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

"Ehhhhh...!?"

"After all, only when Hakimi is like this does he feel the best in your hands and on your feet when you're in love, right~?"

"Ughhhhhhh!?"

"Well then, the fun time is about to begin! Let Coco-chan have a fun time as she [becomes an adult]~"

"Eek!?"

Even if she wanted to escape, it was all in vain. In the end, Ze Du Ke Ke could only feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. In despair, she was dragged to the sofa in front of the screen by Chang Rong and forcibly pressed down next to her by this devilish white-haired boy.

"Well then, Uncle, I'll begin...?"

Accompanied by Saeki Miria's timid and listless voice as always, the lights in the recreation room went out, and darkness instantly swallowed up Sawatari Coco, leaving only her cat-like vertical pupils flickering and wandering in despair and helplessness.

—100 minutes later…

"What the heck? The blood effects when the first person got their head blown off were so fake www! The scene of the second person's body being dismembered was also ridiculously funny! The effect of the third person being melted by sulfuric acid was like it was made of chocolate, it's unbelievable! As a parody film, it can get a high score, but if you're going to call it a horror film, it's just a pure disaster, and it's even reached the level of being a joke~~~!"

"Little one, you're really amazing! You actually watched the whole thing laughing. I'm afraid I'll have nightmares again tonight..."

After the movie ended, the lights in the entertainment room were turned back on.

Sawatari Coco pointed at the big screen and chuckled as she made sarcastic remarks, while Saeki Miria, standing next to her, had a rather ashen face.

"Huh? A movie of this caliber doesn't even deserve to call itself a horror movie. I don't understand what's scary about it at all, but it's really funny."

Ze Du Ke Ke waved her hand dismissively and said.

"That's terrifying enough for an older man... By the way, where's Xiao Rong?"

After chatting for a while, the two realized that Chang Rong, the instigator of this 'horror movie appreciation event,' was unusually quiet.

Zetsu Coco and Milia quickly looked around and then simultaneously saw 'that thing'.

The object, which appeared to be 'Chang Rong', was now like a seafood lying on the sand, its upper body completely buried in the sofa and cushions, with only half of its buttocks exposed, facing the enemy.

If you listen closely, you can faintly hear some sounds through the gaps in the sofa:

"It's all fake, it's all fake, it's all fake. I'm a materialist warrior, it's all fake. The Emperor is above, Guilliman is below..."

"..."

Sawatari Coco blinked, then exchanged a bewildered look with Saeki Miria beside her. For a moment, neither of them knew what to think about the situation unfolding before them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

-

"A nobody~ A nobody~ A nobody who's cowering in a ball because of a horror movie~~~"

"It's so noisy...!"

On the way out of the entertainment room, Ze Du Ke Ke still followed Chang Rong, but their expressions and demeanor were completely different from what they had shown on the way to the entertainment room.

Zedu Coco, who had been too scared to even breathe on the 'demon rabbit', now took the lead, sporting a textbook-perfect little devil smile, and circled around Chang Rong, constantly jumping around and mocking her.

Chang Rong, who was being mocked so directly, was furious but couldn't find any words to refute her. She could only blush and avoid Ze Du Ke Ke's gaze, clicking her tongue and gesturing for her to be quiet.

The original plan was that Chang Rong asked Saeki Miria to select a 'super gory horror movie where the main characters go their separate ways and get killed one by one' for screening, and she would bring Ze Du Ke Ke to watch it.

During the movie, Chang Rong would constantly remind Ze Du Ke Ke, "In extreme environments, the consequence of not fitting in and going it alone is this: lining up to die. Did you learn something?" Finally, when Ze Du Ke Ke was so scared that her fur stood on end, Chang Rong would soothe her and rub her head.

Not only can it vividly and uniquely demonstrate the dangers of being unsociable, but it can also be a great opportunity to boost one's popularity, making it a win-win situation.

However, Chang Rong never expected that he would turn out to be an astonishing coward.

