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

Hasumi Ryoya lowered her head awkwardly and responded softly, but a hand reached out and gently brushed aside her loose hair.

“Chang Rong…?” Leia looked up at the white-haired boy in front of her.

"Don't say things like that again. As long as Lady Rhea and Meruru are alright, I won't make demands like 'think more carefully in similar situations in the future.' Rather, it's about rushing in to help others without hesitation. That's what makes you so dazzling, Rhea-sama. After all, such behavior represents unparalleled courage, right?"

"Oh, oh ho...!" Looking at the smiling and encouraging 'Romeo' so close to her, Rhea instantly let out the sound of an idol-obsessed person.

"Hmph, so this is how you, a commoner, deceive your juniors? And even I almost fell for it back then... Anyway! Since she's an artist under my management, I have the right to strictly manage my idol's romantic relationships!"

Seeing Chang Rong's unconsciously flirtatious manner, the young lady immediately recalled the scene of their first 'intimate contact'. She blushed instantly and moved closer to the two of them, trying to rescue Lianjian Leia from the clutches of this evil, mysterious white-haired man.

"If that's the case, then please allow me to terminate the contract now and retire to my hometown." Without the slightest hesitation, Leia raised her hand to indicate her withdrawal.

"What are you doing...!"

The fact that one of her own artists betrayed her boss so quickly, choosing between career advancement and personal gain, caused the young lady to lose her temper and explode.

"Ahem... In short!" Seeing that her boss was about to engage in a heated discussion with her idol, Chang Rong quickly pulled the two apart, coughed twice, and continued to explain.

"I've actually been thinking about this question for a while now—am I the only one who will be constantly chased and attacked by the wreckage?"

“How could that be—uh, well… now that you mention it, it seems…” “Alice wasn’t attacked by the wreckage.”

The young lady looked thoughtful. She briefly recalled that she had never disturbed any of the wreckage before she met up with Chang Rong and ran away.

Alice nodded directly, indicating that she had never been attacked by the wreckage during her time on the brink of death.

"The young lady and Alice were never attacked by the debris, while Rhea-sama and Meruru were merely 'captured' while unconscious. In fact, this 'capture' was not the work of the older debris, but rather the result of Mizuyu's madness and obsession... In other words, there are actually three types of beings in this 'tea room'."

Chang Rong held up three fingers, mimicking a chicken stew, and said this to everyone.

"First, Alice and Miss Li Hua—they have been classified as the same kind. After all, they are all witches waiting to leave, but the remains are souls that have lingered for too long before making up their minds to leave and have lost their way."

"Secondly, Rhea and Meruru—although the remains can sense that they are different from the remains, that's all they can do, and they won't take any further action. After all, although Rhea-sama and Meruru don't belong here, their auras should be quite similar to those of the witches."

"Finally, it's me—being relentlessly hunted and attacked, like a walking cough syrup. Because I don't belong here, possessing not only the unwavering will only a pure Sigma man could have, but also top-tier modeling capable of making witches fall for me—"

"Next"

"Goo-wah...!? My confession was so brilliant, why did you—!" Chang Rong instantly revealed the defeated and regretful expression unique to GXYR.

It was only after being forced to learn empathy from the young lady that Chang Rong had no choice but to obediently stop playing pranks and continue explaining.

"Let's not talk about Sigma for now... Anyway, the remains are all the result of 'depleted witch factors,' and to them, I'm practically a walking witch factor, so naturally I have an irresistible attraction. Perhaps you even like me because of this very constitution of mine—"

"No, no... Lord Changrong!!"

Chang Rong was abruptly interrupted by Meruru in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry before she could finish speaking. Generally speaking, Meruru was the type to stammer and then be interrupted and have her words exposed, so such a forceful statement was quite rare.

"Before Lord Changrong became like this, I already loved Lord Changrong! Although... although I may not have been able to clearly understand the true meaning of this feeling at that time, but, but to me, Lord Changrong is just Lord Changrong, and it has nothing to do with the witch factor or anything like that!"

