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

A crisp click of the bolt turning rang out, extremely jarring and noticeable even in the noisy reception room.

Previously, the black-haired girl with twin tails, who had been hiding in the back and had little presence, suddenly made a move. She raised her hands and held up a prop that looked extremely out of place with her surroundings: a long spear.

Chang Rong wasn't a military enthusiast and couldn't tell the model or caliber, but he at least knew that it wasn't a simple long gun like the [Abe no Chiri], made from broken parts by hand. It was a genuine magical item that could instantly broaden one's mind, open one's imagination, or make one sing loudly with just a flick of the finger.

And the muzzle of this ingenious tool is now pointed directly at Chang Rong.

Why is someone starting with a rifle in a battle royale setting set in a snow-covered mountain village?! Does this game even have any balance? If they had just set up a pistol round first, no, even a pistol would be overpowered!

And speaking of this girl, she seems a bit... ugh...!

Chang Rong felt another sharp pain in her brain. She couldn't tell if the pain was from the fear of being held at gunpoint, the aftereffects of oxygen deprivation, or simply the pain from the cold on her forehead.

As the situation deteriorated rapidly, the initial plan of "detaining the suspects and then releasing them on the spot to search for clues" had long since been abandoned.

"Everyone! Please listen to me!"

Just before everything was completely beyond repair, Emma Sakuraba took action.

She rushed to Chang Rong's side, spreading her arms to try to protect Chang Rong, while at the same time she tried her best to call out to everyone.

Emma Sakura's actions were indeed effective. All the girls looked at Emma Sakura. No one expected that this seemingly clumsy and timid girl would have the courage to block the gun barrel.

Emma glanced at the girls, whose thoughts were about to fall apart, and took a deep breath to cheer herself up.

"Even if Meruru is a culprit... it might just be the warden's side of the story or there might be other hidden circumstances. In any case, what we should be doing now is finding the murderer who killed Meruru, shouldn't we?"

"So that guy is the murderer, and this guy is the second mastermind—"

"Everyone! Emma is right. What we need to do now is not to suspect or doubt each other, much less show hostility. Kurobe Nanoha, the warden just said that the trial will not stop because of the death of the black curtain. If you shoot that boy here, you will be eliminated in the next round of the witch trial, because your act of killing in front of everyone will leave no room for argument. Is that really okay?"

Keycap's words were interrupted when a dashing young woman with short, blond hair, dressed in what appeared to be royal attire and even carrying a longsword at her waist, stepped forward. At first glance, she might even be mistaken for a handsome knight prince.

As the 'Prince' walked to Sakura Emma's side, he tossed his hair, striking a handsome and dashing pose.

—What's wrong with this guy who has an excessive desire to perform?

Chang Rong was stunned by the 'Prince's' series of exaggerated, theatrical movements.

However, thanks to the prince, the pure green-clad girl "Kurobe Nanoha Kaori" who was sniping in the knife battle room showed a hesitant and conflicted expression.

The flow seemed to have changed, and the palette balloon that had been rubbed had somehow drifted to Chang Rong's side.

Noah also believed, well, believed in overalls.

"Chang Rong, my name is Chang Rong."

Having his chicken feet exposed for no apparent reason, Chang Rong quickly introduced himself.

For a moment, a three-way standoff ensued in the reception room.

Sakura Emma, ​​"Your Highness," and Noah stood protectively in front of Chang Rong. They chose to temporarily trust this intruding boy.

Ze Du Keke (keycaps), Kurobe Nanoha Kaori (mysterious sniper), and the purple butterfly girl still harbored hostility, or rather, suspicion, towards Chang Rong, this uninvited guest.

The rest were those who were caught in a dilemma, confused, torn between two sides, and a blue-haired girl who was excitedly shouting, "What? Is it time for a firefight? Count me in!" for no apparent reason.

At this tense moment—the warden, who effectively held the decision-making power, finally spoke again:

"Oh dear... If this continues, it will even delay the witch's trial. I've thought of a great solution that I'm sure everyone will be satisfied with."

The owl flapped its wings and looked at Chang Rong, saying...

"Really, Warden? I'm not behind this, you should know that better than anyone!"

At least it seemed that the warden was not his enemy at the moment, so Chang Rong quickly asked him for help, hoping to clear his name of the mysterious black box.

Although it's embarrassing and unprotagonistic to ask for help from such a behind-the-scenes boss's henchman, I can't just be killed without even knowing why.

The prologue stamp starts with zero, directly sending the flag to Dad, unaware of the impending doom, thinking he'd just gotten a quick start. Hehe, I must survive...

"Do not worry."

Chang Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief at the warden's unwavering response.

5 minutes later

"..."

"..."

In a punishment room on the first basement level, where no signal could be detected, Chang Rong and Nikaido Hiro, the suspect in this case, stared at each other in silence.

[Anyway, let's lock you up until before the trial starts. After the witch trial, I'll be off work and you can do whatever you want, it's none of my business anyway.]

This is the warden's astonishing wisdom.

Volume 1: Chapter 5. Evil, Die! Die, die, die!

It's undeniable that the warden is an idiot!

Although he had only been in the prison for less than 24 hours, Chang Rong was already able to make this judgment with a clear conscience.

