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

"Hmm, that sounds interesting, and I'm also very interested in herbal tea. Please count me in, Meruru," Chang Rong replied with a smile.

"Ah... As expected of the Holy Son!" Receiving a positive reply made Meruru feel like she was about to ascend to heaven.

—The atmosphere had been set up so well, how could she possibly refuse?! Although she appeared to be responding with a calm smile, Chang Rong was inwardly cursing. If she hadn't agreed, Meruru might have really committed suicide.

Now that things have come to this, all I can do is pray that Meruru won't drag me to pick any red flowers that could increase my bad luck stat.

"In addition, I also made some amulets for Chang Rongsang that have a sachet function, with a formula that can easily improve sleep quality... If you don't mind, Holy Son, I will put them on you myself—"

Snapped!

On the ice, Meruru carefully took out a sachet, but just as she was about to personally put it on Chang Rong, the guard with the headband suddenly waved his twisted, tentacle-like arm and slapped Meruru's arm away.

“Miss Guard… what is this…?” Meruru paused for a moment and looked at the guard.

"Hiss hiss hiss..." The guards did not back down, their eyes beneath the masks fixed on Meruru.

"Looks like it's completely broken... It's a shame, but there's no way around it, broken junk has to be disposed of..." *Hiss—*

Two beings, strictly speaking, had nothing to do with 'humanity', confronting each other. The pure-looking nun's smile was like that of a demon from hell, while the already twisted and inhuman headband guard's spiritual pressure surged even more.

Two companions who should have been his most important allies were now fighting each other, neither willing to back down. Faced with this incredibly poignant and cruel twist of fate, Chang Rong…

"Um, you two take your time, I need to wash up, so I'll be going now..."

Chang Rong chose to run away.

What a joke! I can go and mediate between two kids arguing about the sun, but what am I supposed to do when Godzilla and King Kong are fighting? Offer emotional support, or just be their tool?

In short, I'll rely on my invincible Ripple Dash here—Pfft!

"Woof!?"

Chang Rong had just run away from the bedroom when she bumped right into a pink and white-haired girl.

"Emma? I'm sorry... are you alright?"

Because she was a head taller than Emma Sakura, Chang Rong wasn't affected by the shock, but the pink and white puppy was a different story.

Wearing a black beret decorated with cherry blossoms, Emma Sakura sat on the ground in a somewhat disheveled state. Her black dress was pulled up in disarray, revealing her slender, pink legs spread wide. The metal ring on her left leg shimmered in the sunlight, drawing attention.

"Waaah...no, it's okay, Chang Rong-jun. It's my fault, I'm always so clumsy and don't watch where I'm going..."

Sakura Emma, ​​who was kneeling on the ground, chuckled apologetically at Chang Rong, and at the same time reached out to grasp Chang Rong's outstretched arm in preparation to get up.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I should have checked more carefully—be careful!"

Chang Rong used his arm to help Sakura Emma up. The pink and white-haired girl got up from the ground and took a step forward, but she didn't notice that her right boot had become loose due to the impact. As a result, she lost her balance and leaned forward as soon as she took a step forward.

With a soft "plop," Sakura Emma fell right into Chang Rong's arms again. If the white-haired boy hadn't helped her in time, the pink-haired girl would probably have performed a public demonstration of what it means to be a pink-haired puppy that eats food.

"Waaah... Yes, I'm sorry, Chang Rong-jun... When I get anxious, I always become even more flustered... Waaah... I'm so, so sorry...!"

Embarrassed and shy, Emma kept apologizing, shaking her head back and forth like a rattle-drum in an attempt to ease the awkwardness, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment from the series of blunders.

"It's alright, it's alright, as long as you're not hurt."

Chang Rong patted Emma's head, then helped Emma up to prevent the clumsy little dog from falling flat on her face again.

"Hehehe... Thanks to Chang Rong-kun's help, I wasn't hurt at all! Speaking of Chang Rong-kun... um, is there anything... wrong with you in that area?" Sakura Emma said with a cute smile showing her sharp fangs, and then asked Chang Rong in a low voice.

'That' naturally refers to Chang Rong's unusual emotional state yesterday.

"Well... that's all for now... I really need to thank Emma for this. If it weren't for Emma's help, I don't know what other trouble I might have gotten myself into..."

Chang Rong rubbed his hair somewhat awkwardly. If he hadn't relieved his urges by hugging the small animals, he probably would have gotten himself into trouble sooner or later.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm already happy to be able to help Chang Rong-jun! But... well, speaking of which, I do have something I'd like to ask Chang Rong-jun for help with... no, no, I feel like I'd be troubling Chang Rong-jun, so I'll pass..."