Meruru clasped her hands in front of her chest and said sincerely and anxiously.

"Are you questioning my taste, you commoner? Don't flatter yourself, or have you been reading too many shoujo manga? There's no such thing as 'love at first sight' in reality. I've seen far too many guys who pretend to be cool and unique, and I'm tired of it. So—the reason I have feelings for you is because you've shown qualities that are good enough to catch my eye, and not some other inexplicable reason!"

The young lady casually picked a rose, pointed it at Chang Rong, and said in an unquestionable, even 'rude' tone.

“That’s right, Dad is Dad. It has nothing to do with any other reason.” Alice nodded slightly and said softly from the side.

"That's it, Chang Rong! If you don't want me to reflect on my reckless act of saving people in the future, then you can't belittle your own bond with us, right?" Ryouya Hasumi struck a pose that was both rustic and greasy, but one that only she could pull off, and smiled at Chang Rong.

"Everyone... well, you're right. I've always been too concerned about this constitution of mine, and it's troubled and struggled with me for a long time. But... just as everyone says, this 'attraction' only works on 'remains' that have no self-will."

Chang Rong looked at everyone with gratitude. Although she always felt disgusted and confused by her half-dead body that was no longer 'human', it was these prospective witches who tirelessly encouraged her time and time again.

"So—that's exactly what I plan to do, lure all those remnants into the concert, then wipe them out in one fell swoop, defeat them one by one, and finally achieve a perfect collective salvation! Hmph, remnants? I'll make sure they never leave alive!"

The white-haired boy clenched his fist and announced the plan with a confident expression, while the others blinked and looked at each other, trying to confirm from each other's eyes whether they had turned into witches on the spot due to their sanity dropping to zero.

After all, words like "wipe out the whole group," "defeat them one by one," "collective salvation," and "no return" don't seem like the kind of mysterious phrases that would appear at a concert.

but……

"Since I'm still here, I naturally have an obligation to promote the reputation of the Gaoyuan family. This kind of concert, which sounds unconventional, is actually quite novel and interesting."

"If it were Mama Fish's suggestion, Alice would pretend to be asleep or tell Papa that Alice wanted to refuse, but since it's Papa's suggestion... then Alice will support it unconditionally."

"Hmph... Thinking about it carefully, if it really works out, wouldn't I become the number one idol in terms of the number of people I've helped to find their soul? I can't just let this honor slip away!"

"Waaaah... Big brother, if everyone wants to cause trouble, then I'll too..."

After initial hesitation and confusion, everyone agreed with Chang Rong's behavior, which sounded outrageous and mysterious at first glance, and was essentially equivalent to "dancing on a grave."

After all, they were already dead and waiting to be reborn, so they said they had no objections.

"OK! Now that everyone has made up their minds, let's start preparing for it!"

Seeing that everyone agreed to her proposal, Chang Rong quickly clapped her hands to get everyone to come over so that the work scheduling could be arranged, and also to prevent the group from regaining their rationality and vetoing the proposal.

"Meruru!" "I...I'm here!"

"You'll be in charge of finding some specific flowers and plants. As someone who has dealt with these things on Witch Island for a hundred years, this shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

"But, as long as it's not called by name... I'm still confident..." the illiterate jellyfish replied cautiously, head bowed.

"It's alright, you don't need names, just the names. In fact, I don't know the names either. Anyway, I'll make a list, and you'll need to collect the corresponding plants, the more the better. Also, Meruru, you'll be in charge of another thing—considering this is essentially a green-skinned territory, I think you should be able to do it."

Chang Rong handed Meruru a list and an empty bottle, and said something earnestly. Although Meruru looked confused and shook her head with an expression of "I can't do it!" after hearing this, she still walked towards the flower field in a daze after being persuaded by Chang Rong.

