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

After initially satisfying her murderous urges and experiencing that morbid, frenzied excitement, the witch was left with only endless emptiness and unspeakable regret.

The concept of time was destroyed along with humanity; the witch does not know the present time, nor does she know the time that has already passed.

As the murderer who destroyed humanity, the witch will float forever in this pure white world, forever and ever.

Until all the tectonic plates sink, until the clouds cease to form, until the world truly turns to dust. The immortal witch can neither die nor create; she will follow this pale world to the very end, where the boundaries can never be reached.

There are no knights and princes, no miracles and magic, only nothingness and original sin.

--don't want……

—I...I don't want this...

—Everyone is still waiting for me, and there are still people I want to see again…!

The witch felt the stinging pain in her chest becoming more and more intense. This body, which should have been immortal, was now struggling to even breathe.

Those once-important memories seem so insignificant in this emptiness. The witch desperately tries to recall them, but she has long forgotten the expressions of her companions who once lived with her on Witch Island.

—This is the only thing I don't want to forget, I, I absolutely refuse to forget...

The one I long to see... the one I cherish most... the most precious one—Chang Rong-jun, Chang Rong-jun...!!

The witch, who had been almost frozen in place, suddenly clenched her fingers tightly. In the ruins of her memories, which had become desolate, the witch finally found the name that could bring color back to the world.

"Chang Rong-jun—ah... Chang Rong-jun wasn't here in the first place..."

The witch called out the name, her eyes wide as she reached out to touch it, but as her fingertips were enveloped in nothingness, no one answered her call, and the witch's eyes became empty again.

This is the ending for 'Sakura Emma', an ending where she never met her lover and was never redeemed.

That boy never appeared in 'Sakura Emma's' life from the very beginning, and never gave her any courage to move forward.

Emma Sakura tried, struggled desperately, and tried her best to survive, but... she failed completely.

She failed to protect her childhood sweetheart's trust, and she failed to overcome the whispers of the witch's influence.

And in the time that follows, she will continue to watch the never-ending ending of 'Sakura Emma,' alone, forever and ever.

Upon realizing this, clear liquid welled up in the witch's eyes. She reached out to wipe it away, but the liquid seemed to increase uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the tear stains on her cheeks were wiped away.

"...Hmm?" The witch opened her eyes in confusion, then stared blankly at the white-haired boy who had appeared before her.

"Great! It seems the theory can indeed be put into practice. As long as we find a way to share memories, we can 'visit' each other like this. Cough cough—it must be so boring to be alone, right, Emma? I feel like you might be in this situation, so I came to keep you company as a spectator."

"Chang...Chang Rong...Jun?"

The boy who suddenly appeared smiled at Emma, ​​then patted his chest and made a promise.

"Chang Rongjun...why are you—wailing!!"

Emma was stunned for a moment, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she immediately threw herself into Chang Rong's arms and burst into tears without any restraint.

"I'm sorry, Emma... I think I'm still a bit late. I did think you might be stuck in that memory and unable to escape, but I still couldn't get here in time—"

After learning about Emma's KD, Chang Rong kept thinking that if Emma were to watch her first-time memories, wouldn't her use of magic up to the point after the world's destruction completely trap people in it?

Chang Rong's solution, after careful consideration, was to allow herself, with her special physical condition, to enter Emma's memories as an audience member, accompanying Emma until she breaks free from the hopeless ending.

"It's so timely, Chang Rong-jun! Although, although I don't know exactly how you did it, but... to see you here is really, really great...!!"

Emma looked up and sniffled frantically. Although she tried to control her emotions, she still clumsily wiped her snot and tears on Chang Rong's clothes.

"It's alright, Emma. Although I don't quite understand the principle behind it either, I will stay here with you until you have fully digested and overcome this memory. Until then, I won't go anywhere."

Chang Rong ruffled the little dog's hair and said in an extremely serious tone.

"You're not going anywhere?" "That's right," Emma asked, her eyes wide and ears perked up.

"You've been with me all this time?" "Yes," Emma swallowed, her eyes sparkling as she asked.

"Then... then does that mean—before leaving here, I can keep playing a game with Chang Rongjun, and keep playing forever...!"

"Way!? ^q^"

The script...it's not like that, is it?

Looking at the pink-furred puppy wriggling in her arms with a subtle, sly smile, Chang Rong swallowed hard.

What is this? Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit...?

In a way, this chapter is my way of making up for the lingering regret I felt about Emma's ending in my first playthrough. Of course, this book is set in a single timeline, and there is no concept of parallel universes.

