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

Ryota Hasumi blushed, and the usually dashing and handsome prince-like idol was now incredibly shy as she asked in a soft voice.

"Cough cough cough—uh, what are you saying, Leia-sama?" Chang Rong coughed twice in response, as if she had choked.

"Huh...? So it really was just a dream... But Meruru didn't seem like it back then... No, well—let's just pretend I didn't ask anything...!"

Ryota Hasumi was utterly disappointed by Ryota's reaction. She hung her head and, though she was still trying to think, finally waved her hand, indicating that it was all just her wild fantasy and that she shouldn't ask any more questions.

Seeing Leia's pitiful state, like a dog locked out by its owner, Chang Rong sighed helplessly, then spoke again in a slightly embarrassed and shy tone.

"Um, Rhea-sama... next time you do that kind of thing, please try to control yourself and not scream so loudly, otherwise I won't be able to resist trying to physically silence you again..."

"Sorry, I understand... Huh? Huh? So, Chang Rong, you do remember after all—!"

Leia lowered her head and whispered her apology, but she suddenly came to her senses and quickly looked up at the boy in front of her with a smile that was half mischievous and half shy.

"After all, Rhea-sama, you said that you can't forget what happened there no matter what, so—Pfft!"

Before Chang Rong could finish speaking, the world's number one idol, who had performed the most deliverances in history, pounced on her and buried himself in her arms, rubbing against her repeatedly.

“That’s right…! My Romeo, that was my most cherished victory celebration, so, so I can never forget it…!”

The golden-haired idol freely marked Chang Rong's territory, only stopping when he had covered Chang Rong's entire body with the golden-haired idol's scent.

—I really feel like I can't put Léa and Emma together anymore, otherwise I definitely won't have enough to go around with them both…

While dogs are incredibly cute, having too many of them can be a real headache.

"So... um, what's our relationship now, Chang Rong?"

After rubbing against her randomly, Ryouya blinked and looked at Chang Rong, asking with a mixture of expectation and confusion.

"Well... yeah, what should it be considered...?"

Chang Rong was taken aback by Leia's question. Rationally speaking, anything that happens in the 'Fringe Land' is essentially a 'phantom' that has never existed in reality. Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with treating it as a dream.

But since everyone had this dream at the same time and has memories of it, can it still be considered a 'hallucination'?

Why don't we just buy a ticket in real life while we're at it? — No, no, no, what am I thinking!

Chang Rong shook his head violently, quickly banishing this bizarre and terrible thought. In the end, he could only temporarily stabilize the situation with official jargon such as "We are soulmates, unbreakable and sincere companions."

As the saying goes, taking off your pants is fun for a moment, but it leads to disaster afterwards. Chang Rong's instinctive reaction when the young lady and Alice left back then was ultimately left for his future self to deal with.

Moreover, compared to the dream-like, one-monthly affair, the conversation with the 'Great Witch' on the eve of waking up was even more of a headache for Chang Rong.

If the truth of everything is really as the Great Witch said... then wouldn't that mean the most pathetic ones were those humans who thought they could possess magical power, only to find that the war itself was part of the witch's plan, and the pro-war faction gained nothing, while their country was destroyed in the ensuing turmoil caused by the war?

However, because the old folks in the 'Witch Chat Room' were so bored that they just watched the grass grow, they didn't notice Xiaoxue's 'abnormality' and accidentally left her behind. This caused the most clownish character to become Xiaoxue, who thought her tribe had been wiped out and went mad, wanting revenge on all of humanity.

Xiaoxue would never agree to become the Clown King. In her quest for revenge against humanity, she used her former 'family member', Meruru, as a test subject for her new magic, even turning her into the first 'acquired witch' infected with the Game Disease... the Witch Factor. Afterward, she ran away to spread the Witch Factor in human society, leaving Meruru bewildered and helpless, all alone and destitute on Witch Island.

So, is the most clownish character Meruru, who thought she was family but was actually betrayed by Xiaoxue? No! No! No! In order to find the Great Witch again, Meruru was also hesitant about whether to follow the Great Witch to destroy humanity. So, while torn between herself, she held a mysterious witch trial ceremony. Although it saved the 'life' of the prospective witches to some extent, it made them suffer more torment and hardship.

The story doesn't end there. If things continue to develop at this pace, the most pathetic ones will naturally be the batches of prospective witches over the past century. They won't even know what their 'original sin' is, and they will unknowingly be infected by the witch factor. In the end, under the erosion of the witch factor, they will gradually become extremely paranoid and eventually become victims of each other's killing.

