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

However, from this perspective, it does indeed fit the witches' "tea break room" concept.

"It's so delicious...! It's amazing, and it feels so good in my throat. It's so nice to have a glass of this after the concert."

Hasumi Ryoya stared wide-eyed at the teacup in surprise and exclaimed, while Meruru beside her chuckled sheepishly and shrank back.

After the 'Witch's Rest Concert' ended, at Meruru's suggestion, everyone spontaneously decided to have a tea party in the flower field. Although Chang Rong was a little annoyed at first, when it came to the preparation stage, he was bustling around tinkering with props and seemed more energetic than Meruru.

"If I could, I'd even like to stay here, haha—but that won't do, right? We all have to go back together, right?"

"..."

Hasumi Ryoga smiled and looked at everyone, but no one responded for a moment.

"Oh, right, after we leave, I can help everyone introduce themselves and get to know each other quickly! Speaking of which, I know a girl who likes to call herself a 'young lady.' I sometimes don't understand her efforts, but just seeing her makes me feel at ease. And there's another girl over there who always looks like she hasn't woken up yet, and another one who likes to draw—"

"That's enough, take it away already! We've tasted it too many times already...!" The young lady interrupted Hasumi Ryoya with veins bulging on her forehead. Her rather inelegant words startled Hasumi Ryoya.

"Dad is an idiot...!"

"Uh?"

Meanwhile, Alice, who had been munching on cookies, suddenly kicked Chang Rong's shin in a sulky manner, leaving Hasumi Ryoya completely bewildered. She couldn't understand what the rift was between these veterans and the younger generation. But even if there really was a rift, why was Chang Rong the target of all her venting and revenge?

Faced with this farce, Meruru, unusually, didn't rush to intervene while crying and shedding her little pearls. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes slightly closed, her head tilted back, as if listening to something.

"It's really... quiet... It hasn't been this quiet here in a long time..."

The whispers and howls that had been constantly swirling around her ears, which she could hear no matter where she was, seemed to have all disappeared. For the first time, Meruru on the ice could clearly hear the cool breeze blowing past her ears.

"Hehe... I actually prefer quiet places to noisy ones." Meruru opened her eyes, smiled happily, and murmured to herself.

"I'm saying... is this guy alright? He's been acting weird ever since the performance went wrong. He seemed super enthusiastic and hardworking when preparing for the tea party—though not as proactive as you, but once the tea party started, he had this expression that looked like he was about to be relieved and ascend to heaven."

The young lady leaned close to Chang Rong's ear and whispered that the soft and gentle nun in front of her was completely different from the image she remembered.

"Meruru is indeed acting a bit strange today, but maybe this is just her true self."

Chang Rong had previously heard Coco mention that Meruru had also held a tea party during her 'first playthrough', but those tea parties were more like a routine. Although the tea party itself wasn't bad, and the flower tea she was drinking wasn't laced with a demon-killing potion like it was during today's performance, the 'tea party' itself was still somewhat uninspiring.

However, judging from Meruru's actions today, she may actually really like tea parties, but she just hasn't been seriously preparing for them before.

"Hmph... Hmph hmph hmph, now I'm far ahead! Not only did I kiss Romeo on stage, but I also made Romeo my prince. By that measure, I can indeed be considered far ahead!"

After holding it in for a long time, Hasumi Ryoya finally couldn't contain herself any longer. She held the teacup in her hand high in front of her as if it were a trophy, and with her other hand she made an inviting gesture towards the sky, and loudly announced to everyone.

It's clear that if Rhea finds the black notebook, she'll probably be the kind of person who studies the rules on the first day, continues to study the rules from the second to the sixth day, and then shows it off on the seventh day before it gets confiscated.

"Far ahead...?"

Looking at Leia's excited face, Chang Rong couldn't even utter a word of comfort.

Don't make Chang Rong laugh. Let's not even talk about the time he danced with Sherry by the lake in the second playthrough. Even in the Silver Party before the second playthrough, he couldn't bring Rhea along. At least Hakimi got a VIP seat in the audience.

As for the third playthrough, my first kiss in reality was already given to Coco-chan, and my first kiss in 'limbus' was taken by Alice from my father. What's more, the night before I entered the other world, I was still talking about adult topics with Hirokoko, and the two of them were so engrossed in the conversation that they couldn't get out of bed.

And most importantly—the more Chang Rong thought about it, the more convinced she became that something strange must have happened between her and Xiao Xue during their more senior years. Otherwise, it would be really hard to explain why Xiao Xue suddenly became so 'mature' overnight, and it would also be hard to explain why she felt like she had just finished a marathon every morning…

"Excuse me, may I pass?"

"Waaaaah...!"

