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

"...Well, anyway, I'm glad you weren't hurt, Miss Hannah. Next time, please don't get carried away and dance again just because you think it didn't look good."

"Mmm..."

Hannah Tono, who had been scolded, made small, whimpering noises, as if she had realized her mistake.

"I should have pretended to be a little panicked..."

It seems she didn't realize she was wrong, but rather that she had messed up her performance.

"Speaking of which, young lady, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly run off to such a dangerous place?"

Chang Rong glanced at the balcony above his head, still not understanding why Tono Hannah would spawn in that kind of place, and in such a strange pose.

"Ah, because I wanted to take down the balcony curtains to wash them with everyone's clothes, but there was a slight accident when I was taking them down... that's why I accidentally fell down."

Hannah Tono covered half her face with her fan, turned her head away, and whispered.

"Washing curtains and clothes?"

"Well, since there are no washing machines on Witch Island, we can only wash them by hand—I can't accept the idea of ​​'just burning used clothes'! Although it's Meruru's nouveau riche behavior, I can't ignore it!"

"It just suddenly got heated up...?" Chang Rong looked at Tono Hannah, who was getting more and more excited as she talked, and felt a little out of sync with the conversation.

"Look at Chang Rong—such fine fabric, such exquisite carvings, and all these cleverly designed decorations, even the underwear—"

"No, no, such a detailed explanation isn't necessary!?"

Tono Hannah took it upon herself to demonstrate, grabbing various parts of Chang Rong's clothes and praising how well-made they were. However, as she spoke, her little hand began to reach into her crotch, startling Chang Rong, who quickly pulled up her pants and took a few steps back.

"Um... I'm sorry, I just got a little carried away... Anyway, even though Meruru said it's 'government-funded,' I can't just stand by and watch these exquisite clothes be burned as trash, so I'll save them with my own hands! Goddess of shoujo manga, please let me wash one more piece..."

"Uh... well, I still don't quite understand, but not wasting food is indeed a good habit. However, Miss, you must be careful to do it in moderation and not push yourself too hard."

According to the prison's original rules, these clothes were to be burned every day. However, Hannah seemed very dissatisfied with this arrangement, so she decided to wash and change her clothes herself so that they wouldn't have to be destroyed every day.

Chang Rong originally only had two or three sets of this outfit left, but after Mei Lulu found out about it, she hand-made several more sets in less than three hours.

However, most of these clothes were 'coincidentally' made with inferior materials in key areas, designed to be easy to tear open and eat with a single click. After Chang Rong discovered this, he spent a long time lecturing them before finally producing the regular version.

That said, Meruru would rather burn her clothes every day than wash them... Could it be that she's making up for her childhood experiences?

Because you used to do a lot of laundry when you were young, are you now preferring to throw away or burn clothes rather than do laundry? ...Meru on Ice, you're so petty these days!

"It doesn't matter if it's forced or not... anyway, my hands are rough too."

Upon hearing Chang Rong's concern, Tono Hannah showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, and she lowered her head and muttered a complaint under her breath.

People who do repetitive labor year after year have their bodies branded, leaving behind many marks that are almost impossible to erase. For Hannah Tono, these dry and rough hands are the mark that she can never truly be a 'young lady'.

Don't say that!

"Waaaaah...!?"

Chang Rong suddenly grasped Tono Hannah's hands and placed them on his chest, speaking to Hannah in a very serious tone.

"What beautiful hands... It is these hands that have borne countless household skills, which is why they are not rough, but rather they embody the spirit of the young lady's housework over the years, strong and powerful, so strong and powerful!"

"The description 'strong and powerful' is so weird, desuwa!!"

Tono Hannah almost delivered a powerful straight punch to Chang Rong.

"No, but... I guess you're being kind of complimentary."

Hannah blinked. Although Chang Rong's vocabulary was a bit unpleasant, the gentle touch of his hands when he held hers and the concerned expression on his face when he spoke to her were indeed genuine.

"Speaking of which, I can understand washing clothes, but why do you suddenly want to wash the curtains?" Chang Rong let go of his hand and asked with some curiosity.

"Because the curtains in that art studio were very dirty, covered in paint, I decided to wash them as well."

"A lot of paint... paint? I think I know what's going on. Wait a moment."

The image of a colorful balloon appeared in Chang Rong's mind, and he immediately followed in the footsteps of Tono Hannah a few minutes earlier, disappearing into the castle.

Not long after—

"I'm sorry, Noah made a mess of paint everywhere while drawing, so I'll discipline her more strictly from now on—come and apologize, Noah."

"Noah... Noah was clearly in his own studio... Why are you apologizing, Noah?"

This is Noah's studio! Noah can go wherever he wants in his studio! Even if he messes with Rongrong, it's okay!

"Huh? I didn't hear you clearly, Noah, what did you say? Could you repeat it? (smiling)"

"Noah!? Noah was wrong... Noah will never splatter paint everywhere again... Don't torture Noah, meow."

Chang Rong returned to the central courtyard once again, but this time he was accompanied by Hiro and Noah.

Although Noah Kinosaki looked pouting and unconvinced, under the death stare of Hero beside him, Noah could only obediently apologize to Hannah, admitting that he shouldn't have added extra work to Hannah's already busy housework.

After all, it's common knowledge that Nikaido Hiro's eyes harbor seven wolves, the kind that can spin a small balloon into a top.

"No, there's no need for such a grand apology..." Tono Hannah was taken aback and didn't even know how to respond for a moment.

"Noah's magic can reclaim the paint, but it seems that not all the paint that splashed and stuck elsewhere can be recovered; a small portion always remains. Noah isn't quite used to this change yet, which is why the curtains look so messy. We'll teach Noah a lesson this time. We're really sorry. Noah will definitely be more careful in the future, right?"