However, there's another expert! A boy completely unrelated to these 'prospective witches' suddenly appears. His arrival puts Xiaoxue's original revenge plan on the brakes, and she even begins to re-examine whether her actions along the way were meaningful. But she herself gets caught up in a series of subsequent events, eventually becoming a strange old popsicle that is neither human nor ghost, only able to survive by relying on witch factors.

Hmm... after all this logical deduction, the biggest clown... could it be me?

Upon realizing that her nose had suddenly become red and round, and her hair had become colorful and green, Chang Rong's forehead veins bulged instantly.

Is there any normal human being left among the species of 'witch'... no, I should say normal demon... no, in short, there are no humans left!

Who knows if these witches really couldn't contact Xiaoxue, or if they simply forgot to bring her along after being bullied by the witches and felt too embarrassed to face her, so they didn't dare to meet with Xiaoxue and had to ask me to act as a middleman...

However... well, it's not entirely incomprehensible. During the time I was working part-time at the zoo to earn tuition fees, I often forgot to feed my pet green turtle. I would often forget to feed it for several days before realizing that I hadn't taken care of it at all. When I went to check on it, I would find that it had been so hungry that it had been munching on the green fur that had rubbed off its back to fill its stomach.

If we were to replace Xiaoxue with that green-haired turtle, it would be somewhat plausible, since Xiaoxue is also long-lived and green... cough cough cough.

I really need to find some time to go to the confessional and repent for my infidelity...

Of course, these witches' words are ultimately just one side of the story, and the possibility of them being lies cannot be ruled out. It's best to find some time later to check relevant information before making a further judgment.

Chang Rong shook his head and briefly digested the information provided by the Great Witch before looking at Ryota Hasumi again.

"Speaking of which, where is Leia—Meruru?"

Since all three of them still have memories of the 'tea room', then the jellyfish that's always crying should have come back with them too.

"After Meruru woke up, she gave you and me a brief check-up. After confirming that there were no problems, she went to the basement first."

Leia pointed to the underground freezer room in the distance from the elevator and said.

“Is that so? Then I’ll go over there too—um, if it’s possible, could you give us a little time alone, Rhea-sama? I also have something I want to say to Meruru alone.”

"Hmm... I understand. After all, Chang Rong, your relationship with Meruru seems to be deeper than everyone originally expected. But... um, you two wouldn't just start dating without warning, would you...?"

Ryota Hasumi initially nodded understandingly in agreement, but she immediately looked at Chang Rong with a worried expression and asked uncertainly.

"Even I wouldn't know how!!" Chang Rong quickly retorted.

However, this is not Leia's fault. She was unaware that the underground freezer was also the 'graveyard of witches'. Otherwise, no matter how sadistic Chang Rong was or how much he controlled the big head with the small head, he would never have been able to have a game with Meruru in such a place.

Leia posted a message in the group saying "Everything is fine, I'm retrieving the sword," but was criticized for "not showing off such a small thing." After hanging her head, Chang Rong followed Meruru to the underground freezer alone.

"what……"

The heavy metal door that even Shirley Tachibana couldn't break open was wide open, which surprised Chang Rong for a moment.

Of all the times I've been back and forth in the underground cryogenic chamber, it seems the only time was when Tachibana Sherry knocked me out of the ice block because the system crashed and opened the door, but I hadn't regained consciousness at that time.

The fact that Chang Rong could get to the freezer without having to go through ventilation ducts was actually making things a little awkward.

Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, Chang Rong entered the freezer through the main entrance and looked around before quickly finding Meruru on the ice in front of a block of ice.

The temperature in the underground freezer was still barely enough for a person to move around normally. Meruru knelt on the ground, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, silently praying before the ice coffin in front of her, motionless and silent.

"Meruru—"

"Ah, Lord Changrong...you're awake too?"

Chang Rong's voice woke Meruru from her closed-eye prayer. She looked at the white-haired boy who was walking towards her and quickly got up from the ground.

What are you doing?

"I'm... visiting graves, or rather, praying..."

Meruru looked at the ice coffin in front of her. Inside the transparent ice block that emitted a faint light, a blonde girl dressed in a Lolita maid dress stood quietly.

Not far from Alice, in another ice coffin, a black-haired girl wearing a newsboy cap was also motionless, fixed in a block of ice, as if she were sleeping.

“Miss Lihua vanished as she turned into remains, so her body isn’t stored here… and there were many other people whose remains I wasn’t able to fully recover and restore at the time…”

“I know that these bodies will never again have a master with their own consciousness, but... even so, I still want to pray for them, and if possible, I hope that their ‘future’ path will be smooth.”

