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

"Rongrong... Waaah... Rongrong is right...! Noah, Noah has really tried his best! So it's okay to feel proud of yourself sometimes!"

"That's right, let's keep working hard with that mindset!"

"Hehehe... Thanks to Rongrong, Noah feels motivated again. To thank Rongrong for her efforts, please have some tea~"

Noah smiled innocently, and at the same time, he pulled out a cup of black tea from somewhere and handed it to Chang Rong with a cheerful smile.

"Haha, thank you so much, Noah! An'an, you've been working hard on your manuscript. How about having a cup of tea and taking a break?"

Chang Rong smiled and took the teacup, then handed it to Natsume An'an who was standing next to her.

"Hmm? Heh heh heh... As expected of my well-behaved dog, you silly monster, you do know what filial piety is sometimes... In that case, I'll just have to reluctantly drink it down—don't look at me like that, Noah. This is a reward I received myself, even if you brewed it yourself, it won't do—plop!"

One second An An was sneering at Noah, who was waving his hands and shaking his head in a panic, and the next second she shut down her phone and enjoyed a good night's sleep.

"Noah—"

"First, it must be because An'an didn't rest well last night...!"

Chang Rong smiled as she looked at her little darling, while Noah Shirosaki looked away and, with an awkward acting style so bad it was almost unbearable to point out, tried to gloss over the situation while wiping away sweat and stammering.

It's clear that Meruru's security at the infirmary is really terrible. People come to steal sleeping pills during the day, steal pills at noon, and have sex parties at night.

These people don't even understand the most basic principle—the infirmary must be used by people who need medical care!

"Oh dear... it feels like I'll never be able to submit a manuscript in my lifetime if this continues."

Shirley Tachibana looked at the pigeon spirit sprawled on the table, fast asleep, and shook her head helplessly.

After the little incident in the art studio, Shirley Tachibana happily dragged Chang Rong away again. Judging from the smile on her face, the famous detective was completely immersed in her playful antics with Chang Rong and had completely forgotten about the so-called 'anomaly'.

"Hehehe, are there any other strange guys you want to show Watson? Let me think—hmm, Emma Arisa and Nanoha Kaori were acting really strange today, no, I should say super strange!"

"^q^ No, no, no, I already understand how terrifying this anomaly is, there's no need to emphasize it anymore!?"

Seeing that Shirley Tachibana was planning to wipe out the entire Silver Party Squad by the lake, Chang Rong had no choice but to stop her.

"Hmph, Watson, you finally believe it? Everyone has changed a lot lately, right? There must be some kind of magic or some kind of trap set by the veterans that has changed everyone—no, maybe everyone has already been secretly replaced!"

"If they've all been switched, then doesn't that mean you, Sherry, have also fallen for it?" Chang Rong complained helplessly. However, the blue-haired girl in front of him suddenly changed her carefree demeanor. She moved closer to Chang Rong, her eyes fixed on the white-haired boy in front of her.

“That’s right, Watson. Even I don’t know why… I feel like I’m getting weirder and weirder.”

Amber eyes were pressed against his face, and the girl, who always had a silly, carefree expression, now had an unnatural blush on her fair cheeks.

-

Thank you so much, Mu Zili, for the 88 blades!

Thanks to Chenguang Moxin for the sudden, unexpected help!

Thanks to Ye Mobai for the feeding.

258. What are you if you lose your superpowers?

As a detective, one must naturally possess eyes that can detect unusual events; this is the most basic requirement!

By comparing the differences in each person's behavior before and after, even without finding a complete chain of evidence, it is possible to identify the suspect in advance. Then, the part of filling in the chain of evidence and obtaining the motive can be left to the invincible iron fist - this is the true essence of Sherry's orthodox deduction technique!

If you haven't had time to observe anything unusual about the people around you, or if everyone seems normal/super weird, then you can only use Plan B—if there are no footprints, then it must have been Hannah who did it! If there are footprints, then Hannah deliberately induced them to do it!

With just these two methods, any puzzle can be solved with ease. This is the true power of Miss Horror Holmes! A! A! O!

That's how it should be, but why is it that lately I feel like I haven't been solving any cases or using the 'detective agency' name to build up my reputation as a famous detective?

Even chatting with others, using communication and dialogue to build an intelligence network, and building good relationships with everyone to facilitate subsequent deductions—things that I used to enjoy so much—have recently become less and less interesting to me.

Is it because no one has any cases? Detectives can only shine in a world interwoven with blood, betrayal, and lies. If all that's left is the harmonious and happy daily life of everyone, then no matter what kind of detective they are, they will become inconspicuous passersby.

No, that's not how it works. I've never actually encountered any cases before coming to this witch's island, but even in the monotonous daily routine, I'm still able to keep striving to become a true master detective.