Thanks to Chenguang for the sudden, unexpected help!

Volume 1: 289. Your Genesis and Mine

The script shouldn't be like this, right?

When Chang Rong opened his eyes from a pure white expanse for what felt like the umpteenth time, he was immediately met with the sight of a pink and white little dog riding on his back, panting and looking at him with burning, heart-shaped eyes, wriggling and begging for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. He was completely bewildered.

After learning from the warden that 'Emma in the first timeline' used Demon Slayer to destroy the world and floated forever as an immortal witch in an empty world—a cruel ending—Chang Rong had been thinking about how to deal with it.

Ultimately, he concluded that by using magic and his witch-factor constitution, he could achieve something similar to the 'memory exchange and sharing' he had done with Milia, allowing him to enter Emma's memories in the first timeline and face this almost permanent ending with her.

No matter how desperate, cruel, or empty things may lie ahead, as long as two people face them together, they will surely be able to overcome them together, because the power of love is infinite!

However, the above scene only existed in Chang Rong's imagination. In reality, after Chang Rong successfully entered Emma's memory, Emma, ​​whose eyes were originally empty, accepted the fact that Chang Rong was there in less than 10 seconds, and 20 seconds later she pounced on him and started taking off her clothes.

If it weren't for the bony wings extending from his back holding his coat in place, Chang Rong probably wouldn't have even had time to finish his cool opening remarks before Emma dubbed him on the spot.

In the period that followed, Emma and Chang Rong even threw the world's last silver party in this fragment of memory.

"Chang Rong-jun... I am no longer the cowardly and clumsy Sakura Emma you know. The current me... is Speedy Emma!"

Emma struck a pose reminiscent of a god descending, hands on her hips, a confident smile on her face. How could Chang Rong possibly stop the Sakura Emperor, who single-handedly shattered the entire world? Absolutely not!

After that, Emma was bent over by Chang Rong until she was dizzy and sticking out her tongue. She was still no match for him in this area, and she was still one move behind in this area.

However, unlike the real world, there is no real physical body in the fragments of memory, nor is there a CD period after training that leaves one unable to get out of bed. As a result, almost every time Chang Rong opens her eyes, the image she sees is a little dog riding on her, looking at her with eyes that seem to stretch to the point of being drool-worthy, and whispering that she will definitely not lose this time.

At first, Chang Rong would try to count her winning streak, but after passing double digits, she realized that such counting was meaningless, just like the two people's behavior in this memory fragment had no practical meaning and was purely Emma's addiction.

After what seemed like the umpteenth time he had been defeated in a routine challenge, Chang Rong sighed as he looked at the pink-haired girl sprawled in his arms and reached out to rub her light-colored pink hair.

"Emma, ​​isn't it about time we left? Although the process of regaining memories is almost instantaneous in reality, we can't just stay here forever, can we?"

"Hmm... I know, Chang Rong-jun. Chang Rong-jun and everyone else risked everything to help me, but I've been taking advantage of their kindness here. I... I guess I really am a bad kid, right?"

Emma lowered her head and nuzzled against Chang Rong's chest. She raised her head, her light pink eyes looking at Chang Rong with a watery gaze, like a puppy that knew it was about to be abandoned, making one want to immediately shove her into their arms and rub her wildly.

"Emma certainly has a lot of clever and cunning ideas—"

"Kiang!?"

"But Emma's little tricks are all just to get her friends' attention, right? Rather than saying that these little tricks make you even cuter, Emma."

Chang Rong nuzzled Emma's nose and added with a smile, and Emma smiled again upon hearing this, hugging Chang Rong tightly once more. However, after this affectionate snuggling, Emma eventually let go of Chang Rong and distanced herself from him.

“Chang Rongjun, I… I possess more than just ‘clever ideas,’ I have a button that can truly destroy the world. It was because I pressed that button back then that fragments of memory led me here—”

Emma looked at the world that had completely lost its vitality. Although this period of time had been rewound, it was still etched in her mind.

"Would it be better for everyone if I stayed here forever—woof!?"

Before Emma could finish speaking, Chang Rong flicked her forehead with her finger, interrupting her.

"So you really are just a silly dog, aren't you? You start having wild thoughts after you've eaten your fill, huh?" Chang Rong asked Emma with one hand on her hip and a cold snort.

