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

"Thank you for your hard work, you did a really good job."

"—"

Seeing the earnest yet gentle smile on the boy's face as he picked her up, Hiro stopped wriggling in her pupa. She blinked, her initial panic and confusion gradually subsiding, and a smile that would make anyone's heart race appeared on her adorable face, flushed with a blush.

"If it's for you, I wouldn't care how many times."

Nikaido Hiro proactively raised her hands and placed them on Chang Rong's shoulders. She gently straightened up and rested her forehead against the boy's, making no attempt to hide the happy smile that emanated from her at that moment.

Hiro Nikaido has always upheld a truth—there are countless weak people in this world, but she is a different kind of 'strong person'. Her mission is to guide, correct, and help these weak people, such as Emma Sakuraba who always trips and falls, so that they too can have a stable life.

She has never failed, and no matter what difficulties the other party encounters, she can easily help them solve them.

Over time, Nikaido Hiro began to believe that his mission was to lead everyone to correct all the mistakes in the world. People needed Nikaido Hiro's help, and only Nikaido Hiro could help these lost and weak people.

But... that's not actually the case.

Hiro Nikaido has also made unforgivable mistakes, and she feels lost and helpless when faced with 'incorrect' situations. In the extreme environment of Witch Island, she cannot correct all her errors alone.

No one can guide the world, be right all the time, or be perfect forever.

She had once held a morbid belief that only she could help others, and that others had neither the ability nor the right to help her. But now, nestled in the boy's arms, the warmth of exchanging body heat, the rhythm of listening to each other's heartbeats, the breath exhaled from his body—all of this made Nikaido Hiro realize—

It turns out that being protected by others, being helped by others, and having someone hold your hand tightly when you're feeling lost... these feelings are actually quite nice.

Beneath her flawless, almost icy exterior, Nikaido Hiro secretly longs to be able to nestle in someone's arms like this, without having to consider whether it's right or wrong.

"...It's fine to stop here. If we go any further and other people see us, it will be troublesome."

Before the stairs leading to the basement, Hiro reluctantly left Chang Rong's embrace, the electric shock-like soreness in her lower body bringing her back to reality.

This is not a place where he can live carefree. Before finding the Great Witch and dispelling the gloom that has shrouded this island for hundreds of years, there are still many things waiting for everyone to deal with.

"Is it alright for Hiro to go down the stairs?"

"Take it slow, compared to those... cough cough."

Hiro coughed twice on purpose, looking at Chang Rong, the lingering warmth on her cheeks still present.

"...?"

"Tsk, you idiot rabbit..."

This guy's boyfriend power fluctuates wildly like a drop tower. Seeing the white-haired boy in front of him being put into "idiotic rabbit head mode" again, Hiro couldn't help but click his tongue.

Nikaido Hiro slightly raised her feet, clad in black leather shoes, and leaned forward towards Chang Rong, while closing her eyes slightly.

Silly rabbit, you've already hinted at it this much, you should understand by now—hmm!

Just before Hiro could react, her forward-leaning body was firmly held in place, and their soft, warm touches brushed against each other.

"—"

Hiro leaned forward completely into the boy's arms. What should have been a brief moment before parting lingered for a long time at her request.

Ultimately, reason prevailed over emotion, and trembling legs signaled a warning to the brain, causing Hiro to reluctantly part ways with Chang Rong.

"...See you tomorrow, Chang Rong."

Nikaido Hiro smiled at the boy—a perfect, elegant, gentle, and adorable smile that lingered in the mind. Then she turned and walked towards the underground dormitory.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Chang Rong nodded in response, and as he watched Xi Luo slowly walk downstairs, he couldn't help but ponder a question—was Xi Luo's feminine charm related to the number of times she had been slept with?

However, considering the extremely high cost of actual testing and the highly uncontrollable nature of the experimental process, Chang Rong ultimately could only remain at the hypothetical stage, failing to develop it into the third confirmed theory of Witch Island—the "Yamato Nadeshiko Conservation Law"—in addition to the "Witch Link Law" and the "Witch Relativity."