But after arriving on this witch's island and experiencing certain things... rather than continuing to play the role of a sick, wheelchair-bound detective, I feel... I want to try doing something else.

It's strange... Would I have had so many wild thoughts back then? Didn't the girl named Tachibana Sherry decide back then to always wear a smile, never let herself think with her already broken heart, and always embrace the world with the most sunny, cheerful, and carefree attitude?

So... so why is it that when I see everyone becoming more and more 'abnormal,' instead of feeling excited or thrilled by this 'mutation' that has affected all the prospective witches, I am instead filled with a sense of anxiety and urgency that I can't even understand myself?

That's strange. Wasn't I already broken? Could it be that even a machine that's been damaged and lost its human capabilities can still have bugs appearing in its thought processes?

Or perhaps, I... have long since become a human being—someone who has always hoped and longed to possess happiness, sadness, fear, and jealousy?

“I… I’m completely confused, Watson. What’s going on? Why can’t the great, handsome, and lovely Miss Holmes be so engrossed in deduction as before? Why do I feel an inexplicable anxiety when I see everyone gradually becoming ‘abnormal’? If you were the assistant to a great detective… if you were Watson, you would surely be able to give me the answer, wouldn’t you?”

The blue-haired girl rushed to Chang Rong's side. The signature silly smile that always graced her cute face was gone, replaced by confusion, anxiety, and an unnatural shyness.

"—"

Looking at Shirley Tachibana in front of him, Chang Rong couldn't help but swallow. He had never known that he could see such a delicious expression on that club president's face.

Sherry Tachibana has clearly noticed or realized something, but she hasn't fully grasped the truth. In this playthrough, they haven't yet broken through the final barrier between them, which makes her actions less 'radical' than in the later part of the second playthrough.

In short, the president, who won the S2 championship, couldn't find a chance to get on the track in the S3 season. Through the spiraling progress of the previous few cycles, she was no longer the fake person who couldn't feel love and hate and unilaterally blocked out the feeling of pain. Instead, she became a real girl who would even feel jealous when her companions sneaked away to eat.

But it was precisely this feeling of 'becoming human' that made it impossible for her to maintain the simple human-machine thinking of 'IF Chang Rong, dear fan' as before. The former champion is stuck here, unable to rise or fall, and can only cry in despair.

When the mysterious "steel-carrying woman" who won the championship by relying on the benefits of the "big fan era" loses her "fan power," what does she have left?

The answer is simple—what remains is this 'awkwardness' and shyness that is almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary girl, and perhaps even more delicious.

"Oh, my president..."

Looking at the blue-haired detective kneeling before him, yearning for an answer, Chang Rong sighed, reached out and gently embraced the girl, stroking her hair.

“Didn’t you already know the answer? This ‘anomaly’ that swept across the entire Witch Island actually affected everyone, including you.” Chang Rong looked into those amber eyes so close to hers and spoke softly.

"The detective I first met was very kind and never hurt anyone. She always had a harmless smile on her face. But she didn't know what people could truly be bound together. All her actions were just algorithmic reasoning based on her past experiences. Her smile and kind actions were all just a performance to keep her pretending."

"She was aware of her abnormality and was extremely troubled and pained by it. This inner conflict that she hid became the best proof that she was definitely not a human-machine."

"Later, the great detective gradually began to confront her own heart. She would try to listen to those subtle wear and tear sounds, and finally realized that they were not the meshing sounds of machine gears, but the lament of her own heart, which she thought was already broken. These pains that she had deliberately suppressed were finally able to be released from her heart, which had been closed off for so long."

"In the end, the lovely detective accepted her imperfections. She may never be able to truly become a 'qualified' human being, but at least she still possesses a vibrant, kind heart. And she still has the right to touch and embrace happiness."

Chang Rong looked at the girl who had regained her human status and identity and was leaning against him, and a reassuring smile appeared on his face.

“You have indeed become ‘abnormal’ a long time ago, President. You have long since regained that vibrant inner self. If you were to try to suppress it as you used to, you would naturally feel confused and lost, and even doubt whether there is something wrong with you. So, our great detective, what you need to do now is actually very simple. All you need to do is listen to your true inner thoughts, which you haven’t done in a long time.”

Chang Rong placed her palm on Tachibana Sherry's left chest, while leaning forward and gently pressing her forehead against the detective's forehead, encouraging her to explore the true voice within her heart at this moment, instead of suppressing or deliberately ignoring it as she had done before.

"My...true feelings..."

Shirley blinked, then closed her eyes slightly, feeling the heartbeat of the white-haired boy gently caressing her.

Did she really want to drag Chang Rong along to 'solve the mutation'? No—what she really wanted was time alone with him.

Was she really hoping Chang Rong would tell her the answer? No—she was just using this clumsy way to 'coax' herself.

Was her act of being affectionate so that he would hold her in his arms like this, feeling each other's skin, breath, heartbeat, and body temperature? No—

"I get it, Watson—I really do want to fuck you!"