"Next up is Rhea-sama!" "Oh, is it my turn?!"

"Léa-sama, you'll be in charge of rehearsing the pieces needed for the performance, about five or six should be enough. Also, I'm not a professional in this area, so I'll have to trouble you to compile a list of what's needed to assemble a simple stage."

"I feel like the word 'simple' comes up a bit too often when you're chatting with me, Chang Rong... But don't worry, I'll definitely prepare well! Although the quality certainly won't be as refined as Hannah's handmade version, I'll definitely make the dog ear collar and tail before the performance—"

"It's a normal concert!! Seriously... Even if you really want to do something weird, Rhea, at least do it privately away from the audience, right...?"

Chang Rong first complained loudly, then looked away and muttered to herself. After all, she lived near a zoo, so surprisingly, Chang Rong had little resistance to animal-type girls.

"Also, Alice, if you don't mind, could you come with me? Considering I might be hunted down, I'll need your magic to help cover my tracks." "Alice understands."

Alice nodded obediently. For her, being able to stay by her 'father's' side, even if it was just wandering around, was enough to satisfy her.

—But it seems that the 'drawing guy' tries to do some weirder things when he's with 'Dad'... Although Dad says he doesn't like it, his body seems to be quite obedient. Alice, should you just give it a try too, maybe with a hypnotic ray or something...?

—As expected of Alice…it's so reassuring. Look, Xiaoxue, our child is still so pure, innocent, and kind even now.

Alice stared at Chang Rong, pondering whether to create an advanced hypnotic sword that could surpass the old, outdated water-boiled one in every way. Little did she know that Xiao Zili was terrifying in terms of numerical inflation, and that the hypnotic sword already had its own niche occupied by the pigeon spirit.

"Young Miss, the stage setup and everyone's work progress will depend on you. As the heir of a large family, overseeing a concert shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"Hmph, you really underestimate me, commoner. This kind of thing is not even a challenge for me. It's just a warm-up appetizer!" Li Hua said arrogantly, hands on her hips and chest puffed out.

Meanwhile, Hasumi Rhea secretly glanced at the young lady's front armor, recalled the thickness of Meruru's armor in her mind, looked down at her own body part, and finally turned her gaze to Alice in despair.

"...Alice is such a good girl."

"...?" Alice tilted her head and a question mark popped out as she looked at Hasumi Ryoga, who suddenly gave her a kind smile full of redemption.

In short, with Chang Rong's task assignments completed, everyone began to get busy in their respective areas.

Meruru searched for flowers that met the requirements according to the list Chang Rong had given her in the flower field, but after seeing the last few requirements, Meruru could only show a confused and anxious expression, and almost dropped her little pearl again.

Afterwards, Meruru took the small bottle to the basement. After trying her best to no avail, she could only cry and tell Chang Rong that she really couldn't do it. Finally, after Chang Rong hammered and repaired it, Meruru was satisfied and successfully completed the task.

Ryota Hasumi stood in front of the entrance gate leading to the final station of reincarnation, telling Chang Rong the specific requirements over and over again in the open space not far away. Then she posed and rehearsed over and over again in the open space. Even though the audience were mindless remains, as an idol, she did not have the option of 'fooling' them.

The young lady would occasionally check in with Meruru to check on the progress, sometimes supervise the construction of the venue and stage, and occasionally hand Leia a water glass. In her spare moments, she would also decorate the venue with flowers for the upcoming events.

Alice, on the other hand, obediently stayed by Chang Rong's side. Occasionally, when the debris noticed her, she would use her deflecting ray to lure it away. The rest of the time, she stayed obediently by Chang Rong's side, chatting with him about various topics and listening to him explain the differences between A-frame ladders, ladders, and step stools.

This conversation should have been incredibly boring, but Alice's smile never faded.

After such a busy and fulfilling period—

"I...I've prepared most of the plant seeds, roots, and the 'materials'...Um, no, without the warden and guards' help, it's really hard work...I guess I should give them less work in the future..."

