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

"Huh... Xiao Rong? What are you doing here...?" Saeki Miria quickly put her phone away and asked curiously.

"Well, this is, after all, the confessional room I mentioned I wanted to set up to help everyone, so I thought I'd come and see if it could be of any use to everyone," Chang Rong replied, rubbing her hair.

“I see…” Milia nodded, followed by another awkward moment.

Saeki Miria's gaze seemed somewhat unsteady; she appeared to want to say something, but each time she made a move to speak, she swallowed her words back.

Finally, after an awkward and strange 'standoff,' Saeki Miria mustered up the courage to speak—

"Well, little Rong, how about trying out this uncle's lap pillow...!!"

"Eeeeeeeeeee!?"

Is this a direct approach right from the start...?

--------

I have diarrhea again, so only one update today. I barely managed to write this while struggling with the toilet. Sorry, guys, this is truly a sea of ​​maggots!

--------

Thanks to Aizawa Morning Light for the sudden burst of energy from the salty fish. Has the boss become a person with a healthy lifestyle?

Thank you to the "Unsalted Fish King" for the 71 blades! The boss is so generous!

Thanks to Paulgrey for the 5 spicy snacks.

Thanks to book lovers 7021554, Guichen, Admirer, Aizawa, Death444, and 33367801451 for their contributions.

------

Still need [84]

193. Are you here to pray or to send me to the witness stand?

Save money, a mysterious lap pillow monster is coming.

"Milia? Suddenly asking for a lap pillow... isn't that a bit too abrupt...?"

Although Chang Rong didn't know why, when he saw Milia, he did have some embarrassing, cool, three times faster, NT-like, and escape-type thoughts, but thoughts are thoughts, if Chang Rong were to be so direct, he would still refuse.

"Ugh... I'm sorry, it was my fault...! This is an old habit of mine, whenever I feel a bit stressed, I just blurt out whatever comes to mind. Um, please pretend you didn't hear my testimony just now!"

Noticing Chang Rong's somewhat embarrassed and shy expression, the blonde bombshell Saeki Miria realized her terrible comment and quickly waved her hand with a wry smile, indicating that it didn't count.

"I feel like Milia has a lot of trouble with this old problem..."

Chang Rong nodded in understanding, but then felt that Milia's ability to develop this 'habit' suggested that her usual work environment must have been quite challenging...

"Haha, you started by bringing up topics like harassment. If this were a court, they'd probably deduct a whole tube of your speaking credit... Anyway, I think I'll head back now—"

Milia awkwardly rubbed her long, wavy golden hair. She hadn't handled the level 1 and 2 attacks well and had already lost. She decided to slip away and deal with it later.

"Wait a minute, Milia!"

"Eeeeeee!? No, please don't complain about me! Being taken to the dock or the witness stand... please, please spare me...!"

"No... Although this castle does have a court of judgment, I wouldn't initiate a witch trial for something like this..."

Chang Rong complained helplessly, "Milia clearly looks like the most 'mature' girl, but it turns out she also has her own quirks."

"What I want to say is—ta-da! It seems like you're troubled by something, Milia. If so, please come to the confessional and talk to me. I, the novice pastor, will definitely listen to your confession and guide you!"

Chang Rong pointed to the confessional hut next to him, and like a pyramid scheme, he tricked Saeki Miria into becoming his lost sheep to confess.

"Wait, this isn't a good idea... But... I do have some things to do—wait, wait, wait?!"

"Here you are! My confessional is quite spacious. If you get tired of confessing, you can just go to sleep. No problem!"

Milia was still hesitating, looking a bit fussy, when Chang Rong pushed her from behind, half-forcefully and half-jokingly pushing her into the room.

"Hmm... Uncle, although I've never seen a real confessional, this one looks quite impressive, and... it does give me a sense of security."

Milia, pushed into the small hut, blinked and sighed softly. The room was extremely cramped, barely big enough for one or two people to sit down. There were solid walls on two sides, a door on one side, and a partition on the other for communicating and confessing, where people couldn't see each other's faces.

While it may not be very friendly to people with claustrophobia, for others, sitting in this small space can indeed bring a subtle sense of security, making people more willing to open up about their inner anxieties and struggles.

