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

"Ah, you're awake!"

"Hmm, you're awake."

Emma asked Chang Rong with a smile, and Chang Rong responded with a smile in return.

These were the first words they spoke when they met, and the initial key to unlocking this story.

The pink and white-haired girl before me is still the same gentle and kind girl from the beginning, only that soft and timid personality has, over time, transformed into a starry sky that can be stretched into strands...

Nothing has changed, yet everything seems different. Perhaps this is what growth is all about, and the price that must be paid for it.

After experiencing the basics of returning to the basics, a satisfied Chang Rong rubbed Emma's head again before leaving the restaurant.

According to Emma, ​​today, as the last day before the ceremony, the aspiring witches finally put down their fighting for the rightful owner and gave up the idea of ​​taking turns using them as ATMs to withdraw money. Instead, they hoped to become the queen of Witch Island.

If it were the old Chang Rong, although he still wouldn't take advantage of others' misfortunes to commit evil deeds, he might have used this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something.

However, Chang Rong was now in a state of "a light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains" mode. Time had smoothed out his edges, worn away his unruliness, and drained his reserves of resources. At a young age, in the prime of his life, he had long since grasped the ultimate truth of life: simplicity is true happiness.

On the last day before the ceremony, he did not aspire to become the king of Witch Island, nor did he think about dominating the top of the prison. If possible, he would rather use this precious opportunity and time to appreciate the beauty of life.

"—That's what I'm thinking, so there won't be any segments like 'the defeated heiress being humiliated by the knight' today, Miss Hannah."

Chang Rong looked at Tono Hannah, who was staring at him excitedly and had changed into a battle-damaged lace dress, floating in mid-air, and said calmly.

"You...you actually forbid it...! I thought you, you stupid knight, had always wanted to experience this kind of plot...after all, in those comics, the knights who are by the princess's side must all have rebellious intentions!"

Hannah Tono glared and complained angrily that the defeat CG set she had painstakingly modified had died before it even got off the ground.

"All I know is that there's a filial son of an old man who's good at rebelling and stabbing people in the back—cough cough, anyway, I've already heard about it from Emma."

Chang Rong coughed twice. He had no desire to be the Star Wrath of the Three Families. Moreover, how could a man born between heaven and earth be content with being the Star Wrath of the Three Families? If he were to be one, he would be the Star Wrath of the Thirteen Families!

"Emma...did she not be able to resist and sneak a bite?"

"Emma was very obedient and fulfilled my wish."

"Tsk..."

Hannah excitedly pressed for more information, but was immediately refuted by Chang Rong, revealing a disappointed expression.

"You shouldn't sign a treaty based on the premise that everyone will break it from the start..."

Chang Rong complained helplessly, "These aspiring witches, putting aside everything else, their reputation score is really declining as they grow."

At first, Arisa could still bravely play her rebellious little delinquent, and Hannah Tono could force herself to cosplay as the elegant young lady Yamano. However, now these people have practically thrown their initial personas into the trash can, and their credibility is so low that even a power bank can't be scanned.

A little-known fact: reputation score and reputation are not the same thing. Generally speaking, the higher the latter is, the lower the former is.

"Anyway, there won't be any strange wishes today. My wish is actually very simple—can you teach me how to dance, my lady?"

Chang Rong straightened Tono Hannah's deliberately distressed and tattered long dress, then extended her hand to invite the blonde twin-tailed girl in front of her to dance with her.

"Huh...?"

"She's supposed to be a young lady, but thinking about it, I don't think I've ever actually danced with Miss Hannah before. Doesn't that seem a bit strange? So, just for today, please grant me this wish a little?"

Chang Rong slightly bent her knees and extended the invitation in an extremely sincere tone.

"Well, that kind of thing... I, I'm fine with it, desuwa... Ugh, I just can't do anything with you!"

Tono Hannah covered her shy face with a feather fan. She looked away slightly, but after a brief hesitation, she finally sighed, extended her somewhat rough hand, and grasped Chang Rong's hand without a trace of inferiority.

If it were the former Hannah Tono, she would have refused this invitation in every way possible. She would have been ashamed of her rough hands and afraid of never having danced before, but she would not have been willing to expose her disguise like this.

However, at this moment, Tono Hannah showed no shame or hesitation. She held Chang Rong's hand, and if there was a height difference, they would float gently. If their steps were not flexible enough, they would adjust according to their own pace. Even if she accidentally stepped on Chang Rong's foot, she would just look at the boy in front of her and they would show each other a happy smile without reservation.

