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

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.

"Coo coo coo, what a peaceful day... Long live peace, long live slacking off... Hmm? Isn't that Ms. Nanoha Kaori and Mr. Chang Rong? The retired guard is here too."

The warden, who was lazily stretching his wings and sunbathing on the abandoned hot spring in the courtyard, noticed the rather strange combination in front of him.

"Good morning, Warden. How have you been lately?" Chang Rong greeted Warden Owl with an innocent and sunny smile as he slowly approached him.

"Recently~? Cough cough cough... You've been doing really well lately, Mr. Changrong. Last time you participated in the Witch Trial, you achieved the feat of speedrunning the entire process without any overtime. This time, you even went straight for Lady Meruru, instantly activating your love island mode... As expected of Mr. Changrong, you always manage to come up with some amazing tricks. You're truly my lucky star for slacking off. Cough cough cough... Conquering Lady Meruru, such a stroke of genius! If the previous aspiring witches could have achieved that, wouldn't I have been able to retire and go back to my hometown long ago?"

The warden was clearly in a very good mood, rambling on and on as if he were talking to himself. His lifelong wish was to slack off, and he never expected that the white-haired boy in front of him would fulfill it so easily. Therefore, it's no wonder that the warden had a high degree of goodwill towards Chang Rong.

"Do you know Chang Rong too?" Kurobe Nanoha asked curiously, blinking her eyes. Although she already knew that Chang Rong was a 'veteran player' in the same year as her older sister, she didn't know the specific details.

"Coo coo, that's for sure. Unlike the somewhat senile Lady Meruru, although I have a bird's head, I can still remember the trials from two sessions ago. For example, Mr. Chang Rong's heroic performance, and that guard who used to be Miss Kurobe, and even killed her—ah, to protect our hard-won peaceful daily life, I'd better not say anything more."

The warden raised one wing to cover his mouth, somewhat worried that his casual remark might have caused the prospective witches to explode, and the hard-won balance would instantly collapse.

"Are you referring to the fact that my older sister killed me? Whatever, I have no objection."

"Huh...?" Naoya was taken aback by Chang Rong's casual tone, as if he were asking what she was having for lunch. It seemed like she had just heard something that contained a lot of information.

"The past is something we should cherish and remember, not something we should dwell on. What we need to do now is to ensure a smooth future, until everyone finds their own happiness."

Chang Rong rubbed Naiye Xiang's hat and smiled, then said to the warden.

"Oh my, as expected of Mr. Chang Rong... But speaking of which, what do you all want with this cute and hardworking little bird?"

The warden tilted his head at a 90-degree angle and asked curiously, completely unaware that the guard with the headband had secretly circled around behind him.

"Well then—let's get started!"

"Hiss!!" "Coo coo coo!?"

In an instant, a sound like a chicken being slaughtered during the Lunar New Year erupted from the courtyard, and fluffy white feathers flew everywhere, scattering across the ground accompanied by the warden's wailing.

"Coo coo coo...? What's going on, Mr. Chang Rong? Although I'm in charge of managing the operation of Prison Island, it's all Lady Meruru's orders. If you want revenge or anything else, wouldn't it be more efficient and direct to go to Lady Meruru?"

The warden, held down by the guards' tentacle-like arms, tilted his head in confusion, but Chang Rong completely ignored his explanations. The white-haired boy revealed a terrifying grin, and the cold, metallic object in his hand reflected the warden's entire expression, from confusion to panic.

"Meruru can't have that. That's a 'treatment' only you, Warden, can enjoy, hehehe..."

"Coo coo...coo coo coo...?"

As the young man drew closer, the torture instruments in his hands gleaming coldly, even the warden couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Lady Meruru, save me!

"Hmm? I think I just sensed something... Ahh, it must be the Holy Child calling me...!" Meruru, who was sewing clothes in her room, suddenly looked up and then revealed a blissful expression, instantly immersing herself in the most intense fantasy that she had suppressed for 500 years.

A dozen minutes later—

"How is it? Doesn't it look even fluffier and more fuzzy now?"

"Seriously, this is 'magic' even more terrifying than the Great Witch's magic, cluck cluck cluck..."

"Hmph, although I can't quite remember the specific details, I often greet all sorts of birds, so feather maintenance is naturally a piece of cake for me. Hmm, was I grooming an owl? Or a night heron that looks like an owl... Anyway, how was it, Warden?"

Chang Rong put away the gleaming metal strips—the various grooming tools she had just used to care for her feathers—and held up the mirror to ask the now even more fluffy owl in front of her.