Faced with Hasumi Ryo's sudden, hysterical declaration of holding up the cup, Alice didn't say much. She simply got up and pushed Hasumi Ryo aside, then plopped down on Chang Rong's lap, deliberately twisting her body to appear even more intimate. Then she stared at Hasumi Ryo with those sleepy eyes that could shoot out dazzling laser beams, like Lu Mingfei patrolling her territory.

"Hmph...commoner, my teacup is empty, hurry up and fill it up for me." The young lady on the other side coughed and pushed her teacup in front of Chang Rong, letting this temporary butler continue to do his job.

"Huh...? Why, it seems like nothing has changed at all...?"

Ryota Hasumi was puzzled by the familiar and everyday scene before her. Hadn't she just gone through an affection event? Why did it feel like everyone's way of getting along was still the same after the event ended?

Am I not the world's number one idol...?

Amidst Hasumi Ryoa's self-doubt, Chang Rong serves the young lady while petting Alice. It's a beautiful day; birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the idol who gave her first kiss is acting as a third wheel.

After unlocking the special event, what happened to the subsequent CG animations?!

And so, despite Leia's slightly sullen mood, the tea party, which belonged only to a few people, proceeded smoothly for a while. Before they knew it, it was already afternoon, and the flower field was tinged with an orange-red filter under the setting sun.

"Well... it's about time, isn't it?"

The young lady placed her teacup on the table and sighed. She stood up, gracefully twisted her body, picked up the parasol that she had also taken from Doraemon's pocket warehouse, and looked at the entrance door in the distance, which was still shimmering with white light.

"This is ultimately the edge. If I stay here too long, I might become one of those remnants that only follow their obsessions. I don't want to become like that again, neither elegant nor noble."

"That's right, I wonder how everyone is doing outside. Let's leave together quickly!"

Ryota Hasumi also stood up and echoed Reika Takahara, full of energy as if she had rested enough and was ready to continue the journey with everyone.

"...We can't go together, Rhea-sama."

Chang Rong's deep voice refuted Renmi Ryoya's proposal.

"Can't be together—what do you mean?" Leia paused for a moment, then looked at Chang Rong, who was still sitting in the chair, gently stroking the blonde Lolita maid girl who had fallen asleep in her arms at some point, and asked.

"It means exactly what it says... They have no 'home' to return to. I personally dispersed the young lady's remains, as you probably saw, Rhea. As for Alice... although her body was protected, it's meaningless. She doesn't have the witch factor to activate her body. Even if she were to force her way back with us, it would probably only..."

Chang Rong didn't continue speaking. He looked at the girl in his arms. Although she was right there in his arms, she felt incredibly distant and unreachable.

"What—how could this happen...! Wait, Meruru, aren't you that great witch's follower? There must be a way to deal with this, right? There must be!"

Hasumi Ryoya looked at Meruru beside her and immediately leaned over to question her.

"Waaaaah... I, I don't know... Although I believe that the Great Witch will definitely be able to save everyone, but, but..."

Meruru desperately turned her head away, trying not to meet the golden eyes of Hasumi Rhea, and could only respond in a disheveled voice that was on the verge of tears.

"Hoo hoo... Hmm, Alice seems to have just fallen asleep. Is she leaving?"

Ryota Hasumi's shouts seemed to wake Alice, and the girl slowly raised her head from Chang Rong's arms and looked around.

"Speaking of which... Father, Meruru. Alice has been keeping something safe all this time—"

Alice rubbed her eyes and got out of Chang Rong's arms, then took out a camera from her long dress.

"A camera...?" Chang Rong saw the true nature of the object; it was a camera.

"This was left behind by Sister Fut. It contains many 'photos' that she wrote down while accompanying Alice. To make it easier to view, Sister Fut specially modified it into a new version."

Alice turned on the camera and then used magic to project the stored images in front of everyone, like a human projector.

Suddenly, a scene appeared in the previously empty air: several aspiring witches huddled in the reception room, making peace signs in front of the camera.

“Ah...this, this is…” Meruru’s eyes widened as she took out a group photo of the prospective witches that she had always cherished but never dared to look at again.

“Miss Nana and the others are here too… even Xiaoxue is here.”

Chang Rong noticed that the 'photos' projected on the screen had a more complete set of people than the version that Meruru had treasured.

"Sister Fut said that many people couldn't be called over at the time, so since they were just imagining it, they might as well just imagine it."

The photo in Meruru's arms was taken by Xiaoxue. At the time, Chang Rong thought it was just a whim of Xiaoxue's, but now he understands that it was Xiaoxue's way of not wanting to leave any trace, because any trace would destroy her forgetting magic.

However, the 'Edge' is not the real world. Here, people are not affected by Xiaoxue's magic, which is why she can reappear in the photo, writing it from memory.

—You can still edit photos, right? Looks like you actually have the ability to handle things on your own now, Rongrong.

Looking at the 'photo' that didn't actually exist in front of him, Chang Rong felt a sense of relief.