Ice Meruru arrived near the entrance with a bunch of stuff. After reporting on the progress of her work, she collapsed on the ground and transformed into a jellyfish.

"Wow... This, is this really something we built...? It feels so incredible..."

"Hmm, although it's like comparing Darjeeling tea to iced tea to a real stage, the fact that such a platform could be built out of thin air in a place like this is truly astonishing..."

Leia and the young lady stood near the entrance, looking at the makeshift stage in front of them, their expressions somewhat surprised.

Although the stage itself was just a makeshift structure pieced together from crates, the speakers on both sides, the flower-covered backdrop, the spotlights on both sides, and the microphone in the center—things that are common in karaoke rooms—looked so out of place and unbelievable in the open space in front of the entrance to this Witch Island.

"Putting everything else aside... where did you get that speaker, commoner?" The young lady rubbed her eyes and asked Chang Rong.

"Well, Alice and I took this out of the warehouse! Let me tell you, that warehouse is super convenient! Just think about what you want in your mind, then open the door while saying it, and the item will appear in the warehouse! If the brand or type doesn't match, you just need to open and close the door again to roll it again."

Chang Rong said cheerfully from the side, while Alice looked thoughtful after hearing this.

"Speaking of which... that witch with the messy hair, thick glasses, and white coat..." "Ms. Ebe?"

Upon hearing Alice's description, Chang Rong immediately thought of the mysterious female researcher from the Department of Illustration, Mari, who liked to hand-make bombs and was ready to explode at the slightest provocation. She was also the one who had modified and created the magical spear.

"Well, it seems that Miss Truth just gave up and ran away because she couldn't figure out the resource refresh mechanism on Witch Island no matter what she did. She also said that next time she would put all her points into Strength, because her super intelligence told her that next time she should try Super Muscles, maybe the God of Biceps could unlock Truth for her," Alice recalled.

"Couldn't we have played a more balanced character build... Anyway, the preliminary preparations are pretty much complete, right?"

Chang Rong looked at everyone, and they all nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

"Alright—let's prepare a little surprise for the upcoming audience, and then get ready for this soul-stirring Witch Island concert!!"

After Chang Rong led the group of witches to complete the final preparations and confirmed that everything was in order, Chang Rong took out a remote control and pressed a button.

The next second, the broadcasts and monitors throughout the castle lit up simultaneously, and the face of a boy with short white hair appeared on them.

"Uh... hello... can you see the picture? The machine is quite old, and it has a lot of malfunctions... oh dear."

The white-haired boy spoke, his voice carrying throughout the castle from the loudspeakers.

Hello everyone, I am a witch factor who has come to life. Do you often feel dizzy, lightheaded, and lacking energy? Do you often wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep at all? Do you ever miss the vibrant, youthful version of yourself before you turned into a wreck?

[Your face, your voice, your consciousness—has everything you once possessed vanished? But it doesn't matter! The ultimate tonic of the humanoid witch factor, capable of restoring everything, is right here! Want to devour me? Want to reclaim everything you once had?]

[You know the rules! If you want it, come and get it yourself! Go find it! It's on that great ship... right there on the stage in front of the entrance! First come, first served, limited quantity! If you don't hurry, it might already be gone, and you'll be stuck as a nobody for life. These kinds of nobodies are multiplying rapidly on Witch Island, and you might be the next one—a nobody, a nobody!]

【Huh? No, no... I'm just imitating Coco-chan. Dad isn't some naturally evil little devil—ah, I haven't pressed the end recording button yet—】

BIU!

After the pre-recorded footage finished playing, Chang Rong stood with her hands on her hips, looking at everyone with a proud expression.

"How was it? How did my commercial turn out? I even polished the lines to reach the widest possible audience!"

Chang Rong put her hands on her hips and fiddled with her hair, saying, "Indeed, what truly terrifies me is my own talent!"