The reason for this conclusion is quite simple—

Chang Rong secretly glanced at the girl named Nikaido Hiro sitting in the corner of the small room.

At this moment, Hiro looked extremely disheveled. Her black and red uniform dress was stained beyond recognition with white paint and red blood, and her once smooth and flowing hair was split and tangled from all the previous commotion.

Even so, the girl still stared angrily at her blood-red eyes, appearing aloof and proud.

...This is just a beautification and embellishment. In Chang Rong's view, it was simply the look in the eyes of the criminal who hadn't had enough of killing.

Hiro Nikaido, who was already somewhat creepy, appeared even more terrifying in this 'punishment room'.

This prison doesn't seem to have any rooms specifically for detaining suspects. Right now, in this temporary solitary confinement cell filled with all sorts of terrifying torture instruments that I've only ever seen in movies, Chang Rong doesn't really want to think about its 'original purpose'.

The biggest problem right now is Nikaido Hiro. What if she gives up on herself and tries to 'take one more person with her and make a killing'? Wouldn't I immediately become the victim MK?

Without any explanation, the warden locked himself in a small, dark room with the prime suspect in the murder case. Was his brain ever squeezed by a door?

To make matters worse, for some reason, Nikaido Hiro didn't seem to have a high initial liking for him, a stranger.

Was it because of the differential treatment when that "guard" packed me up and sent me to prison?

After the warden gave the order, Hiro and I were taken to this punishment room by that inhuman guard. Although we both resigned ourselves to our fate and did not resist, the guard picked up Hiro as if he were casually throwing away a trash bag, while he handled us with a gesture that was almost like a princess carry.

...In short, try your best to build a good relationship with her and get her to a positive level of affection.

When Chang Rong was locked up, her phone was also confiscated. When she actually needed that silly dating system to come up with a solution, she couldn't use it. That was pretty unlucky of her.

"Nikaido-kun?"

"Ah, are you trying to mock my current state? Or are you trying to stand on moral high ground and hypocritically accuse me of murder? You're wrong, I'm not evil—"

"That's not what I thought! I believe you must be a victim too!"

This guy looks elegant and proper, a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko template, but how come he reacts so strongly to being touched that he immediately starts panting and doing a full-on street dance?

Seeing the obvious redness and heat in the eyes of the doctor, Chang Rong hurriedly shook her head and waved her hand, saying, "[False testimony] My dad believes in Hiro."

"No need for high-sounding words. I know everyone has already identified me as the criminal. Ha, they talk about unity and mutual assistance, but in the end, they can only trust themselves. Everyone else is an enemy."

Hiro gritted his teeth and said this, but it was more like Hiro comforting himself than being meant for Chang Rong.

—Hmm… Although my first impression of her is that she’s an irritable and unstable person, if she really is the murderer, then she has no reason to be angry about being ‘voted into the dark room’ by everyone.

It is precisely because the idea of ​​being locked in the disciplinary room is wrong that I feel angry about it.

Watching Nikaido Hiro grit her teeth and curse everyone for being untrustworthy, Chang Rong gradually felt that the possibility of the black-haired girl in front of her being the murderer was much smaller.

—Let's keep trying to build some connections. I don't know how long I'll be locked up here, but maybe this is actually a good opportunity to gather intelligence.

With just a few simple moves, he successfully built a relationship with Noah, so dealing with others should be a piece of cake.

With his confidence inflated like a balloon, Chang Rong made up his mind. He looked at Nikaido Hiro and, having thought of a brilliant angle, took the initiative to speak:

"Speaking of which, Sakura seems to care a lot about Nikaido. You two must be good friends, right?"

"—"

No response. But that's okay, she should have sensed my goodwill. Keep trying.

"Nikaido-kun, don't be too angry. Although I don't know the specifics, the others probably misunderstood you. There's nothing we can do about it. After all, no one is always right, right? Everyone makes mistakes."

"—"

Still no response. It seems Nikaido has begun to seriously consider what I said. Alright, strike while the iron is hot.

"Speaking of which, Nikaido-kun, do you know Noah? She's really an incredible girl. I doubt anyone would give such a strangely cute girl a sour look~"

"—"

Oh no, it seems like Nikaido and Noah aren't very familiar with each other. I'd better change the subject.

"To be honest, I'm completely confused about the current situation. If it weren't for you being here with me, Nikaido-kun, I'd probably be so lost that I'd just want to commit suicide and start over, hahaha... huh?"

Chang Rong made a self-deprecating joke to lighten the mood, and then saw Hiro, who had been sitting in the corner since the beginning, stand up and scan the various frightening torture instruments in the punishment room.

"What are you doing, Nikaido-kun?"

"Looking for a suitable tool," Nikaido Hiro replied calmly.

"Props? I don't know what you need them for. Do you need my help?"

"No need, we've already found it—you really are the mastermind behind everything!"

"Guwa!?"

Suddenly, Nikaido Shiro sprang into action, grabbing a ruler and turning to unleash a double Ashina Slash on Chang Rong. Chang Rong frantically leaned back and dodged, simultaneously using his bare hands to disarm Chang Rong and clamp the ruler tightly between his fingers.

"Die, evil! Die, die, die!!!"

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?! Are you really a murderer?!"

"Stop joking! You're the evil one, and evil should be corrected and punished by me!"

—What is this guy talking about?