After watching Hiro leave and confirming that there were no more clanging or banging sounds coming from the stairwell, Chang Rong returned to the infirmary.

As soon as Chang Rong entered the infirmary, she saw Ze Du Ke Ke huddled in a corner, hugging a pillow, glaring at her with narrowed eyes, looking sulky.

"Coco, are you awake? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"Onii-chan, you idiot..."

Faced with Chang Rong's concerned inquiry, Ze Du Ke Ke simply buried her head deeper into the pillow and muttered complaints softly.

It's clear that unlike the veteran Shiro's "painful yet joyful" experience, for Zedu Coco, who had only observed from the theoretical perspective and had never actually practiced, the previous experience was too hardcore, which made the cat unable to withstand it.

"I'm so sorry, Coco-chan. I was probably a bit carried away and couldn't control myself at all. I'm really sorry..."

Chang Rong sat down next to Keke, clasped his hands together, bowed his head and repeatedly apologized to Zedu Keke, admitting that he had been blinded by the yellow waste at the time and failed to hear the surrender prompt.

Although Chang Rong's current appearance was exactly the textbook example of a mysterious domestic abuser trying to make amends, Ze Du Ke Ke still lifted her head from the pillow after seeing Chang Rong's humble and earnest apology.

"Well... well, we can't entirely blame Onii-chan, after all, you were absorbing witch factors to heal your body at that time."

Ze Du Ke Ke responded softly. She wasn't actually disgusted by Chang Rong's overly 'domineering' behavior. On the contrary, she thought that this contrasting domineering older brother was even more cool.

However, the first experience that she had cherished in her mind, regarded as a treasure, and had already planned how to offer it to her older brother, was suddenly dragged over in the middle of the night and used as a substitute. This sense of loss made it a little hard for Sawatari Coco to accept.

Of course, this is ultimately just my own strange sense of ritual at play. After leaving Witch Island, I can do whatever I want with Onii-chan!

"Speaking of which, Onii-chan, I actually overheard your conversation with Hiro earlier. Have you regained your original memories?"

Zedu Coco shook her head, temporarily putting the messy things out of her mind, and asked Chang Rong somewhat nervously.

"Yeah, I don't know how it works, but I did find it, Coco-chan."

Chang Rong gently stroked Ze Du Ke Ke's hair. The peerless Hao Mao, who had once taken the Witch Killer Potion to avoid his own breakdown, was right beside him now, making it hard to resist the urge to pet the cat.

"Although I feel like the scene where I regain my memories should be more serious and cool... but this is good too. Hey, Onii-chan, unlike before when I could only observe through my clairvoyance, this time... this time I experienced it firsthand!"

As Zedu Coco was talking, she popped out of the pillow's protective pose. While obediently rubbing against Chang Rong's palm, she happily boasted that she was finally no longer an incompetent little sister audience member, but one of the people who had been knocked over.

"Although it doesn't feel quite like what I originally expected, meow..."

Zedu Coco awkwardly rubbed her hair and temples. She'd seen everyone looking so exhilarated in the video through her phone screen, but now that it was her turn, she felt more like she'd been dragged to the 2000m physical fitness test…

"Sorry, Coco-chan, if only I could have restrained myself a little..."

"Onii-chan, don't blame yourself... If we really have to say, it's definitely Heero's fault!"

Zedu Coco quickly waved her hand, indicating that it wasn't Chang Rong's fault and there was no need to blame herself like that.

Unlike physical tests, if Chang Rong were to extend another invitation to Coco, she would only pretend to hesitate for a while before gritting her teeth and joining again.

An unnamed S1 champion once said: "This behavior is addictive? Don't be ridiculous, you foolish humans. I eat rabbit meat every night and I've never seen anyone get addicted."

