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

"However... I feel like you're acting a little strange today, sir—"

"Huh? Strange? What's strange about it? Haha... Don't scare me, Xiao An."

Natsume Anan, who was snoring with her head resting on Chang Rong's chest, suddenly looked up and stared intently at Chang Rong. Her light purple, hazy eyes were fixed on 'Saeki Miria' in front of her, and 'Miria', who was being stared at, felt her heart tighten instantly, and even her breath stopped for a moment.

"Hmm... Is it just my imagination? Although my technique for soothing hair is a little off today, my feminine charm and reassuring motherly care haven't changed at all..."

Fortunately, Natsume Anan only stared at Chang Rong for a few seconds before giving up her doubts and letting herself sink into that overly soft ocean, turning into a useless pigeon spirit once again.

"Haha, it must be because you've been working too hard and under a lot of pressure lately, Xiao An. Remember to take a break!"

Chang Rong smiled wryly as she stroked An'an in her arms, and at the same time—

Help me, Milia! We're about to be exposed! We're really about to be exposed!! If I slip up now, my life on Witch Island will definitely be over, right? What should I do? I guess I'll just have to use a brute force approach to smooth things over!

Chang Rong was internally screaming for help, cursing and yelling for help. If Milia didn't use the swap magic to turn him back soon, he was afraid he would really be sucking on An An's toes while making shivering noises...

Chang Rong, disguised as 'Milia', was living on thin ice, while Saeki Milia, also disguised as 'Chang Rong', was not having an easy time either.

Inside the kitchen, Emma Sakura, who was originally forbidden from entering, was now clinging tightly to Chang Rong. Although the pink-haired girl had her usual cute smile on her face, the dark and terrifying thing that was about to overflow beneath that smile made no one dare to step forward and try to drag this kitchen terminator out.

And it was under these circumstances that Chang Rong, or rather Saeki Miria, stood motionless in front of the stove, her expression extremely solemn, like an Easter statue.

It wasn't that Milia was protesting Emma's abrupt dragging her away; the real reason she was standing still was that Milia Saeki wasn't actually very good at cooking.

Despite having an almost universally acknowledged "motherly" quality, Saeki Miria is actually not very good at many life skills. After all, before coming to Witch Island, Miria's main job was "fashionable hottie" and her side job was "unlicensed lawyer," neither of which had much to do with feminine strength.

"Hey... why aren't you cooking, Chang Rong-jun? Is it because you're too tired? Or... are you being stubborn? I'll apologize properly... so, Chang Rong-jun, hurry up and cook, otherwise, I can't guarantee what I'll eat next..."

——Ehhhhhhh! ?

Although Emma's tone sounded as weak as ever, for some reason it gave people a terrifying pressure that they could not defy.

If you answer incorrectly, you'll be eliminated... and revealing your identity at this point is definitely not something you can just laugh off with a "look at how far-fetched this is" attitude...!!

When faced with 'Emma in Darkness' who had activated her Slayer form due to extreme hunger, Saeki Miria's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

If he were to reveal his true identity, Emma would definitely interrogate him, asking, "Why did you engage in such intimate body-swapping with Chang Rongjun? Were you planning something? Milia is such a bad girl..." There was no way to refute Ali's questions now; there was no turning back...

Calm down, Milia! Haven't you crossed far more brutal battlefields before? The more desperate the situation, the more you must hold onto your weapon—yes, your own legendary sword, Donglaxiche!

Think, think more, Milia, think!

All that I've seen and heard on my way to the kitchen, combined with what Nanoha Kaori said back then, and Emma's current behavior... there must be something I haven't noticed yet!

When you think you've reached a dead end, you need to reverse your thinking!

"I think there are actually more suitable candidates than me, Emma?"

"Hmm...?"

'Chang Rong' suddenly smiled and looked at the pink and white puppy beside her, speaking in a calm tone.

"Since it's a victory celebration, we should definitely prepare some more special dishes. And if I remember correctly, Hiro should be better at this. Why did you insist on dragging me here, Emma, ​​even if it meant going hungry instead of going to find Hiro?"

Faced with Chang Rong's question, Emma suddenly blinked, and her gaze, which had been flashing with dark will, became somewhat unsteady.

"Well, that's because... Hiro-chan is very busy—"

"Hero is busy? If I remember correctly, her scenes should have ended at the beginning. Or rather, Heero is the one who's the most relaxed?"

"Woof...!"

Emma's clever idea was mercilessly exposed, which made her make an embarrassingly cute sound.