As Meruru spoke softly, Chang Rong was somewhat surprised that she didn't cry and sob as usual this time.

"Lord Changrong—please tell me about that experience. It certainly wasn't a fantasy I conjured up to escape my sins...right?"

On the ice, Meruru looked at Chang Rong beside her and asked timidly in a pleading tone.

“Yes, that wasn’t a dream. Rhea and I still have our memories. Although it was a dreamlike experience, it was indeed a ‘fact’ that we all went through together.”

Chang Rong reached out and rubbed the headscarf on Mei Lulu's head, and the latter nodded with a relieved expression.

“Miss Alice, Miss Lihua, Miss Fute… their souls have already left for the other world, but… Miss Nana is still sealed here.”

Meruru pointed to a sealed metal canister not far away, completely different from the ice block. It was the container responsible for holding and imprisoning the 'witch' who had completely transformed into a 'witch', or rather, her remains.

Even now, Nana, reduced to wreckage, still lingers in that dark and suffocating space.

"And there's Miss Nanoha Kaori, she's still acting in her wrecked form... I've been deceiving myself all along, thinking that with the Great Witch's help, they could regain their human form, which is why I took them in, but..."

"Not only Nana and her older sister, but everyone, everyone will be saved."

Chang Rong interrupted Mei Lulu, her tone sounding extremely serious.

"Eh...? Lord Changrong?"

"They will all come back; no one will be left behind alone."

Chang Rong didn't offer much explanation, simply stating the facts.

"...No, that's right, Lord Changrong!"

Although Meruru initially showed some surprise, she quickly nodded emphatically, believing that what Chang Rong said was a certainty that would soon come true.

"I believe it will be like this! Because... because I didn't feel much sadness, it must be because..."

"Because you, Meruru, also believe that we will all be able to meet again, right?"

“…Yes, Lord Changrong.” Meruru smiled and nodded gently to Changrong.

Knowing that they would meet again, the jellyfish, which had lingered for a hundred years, did not drop its little pearl during this separation.

The two stood silently before the graves of their former companions, the oppressive sense of nausea and vomiting that had once filled them had largely dissipated. Now, this grave might truly be able to find eternal peace and tranquility.

"By the way, Lord Changrong...you, you have indeed regained your memories, right...?"

Meruru spoke softly and cautiously, asking Chang Rong.

Chang Rong's behavior when facing those veterans in the 'tea break room' was definitely not something someone 'completely ignorant' could do. There is only one reason to explain Chang Rong's behavior at that time, and that is that he had regained his memories at some point.

"Yes, I remember everything. It's about Xiaoxue, about you, Meruru, and about Alice and the others."

Chang Rong didn't mince words and directly confronted Mei Lulu, telling her about regaining her memories.

"Since that's the case, does the fact that Lord Changrong is still willing to stay by my side like this mean that you... no, it's nothing."

Meru on the ice swallowed the rest of her sentence halfway through and gently shook her head.

“I…I no longer need to try again and again to ask if I can gain the forgiveness of others…I can never truly gain everyone’s forgiveness, because the sins I have committed in the past hundred years have long been completely entangled in my body as a brand.”

"But... that doesn't mean I'll try to run away like I used to."

Meruru looked at Chang Rong, and a rare glint appeared in her gray eyes—a light that, though still unsteady, was exceptionally firm and earnest.

"I used to be chasing after the Great Witch, and I fervently believed that she could correct everything. But... that was just an excuse I made up to avoid being completely crushed, to refuse to think and escape sin, an excuse that even I believed in."

"But now I realize that I can no longer keep running away like this... I will try to atone for my sins in my own way. Although my sins can never be completely washed away or wiped clean, I will live on and do everything I can to make amends."

Meruru clenched her hands tightly against her chest. She knew she had no right to live, but even so... Meruru still wanted to live. Only by living could she have a 'future'. Only by having a future could she have the chance to atone for even a little bit of the sins of those who had lost their future.

"That's right, so keep up the good work, Meruru."

Chang Rong gently rubbed the little jellyfish's cheek, a doting and relieved smile on her face. She was finally no longer that silly jellyfish who only knew how to try to escape and give up on herself by attempting suicide.

"Also, um... Lord Changrong. Since you also said that what happened before wasn't a 'dream,' then... I still remember what happened back then very clearly... I wonder, Lord Changrong, when... will you be able to do that to me in reality?"