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

"Oh dear, at this rate, it might take another 10 witch trials to finish this story!"

The small art studio was currently crammed with three girls. Although the three girls were of similar age, their demeanor made them seem more like a teacher leading two children in an art class.

A girl in a loose-fitting nightgown, her hair obscuring her eyes, and a girl staring at her brightly colored highlights that resembled balloons on a color palette, were locked in a fierce struggle, neither willing to back down. Meanwhile, a black-haired girl in a purple butterfly-patterned dress watched the two kittens hissing and scratching each other with a smile.

After regaining her memories, An'an, who was expected to become noisy, acted quite differently. This self-proclaimed writer and shut-in bean sprout tossed her hair and made a declaration that surprised everyone—

We must record these events so that everyone may know the truth about humans and witches, and about this 'Prison Island'!

Natsume Anan's thoughts were simple. She had no abilities to be proud of. The [hypnosis] magic was not a blessing but more like a curse. This curse was not lifted until she met Chang Rong and was guided by him.

All she truly possesses is this false identity of a 'great writer,' but so what if it's false? If she can actually produce works, then this fake will become real!

The experiences, hardships, and bonds we've all revisited should not be buried like this. The incalculable chains of hatred between witches and humans should also be etched in someone's memory.

Even if it means going against the world, this is the one thing we must accomplish!

As Natsume An'an spoke, she received applause and support from everyone. Noah, the little cotton-padded jacket, was the first to stand up and express his willingness to be the illustrator for An'an's work. Even Hosho Mag, who seemed to be completely unrelated to this kind of 'farce', took the initiative to come over and was willing to become the editor in charge of the two.

So the three of them got together and, under the leadership of the literary genius An An, managed to come up with an empty title mark within two days. As for the main text, that was something they'd be working on for the rest of their lives.

It's said that An An had already written the prologue, but Margot and Noah rejected it on the spot after seeing it. If Noah wasn't lying—

[There might be another reason why Natsume An'an never became the Great Witch Queen in her lifetime: she could never forget the melancholy eyes of that silly monster.]

As the preface to a document recording the cruel and bloody history of witches and humans, it is certainly not unjust for it to be rejected.

It's a bit unfair to say that, but Chang Rong never expected An An, the procrastinator, to actually finish the book, since she still owes the club president a fanfiction about a romantic pairing.

However, being able to keep Xiaoyi's leaky little cotton-padded jacket and the pretentious Xiao Chu girl and the mischievous Ma Ge from causing trouble was truly a great achievement. Therefore, Chang Rong didn't interfere too much with An An. She didn't expect An An to write a thousand words before the witch's resurrection ceremony began, but only hoped that An An wouldn't drag her best friend into her bed in the middle of the night saying that she wanted to 'gather material on the spot'.

Having confirmed that An'an was still diligently working on "Postpartum Confinement," Chang Rong breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left the studio, intending to find a secluded place to avoid the limelight.

"—Hmm? Chang Rong?"

In the library, which Chang Rong thought would be deserted, she saw Nikaido Hiro as soon as she pushed open the door. Hiro, who was writing something with a fountain pen, stopped what he was doing and looked up, making eye contact with Chang Rong.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Hiro, you're here to read too?"

Caught red-handed, Chang Rong couldn't pretend nothing had happened and run away, so she could only go up and say hello. However, considering that Hiro had always been the most impartial judge on the entire Witch Island who could distinguish between public and private matters, there shouldn't be any danger in being with her.

"No, I'm... I'm organizing what I need to do after I see Xiaoxue."

Hiro shifted his body, gesturing for Chang Rong to sit down, while revealing a piece of white paper with ink stains in his hand.

There were several lines of text written on the white paper. Chang Rong glanced at them briefly. The content was roughly about how to deal with the previous candidates for witch, how to judge Meruru and Xiaoxue's crimes, and how to leave Witch Island safely under the supervision of the national authorities, etc.

"Wow... Hiro, are you thinking about these things?" Chang Rong blinked. While the other prospective witches were recovering their memories and researching who would be the ultimate killer, Hiro was pondering these questions. The contrast was quite striking.

Of course, such a comparison is inherently unfair. Hiro's magic allows her to carry memories from every timeline, so she naturally doesn't experience the novelty of retrieving all her memories at once. Even though she missed the entire first playthrough due to her lack of common sense, she still received information from Coco-chan early on.

"The witch's resurrection ritual may not be as omnipotent as the Seven Beads' wish-granting mechanism. There are some problems that we may still have to deal with. We must make preparations as much as possible in advance."

Hiro responded in a serious and methodical manner, and seeing the long-haired girl with black hair beside her looking so earnest, Chang Rong couldn't help but smile.

"As expected of Hero, as everyone's hero, Hero, you always make us feel so at ease."

Chang Rong smiled and said that, in a situation where she was always worried that someone might break the agreement, the moment she was alone with Hiro felt so peaceful and serene.