Emma blinked as if she wanted to say something, but she immediately shook her head to deny the idea.

“It won’t be a problem, Emma. It’s all within my power.” Chang Rong patted his chest confidently, and Emma nodded after receiving Chang Rong’s assurance.

"Um...actually, I'd like Chang Rong to be able to spare a day to spend with me—I mean, just me! After all, if Hiro or anyone else finds out, it feels like it'll just end up being some weird social event..."

Emma touched her two index fingers together and whispered shyly.

"Although everyone here is kind and understanding, and a good kid who's willing to be my friend, and Hiro-chan and I have made up again, sometimes... I still feel a little out of place. I'd be so happy if I could play with Changrong-kun!"

"No problem, Emma, ​​I agree." Chang Rong ruffled Emma Sakura's hair and accepted her invitation.

"Hehehe...! Really?! I'm so happy, Chang Rong-kun! Well then, it's a date!"

Upon receiving Chang Rong's affirmative answer, the pink and white puppy was so happy that she even jumped up and down. She quickly grabbed Chang Rong's hand and shook it up and down, then happily skipped away, seemingly to go back and start making specific preparations and plans.

—Hehe, Emma is so kind and innocent.

Watching Emma Sakura's departing figure, Chang Rong smiled and sighed inwardly.

Emma was, after all, a somewhat impulsive but very innocent girl.

She certainly didn't conceal her presence and crouch by the house beforehand, only to bump into me as soon as I stepped out; she didn't deliberately trip and fall into my arms, apologizing while frantically rubbing against me; and she certainly didn't casually steer the conversation towards yesterday's unexpected events to evoke my guilt and make an invitation that I couldn't refuse, right? Absolutely not!

After suppressing all the malicious and defamatory thoughts about Emma in her mind, Chang Rong suddenly realized something.

I just promised Emma I'd spend a day with her, then I promised Ice Meluru I'd go flower picking and make flower tea with her, and I also promised Nanoha Kaori I'd make chocolate with her...

Should I say they were too enthusiastic, or that I'm just not good at refusing? Anyway, I hope we don't end up arguing because of scheduling conflicts.

With that thought in mind, Chang Rong prepared to head to the castle, but before he had taken more than a few steps, he heard the sound of a door being pushed open and a sneeze coming from behind him.

"Achoo...! It wasn't this cold on the first day..."

A black-haired girl named Sawatari Coco, wearing orange cat-ear headphones, walked out of the middle room. She shivered and complained in a low voice, and even the frame of the headphones was covered with a layer of white frost caused by the low temperature.

"Coco-chan?"

"Ah—Onii-chan~!"

When Zedu Coco saw Chang Rong, her face instantly lit up with a happy expression. Chang Rong noticed that Zedu Coco seemed to be a little cold, so she took the initiative to go over and hug Zedu Coco.

"Eeeeeee... Oh, what a proactive Onii-chan! Am I dreaming...?" Zedu Coco stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Chang Rong would actually take the initiative to make such intimate contact with her. Could this be a world of illusion?

"I just saw you looked cold, so I was trying to warm you up... What are you doing?"

Chang Rong rubbed Coco's cheeks and muttered a complaint, then glanced at the door of the Water Crystal Chamber behind Ze Du Coco and asked.

"Hmm... It's okay to tell Onii-chan, right? I actually just went over there to dispose of the rest of the Witch Slayer potion."

Lost in the gentle embrace of love, Ze Du Ke Ke blinked and, after a brief moment of thought, decided to answer honestly.

"The Witch Slayer Potion? Wasn't it already disposed of?"

"I did keep some at first... but yesterday Heero suddenly told me that I didn't need to keep them anymore, because the Great Witch isn't an enemy, and if we really encountered an extreme situation, Emma would be much more useful than 13 Water... Anyway, since Heero said so, I went to ask the warden for permission to go to the underground freezer and dispose of the hidden potions. But because it's too cold, I have to come back to the warehouse to change into warm clothes first..."

Sawatari Coco explained while squinting her eyes in enjoyment.

"Isn't the Great Witch an enemy? Actually, I vaguely think so too, but it's not appropriate to make such a hasty judgment. It would be great if Hero could agree with that. Do you want me to help too?"

Chang Rong nodded. Although both Xirokoko and Meruru confirmed that the mastermind behind all this was the great witch "Snow", Chang Rong still found it difficult to harbor resentment towards the great witch.

