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

Sawatari sniffed hard. Hakimi, who had always practiced the theory of 'as long as I'm safe, I don't care if others live or die,' had unknowingly become an indispensable member of the loving family. This sudden separation left her somewhat at a loss for how to respond.

"Originally, I just wanted to find my silly older sister, but... now, I'm no longer the silly girl who liked to work alone. I'm not mature enough to be completely independent yet, so if possible, I hope to continue to get along with everyone."

Nanoha Kurobe rubbed her cycling hat, her cheeks slightly flushed. Although she was the oldest girl in this year's list of prospective witches, Nanoha rarely displayed the demeanor of an elder in terms of personality or style of doing things. More often than not, she was the clumsy, trouble-making 'little sister type' who needed everyone's help.

At first, Nanoha Kaori tried her best to get rid of this label, but now, as they spend more time together, she has gradually adapted to her new identity as a 'clumsy little sister'.

"Um...everyone, you are the best class I have ever taught. I think I will never forget you all, right, Ms. Sakuraba Eva..."

"It's Sakura Emma..."

Meruru rubbed her eyes and sighed softly. She had experienced so many witch trials, but only this time, only the 12 prospective witches in front of her, had left the deepest mark on her memory.

More and more people are marveling at this small miracle. Thirteen girls who were originally unrelated are now intertwined, and there must be some kind of 'magic' guiding them.

But... where there is meeting, there will be parting. After the once-in-a-lifetime encounter on Witch Island ends, what kind of future will everyone take?

Will they each move on to new social circles, slowly fading the memory of this time away? Or will they remain etched in each other's memories but have no chance to meet again, forced to continue their busy lives on parallel paths?

With an uncertain future looming before them, this 'unknown' forces the aspiring witches to consider things beyond simply eating rabbit meat.

"I also hope to stay in touch with everyone after everything is over. In that case—let's exchange contact information! Let's also talk about what we'll do together after leaving Witch Island, turning this expectation into a promise to maintain our bond after we leave Witch Island, okay?"

As more and more prospective witches began to think about the future, Chang Rong, who had successfully transformed into Mafti, clapped his hands once again, guiding the prospective witches to open their hearts to each other and make promises to one another. These promises became a bond, keeping everyone tightly connected even after they left Witch Island.

"Hehehe, Hannah, Hannah, want to come over after you leave? My family's always away on business, so it's pretty free here~"

While the others were still a bit reserved, Tachibana Sherry was the first to break the ice, extending her hand and inviting Tono Hannah with a big smile.

"Hmm... well, it's not impossible, I'll reluctantly agree, desuwa." Tono Hannah nodded somewhat awkwardly, and this simple 'promise' brought a smile to her lips.

An uncertain and unpredictable future seems much more attainable and secure simply because of this extremely simple promise.

With Tachibana Sherry leading the way, the other aspiring witches, who were initially somewhat reserved, also made promises to each other in order to continue this bond.

"Hey Hiro-chan... Even after we leave, we can still go to school together like before, right?"

"Considering Emma's academic performance, if you want to get into the same university as me, you should start tutoring now. Let's start with 50 sets of past math exam questions."

"W-why is this happening, woof...!?"

Emma smiled at Hiro, but was quickly exposed by the stern, impartial student council president, who was skilled in teaching and nurturing students.

"Hehe, please do me the honor of attending my future stage play, especially Coco, remember to come to the live stream and help promote it!"

"Huh? I haven't said yes yet..."

"Meruru, please become my personal costume designer. The costumes you make are more stylish and beautiful than any costume I've ever worn!"

"Clothing, fashion design... Can I really do it well...?"

"Hmph, don't worry! I've already finalized the investors and the stage lighting team. I'll definitely be the first to reach the top of the martial arts arena!"

"Ah, it's Miss and Miss Alice... Hehe, that's fine."

"Investors? Stage lighting...? Who, who is it? This feeling that I'm the only one who can't make it..."

Hasumi Rie pointed confidently to the sky, her tone carrying an unquestionable air of self-assurance. Meruru smiled and echoed her, while Zetsu Coco looked completely bewildered, unable to keep up with the pace of their conversation.

"While staying here is a good option, well... considering that the great writer's work is still some time away from being published, I'll reluctantly continue to serve as the 'editor'~ For the sake of efficiency, perhaps I should also correct the writer's lifestyle~?"