As the most reasonable and discerning Yamato Nadeshiko, who personally drafted the agreement not to eat with each other despite opposition, Chang Rong felt at ease being with her.

"—"

Nikaido Hiro blinked, looking at the white-haired boy smiling at her, and unconsciously swallowed.

"However, these issues do need to be considered in advance... Although I believe I can persuade Xiaoxue to let go of her hatred for continuing to destroy humanity, the tragedies that have occurred on Witch Island cannot be ignored. We must come up with a solution that can bring redemption to everyone—Hiro?"

Chang Rong was also resting his chin on his hand, pondering the contents of the paper. His mutterings went unanswered, so Chang Rong had to look up at Xi Luo and ask if he had any good suggestions.

Hiro and Chang Rong locked eyes again, their scarlet eyes pausing briefly before—

"I get it, you idiot rabbit—you're trying to seduce me into kissing you, aren't you?"

"^q^ What's with this all of a sudden!?"

Seeing Hiro suddenly get up and start casting, Chang Rong's brain went blank.

Oh, right, thinking about it carefully, Hiro isn't just the most impartial and incorruptible disciplinary committee member, the Yamato Nadeshiko, on the entire Witch Island—

At the same time, he was also the first to issue a declaration of being a fan of the "close fandom," personally initiating the era of the "close fandom"...?

Stomach and biological clock both explode

Thanks to Chenguang Moxin for the sudden, albeit seemingly insignificant, encouragement! Time to save up and buy some stomach medicine...

Thanks to the older brother in the theatrical version for the treat!

Volume 1: Chapter 291. Mysterious Man Who Falsely Testified VS Mysterious Woman Who Falsely Testified

"Calm down, Hiro! Weren't you the first person to initiate the 'No Food for Each Other' pact? As the guardian of humanity, the arbiter of justice, and the judge of the court, you must continue to uphold your impartial and incorruptible principles! Quickly recall your original intentions!"

Inside the library, Chang Rong was engaged in an unprecedentedly intense karate exchange with the long-haired, black-haired girl in front of her. Chang Rong crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, desperately trying to block Hiro's downward slash, while simultaneously trying to reason with and appeal to the emotions of the girl who was glaring angrily at her, still in her "Great King Hiro" mode.

"The original... true heart..."

Upon hearing this, Nikaido Hiro paused for a moment. She began to recall her tumultuous journey and wondered what kind of ending would be worthy of this long journey spanning three lifetimes.

What was my original intention in embarking on this path of no turning back and never admitting defeat?

It's to bring this story to the right ending.

In the eyes of someone named 'Nikaido Hiro', what is the right ending?

It's probably an ending that will stop that idiotic rabbit from showing a desperate expression and allow it to show a happy, carefree, silly smile.

So... when exactly did I begin to see his smile as the future I had to protect and strive to protect?

Ah, I remember now.

When Sawatari Coco killed Natsume Anan and chose to commit suicide during the witch's trial, when that idiotic rabbit was imprisoned in solitary confinement and lost the will to live out of despair—at that moment I made up my mind that, no matter what, the ending of this story must at least end with his smiling face.

So what did I do in that moment, the moment I confirmed what I truly wanted to say?

Um--

"That's right, my true nature is to be a fan."

Nikaido Hiro's tone was firm and resolute, revealing an unquestionable determination. He expressed his current realization in the simplest, most direct, and straightforward way: I am vanilla mud.

"—Why is it that after all that serious thinking, your conclusion hasn't changed at all, Hiro?!" Chang Rong complained loudly. Was her persuasion skills really that bad? How come her words only increased the opponent's attack speed after all that persuasion!

"...Stop rambling! Unlike the other carefree aspiring witches, I've been holding back for the longest time...! It's only fair that this is a reward for a lawkeeper!"

Hero's cheeks turned slightly red, a rare occurrence. As the first person to successfully get a kill in Season 3, Hero had never imagined that getting a kill earlier meant a longer cooldown period.

Although this arousal could initially be masked by the sense of superiority of "I get to eat alone," as the rest of the group caught up, Hiro's sense of superiority had long since vanished, and the primal urge that was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress slowly surged back into his brain as time went by.

Hiro was already feeling restless because of this, and then Chang Rong happened to come to the library alone and talk to him at this time.

Not only did she strike up a conversation, but she also deliberately pretended to be seriously thinking and cute, even looking down and exposing all her flaws—all these signs are enough to conclude that this idiot rabbit has been trying to lure me in!

And so, without her knowledge, Chang Rong successfully seduced and corrupted Xi Luo, who was struggling to maintain her last shred of rationality, and reawakened her fangirl personality.

"Wouldn't a real reward ruin everything?! This is a sensitive day; we can't just give out rewards randomly, Hiro!"

Chang Rong was pinned down on the desk by Xi Luo. As the saying goes, the world is a giant boomerang. The desk that Chang Rong was pinned down on was the same desk that Chang Rong had used to use An An two days ago.

Although An An was frantically waving her loose sleeves at that time, Chang Rong saw it as nothing more than a cup in vibration mode. He immediately rejected all of An An's opinions and began to punish the pigeon spirit.