"Hmm, there are still your past comrades frozen and contained down there, Onii-chan. Is this really okay? But if Onii-chan is determined, I'll go with you." Sawatari Coco asked with some concern.

"My past comrades... I... will have to face them sooner or later. But for now, taking care of everyone's affairs is the most important thing for me."

After pondering for a moment, Chang Rong decided not to try to touch her sealed past memories for the time being, since not all of the witches under her command had yet received the happiness they deserved.

However, one must eventually retrieve one's past memories. Only by firmly carrying the past on one's back can one be qualified to 'judge' Meruru and truly allow the nun who has been lonely for a hundred years to regain her peace.

"Hehehe... We're more important, aren't we? As expected of Onii-chan."

Upon hearing that Chang Rong had chosen her side, Ze Du Ke Ke happily rubbed against the white-haired boy.

"Speaking of which, Coco-chan, you just said you asked the warden for help?"

"Hmm, it's too much trouble to keep climbing up and down the ventilation ducts, so I asked the warden to give me the authority to open the door."

"I remember that place was a relatively confidential research area of ​​a government agency, right? They just granted you access like that?" Chang Rong was a little surprised, not expecting that the warden was such an honest person.

"Hehe, after figuring out how to escape from O-room yesterday, I've gotten quite familiar with that owl!" Ze Du Coco struck a boastful pose, hands on hips and chest puffed out, making me feel really cool.

"So the warden agreed and chose to help Coco-chan, right!"

"No, it said that in return, Onii-chan, you have to groom it and move the nest and bird stand."

"..."

It seems my adopted sister isn't so reliable either. Just to avoid having to crawl through the ventilation duct twice, she sacrificed her brother to the heartless and ruthless warden of Witch Island. The world is going to the dogs.

"Oh well, that guy's got a bird's head anyway, maybe he'll forget about it in a couple of days. Besides, he's just a stinky bird after all. If it really doesn't work out, we can just leave him alone—"

"【Beep beep beep—coo coo… Test, test, oh dear, can you hear me, Brother Chang Rong? I hope you'll change into this mouse mascot costume within 20 minutes, bring your grooming tools, and come to the reception room to have your fur groomed and play a hunting game with me, the warden. This is a deal from a certain aspiring witch. Coo coo coo… As a proper Sigma man, you should keep your promise, right, coo coo…?】"

The old monitor in the corner of the room suddenly lit up, showing the warden's owl face, with a furry mouse cosplay outfit next to it.

“Coco-chan…” Chang Rong looked at Ze Du Coco, “You can make a Hao Mao, right?”

"Waaaaah!? I...I didn't expect that guy to choose to pay up that day...No, it's okay, Onii-chan, you can just leave it alone!"

"【Coo coo coo... By the way, if you break your promise, I will play the video of destiny from the mysterious East (commonly known as the New Three Kingdoms) on all monitors and broadcasts 24 hours a day...】"

"Eeeeeeeee!?" x2

You can't do this, you can't do this...!!

Chang Rong and Ze Du Ke Ke were both covered in cold sweat, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Having personally experienced Chang Rong's 'oral script DDOS attack' during her second playthrough, Ze Du Ke Ke was already familiar with the power of this thing.

Chang Rong's stammering narration alone had already had an effect comparable to a tight headband. If the warden had shown the original footage directly, wouldn't the history of Witch Island have changed drastically at that moment?

In the end, in order to protect everyone's future and dreams, Chang Rong had no choice but to sacrifice himself to satisfy the warden's inhumane and evil fetishes, fulfilling his promise to Coco.

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.

"Ugh... I'm so tired... Coco-chan, I really have to poke your nose with a data cable..."

Forced to pay the price for Ze Du Ke Ke's empty promises, Chang Rong, dressed in tattered clothes, willingly went over to the warden and was pecked and chased around for a long time before finally arriving at the confessional room that had been set up.

Although the room was built almost instantly, Chang Rong was disappointed and felt bad because she never had a chance to use it.

"Huh...Milia?"

As soon as Chang Rong arrived at the entrance of the corridor, he saw the scantily clad girl, Saeki Miria, who had long, wavy blonde hair and looked like a hot girl, and who called herself an "uncle".

At this moment, Milia stood in front of the confessional, her right hand holding her phone and fiddling with it, but it seemed that she was just aimlessly moving the icons around on the screen, and her expression was somewhat absent-minded.

It wasn't until she heard Chang Rong's voice from the side that Saeki Miria came back to her senses.