"Then, does that mean we can't stay in bed any longer...? And we can't sneak candy in the middle of the night and go straight to sleep without brushing our teeth...?!"

Noah knew An'an was a clueless homebody!

The pigeon spirit looked grave and felt utterly exhausted. Being entangled with someone like Mag made it seem like her future carefree and lazy life was already a distant dream before it even began...

Everyone chatted animatedly about their lives after leaving Witch Island, until—

"We can at least get together on the weekend, right, Hiro-chan? No, but speaking of which, we should spend more time with Changrong-kun—wait a minute, Changrong-kun…?"

While Emma and Hiro were chatting about how often they would have dinner together after leaving Witch Island, the pink-haired puppy instinctively said Chang Rong's name. Just then, she suddenly realized that Chang Rong, the one who started the conversation, had somehow disappeared without a trace.

"Hmm... wait a minute, there's something everyone seems to have forgotten to ask—who exactly said this 'dream'?"

Emma looked at the screen, pondered for a moment, and then turned to ask the others.

Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads in confusion. After an awkward ten seconds or so, they all simultaneously showed expressions of sudden realization.

We've fallen for their trap...!

Meanwhile, by the forest lake outside the castle, Chang Rong squatted down, staring blankly at the lake with a homemade fishing rod.

"[At such a young age, you already have the serious expression of an old man who can't pay his dues, Mr. Chang Rong.]"

"Mind your own business...! If you say another word, I'll fuck you too!"

The warden's voice coming from his shoulder made Chang Rong shudder, and he quickly pretended to be angry and retorted to bolster his courage.

"【Coo coo coo, really?】"

"Alas!?"

"Just kidding, Mr. Chang Rong, but what you're doing is really just taking out a high-interest loan. You'll only be squeezed even harder by the angry witches, won't you?" The warden tilted his head at a 90-degree angle, his tone tinged with schadenfreude.

"Yes, we can try to delay it as long as possible... Besides, there are some things I really want to think about myself."

Chang Rong wiped away his cold sweat and turned his gaze back to the lake.

This bond on Witch Island is a genuine and hard-won treasure, and Chang Rong, like the other prospective witches, wants to protect it well.

But... when it's all over, the witch factor and magic may disappear, and I will become an ordinary person again.

As everyone knows, if an ordinary person were to fight 13 prospective witches plus a few veterans, well, they'd be turned into mummies...^q^

Should I really consider choosing a 'true love'? Xiaoxue, Emma, ​​Shiro, Sherry... But I've already made a promise with them, and this bond won't disappear when I leave Witch Island. If I really make a 'choice,' it means I'm destined to break my promise to someone, which is obviously not something I'll allow.

It seems that now, as a Sigma man, I only have one path left to take: even if it means exhaustion and death, I must grit my teeth and keep going to fulfill my promise...!

In short, I will not abandon anyone. I will hold on to this bond that was born of a miracle, no matter what.

...But, I'll really die, won't I?

The thought of the almost stringy looks people were giving him made Chang Rong wail again.

It's true that having a harem is fun for a while, and you can keep having one, but in the end, it's a disaster.

In the end, Chang Rong was caught by Nanoha Kaori, who was good at reconnaissance. He was dragged back to the reception room and his energy, which he had painstakingly accumulated for the day, was completely taken away by the angry prospective witches with interest.

Only one day left until the witch's resurrection ceremony

-

My stomach ache from Monday still hasn't fully healed by today, sigh.

-

Feeling, Morning, Fish

Volume 1: Chapter 294. The King of Witch Island

"Sister Hiro, no! Sister Hiro, I don't have a drop left... um...?"

In old age, dreams are often startling, as if one were being squeezed by a weaver.

Chang Rong has been sleeping poorly for the past two days, and she dreams almost every now and then that her bed is being broken into by disciplinary committee members/dogs/celebrities/young ladies/spy agents, etc.

The problem is that most of the time when Chang Rong wakes up from a nightmare, she finds that it wasn't a nightmare at all, but reality in the present moment. However, the girl lying on top of her is different every time she wakes up from a 'nightmare'.

These aspiring witches, like the Faded Ones who had been stuck for a long time and finally found their own shield, all crowded around Chang Rong after realizing that his 'semi-self-help mode' could effectively reduce his health bar, hoping to get the world's first kill on him.