Although Chang Rong practically pushed her in, Milia remained silent for a moment before finally making the ancient and mysterious Eastern gesture of 'since we're already here'.

"Um, Xiao Rong—"

"There is no Xiao Rong here, only an anonymous listener, a lost soul."

Chang Rong's voice came from the gap in the partition. Although the tone was deliberately lowered, Milia felt that there was no solemnity or dignity at all when she thought of the white-haired boy next door trying his best to lower his voice and pretend to be deep.

But since Xiaorong is cosplaying so seriously, I should cooperate a little too.

Milia coughed twice, thought for a moment, and then spoke softly—

“Um, ‘Priest,’ actually I… I’ve been seeing some [images] occasionally lately.”

"Screen?"

"Well, at first, I thought those were nightmares caused by my fear after arriving on this witch's island, but these 'nightmares' did not gradually disappear over time; instead, they became more... more realistic."

Saeki Miria gripped the hem of her short skirt tightly with both hands, her knuckles trembling and turning white from the force.

"Hmm, what kind of 'nightmare' was that?"

“It’s…it’s everyone’s ‘death’.” Saeki Miria took a deep breath. Even just recalling those incredibly realistic scenes still made her feel like her throat was being squeezed.

"I saw... Xiaoxi being beheaded, her head rolling on the ground; I saw Xiaoya being pierced through the chest and falling among the butterflies; I saw Xiaoya being imprisoned in a torture device filled with spikes, a place of endless torment; I saw Xiaoan on stage, her hands bound, repeatedly attempting suicide but never truly dying; I saw myself being pierced through the body on the cross; I saw Xiaona swaying alone in a room engulfed in flames; I saw Xiaoli laughing and crying by the fire; I saw Xiaosha, Xiaonai—uh…!!"

“Milia, take a deep breath! Those were just illusions—no, although they might not have been illusions, they are all in the past!”

"Um...I, I know."

The voice of the 'pastor' next door brought Saeki Miria back to reality. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"How is it, Milia?"

"It's alright, Xiao Rong, I'm much calmer now." It's just a pity that the 'Priest's' room is next door, otherwise Milia would definitely be smiling and ruffling Chang Rong's hair to show her not to worry.

"These scenes... are they things that actually happened, right, 'Priest'?" After regaining her composure, Milia asked Chang Rong in a low voice.

"That should be the case. Those things probably actually happened in the past timeline, but... whether it's Hiro or Coco, when they talk about the cases that happened before, they basically just gloss over them and don't talk about the specific details of the executions. Milia, you can see more detailed images, perhaps this is the effect of magic. You used the [Exchange] magic to exchange for memories that others had actually forgotten—this explanation might be more reasonable."

“An exchange…” Milia repeated Chang Rong’s conclusion, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“However, what I actually saw wasn’t just these scenes, but also a lot of… how should I put it… all sorts of clever little ideas from everyone?” Milia said, changing her tone.

"Huh? A clever little trick?"

"Hmm... Uncle, I saw Emma deliberately tripping on flat ground, I saw Xi feeding her using... strange methods, I saw Ya putting mysterious blue liquid in the art studio, I saw Li coolly breaking the ice, I saw Ya holding hands and inviting her to a stage play, and I myself clumsily sewing a scarf—those, those, all these little tricks everyone used to try to get Xiao Rong's attention—"

That's right, what's really bothering Milia lately isn't just the elimination scenes of the aspiring witches, but rather the various clever little things they're trying to do to get closer to Chang Rong.

These images, like mosquitoes on a summer night, would suddenly appear from time to time, gradually disturbing even Milia's peace of mind. She became increasingly concerned about this white-haired boy whom she had 'only met a few times'.

"It must be fake!" Chang Rong quickly tried to refute.

“Objection! Didn’t you just say, Rong, that these are things that actually happened ‘before’?” But his rebuttal was immediately met with objection from Saeki Miria.

"That's what they say..."

"In short, judging from everyone's behavior in these clips, I can confirm one thing—our 'Priest' is actually being pursued by many people at the same time!"

