready? You mean ready to go 'clear mines' together? But I have to make dinner later today, so let's wait until tomorrow—"

"It's not about mine clearance...!" Kurobe Nanoka interrupted Chang Rong. She took a deep breath and patted her cheeks to encourage herself.

“I’m prepared and have accepted this fact—I am Chang Rong, your future partner, and even, perhaps even your… wife. Well, wife might be a bit of an exaggeration, but as your future partner, there is absolutely no doubt about it.”

Nanoha Kurobe blinked her gray eyes. Although her cheeks had gone from 'scarlet' to 'why is this electrician so red?', she still mustered up her courage and said those words.

"Eh?! ...

As for Chang Rong, upon hearing this, she made a snapping sound as if she had dropped a meow flag.

—W-what's going on?! What a sudden confession! Isn't the pacing of this plot a bit too fast? Even in a game, it would be criticized as being too silly and brainless, right? No, but speaking of which, Nanoha's affection level seems to have been inexplicably increasing on its own before—wait, it's already slowly climbing to 87/100??

Chang Rong's brain nearly overclocked due to Kurobe Nanoha's overly abrupt confession; this scene was far more intellectually challenging than Nakaga's faked death.

Based on past experience, if a woman suddenly and inexplicably shows you unusually high levels of affection, she is most likely setting a trap. Of course, it's also possible that she wanted you to be a scapegoat but ended up being the one who got caught, leaving behind a mysterious five-digit number, or that she wanted you to help her swallow a necklace pendant.

"Um... Nanoha Kaori, are you feeling unwell? Or were you hypnotized by An-an? You must not have rested much since arriving at Witch Island. I... I can give you a lap pillow, okay? Although I don't have much experience, I'm quite confident—"

Having been cornered against the wall, Chang Rong had nowhere to retreat but to try to soothe Kurobe Nanoha's emotions and try to find out why this black-haired, twin-tailed marksman girl, who at first glance should be a cool, lone wolf jungler, was now giving him free kills in such a fancy way.

"It's the magic of [Vision]... I witnessed our 'future' through vision magic. My magic has never failed me, no matter how twisted and cruel the future I've envisioned... So, after I saw what was destined to happen between you and me, I... I was already prepared—"

"Boom!!!" "Uh-huh!?"

A dull thud suddenly came from not far away, startling Chang Rong. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Nanoha Kaori's 'older sister,' the guard with a black headband.

"—!!"

From beneath the mask of the headband-wearing guard, there seemed to be screaming and scratching sounds. Her slender, twisted, tentacle-like arms frantically pawed at her, trying to stop Kurobe Nanoha from continuing.

However, when confronted by her "older sister," Kurobe Nanoha did not back down or run away. Instead, she swallowed hard again, displaying a steadfast virtue, and tightly grasped Chang Rong's hand before turning to look at her older sister.

“That’s right, elder sister…! Although it may sound a bit abrupt, but… your sister has found her destined partner! We are destined to be together on a hospital bed in the infirmary someday in the future… So, I have accepted and acknowledged our destined fate. Please, please bless us!”

"Hiss hiss hiss!!!" The older sister screamed and scratched wildly, but unfortunately, she couldn't speak human language because of the mask.

—You've misunderstood, my foolish sister! Is that your 'future'? You're just making things up in your head! That's not the truth! You're using my words!!

In the second playthrough, because Chang Rong never broke the ice between her and her older sister, and because the warden was not given the order by Meruru to "remove the control controller from suppressing behavior," the "hairband guard" was using her remaining human consciousness to try to atone for her sins but didn't know how. In the end, she could only silently distance herself from Chang Rong in a way that was almost like "watching over" her. Even when Nanoha took Chang Rong to introduce her to her older sister, this misunderstanding was not resolved immediately.