If it weren't for the fact that intimate contact and the 'semi-self-service' process could also cause emotional fluctuations in the prospective witches in order to absorb some witch factors, Chang Rong probably wouldn't need to sleep in the bedroom at all right now. Instead, she could move to the coffin in the pyramid, throw the mummy out, and lie in it herself.

Originally, he was probably only going to be exploited by half of the prospective witches. However, after his "Ideal Operation" escape plan was exposed, Chang Rong offended all the prospective witches. Yesterday, from evening until the early hours of the morning, he was almost completely turned into a beverage machine in a fast food restaurant. He could only be placed in a corner and watch helplessly as all sorts of witches came up to press the button and then spray out some sugar-free yogurt.

He couldn't even remember when he fell asleep. When he woke up again from a nightmare about being punished by Hiro's disciplinary committee, it was already dawn with the sky just beginning to lighten outside the window.

"Uh uh uh……"

Chang Rong, feeling weak and trembling, rolled off the bed and walked shakily to the washbasin. Looking at the face of the young man in the mirror, which seemed to have aged considerably, he sighed in despair.

"Since the resurrection ritual only requires the 'prospective witches' to have a certain concentration of witch factors, but it didn't mention that Changrong also has requirements, Changrong-kun, please bear with it a little longer~ Everyone can go all out now!"

—Sakura... Emma! How could such cold words come from such a cute little cherry mouth!? You really are a demon... the demon of lustful law!

Chang Rong recalled Emma's words and guessed that she was retaliating against Chang Rong for not taking her along in the beginning of her "semi-self-help" strategy, which is why she uttered that terrifying incantation that increased everyone's attack speed.

There's still a little over a day before the ceremony officially begins. That's not a long time, but it's also enough time... definitely long enough for me not to see the sun rise tomorrow.

...No matter what, I still have to fight the most correct battle!

Chang Rong washed her face and took several deep breaths. She had reached the final moment. Even if the road ahead was one of certain death, she would still move forward with joy!

Humanity's greatness lies in the greatness of courage, and humanity's hymn is a hymn to courage. Come on! You ignorant witches, as long as I, Chang Rong, have a breath left, I will never back down with my second brother!

Chang Rong clenched her fists and pushed open the bedroom door abruptly.

"—"

"……Um?"

Outside the bedroom lies a peaceful and serene scene. The stone path leading to the back of the castle lies quietly on the ground, and a gentle breeze, along with the first rays of the rising sun, caresses the banyan tree, as if it were a free spirit.

Something's not right, not even nine-tenths right...

Chang Rong blinked, extremely wary of the strange scenery before her.

Based on my experience over the past few days, there are usually at least three prospective witches waiting nearby when I go out every morning. And after yesterday's inhumane forced labor, these prospective witches wouldn't just leave me alone.

There must be some dirty conspiracy behind this...! For example, if I take the first step with my left foot, I'll be dragged away on the spot by some witch under the pretext of 'violating discipline' by having a sack put over my back.

Chang Rong became alert and carefully looked around for any suspicious places, but no matter how she looked, she still couldn't see anything unusual.

There was no ambush, no air raid, no Naoya Kaori emerging from the bushes, and no steel coils suddenly thrown at us.

What a beautiful day! The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming. On a day like this, a Sigma man like myself... should go to the canteen to face his judgment.

Such a depressing and abnormal situation must be a prelude to something bigger. Once Chang Rong understood this, she was no longer timid and instead walked confidently into the restaurant.

Initially, Chang Rong would often be in charge of the food on Witch Island, but at some point, the other prospective witches suddenly became extremely proactive, all vying for tasks like cooking and doing housework.

From Arisa's blushing words, Chang Rong understood that this was practice they were doing to become qualified 'virtuous wives'. No wonder she was chased away by his breath when she went to help.

Chang Rong, who had nothing to do for a while, was a little lost at first. But seeing how serious and hardworking everyone was, Chang Rong felt too embarrassed to point out that Emma shouldn't put the ingredients in her mouth while cooking, or to tell Arisa not to use the pink claw as a substitute for soy sauce.

So, back then, Xiaoxue was indeed prepared to become a 'virtuous wife,' which is why she acted so out of character.

Chang Rong recalled the inexplicable transformation of 'Sato Yuki' during the old witch trial. Overnight, she went from being a temperamental, sulky, and somewhat eccentric girl to a 'girl' who would diligently learn to cook even if it meant stepping on orange crates and cutting her fingers.