"Ultimately, is Hiro really that busy? Doesn't she want to help cook for everyone? Or... is there some other reason?"

"This, this..."

Faced with Chang Rong's questioning, Emma's head drooped instantly, and her tone became much softer.

"Well... actually, it's because I wanted to spend more time with Chang Rong-jun, and I also wanted to eat the food he cooked, so I just made up a few excuses and said 'I don't want to eat Xi Luo's pretty food' to send Xi Luo away looking shocked and disappointed... Because Xi Luo has been spoiling me a lot lately, he didn't object to my request, he just left with a look of being hit hard..."

"Am I... a really bad little dog...?"

Emma looked up at Chang Rong with a pitiful expression and asked in a low voice.

"Let's leave that question for Heero to answer—but Emma, ​​your actions really hurt little... Heero, so you must apologize later, understand?"

"Mmm...I...I understand..." Sakura Emma replied softly with her head down.

"Well—before we go call Hiro back, how about we have some canned fish to tide us over? It'll make the celebration feast even more delicious in comparison, won't it?"

Milia pulled out one of her few specialties—canned fast food—and handed it to Emma, ​​while gently patting Emma's pink and white head.

"Mmm... Although, although I felt that Chang Rong-jun was a little strange just now, but... woof... But this technique is indeed Chang Rong-jun's level, and it even feels more comfortable than before, so Chang Rong-jun is definitely okay! I, I understand, I'll go and apologize to Hiro-chan right now...!"

Emma Sakura first squinted her eyes to enjoy and appreciate Milia's smooth hair. Although she was still a little uncertain, she accepted Chang Rong's identity. So she picked up a can of fish stick with her mouth, hummed and left the kitchen to find Hiro to apologize and make up.

"...Waaaaah, I...I thought I was done for, Uncle...!!"

After watching Emma leave, Milia leaned against the stove and let out a heavy sigh.

If this continues, something really bad is going to happen... Xiao Rong, come save me!

Just as Chang Rong called for Milia to come to his side on auspicious clouds to save him, Saeki Milia also desperately hoped that Chang Rong would appear and save her from her predicament.

As for where the 'water and fire' between the two came from, let's not ask that for now.

After seeing An An and Emma off, the two, who had originally wanted to find an opportunity to meet, almost immediately bumped into other prospective witches. The constant turmoil during the process left them exhausted and disoriented. They finally found an opportunity to meet again at the celebratory dinner and quickly switched bodies back.

“Milia, you…you really have it tough…I never imagined you had to deal with so many people seeking counseling every day…My confessional was just a game, a joke…I took this job for granted…”

After the celebration banquet, everyone who had been up all day was exhausted and went back to their rooms to sleep early. Only Chang Rong and Milia returned to the infirmary to review their experiences during the 'exchange magic' process.

Chang Rong slumped on the sofa, feeling utterly exhausted. He had always thought that 'listening' was a job that didn't require much skill, but today's experience made him realize just how daunting this job really was.

"Xiao Rong is even more amazing... I never expected to be surrounded by everyone like this every day... I, this old man, almost couldn't take it anymore..."

Milia sat on the edge of the bed, looking visibly shaken, and sighed softly. As a former "fashionable hottie," Milia's biggest problem was how to attract more people to her. But after experiencing it for a while as Chang Rong, Milia finally realized that being surrounded by crowds wherever she went was far from "happy." It was more like "walking on thin ice," terrified that choosing the wrong option would result in a black screen, and when the screen returned, she'd find herself completely naked and locked in a basement…

"Milia, you've worked much harder—" "Xiao Rong, you are truly unique—"

The two exchanged compliments, then looked at each other in the eye, and after a brief silence, laughed at the same time.

"Speaking of which... Xiao Rong, how did your test go?"

After exchanging a smile and burying the hatchet, Milia curiously asked Chang Rong if they had actually used 'exchange magic' to exchange their memories.

"Hmm... I did see some memories that you, Milia, had experienced, most of them were fragments with very strong emotional fluctuations. Speaking of which, what exactly is that evidence—cough cough, now is not the time to talk about that. Anyway, I even saw some... memories that you shouldn't have had in theory, Milia, but this may actually prove part of my conjecture."

Chang Rong responded thoughtfully, while Milia looked at the boy with a smile, her hands rubbing behind her back as if trying to take something out.

"If only my magic could really help everyone... Speaking of which, I actually saw a part of Xiao Rong's memories too." Milia smiled as she got up from the bedside and slowly walked towards Chang Rong.