"Coo coo coo, not bad... I feel like I could even be selected as a mascot at Disney now..." The warden looked at himself in the mirror with a satisfied expression. As expected of a familiar created by the Great Witch, he was completely absorbed in the illusion of becoming the world's number one mascot, his face contorted with a pathetic expression.

"With the warden's popularity, beauty, intelligence, and years of service, it would be a piece of cake! So, Warden, could you do us a small favor?" Chang Rong flattered him while subtly inquiring.

"Oh dear, even I, the warden, understand human relationships. Cluck cluck cluck... So, what do you want me to do?"

While posing in front of the mirror, the owl asked a question, and after hearing the answer, Nanoha and Changrong exchanged a glance and then nodded.

All that effort paid off; they finally managed to win over the legendary investigator who was described as "easy to use," "highly resilient under pressure," and "possessing excellent record-keeping skills."

"Coo coo coo...?" The warden tilted his head, wondering what this chilly feeling was all about.

Without giving the unfortunate owl, who had been tricked onto the pirate ship, a chance to reflect on his actions, the two grabbed the warden and returned to the punishment room without saying a word. They yelled, "Go, warden, use the 'coo coo coo'!" and then threw the bewildered warden into the punishment room.

"I hope the warden can find out the specific mechanism of the trap in this room... If it's the warden, there won't be any problem!" Chang Rong said through gritted teeth, with a pained expression after betraying his own family.

"Hmm, if we could figure it out... who would figure it out?" Nanoha Kaori nodded in agreement at first, but she quickly paused, seemingly forgetting the main character in her previous words.

" Figure out what...?" Even Chang Rong blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"Hiss hiss hiss?" The guard with the hairband next to him was equally puzzled.

The three of them exchanged a glance, seemingly having forgotten why they had come to the punishment room in the first place. They felt as if they had left something behind, perhaps it was the wind.

Just as everyone was about to turn and leave—

"You guys have gone too far!!"

The warden flapped its wings and flew in through the ventilation duct at the entrance, but judging from its neither fluffy nor smooth feathers, it did not seem to be the previous warden.

"Huh? Warden? You weren't going to— um!" Upon seeing the warden, Chang Rong suddenly remembered something and quickly looked towards the punishment room on the inside.

"Coo coo coo... Using the warden to step on a trap, what a freak... Anyway, I am Warden 10086, the backup body."

—Where did Misaka Sisters come from?

Chang Rong was taken aback by the unexpectedly large number.

"How was the trap in the room just now, Warden?" Although it was a brand new warden after sunrise, seeing him still reminded Chang Rong of the reason why the experiment had been inexplicably 'forgotten' just now.

"Coo coo coo... This is really something. That room is set with magic that makes people lose all sense of existence. Anyone who walks in unknowingly will definitely be affected and have their existence swallowed up, eventually having to commit suicide to become fuel for the room itself, waiting for the next prey to come. This seems to be a remnant of magic left behind by Miss Lu Ren due to her obsession."

Miss Lu Ren...who is that?

Chang Rong seemed vaguely familiar with the name the warden spoke of, but didn't quite understand it. The guard with the headband, however, fell into deep thought after hearing the name, and after pondering for a long time, he suddenly realized what it meant.

"Since this kind of magic still exists... how do we remove it?" Kurobe Nanoha wasn't interested in the name of the trap setter, but rather in how to dismantle the trap.

"Well... I'm just a cute little bird and I don't know how to handle this, but... there are ways."

The warden tilted his head, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

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.

"Waaaaah... What, what do you mean 'the punishment room has to be demolished because of a trap'... Well, if you guys want to repurpose the punishment room, I... I... I have no objection, but... but demolishing it directly is just too... That would mean fewer memories with the Great Witch..."

The warden's solution was to "tear down the house," but this plan was quickly opposed by Jellyfish.

Before becoming a 'prison,' this prison island was a lovely place where witches lived and vacationed, much like a hot spring hotel. The prospective witches setting up all sorts of wonderful traps all over the house was already giving Meruru a headache, and now the application to 'demolish the house' almost made her faint on the spot.

"Well, actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be demolished. If all else fails, we can install a sign to warn people not to get too close. That would be a solution, right?"

Seeing that Meruru on the ice was about to die from dehydration if things continued like this, Chang Rong quickly proposed a compromise plan B.

"Interesting, a magic that makes people feel invisible? I just happened to see a description of this magic in an ancient book~?"

"Marge?"

The conversation was interrupted by a girl dressed in a purple butterfly-patterned black and white mesh kimono. She was currently in charge of deciphering ancient texts and had somehow appeared beside them, with her usual enigmatic smile on her face.