"No, no, no, no~~ Noah will be careful!"

Unlike Hiro, Chang Rong's tone was much gentler. He stroked Noah's hair while patiently coaxing him, and Noah nodded happily, promising that it wouldn't happen again.

—Is this nagging trio here to show off some nonsensical affection...?

Looking at the loving family in front of her, Tono Hannah muttered to herself.

After Noah apologized and Hero promised to fix the curtains, the little incident was temporarily put to rest.

"Then I'll go take care of other things first, Miss Hannah."

"Um...this..."

Chang Rong said goodbye and prepared to leave, while Tono Hannah looked somewhat conflicted.

"What's wrong, young lady?"

"I... how should I put it... I've actually been a little troubled lately—"

"Wait a mininute!!"

"Whoa!?"

Chang Rong suddenly interrupted Tono Hannah's somewhat hesitant words, which startled Tono Hannah.

But before Hannah could ask Chang Rong what was going on, the white-haired boy suddenly grabbed Hannah Tono's hand and pulled her into the castle with an incredibly proactive attitude.

"Eh... Eh? What, what are you doing..."

Chang Rongyuan, so he's this proactive? I always thought he was the more passive one... No, but the domineering CEO trope is pretty good after all... Waaah, if he's really this forceful, should I even try to resist? And how much resistance should I give him?

"Alright, Hannah, come and tell me your troubles!"

"……what?"

Tono Hannah's daydream was interrupted by Chang Rong. When she came to her senses, she realized that she had not been dragged by Chang Rong to a deserted grove, a bush by a lake, a classroom after school, her incompetent husband's bedroom where he only slept, or a dark cave. Instead, she was taken to—the confessional.

"What's wrong, Hannah? If you have any troubles, come here and talk to me!"

"Is this the kind of place you're going to bring me to...?"

"Although it looks a bit cramped, the interior is decorated very carefully! By the way, should I change into my priest's robes? That would make me feel more immersed in the role—"

"That's a good idea...!"

Although she was speechless at Chang Rong's proactive approach that only resulted in her being dragged into the confessional, Tono Hannah was still determined not to miss the chance to see the limited-edition skin.

In short, after appreciating the Cleric Rabbit Head skin, Tono Hannah reluctantly entered the confessional and began to ponder the problems that had been troubling her recently.

"Um... I've been a bit conflicted lately, Desuwa... Although thanks to Hiro and Coco's interference and revelations, everyone basically knows each other, and the fact that I'm not some 'young lady' is almost an unspoken agreement, but... even so, I still really want to become the young lady of my dreams, Desuwa!"

It has to be said that this small, private room does have a certain charm, and Tono Hannah quickly revealed what she had been struggling with lately.

"No problem, if it's Miss Hannah, she can definitely do it."

A reassuring, gentle voice of encouragement came from the other side of the confessional.

"Thank you, Priest... However... well, although I want to become a true young lady, I've recently discovered that I don't actually know how to be one at all. In fact, sometimes my feminine charm is even less than that of Rhea when she's silent and daydreaming! What is that? That high-and-mighty, rich, and popular girl is still a static beauty when she's quiet... It's really infuriating, Desuwa!"

As Tono Hannah got more and more excited, she vented her usual dissatisfaction with Hasumi Ryoa.

"Um... don't rush to cry, Miss. Actually, feminine charm is a very subjective thing, you know? Even someone like Hiro can have a lot of feminine charm. She can easily stop Noah from crying, scare An An into silence, and make Coco-chan bristle and activate her Spinner form!"

"That's called murderous intent..." Tono Hannah complained helplessly. After hearing Chang Rong's example, she realized that 'there are still people who can take the fall for her,' but it did not have any comforting effect at all.

"No, but... I've read in comics that if you want a girl to mature quickly and become more womanly... the best way is... to have a relationship—"

Boom boom boom! ! !

Hannah Tono blushed and tried desperately to suppress her shy feelings as she spoke, but was interrupted by a rough knock on the door.

"Sorry, this place is full."

Chang Rong whispered to the other party that she was currently entertaining a customer (?).

"Boom boom boom!"

However, the knocking did not stop, which made Chang Rong sigh helplessly.

"Um... Your Excellency?"

"It's alright, it's alright. The confessional room is locked. Just wait a bit, and this strange fellow will leave because he can't open the door—"

Clang!

"Oops, sorry, I think I broke the door, hehe~?"

"Ughhhhhhh!?"

Before Chang Rong could finish speaking, the door, lock and all, was pulled out. A blue-haired, energetic, sickly girl named Tachibana Sherry, wearing a detective hat, stood in front of the confessional, holding the door in one hand and casually rubbing the back of her head with the other, greeting everyone.

"What the hell is going on?!" Her courageous 'confession' was violently interrupted, and Tono Hannah from next door immediately jumped out, veins bulging on her forehead, and demanded to know what was going on.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I must have turned the sliding door upside down, so I accidentally broke it. It definitely wasn't because it was locked that I forced it open, okay? See, the lock is still working fine, right?"

"But the entire door frame around here has been removed, you gorilla woman!!"

Sherry Tachibana cheerfully tried to explain, but was immediately and mercilessly refuted by Hannah Tono. Although the lock on the confessional door she was holding was intact, the entire door frame around it had been torn off.

"Really? Anyway, it doesn't matter~ Hannah, really, why didn't you tell me if you had any worries? We're Ikkyu's best friends, right~"

Sherry Tachibana casually tossed the door aside, looked at Hannah Tono, and smiled as she spoke.