She was never a real young lady, nor was she ever the heroine of a story; she was always just a counterfeit, immersed in her own fantasy.

But so what? The girl named Tono Hanna no longer aspires to be a 'fake heiress who won't be exposed'. She has long since become a real young lady who belongs only to herself and can move forward with her feet on the ground.

The two dancers were neither skilled nor good-looking; their dance was so sloppy that Hasumi Ryoya would faint at the sight of it.

But both Chang Rong and Tono Hannah wore happy smiles, immersed in this clumsy duet. From a disguised young lady and a fake knight, to a young lady exposed and a foolish guard, and now, the male and female protagonists who can embrace and dance together, their identities have been constantly changing. Finally, in a round of waltz, they determined what identities they would use to stay together in the future.

"Huff...huff...it's more tiring than I imagined. It would probably be easier if I hadn't stepped on my foot... Anyway, now that the foreplay is over, can we—"

"This isn't foreplay, this is exactly what I wanted!"

As the song ended, Tono Hannah breathed softly, looking at Chang Rong with a hopeful expression. However, before she could finish speaking, Chang Rong interrupted her.

"...Is that all?" "Yes, thank you, Miss Tono, for letting me experience the life of a refined person!"

Tono Hannah pressed on, somewhat unwilling to give up, but Chang Rong still gave her a resolute reply: being able to dance with Miss Tono Hannah would make even if her second brother was completely useless all day, it would still be worth the price of admission!

"Honestly...you're such an easy fool to fob off." Tono Hannah complained softly, but then she brushed aside her long, drooping hair and looked at Chang Rong with sparkling emerald green eyes.

"But... as the future young lady, I'm not as easily satisfied as you! Similarly, as my future knight, you'll have to fulfill many, many of my wishes in the future!"

"As you command, my Lady Hannah."

"...Sigh, it's been like this from the very beginning, there's just no way to deal with you. These kinds of plots never even appear in shoujo manga."

Looking at the white-haired boy kneeling on one knee in front of her, deliberately accommodating her with a polite posture, Tono Hannah sighed, then smiled and gently leaned down to kiss the boy's cheek.

"By the way, Miss, what wish of mine were you originally planning to 'fulfill'?"

"Hmm... As the female protagonist, I fought a dogfight in the sky with the knight who betrayed me for half an hour, ultimately losing miserably. Then, the evil black knight grabbed me from behind and circled around me—"

Okay, that's enough.

A beautiful and dreamlike moment was thus shattered by the young lady's own whimsical idea. It's a concept even manga artists wouldn't dare use lightly...!

If he stayed here any longer, it seemed that Tono Hannah would really lift him up high to test his 12G overload stress at any moment, so Chang Rong quickly waved and ran away.

Judging from this plot, there will probably be more than ten more prospective witches coming to "fulfill their wishes," right? Hmm, although Arisa's idea is good, I have a feeling that if this is carried out step by step, we're bound to encounter someone who messes it up...

Chang Rong's mind conjured up an image of a certain unnamed, long-haired, straight-haired, Japanese-style disciplinary committee member.

You might also encounter those terrifying individuals who pretend to be naive but secretly break the rules, constantly undermining them until the rules themselves admit their mistakes...

Chang Rong's mind conjured up a certain blue-haired, powerful character who loved to reveal his name.

There is also the possibility of encountering—

"Chang Rong... well, you should already know the situation from others. Today we wanted to leave you with wonderful memories, so we planned to let you do as you please. However... well, my older sister also knows about this. She said she has also done many wrong things and must come back to repay this kindness no matter what. Although I wanted to stop her at first, I couldn't, and my older sister..."

In the corridor, Chang Rong saw a girl named Kurobe Nanoha Kaori wearing a cycling helmet and goggles. Nanoha Kaori's tone was evasive, and her expression was particularly guilty. Her hands were even carefully clasped together as if she had done something wrong.

"Big sister? It's alright, Nanoha Kaori. Although Big sister can be a bit impulsive sometimes, after everything she's been through, she definitely won't suddenly pounce on you anymore."

Chang Rong smiled reassuringly, while simultaneously considering whether she could use the nearby window to smash through and escape if the guard with the headband rushed out in the next second.

"Um... well... anyway, let's have our older sister say it herself."

Kurobe Nanoha sighed and turned slightly to the side. Behind her, a girl with short, light-colored hair appeared in front of Chang Rong.

"—" Chang Rong's eyes widened in an instant.

"We meet again, my 'boyfriend'—I managed to temporarily regain this body thanks to the help of the warden and Milia... Well, it won't last long, but it should be more than enough as a way of repaying a debt of gratitude."