"Eek...!?" The sound of some small fry being hit came from next door to Milia.

"But that's not right, is it? Dating so many people at the same time... Xiao Rong, you need to establish the right values ​​in love! Opening so many lines at once, you might accidentally get someone to cosplay Shiro with a machete!" Milia raised her voice and earnestly advised.

"What does cosplaying as Hiro mean..." Chang Rong swallowed hard. In many situations, he really couldn't tell whether the witch standing in front of him was radiating murderous intent or some other kind of desire.

"But speaking of values ​​regarding relationships, Xiaorong, what type of girl do you prefer?"

"Huh!? This..."

"Xiaorong, what are your criteria for choosing a partner? What are the key aspects you observe in your other half? What are your thoughts on a girl who has strong legal debating skills but is somewhat terrible at housework? What is the minimum requirement for a partner?"

"Waaaaah... Wait, wait a minute, how did this turn into a one-sided interrogation?! And, moreover, I have absolutely no interest in this!"

Chang Rong was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, but thankfully, just before he was about to confess and be punished, he regained his composure and quickly retorted, however…

"Objection!!"

What awaited Chang Rong was Milia's merciless second critique.

"Xiao Rong, sometimes you're as passively seduced as Emma, ​​sometimes as cruel and violent as Xi, sometimes as innocent as Na, sometimes as eccentric as Li, sometimes as cool as Ya, sometimes as cute as Ya, and occasionally you'll make a 'trash-to-be' declaration like Sha—I think, Xiao Rong, you're clearly enjoying yourself!!!"

"Guwah—!!!"

The sound of a witness being hit by a gun while being exposed by a lawyer in the witness stand could be heard from next door.

“Um…yes, I’m sorry…I admit it. Although my dream is to become a Sigma man, but…it’s true, it’s true that I sometimes enjoy being loved by everyone…I, I’m a sinner…”

Chang Rong slumped down like a dehydrated mushroom in the corner, drooping her head and responding weakly in a low voice.

"Hehe... It's alright, Xiao Rong. I've pardoned your sins on behalf of the God of Law. It's only natural to indulge in this pleasure, and in the presence of so many infatuated women... cough cough cough, I'd say you've done a great job, Xiao Rong. Lift your head up, you don't need to be bothered by this. However, unconditional forgiveness has no effect. As punishment, let this old man give you a thorough massage."

"Okay...okay, I, the sinner, will atone for my sins—no, my stance has been reversed since just now!!"

Chang Rong vaguely turned the lock, preparing to plunge into Milia's arms to atone for his sins, but at the last moment, he regained his senses when the lock was turned.

What kind of pastor confesses to a believer, only to end up succumbing to temptation in the pastor's arms?! The normal plot should be the believer bursting in, unable to hold back any longer, and... no, no, that's not normal either!

Praying... seems to be a terrifyingly difficult task!

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.

"After confiding in Xiaorong like this, I feel so much better~"

Standing in front of the confessional, Saeki Miria crossed her arms and smiled happily.

"Hmm... Although the process was bizarre no matter how you looked at it, I'm glad you're happy, Milia." Chang Rong awkwardly rubbed her hair. The confession process was completely wrong, but if you only look at the result, it wasn't bad.

Milia had been tormented by these 'non-existent memories', but after a confession with Chang Rong, she finally made up her mind to put these images behind her and start living in the present.

However, it wasn't just their attitudes towards life that became more positive. After receiving guidance from Chang Rong, Milia secretly resolved to follow her heart and actively pursue the pastor before her.

Milia had initially hesitated, wondering if her feelings for Chang Rong were a magical illusion. However, after receiving his guidance, she realized that both the past illusions and her current feelings were real. Since that was the case, she saw no need to dwell on it anymore; she could simply follow her heart.

"Since it's confession, how should we pay the fees, Xiao Rong?" Milia asked, tilting her head. She didn't seem to have anything valuable on her. Maybe she could 'repay' in another way, like...

“Confession is free, Milia.”

“…Oh, is that so?” Milia’s little plan was interrupted by Chang Rong’s smiling response.

"However, there is something I do need Milia's help with... I wonder if you have some free time, Milia?"