"The way to break this spell is quite simple: just find someone who 'cannot be ignored' to fight fire with fire and forcibly neutralize the spell's effect. In other words, all you need is someone with a 'strong presence, someone who can firmly grab everyone's attention' to help you break this trap... Hehe, of course, I can't do that. If I'm being watched by everyone, many of my tricks won't work~"

Baosheng Mag held up the ancient book of witchcraft with a smile and explained to everyone how to break the spell of invisibility.

"Strong presence..." "Attracts attention—"

Chang Rong and Kurobe Nanoha Kaori whispered the information provided by Hosho Mag, then they looked at each other and seemed to think of the best candidate at the same time.

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.

"Hehe... I see, no problem, Changrong, Naoya Kaori!"

After hearing the whole story, the blonde, dashing idol, Ryota Hasumi, accepted their invitation almost without hesitation.

"Um... is it really okay for you to agree so readily, Rhea? Although I believe the information Mag deciphered is accurate, there are still risks involved, otherwise—"

"Heh heh, don't worry about me, my fan Chang Rong is here! Risk is something I have to face every time I step onto the stage! If it were exposed that I used magic to attract everyone's attention during the performance, my career would probably be over... But even with such risks always around, I still became a big star, and I kept it a secret until the very end, didn't I~"

Hasumi Ryouya said, casually tossing her short hair.

"No... well, Rhea-sama, weren't you already exposed? And you got caught here." Chang Rong complained, her face full of black lines.

"...It really is!" After a brief moment of thought, Hasumi Ryoya revealed a belatedly realized expression.

—Is Rhea-sama such an embarrassing figure that she can sit at the same table as Meruru...?

Chang Rong sighed, speechless. The idol I idolized turned out to be a stupid big dog. I've lost all face.

"Well, well, well, that kind of thing doesn't matter anymore. Even on Prison Island, I still have the most precious fans, right, Chang Rong?"

Hasumi Ryouya gave Chang Rong a cool and refreshing smile.

"Oh, oh hoo...!"

Although her rational mind already knew that 'Hasumi Ryoa is an idiot,' she was still occasionally captivated by the big blond man's every smile and gesture.

“But speaking of fans… although I can help, I am an idol after all, and I can’t not charge an appearance fee at all—Chang Rong, you play the prince and give me your blessing, that’s the request, how about it?” Lian Jian Leia thought of something, and she showed a slightly shy expression, but it was quickly covered up by her sunny and dashing demeanor.

"Um... a prince? I'll try my best—"

In front of the punishment room, Chang Rong knelt on one knee, raised Hazumi Ryoua's right hand, and gently kissed it. Then, blushing, Chang Rong slowly stood up, gently stroking Hazumi Ryoua's slender waist with one hand, and taking her hand in the other, posing as if inviting her to dance.

"My princess, would you like to dance with me?" Since the performance had to be taken seriously, Chang Rong suppressed her shyness and asked Hazumi Ryoya with a polite yet dignified smile, even trying to tiptoe to overshadow her.

"I, of course I—"

"I hallucinated that someone was dancing in the punishment room, and because it was past curfew, the guards beheaded them both."

"Hiss!!"

"Eeeeeee!?" "Waaaaah!!"

Just as Hasumi Ryoya swallowed hard, preparing to accept the prince's invitation, Kurobe Nanoha from OMO suddenly spoke up, and the headband guard next to her also let out a timely hiss, instantly startling Chang Rong and Hasumi Ryoya into stopping their royal social interaction.

"Waaah..." Although Kurobe Nanoha successfully stopped the two from taking further action, Nanoha felt guilty and disgusted with her despicable behavior of using any means necessary. Even with her older sister encouraging her from the side, saying, "Well done, that's how you should sabotage someone, no, that's the only way to sabotage someone!" Nanoha still drooped her twin tails.

While Hiro could shamelessly fabricate evidence against the entire world to monopolize the rabbit, Nanoha was still disgusted with herself for her despicable behavior. This is the difference between people.

"Hmm...you're right, this kind of stage is a bit too shabby. If we're going to dance together, we need a more glamorous stage."

Ryota Hasumi adjusted her mindset; for a moment just now, she seemed to have almost been captivated by the boy in front of her.

Although her companions and fans alike rave about Ryota Hasumi's 'prince-like' personality and performance, during that brief and somewhat flustered 'performance' just now, Ryota realized that she really wanted to be someone's 'princess' rather than a 'prince'.

"Thank you so much, my fan Chang Rong. Because of your support, I feel so light, I can stop crying now!?"

Why do you all like to set the exact same flags?!

Chang Rong had to interrupt Hazumi Ryoya again and then handed her a long, strange object.