"Speaking of which, what Hiro meant was that we shouldn't create unnecessary trouble if it's not necessary. No wonder that mysterious girl who ran away to kiss us did that. But she's right... I'll keep the secret carefully for now."

"Thanks a lot, Coco-chan." After calming down from her initial excitement and lack of food, Chang Rong was very glad that she hadn't taken the opportunity to call over the other four to reunite the dream team, otherwise the situation would have been difficult to resolve in a short time.

Taking a steady and gradual approach, like we are now, is a more reliable strategy.

"However... but keeping a secret comes at a price... Onii-chan."

Zedu Keke snuggled up to Chang Rong, nestled into his arms, and gently rubbed her head against his chest.

"cost?"

"Okay, you have to promise me... that as my number two favorite, even after we leave Witch Island, you'll continue to be... be part of my 'family'...!"

Zedu Coco swallowed hard, blushed, looked at Chang Rong, and made her request.

"This is my request, is that alright—?"

Coco looked nervously at the white-haired boy in front of her. She knew very well that such an invitation had no real value, but even so, she still desperately wanted to hear the answer from the boy.

“I promise you, Coco-chan.” Chang Rong nodded, his answer without hesitation.

This was not a perfunctory response without thinking, but a response that he had thought about countless times and finally made up his mind in advance.

"--Onii-chan!"

Zedu Keke's eyes widened. After a moment of stunned silence, she hugged Chang Rong even tighter, sniffing hard because she didn't want to shed her little pearls in front of her beloved.

Hey, Dad, Mom, little brother... I originally thought that since only my grandfather was left in this world, the rest of them should just die. They were all useless trash anyway. There were so many people, but none of them helped us back then. Since they were all just concerned about their own lives, they should all just die.

But... I know very well that this is just me taking my anger out on my own incompetence. But even if it is, as long as it can help me get out of the despair of losing you all, even if it is just 'escaping', that will be enough.

Anyway, I'll never find my own happiness again in my life, and all I have left is 'I'm rejecting'...

Even though that's what I thought, even though I was treated as the remains of a witch and prepared to be executed... I found my 'happiness' here.

Dad, Mom, Brother—I'm very happy now. I've found my own happiness, openly and honestly, without hiding or running away. So, please don't worry about me anymore. I've found my happiness here, and I've found 'family' I can entrust my life to.

However, oh well... this 'happiness' will cause my muscles to ache terribly...

Gently embracing the boy in her arms until her breathing gradually calmed down, Ze Du Ke Ke released her hands and looked at Chang Rong with a smile.

"Since you've already agreed to become 'family,' then Onii-chan—ah, speaking of which, now that you've regained your memories, you should also address me as such..."

Suddenly, Ze Du Ke Ke realized that not only had her persona completely collapsed, but now that Chang Rong had regained his memories, wouldn't it be a bit strange for him to still be 'Onii-chan'?

"It's alright, Coco-chan. I quite like this nickname." Chang Rong smiled, indicating that it was fine to continue calling her that.

"Yes, really! Hehehe, as expected of Onii-chan...! I definitely want to see Onii-chan's cool appearance when the time comes!"

"No, no, you can't call someone that in front of an elder before the proper time!"

Chang Rong quickly stopped him, saying that the old man was already going through a lot at his age, and there was no need to torment or upset him like this.

Sawatari Coco: [100/100]

[The Lonely Livestreamer] — → [The Gentle Old Man]

Hiro Nikaido: [100/100]

[The enforcer of justice] — → [A hero who occasionally makes a fool of himself]

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Bonus chapter 2 today, still 32.5 chapters to go.

Sorry everyone, I spent the whole morning revising yesterday's 3-word chapter. Sometimes I find that revising is more troublesome than rewriting...

Thanks to Chenguangmoxin·1OO86 for the unexpected help.

Thanks to the worker with the inhibitory force for his salty fish thrust x2

Thanks to veteran Lilith fan Admirer Stage 2 Hero for the feeding!

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