However, this time Chang Rong quickly communicated with her older sister, absolved her of her original sin, and the Black Curtain Ice Melulu lifted the restrictions on the guards. These experiences also made the headband guards' actions more free and bold—and then the older sister was usurped by her own foolish younger sister.

You always complain about your younger sister, thinking she's a good-for-nothing and a piece of trash, but when she actually musters the courage to steal your brother-in-law, you become unhappy.

"Hiss hiss hiss!!" "Waaaaa!? Big sister... no, don't do this, big sister! Even if I find my own partner, I won't just abandon you like this! I promise that I will come back to see you at least once a week... no, every two weeks... every month, and bring my brother-in-law with me."

The Kurobe sisters twisted together, and the screams and writhing of the headband-wearing guard looked to Nanoha Kaori like the reluctance of a responsible older sister who had learned that her younger sister was getting married and starting a family.

Of course, in the older sister's eyes, her cheap little sister was simply stealing her save file and installing it on her. Not only that, but she also started stealing her brother-in-law right in front of her. This series of events had almost reached the level of killing her sister to prove her Dao.

"Um... speaking of which, I think I participated in a witch trial before, and according to Meruru's photo, your sister, Nanoha Kaori, used 'transformation' magic to take your place back then. So... Nanoha Kaori, could the scene you were hallucinating be, uh... something between me and your sister?"

Watching the sisters wrestle together, Chang Rong quietly voiced her question.

"—!!!" The older sister nodded frantically, shaking her mask like a rattle drum.

"Hmm..." After hearing this hypothesis, even Kurobe Nanoka was taken aback and began to think about whether Chang Rong's hypothesis made sense.

After a brief moment of thought—

"No, that's impossible. My sister came to Witch Island to participate in the Witch Trial with full resolve to protect me... How could such a kind, brave, great, and gentle sister have any interest in finding a boyfriend? That's not something my sister would do!"

"..." The guard with the hairband, who was nodding, froze on the spot.

"My older sister has never had a boyfriend before! Although, sometimes when I come home from school I see her hiding some strange books with a panicked look on her face... But in my heart, my older sister is sacred and great! How could such an older sister, who sacrificed herself to join the witch trial to protect her younger sister, possibly pin Chang Rong down on the bed and do this and that...!"

Nanoha Kurobe clenched her fist, responding with a serious expression. "I won't allow you, Changrong, to defile my older sister! All the bad things were done by myself; they have nothing to do with my older sister. Therefore, my future partner will definitely be me, and it has absolutely nothing to do with my older sister!"

—You silly little sister, didn't you also 'come to Witch Island voluntarily' to participate in the witch trial 'with a clear conscience,' and didn't you also fall for that white-haired boy's trick?!

"Hiss hiss hiss!!" "Eh, big sister, you don't need to thank me... Protecting big sister's image is what all little sisters do—whoa!? Big sister!?"

Completely enraged, the headband guard lunged at Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru without a word, and before she could react, she was carried away by the headband guard, drifting further and further away from Chang Rong.

In the past, this scene would likely have left a lasting impression on many aspiring witches, making them wonder if Nanoha Kaori was about to be dragged away and executed. However, for Chang Rong, who knew the whole story, seeing this scene only made him feel—

The nagging, gossipy sisters from the Kurobe district have made me look terrible...

"Ha...ha...Hey, you idiot rabbit...!!"

"Hiro?"

After Nanoha was carried away by her older sister, Nikaido Hiro ran over, panting heavily. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to have been searching for Chang Rong since earlier, and finally found Chang Rong in the storage room after running around everywhere.

"You, you weren't...you know...you didn't do that, were you—" "Waaaaah, don't try to pull down my pants right away!?"

Hiro pounced on Chang Rong and, without saying a word, questioned him about whether he had kept his promise to him during the time Chang Rong was abducted: his first time.

"You didn't chisel out Naoya Kaori, did you...?" Hiro asked Chang Rong with suspicion and nervousness.

"What kind of abstract image do I have in your mind, Hiro...?"