"Um... Milia, you probably didn't see anything weird, right...?" Chang Rong swallowed hard. He had been so focused on imitating Milia to avoid being exposed that he had forgotten about exchanging memories.

"Strange things? What are you talking about, Xiao Rong? I don't quite understand. But... I do know one thing—Xiao Rong, you really are a bad kid."

Milia approached Chang Rong, a rare smirk appearing on her face.

"Uh...?" Chang Rong blinked, somewhat bewildered.

"You two had already made a lifelong promise with that girl named 'Xiaoxue,' and although Xiaoxue didn't respond, anyone would think you were just one step away from getting married, right? But Xiaorong, you... even with Xiaoxue in your life, you still did all sorts of things with other people—you're truly a completely and utterly bad kid, aren't you?"

"Ugh—!" Chang Rong was speechless for a moment. Now that things had come to this, the outcome of what Milia had seen in her memories was self-evident.

As fate would have it, it seems that Milia has finally succeeded in watching the movie online within her own memories.

"Besides, Xiao Rong, you clearly regained your memories a long time ago, but you've been pretending not to know. You've been putting on an act with Xiao hope and Ke Ke, haven't you..."

"Ugh... This, this is because..." Chang Rong swallowed hard. At this moment, he felt as if he had been stripped naked in front of Milia. All the little secrets he tried to hide were exposed to this blonde bombshell.

Seeing Chang Rong's helpless and embarrassed appearance, Milia's face showed a disappointed expression, and her tone suddenly changed, becoming extremely melancholy.

"As expected—as expected, Xiaorong, you don't like me, do you... Even though we've been through so much, even though you're already a complete bad kid, you always pretend nothing happened and avoid me..."

"No, no, that's not true, Milia!"

Seeing that Milia was also falling into a state of dejection and negativity, Chang Rong quickly interrupted and retorted.

"I really like the Milia I remember standing on the defense stand, confused but forcing herself to muster the courage, pursuing the truth with a cool and dashing spirit! I also really like Milia on campus, dressed in a very youthful and beautiful way! And I especially like Milia on Witch Island, who used her maturity and gentleness to comfort and soothe everyone!"

"Is that so... Well, it's just a consolation anyway. Xiao Rong, isn't your specialty to comfort others with false evidence?"

“This is not false evidence!” Chang Rong retorted again, insisting that every word he had just said was a genuine expression of his feelings.

"Hmm... Generally speaking, in these situations, evidence is more decisive than testimony, right? If the correct evidence isn't presented, the discussion won't make any progress."

Milia looked up at Chang Rong and shook her finger.

"Evidence...? Uh, how am I supposed to find evidence in a situation like this..."

Chang Rong rubbed her hair awkwardly, thinking, "Damn, I have evidence!? I didn't expect they'd still be chasing me!"

"Sigh... alright, I didn't intend to make things difficult for Xiao Rong. So, I'll give you a little hint—please choose the correct answer from these three pieces of evidence, okay?"

Milia sighed, then took out a cardboard chrysanthemum badge cut out of her pocket, followed by a checkered phone case and a phone decorated with rhinestones.

"So, the evidence that proves the relationship between me and Xiaorong is—"

"A. A fake lawyer's badge, looking extremely cheap, but somehow it managed to pass through the court security system (fake)."

"B. There's not much useful information. There's no internet connection or music playback. Some of the fancy Witch Island has phones distributed uniformly."

"as well as……"

Milia slowly took out a crooked, grayish-brown fabric from behind her, which looked more like a rag than a scarf.

"This scarf—"

When Chang Rong saw the scarf that Milia finally took out, his eyes widened instantly. His reaction at that moment made Milia even more certain that the white-haired boy did indeed retain the past they had shared.

"How should I put it... I don't really know why myself... After arriving on this witch's island, I've been trying to knit this 'scarf'. I'm incredibly clumsy, I can't even knit a decent shape, it looks awful, and I don't even know who I'm knitting this for... But I've been knitting it with all my might."

Saeki Miria picked up the 'scarf' and came to Chang Rong's side, her eyes gradually becoming misty with tears.

"But after seeing your memories, Xiao Rong... I finally remembered. The reason I've been knitting this scarf is because... I wanted to put it on you myself this time."

Milia slowly unfolded the scarf and wrapped it around Chang Rong's body.

"So... Uncle, I've been waiting for you all along, Xiao Rong."

A gentle warmth slowly emanated from the scarf.

"Hmm... As expected, it really looks awful..." Milia said in a slightly embarrassed voice, looking at the boy in front of her wearing a scarf.

"But it's especially warm, and—it feels really nice to touch, Milia."