When the first person was killed, Chang Rong could barely grit his teeth and persevere. But after the third person was killed, Chang Rong started to cover his head and shrink into the sofa cushions to watch the movie with his butt.

The consequence of failing in the battle of wits is what we see now: being brutally mocked by the now aged Zedu Coco.

One wrong move and the whole game is lost; the ultimate battle of wits between top strategists is just that cruel.

"So, what exactly are you trying to do? [Adult's perspective] Is it just about squeezing into the sofa cushions?"

"Of course not! I just want to tell you that mature people understand their own needs and then adjust their behavior accordingly. Those who mess around will only end up like those characters in movies, getting taken down like clowns, understand?!"

"I didn't pay much attention to the Joker in the movie, but I did see one outside the movie! www"

"Your keycaps... well, I guess I was just a clown for having any expectations of you. That's all I have to say. As a final act of mercy, for the sake of all Kimi's future, I'll personally send you on your way, Coco-chan..."

"What you did was clearly murder to cover it up!? No matter how high-sounding your explanation is, it won't work! And I...I won't tell anyone, absolutely not, Meow!?"

It seems that Zedu Coco does have some learning ability. This time she learned that although she could tease the white-haired boy in front of her appropriately, if she went too far, he might still grab her and kill her.

"But then again, inviting someone to watch a movie and then lecturing them on life's lessons... your way of thinking is more like an old man's than an old man's!"

"Really? I thought it was a pretty good way to educate and entertain. Especially for a silly cat like you who fights with both sides of your brain."

"I'm not a stupid cat! Besides, can collective action really prevent murder? It's not that simple. Who knows what those seemingly decent people might be like at 'other times'? Maybe they've already started stabbing each other in the back!"

Zedu Coco made a face at Chang Rong and said in a disdainful tone.

"[Other times]?"

Chang Rong once again heard related terms such as 'multiple playthroughs' and 'timeline' from Ze Du Ke Ke Ke.

"Well... it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little bit. Didn't I say before that my [Clairvoyance] can detect anyone who is observing me?"

Zedu Keke looked around to make sure no one else was nearby before leaning close to Chang Rong and whispering.

"You can observe anyone watching your live stream or looking at your photos, right?" Chang Rong recalled the intelligence she had previously obtained.

"That's right, that's right, you remember it pretty clearly www Anyway, besides that, I can also observe 'another me'? Just like how you can carry over the memories of the first playthrough when playing a game for the second time, I can also see some of the scenes that 'my first playthrough me' saw, isn't that amazing?"

Zetsu Coco stretched out her right hand and covered her eyes, as if she was about to roar "Amaterasu" at any moment.

"Second playthrough...first playthrough...?"

Chang Rong frowned. Although he knew that Ze Du Ke Ke's [Thousand-Mile Vision] magic had other effects, the effect she described at this moment still exceeded his original expectations.

"That's right. Although I don't know what this cycle order is based on, I did see it, didn't I? In the previous cycle, Ze Du Coco survived to the end thanks to her intelligence, courage, and perseverance, but she was still framed by that stinky, scheming Meruru. She was turned into a witch and became a corpse, and then immediately killed by the [Witch Slayer Potion]... Tsk, like a small fry."

—Don't say things like, "You look like a nobody now," or this guy might scratch you.

"Anyway, as long as I get the [Witch Slayer Potion] first, that's fine, right? So this time, I used the remaining information I got to quickly get the [Witch Slayer Potion] from the basement safe, but that guy Margot found out and stole almost all of it..."

—What a piece of trash! This guy really is just trash.

It's really frustrating to think that all the shortcuts you painstakingly discovered, even risking your life, have ultimately been used to pave the way for others.

However... it was precisely because of the Demon-Slaying Potion stolen by Zetsu Coco that Mag was able to truly kill the witch behind the scenes. If you think about it that way, Zetsu Coco could be considered to have avenged her first timeline self.

"That's why I initially thought you were behind it all, because the 'me' in the first timeline never saw you, which is strange, isn't it!"

“It is indeed a little strange…” Chang Rong frowned and rubbed his chin in thought.