The white-haired girl revealed a lovely and gentle smile, a smile that differed from the other aspiring witches, containing a maturity and composure unique to elders.

At the same time, Nanoha Kaori, who was standing next to her, no longer hid her feelings and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Although she wasn't quite sure how her older sister had recovered, at this moment, the two most important people in her life were both protecting her, and this feeling of happiness enveloped her.

"Big sister... [Miss Madoka]...you, um, what's wrong...you're not going to disappear, are you?"

Chang Rong blinked, and after a brief moment of shock, still asked the question that concerned her most.

"Hehe, as expected of Chang Rong, the first question we asked each other after meeting again is this—don't worry, I can maintain my body until the borrowed witch factors are exhausted. Even if the witch factors are exhausted, I will only turn back into a wrecked state. Don't worry about my safety."

The older sister responded with a smile, her hands behind her back and her body slightly leaning forward. Although her movements were a little clumsy, they were incredibly youthful and adorable.

"Is that so... That's great! I also have a lot to say to my older sister!"

After confirming that she was safe, a smile returned to Chang Rong's face.

I have so many things I want to talk about with this veteran companion! There are so many things I want to experience with my older sister, and if possible, I'd love to chat about our old friends, our experiences in the Gap Realm, what we saw at the Great Witch's... and so many more, so many wishes waiting to be fulfilled—

"Then let's not delay, let's get into bed."

"^q^...Hmm?"

"Eh?!? --Big Sister?"

Before Chang Rong could even make a wish, the white-haired girl in front of her grasped Chang Rong's wrist, speaking calmly as if she were asking, "What should we eat today?"

“There’s no need to pretend now, Chang Rong. As your girlfriend, I know exactly what your wish is. After all, teenagers in their adolescence only have those kinds of thoughts on their minds, right? I’ve also learned a lot from my sister.”

"Wait, wait a minute—wait, wait a minute?"

Chang Rong blinked frantically, completely bewildered, as her older sister forcefully dragged her towards the nearest hospital bed in the infirmary.

"This, this is different from what we agreed on, big sister...! Big sister, didn't you say you just wanted to have a long talk with Chang Rong and me in the flower field—"

Not only Chang Rong, but even Naiye Xiang was startled.

"My foolish sister! Didn't I tell you a long time ago that you should fight for what you like, and protect it after you get it—I'm just protecting your future brother-in-law!"

"Sister...Big Sister...!?"

Clang!

Nanoha Kaori stood there, stunned. The joy of reuniting with her sister and the happiness of having a heart-to-heart talk with her sister and Chang Rong were all cut off by the closed door in front of her.

It was rare for the 13 prospective witches to unite, and this time they wouldn't sneak off to steal milk—but then, out of nowhere, a fourteenth unnamed milk thief appeared.

Volume 1: 296. You two sisters fight me

There are two kinds of "miracles" in the world. One kind of miracle is a pure miracle. It does not require any subjective preparation or effort, nor does it require any price. The person involved simply appears in that position and receives the reward called a miracle.

Just like how a shut-in otaku who was supposed to be taught Blood Escape Technique by Daiyun suddenly becomes the king of another world, without any cost or prerequisite, it seems that everything has been designed in advance and is waiting to be triggered.

Such a 'miracle' is neither convincing nor worthy of appreciation; it is more like a sudden curse, a prank contract made by the devil, waiting for a certain moment to reclaim all the principal and interest.

But there is another kind of miracle – it requires the person to persevere in trying, to lay the groundwork again and again, to sprout from the soil amidst countless long failures, to irrigate it with their own sweat and effort, to turn that 0% chance into 1%, and then to have that 1% chance blessed by a miracle, becoming a 100% blessing.

Miracles obtained in this way are not only more precious, but also give the recipient an experience that is invaluable. She will cherish this miracle as a treasure for life.

For the 'hairband guard', the miracle she received was the latter.

Previously, when she swapped bodies with Milia, Nanoha's older sister, 'Kurobe Madoka', briefly regained her original body. She cherished this sudden miracle immensely. Perhaps her role as a guard, witnessing betrayal and slaughter in the witch trials time and time again, was all just a prelude to this momentary miracle.

That was enough; she wouldn't ask for anything more. But when she came to her senses and realized that apart from the warden and herself, no one else on the entire Witch Island was Xiao Chunu, she instantly lost her composure and burst into tears.

Especially my cheap little sister, she's always showing off or posing under the covers, she's ruined this account!