"^q^ Is that really the conclusion!?"

The touching atmosphere of a couple who were once deeply in love reunited after overcoming numerous difficulties, but it all fell apart after Tachibana Sherry made a statement that reflected her true feelings.

Shirley Tachibana, the sleeping bear, suddenly awoke. The eyes of the sleeping lion snapped open in fury, their golden pupils burning fiercely. Unlike before, this time they were filled with golden spirit and pitch-black will.

“I always thought that I was just trying to get closer to you, Watson, in this proactive way, but I wasn’t really prepared for it. But after listening to your advice, Watson, and reflecting on my own true feelings, I finally understand that I, Ben Holmes, was already prepared. No… I should say, I was prepared from the moment you were chiseled out of the ice!”

Shirley Tachibana's tone was incredibly firm, and at the same time, she clamped Chang Rong down with both hands, one on each side, like a hydraulic clamp with immense force, leaving Chang Rong no room to move even a fraction of an inch.

"Preparing for war way too early!? And that's not what I meant, Sherry. What I meant was that you can actually reconcile with your current identity as an 'ordinary girl,' and there's no need to let your past experiences bind you anymore—"

Chang Rong tried to explain that her talk therapy was not meant to make the patient realize something on the spot and then come and criticize the attending psychologist!

"I've had enough of all the formalities, Watson! At this very moment, the great detective, the modern-day Sherlock Holmes, the lovely, sickly, and petite Miss Tachibana Sherry, after rational reasoning and emotional listening, is certain that she has reached the only conclusion—that is, I want to kiss Watson!"

"Why did you come to this conclusion?! Please allow me to refuse—"

"Hehehe, that's right, that's right! Only Watson who refuses like this is a good Watson worth playing the kissing game with!"

Oh no, I've given her pleasure again!

Humans are such fussy and twisted creatures. Chang Rong, who had been battling with all sorts of strange people these past few days, was actually starting to feel like he had given up. Anyway, at this point, deceiving himself into thinking he was a 'flawless good man' would only lead to empty smiles and laughter. It would be better to accept that he was just a sadistic white-haired jackhammer, and that it was more dashing to be a public facility that didn't refuse anyone and woke up to everyone.

However, Shirley Tachibana's previous performance, which resembled that of a pure and innocent young girl, made Chang Rong want to try the pure love route of youthful romance again after a long time.

However, perhaps he really wasn't a master of Galaga. Chang Rong never expected that at the end of this pure and refreshing love story, they would ultimately end up back at the same conclusion as in The Witch's Laughter: CCB.

Even her own regretful act of taking back a move inadvertently boosted the attack speed of Ms. Tachibana Sherry, a fan who wishes to remain anonymous.

Pfft!

The familiar force, the familiar posture, the familiar perspective. Chang Rong was tackled to the ground by the blue-haired guy, watching helplessly as the famous detective girl stuck out her tongue and licked her lips hungrily, her amber eyes gradually being consumed by the flames of desire.

Why is this happening? According to the normal script, shouldn't the president be nestled in his arms like a little bird, listening to him recount their past while smiling and sighing about how wonderful it is to be human?

Why did you suddenly switch to battle mode?!

"Hey Watson—speaking of which, I've always had a question that's become even more intriguing just now... Why is it that when you're faced with this situation, your first reaction isn't shyness, panic, or nervousness, but rather a sense of ease, as if you've taken the wrong path but can only make the best of it and keep pushing forward?"

"...Huh?" Chang Rong's eyes widened. Why was this blue-haired girl acting so strangely? Only at times like this did she unleash her 'detective observation and reasoning ability,' which, like Hiro and Yamato Nadeshiko, only existed in the setting?

"Generally speaking, such a precious and cherished 'first time' would surely make one feel more nervous and shy, right? But Watson didn't feel that way at all, and the source of his frustration was subtly different—could it be that this really wasn't Watson's first time?"

"How...how could this be—"

"Is this the second time?"

"Haha... Don't joke around, President..."

"...The third time?"

"Hey, stop messing around..."

"—The fifth time?"

"No, no, no, it was only four times—^q^ Oh dear..."

"0v0 I see, Watson~~~ Watson!!!"

Although Chang Rong didn't expect to keep it a secret forever, since he had already slept with more people than he hadn't, it was still a bit hard for him to accept that he had been tricked out so easily by Tachibana Sherry.

Moreover, it's quite obvious from the unusually prominent veins on the president's forehead that after she tricked Watson out of his little secret, her next step is probably to desperately squeeze Watson dry.

Things have come to this point... there's no need to even try to reconcile anymore.

Looking at Tachibana Sherry, who had transformed into a demon and was more like a T800 than a detective, Chang Rong smiled with relief and opened his arms to calmly accept his inevitable destiny.