If I 'directly traveled through time', that would make sense. I hadn't traveled through time in my first playthrough, since time travelers are beings who exist outside the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements.

If it's another kind of time travel...]...then it's not that because of some reason, 'Chang Rong from the first timeline' suffocated in the freezer and never appeared from beginning to end?

Thinking of this, Chang Rong's face turned a little ugly, and he even felt that the 'Chang Rong' standing here had really turned into a corpse.

"I don't know any other information, since the strength of magic is related to the progress of witch transformation. But I do know for sure that you're not some kind of shady character."

Ze Du Ke Ke shrugged and grinned mischievously.

"If Coco-chan's next sentence is something like 'After all, what kind of shady business would involve sticking your butt out while watching a movie?', I'll immediately take you to the cafeteria and stuff all the leftover vegetable sticks from lunch into your mouth with that mysterious brown sauce~?"

"Ughhhhhhh!?!?"

Sawatari Coco, who seemed to want to say something, suddenly fell silent.

This guy isn't involved in any behind-the-scenes manipulation, but the label of "unscrupulous and monstrous genius" is still firmly attached to him.

"So, why did you keep bothering me all day...? It can't really be just because you feel bad about your live stream being banned, right?"

Zedu Coco complained softly. Although she knew that Chang Rong was doing it for her own good in a certain sense, she found his 'goodwill' hard to accept.

"That's only one aspect. Another aspect is that your stock market performance isn't very good (referring to the increasing degree of witch-like influence)."

"what?"

"Also, Kurobe told me that she once saw you talking to yourself on the phone and was worried that you might be mentally unstable or have your brain blocked by cat hair."

"No way! By the way, why is that shady guy always running around everywhere!?"

—In fact, I can now see Kurobe-kun consistently appearing in my bedroom every day…

"Anyway, that wasn't talking to myself. I was chatting with my favorite person, although it was definitely one-sided... but I could see my favorite person, that's absolutely undeniable!"

Zedu Coco's serious rebuttal seemed to make this Hakimi quite serious whenever the topic involved "I like it".

"Hmm... although the possibility isn't very high, I'll still ask—that 'push' on the other end of your phone, he's not that Italian mafia boss who looks like a moldy pink octopus, is he?"

"...What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's good. I don't want to accidentally get poked to death by a fence while walking around one day—so you've successfully become a fan, are you a super moderator? The top fan? The leader of a fan club?"

“‘I push’ is ‘I push,’ you wouldn’t understand www,” Ze Du Ke Ke waved her hand, a happy and satisfied smile on her face.

Looking at the girl with a happy smile in front of her, Chang Rong just felt that Guan Renchi was really terrifying these days.

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

The phone's memo app beeped, reminding Chang Rong to go change Lu Bu's medicine and clothes, the president of the Monster Detective Club, in a little while.

"I still have some things to do here, Coco-chan, you go ahead and take care of yours—whoa, you run so fast!"

Just a moment ago, Ze Du Ke Ke was still indulging in the blissful illusion of being a fan of someone else, but the moment she heard Chang Rong's decree of a general amnesty, she ran away.

"So today was a complete waste of time..."

Watching Zedu Coco's dashing figure as she ran away, Chang Rong sighed helplessly.

In the end, he was just a self-proclaimed "Garagimu" master. His only advantage over these landmine girls was the extra few years of life experience he had before transmigrating.

Expecting oneself to be a psychological counselor or a bomb disposal expert is ultimately asking too much of an adult.

I was hoping to stop Zetsu Coco from making enemies everywhere, but it seems to have had little effect. In the foreseeable future, this Hakimi will most likely still not be able to shake her stinky habit of breathing on everything.

but--

Chang Rong noticed that the familiar cat ear decorations were peeking out from around the corner of the corridor.

"Hey, I said... how about we watch a movie together again next time?" Ze Du Ke Ke, who was peeking out from behind the wall, asked Chang Rong with a mischievous grin.

"Heh, can I take this as some kind of invitation? In that case—I'm not going!"