“It’s okay, I know what I’m doing. My constitution is better, so recovery should be much easier…” Hearing Chang Rong’s advice, Hiro looked away and whispered his defense.

"Witch Factor isn't some convenient thing that you can just sleep on and spread everywhere! Damn it... Think of your best friend, Xiaoxue, Shiro! What would you do if Xiaoxue were here!"

Chang Rong quickly pointed to her temple, signaling to Hiro to "think more." If Xiao Xue, who was waiting to be resurrected by the witch's resurrection ritual, were here, what would the righteous Hiro-chan do?

"Xiaoxue—"

Hiro, who had just been in the library pondering how to communicate with the Great Witch Yuki after the ritual, paused again.

Hero had this idea at the beginning: that Xiaoxue was the root of all mistakes, the 'original sin' that had to be corrected.

However, after learning about the past between witches and humans, and about the 'insider information' about the great witches that Chang Rong had mentioned, Hiro's feelings for Xiaoxue became much more complicated.

She is no longer someone who can be simply judged as 'right or wrong'. Xiaoxue is the starting point of all stories, and also the end that all stories must go through before they come to a close.

If Xiaoxue were here right now, I would have to punish her for her mistakes, but I would also want to rekindle our friendship from our student days and tell Xiaoxue that her sins have not affected everyone and that we still have a chance to go back to the good old days.

In that case, how should I act to both punish Xiaoxue and reassure her...?

Looking at Chang Rong, whom he had tackled onto the table, all of Xi Luo's inner turmoil suddenly became perfectly clear.

Why not just kiss the idiot rabbit in front of Xiaoxue? That would punish Xiaoxue's misdeeds and prove to her that everyone is still moving forward for life even when she's not around. It's a textbook-perfect answer!

Xiaoxue, long time no see. This is your ex-boyfriend, right? Don't worry, I've already used him while you were gone. Your ex-boyfriend is very moisturizing—

"Although I have no idea what you're thinking, Hero, why has your attack speed increased again?!"

Looking at Hiro, whose breathing rate was gradually increasing, Chang Rong couldn't help but let out a wail. What kind of unethical things was this student council president and disciplinary committee member thinking about?!

Asking Hero to recall his true self resulted in him increasing his attack speed; asking him to think of Xiaoxue resulted in his attack speed almost creating afterimages. At this point, even bringing up Emma would probably only backfire…

After realizing that he had lost his original 'Yamato Nadeshiko' ecological niche on Witch Island, is the desperate Hiro planning to completely fall into the Asura path and become the Great Hiro King?

Seeing that if things continued like this, Shiro would really turn into a bad tutor and force himself to tutor the poor student, Chang Rong gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He could only decide to use the same method he had used to deal with Rhea and Meruru's vengeful spirits.

Although that compromise method could preserve the witch factors in the bodies of the witches, in other words, for Chang Rong, who relies on absorbing witch factors for survival, that method was truly a do-or-die battle. She had just been sent away by Meruru Leia a few days ago, and now she had to satisfy the insatiable and terrifying Yamato Nadeshiko, Hiro... She didn't know if she could withstand it this time.

There was no way around it; all of this was the expensive tuition she had to pay for forgetting Hiro's true nature. This period of 'peaceful' life had even made Chang Rong forget that Hiro was originally the mysterious fake witness and the mysterious food lover on Witch Island. Her previous gentleness and ease were nothing more than a disguise before a sudden, suppressed explosion...

"Click—"

Just as Chang Rong was about to pay money to avoid further trouble, the library door was suddenly pushed open.

"Uncle, I really want to help... but is this really okay...?"

"I'm sorry, Milia... My older sister has been bothering me almost all the time lately... If this continues, before my silly older sister can return to normal, she'll probably turn into a vengeful ghost with only lust left and won't be able to pass on."

Some strange, uncommon pair entered the library. Saeki Miria and Kurobe Nanoha, who had almost never acted together in either the first or second playthrough, inexplicably walked into the library together this time.

"Hahaha... This is indeed a problem... Xiao Nai also has to take care of her older sister in her spare time, she must be very tired. I, Uncle, will definitely do my best to help—wait, Xiao Rong, Xiao Xi... you, what are you doing...?"

As Saeki Miria spoke to Nanoha Kaori, she smiled gently, but then she belatedly noticed that two people were entangled together at a desk not far away, seemingly about to have a heated argument.

"Chang Rong?" Kurobe Nanoha Kaori saw the two of them too. Her light gray eyes widened in surprise, then she blinked a few times, trying to make sure that what she was seeing was not a hallucination.

"—" "—Ahem, Milia, Nanoha, you've come at the right time. Chang Rong and I are discussing things to keep in mind regarding the witch resurrection ritual. Would you like to join us?"

Hiro's ability to become the leader of the prospective witch in the three timelines is not only due to the memories accumulated through the three rewinds, but also to her excellent mental fortitude and hexagonal numerical value.