"I'm not a stupid dog... I'm very serious, Chang Rong-jun! Although I knew that the Witch Killer's magic was powerful before, I never truly understood its effects and how terrifying it was. But after seeing my past memories... I, I really can't let this magic continue. It's too dangerous for everyone!"

Emma clenched her fists and said in a serious tone.

She has witnessed firsthand the consequences of the [Witch Slayer] magic going out of control. She is unsure whether she will lose control and unleash magic herself in the future. If she doesn't want the real world to suffer the same fate as this memory fragment, perhaps the safest solution for everyone is for her to simply disappear and become completely lost.

Hearing Emma's earnest words, Chang Rong sighed helplessly. He moved closer to Emma, ​​but the silly dog ​​who used to pounce on Chang Rong as soon as he opened his eyes this time retreated and tried to distance himself from Chang Rong.

Unfortunately, Emma's chances of winning are already zero, let alone the cowardly dog ​​who has lost the will to fight and the courage to resist. Chang Rong rushed to Emma's side, reached out and grabbed Instant Refinement, and vigorously ruffled the pink-haired puppy's head until it was messy.

"So, Emma, ​​you're just a kind-hearted idiot who occasionally has a few clever ideas. Since you're an idiot, don't think about these things. Instead, think about what you'll eat after you leave."

"Eat, what to eat...?" One of Emma's two instincts could be satisfied by Chang Rong every day, but the other had no outlet at all. As soon as she heard about food, Emma, ​​who had just put on a show of self-sacrifice, instinctively swallowed.

"Emma was terrified when she was alone here, and she even cried in despair, but she was still thinking about everyone's safety. This clumsy kindness is why Xiaoxue chose Emma."

"I...I didn't...boohoo..." Emma instantly shrank back, her cheeks burning, as she recalled how she had cried and rubbed against Chang Rong after seeing him.

"Emma, ​​are you really planning to stay here like this? Or are you going to leave this memory fragment with me, and then go out and celebrate everyone regaining their memories by attending the barbecue dinner I'm planning?"

"Roast, roast meat...!"

"First, they serve some ham and eggs, a large piece of fine fried steak, all the side dishes, and finally, a rich sauce. After the meal, they even give you a complimentary super chilled mini bread roll from Naiye Xiang (not chilled) – how about that, Emma?"

As Chang Rong described it, the court demon's mind began to work, and those delicacies that seemed to have not been tasted for thousands of years vividly appeared before his eyes, and he could even smell their fragrant aroma.

"If you choose to sacrifice yourself, Emma, ​​you'll become everyone's hero, but then you won't get any steak at the dinner party, okay?"

"...Waaah, Chang Rong-jun is the real devil...!"

The white-haired boy's whispers were like an evil pact from the devil, constantly tempting and enticing Emma to fall into hell.

“These memories are real, they have already happened, but they were also unavoidable. Preventing the story from ending so tragically, and making everyone smile—that’s the reason we’ve worked so hard until now, isn’t it? Choosing to run away at a time like this would be a disgrace to everyone’s efforts and experiences along the way, right, Emma?”

Chang Rong gently stroked Sakura Emma's hair. Everyone tore open their past wounds and forcibly cut away the pain that had already left scars. All of this was to move together towards a true happy ending.

"...Yes, I shouldn't run away like this. The 'me' back then failed, so...this time, no matter what, I will definitely reach a different path, because—because this time, Chang Rongjun is by my side."

After a moment of silence, Emma raised her head again, looked at the white-haired boy in front of her, and nodded seriously to Chang Rong.

This 'sin' that has already happened is something I can never forget or wash away, but... I've never been a good child who would honestly admit my sins and atone for them.

The ending for 'Sakura Emma' is already set, but... the ending for 'Chang Rongjun's girlfriend' is far from over!

"Chang Rongjun, if possible, could you accompany me one last time to be willful and silly before you leave?"

"Of course, no problem, I'll always be with you."

"Always... that is to say, in order to atone for his sins, Chang Rongjun can stay with me and keep creating 80 billion children—"

"^q^ This is absolutely impossible!!!"

Chang Rong rejected Emma's invitation to create the world without even thinking. Seeing Chang Rong's flustered appearance, the pink and white puppy stuck out its tongue slightly and revealed a cute smile of a triumphant prankster. Then it gently hugged Chang Rong and spread its bone wings to fly in the pure white sky.

To be fair, Emma's witch form is quite cool, especially those bone wings, which will definitely appeal to Hannah. After all, the next time there's a case without footprints, Hannah won't be the only suspect left to take the blame.

"We've arrived, Chang Rongjun."