"So you weren't taken advantage of by Nanoha Kaori, were you?"

"Aren't these two the same thing...? And no!" Chang Rong retorted, blushing. He was increasingly confused about how he was perceived by Xi Luo.

"That's good. What kind of person are you in my eyes? Hmm... You're easy to kiss, but if I'm not careful, you can become restless and end up nudging me back with a wicked look?"

Knowing that Chang Rong hadn't been cheated on by the mysterious female jungler, Xi Luo relaxed, resting her chin on one hand, and responded after a moment's thought.

"That sounds weird... Anyway, don't worry, I'm a Sigma man!" Chang Rong muttered under his breath, then patted his chest and said with an air of certainty.

"So, Sigma man, if I were to exercise you right here, what would you do?" Hiro rubbed his wrists, extending an invitation for a little kissing game.

"This...this...please, please don't...?" The Sigma man immediately surrendered, raising his hands in submission.

As for Hiro, although he had the embarrassing experience of being slain by a rabbit at the end of the last playthrough, that was only because Emma gave him the activation! If he hadn't had to absorb witch factors by slaying Emma and Sherry, who were easy targets, to activate his powers, and instead had to fight him directly, then it wouldn't have been a bad idea to just kill that idiot rabbit!

As for Chang Rong, who is unaware of his own potential, the all-around warrior Xi Luo is probably not someone he can confront head-on. If they really clash, she will most likely gently and virtuously drain him first, and then turn on her berserker mode to completely crush him...

Hiro's inexplicable self-confidence and Chang Rong's self-doubt led to misunderstandings about each other's abilities.

In short, because the mysterious jungler was forcibly dragged away by the mysterious guard, the conversation with Nanoha Kaori was temporarily left unresolved.

As dinner time approached, Chang Rong went to the kitchen and, after confirming that none of those eccentric individuals who would cause her blood pressure to spike were causing trouble, began preparing dinner.

At first, the witches were arguing among themselves over the position of 'second-in-command in the kitchen,' since no one could refuse the opportunity to take advantage of the rabbit chef, who was wearing an apron and struggling against the kitchen under the guise of cooking.

But just when Shiro defeated all the competitors with reasons such as "Emma will steal food", "Sherry will create black holes and waste rice", "Hannah is too short and cooking consumes too much mana (to maintain levitation magic)", "Nanoha Kaori can only make baked desserts", "Meruru has Alzheimer's", and "Rye's cooking tastes too bland (patient food)", and was about to win the cup and then kill the apron-mode rabbit - Chang Rong finally chose the original chef guard as the kitchen helper.

After all, although the original chef guard was intellectually deficient and had been modified to only be able to make pre-made feces, his skills in preparing and cutting ingredients were still there, so he naturally won the cup without any suspense.

And so, amidst the somber atmosphere of everyone thinking, "I actually lost to a guard...", dinner began.

At first glance, dinner seemed fine, but if you focused your attention a little, you would find that this seemingly warm and peaceful restaurant was actually a dangerous place with undercurrents and a powder keg waiting to explode.

"Isn't Noah-chan acting a little... weird?" "Yeah, ever since Chang Rong dragged Noah away, Noah's behavior towards Chang Rong has become a bit strange~!" "They're practically glued together, so, so indecent! Eat your food, what's with sticking to each other like that...!"

The Soul Chain trio keenly noticed Noah Kinosaki's unusual behavior. The mischievous kid who used to skip mealtimes had suddenly become glued to Chang Rong's side.

"Hmm... What exactly happened... Ugh, do we really have to trouble Xiao Rong? No, maybe we should ask Xiao Xi first..." The kind-hearted uncle Saeki Miria rarely showed a somewhat absent-minded demeanor, as if she was worried about something but didn't know how to deal with it.

"Ugh... Damn it, if this keeps up... Tsk, my luck is just too bad, you bastard! Is it really just... No, no, what am I thinking...!"