Alice pressed the button, and the reflected image changed again—

"Oh, this is the scene when that pink-haired girl suddenly confessed her love to the commoner, right? Humph... I was wondering how there could still be such an old-fashioned scene of love at first sight confession at this point in time. Besides, even if it were love at first sight confession, it should only be the commoner kneeling down and begging for my favor."

"Wait, wait a minute, what is this 'declaration of love'?!" Unlike the other seasoned veterans who had let it go, Ryota Hasumi, being the only one who was new to the topic, was completely unable to keep up with the development of the conversation.

But before her question could be answered, the next photo showed 'Nanoha Kaori' embracing Chang Rong intimately.

"Huh?! What's wrong with Nanoha Kaori—"

"Oh, this is 'Big Sister' again. Oh dear, it was really troubling when Big Sister suddenly announced that she was my official girlfriend..." Chang Rong said with a sigh.

"Official girlfriend? Nanoha Kaori's older sister? Wait, wait a minute... Ugh, is it because I drank too much herbal tea? My head is so dizzy..." The young and experienced Rhea's nerves were being brutally bullied by the old and experienced.

Later, there was a scene of Chang Rong wearing an apron, carrying Alice on her back while gently teaching Xiao Xue how to chop vegetables from behind, and then there was a scene of Chang Rong and Meruru sitting in the flower bushes, smiling at each other and picking petals.

The scene shows a group of people scattering like birds in fright when a woman with messy hair and glasses rushes towards them carrying a bomb; the scene shows Nanoha Kaori pinning Chang Rong against the wall in the infirmary; and the scene shows a girl with bandages turning food that looks like rotten vomit into rotten vomit and then using it to water flowers.

Xiaoxue's dashing backflip drew a crowd of onlookers who applauded and said, "Congratulations!" The girl with long, straight black hair and the girl with pink hair walked together, seemingly plotting something to win over the young lady. Meanwhile, Nanoha Kaori cornered Chang Rong against the wall in the corridor.

Meruru was learning how to take a selfie when she accidentally stepped on the warden. Nanoha was in the courtyard discussing how to use a spear with Chang Rong and accidentally pinned Chang Rong against the wall. Chang Rong was holding a bunch of photos of somersaulting witches and was being chased by the person in question.

The young lady sat on a bench in the sunroom, sipping tea and letting the withered flowers bloom. Alice lay motionless in bed, while Chang Rong could only sit beside her, guarding her. Meanwhile, Nanoha Kaori pinned Chang Rong against the wall in the recreation room—

—Nanoha Kaori's older sister is way too forward!?

Since the others all seemed to be looking nostalgic, the atmosphere didn't seem like something to complain about, so Hasumi Ryoya could only complain loudly in her heart.

But putting aside Nanoha's seemingly repressed older sister... this is proof that they once lived on this witch island.

Although there weren't many shots of the photographer herself in the photos, Ryota Hasumi had a strange feeling that she might get along with her.

After all, judging from these photos, she must be a girl who loves life and takes everything seriously with energy.

On the other side, the young lady and Chang Rong kept making sharp comments on the photos, teasing Meruru from time to time, and stroking Alice's hair. They really looked like good friends who could talk about anything at a tea party.

"This is the last photo, taken by Alice."

Alice pressed the button, and a girl with short black hair wearing a newsboy cap and a shoulder bag appeared in the frame. As always, the girl had a carefree smile on her face and made a peace sign in front of the camera, but behind her was the gate that led away from the edge of the world.

Alice pressed the button, and the scene returned to the original 'family portrait' before disappearing from everyone's sight as her magic was canceled.

"Hmm... I don't really feel like I've been on the prison island for that long, but I never expected to have gone through so much?" The young lady sighed and said softly.

“I…I’m really happy to be able to have a tea party like this with everyone, talking about past experiences and all sorts of random topics…it’s been my dream all along.”

Meruru looked at everyone, a smile playing on her lips, but her eyes were once again filled with glistening tears.

"But, but... Waaaaaah... Waaaaah...!"

But those companions in the photos, and the two girls in front of me... they no longer have the right to talk about their dreams for the future.

They have no future, and the one who has taken away that hope is themselves.

"It's all, it's all my fault...! Those wreckage, everyone, it's all because of me that they've forever lost the right to chat and drink tea together like this, it's all because of me...!!"

As Meruru personally used the Witch Slayer Potion to dissipate the almost defenseless remains, she felt time and again the heavy past that those remains carried.

How could anyone not have any illusions about the 'future'? But it was precisely because of themselves that those aspiring witches had no 'future' left until they left, until they became wandering remains.

At first, Meruru didn't feel guilty. Those aspiring witches were meant to be selected and executed by the government anyway. Her actions would allow them to live a little longer, and also help her find the hidden Great Witch. Once she found the Great Witch, everything would be alright.