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

"--Um"

After a brief silence, the Great Witch revealed a smile that said, "Isn't it pretty good?" She pointed one finger to the sky and the other to the ground.

"Indeed, let's just annihilate all of humanity without leaving a single one alive."

"You guys came here on purpose to mess with me, didn't you?!" Chang Rong wailed.

Human civilization is likely facing a truly dire situation this time...!

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Please keep your comments calm. I just want to end this story peacefully with everyone, and I don't want to be actively or passively involved in the drama.

Therefore, I will make some of the more radical comments in the comments section more transparent from now on. I hope you won't mind.

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Thanks to Chenguang Moxin for the salted fish spike! 313. As long as Rong can find happiness...

Inside the courtroom, the aspiring witches, who had been so dashing and lightly dressed, had all put their clothes back on. However, judging from their loose and absent-minded attire, they were quite unhappy about increasing the thickness of their Heart Wall.

In a corner not far from the courtroom, the warden, disguised as Liboli, revealed a pitiful look with mosquito coil eyes (@△@). Beside her was a pile of towels several heads taller than herself. These towels were all cleaning supplies previously given to the aspiring witches for temporary wiping of their bodies. The warden was not only responsible for carrying them back and forth, but also for washing them all thoroughly by hand afterwards—purely hand-washed, no AI involved.

"Gurgle gurgle... This time I really lost out big time... Not only do I have to work overtime again, but in the end I didn't even get a sip of soup..."

The warden, who had detached himself as a spectator and observed so many witch trials, only took the initiative once, which resulted in a lifetime of introversion. The feathers on the warden's head fell off like autumn leaves with a crackling sound.

"Hiss hiss hiss~"

On the contrary, the older sister, who was tied up, was in high spirits. She had eaten rabbit meat, avenged Xiaoxue, and shown off her foolish younger sister. Next, there was the ultimate witch trial that would cost humanity's life and death. Even if she died, it would be worth the ticket price!

Following her older sister's gaze, the standoff in the courtroom had entered its next phase.

At this moment, the prepared witches, now dressed again, stood in a row, while the Great Witch, summoned by the resurrection ritual, stood with her back to everyone, exuding an aura of dominance. A white-haired boy with a constipated look, as if he had eaten durian peel, was sandwiched in the middle, wanting to speak but holding back, only able to keep his gaze wandering back and forth between the two groups, cosplaying as a cold noodle party.

—Although we managed to persuade Xiaoxue not to destroy the Earth immediately, we have absolutely no idea what to do next! Damn it!

Chang Rong looked worried. In a way, the ceremony had resolved many awkward and difficult questions that were originally difficult to answer. For example, the 'sin' of Xiao Xue, the fate of the prospective witches, and Chang Rong's own experience of being tricked by Grimm. These questions, which would have caused the atmosphere to plummet if brought up, were all skipped over in one go.

Of course, the price of skipping these issues is that the current problems are even more awkward and difficult to answer. It would be better to follow the original script and talk to Xiaoxue about the human witch's perspective!

In that instant, Chang Rong realized a self-evident truth: life is not a movie; it doesn't freeze at the most beautiful moment to usher in a perfect ending.

If this were a movie or an animation, the moment I and Xiaoxue hugged each other and greeted each other with tears in our eyes would have been the perfect time to play the end credits and insert the credits.

But this is reality, and everything is just beginning. After embracing each other through tears and laughter, Xiaoxue still has to stare blankly at these 13 prospective witches...

For Chang Rong, the scene in the courtroom at this moment was so terrifying that even a single second of it would send him waking up in a cold sweat. Cheng Ge only had two ships jump before he capsized and gained two pieces of the People's Liberation Army fragments; now, with 13+ ships jumping, he's likely to reap 17% of the spoils, even more impressive than the True Ancestor.

Otherwise, I could just drag Coco away through the window and run away, replicating the witch's trial process from Season 2... But in the current situation, even if I ran away, it would only turn into a scenario where I become an enemy of the world, get arrested by the world, and then have the world take turns relieving my stress, which is completely meaningless...

—Forget it, I am a Sigma man, and even after going through so much, I am still a good boy. Xiaoxue will definitely understand that!

After realizing that he had already acquired alkyl octanitrogen, Chang Rong immediately entered a self-destructive, slacking-off mode, like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water or a dead rabbit not afraid of being squeezed by a witch.

"Um... Xiaoxue, I actually have something I want to say to you too."

When Chang Rong was caught in the middle and really didn't know what lines to say, Sakura Emma suddenly opened her mouth timidly. Although her tone was as soft and sweet as ever, her voice sounded unusually serious.

Emma.

The Great Witch raised her head, her pale eyes meeting the girl before her. The time she spent with Emma and Hiro wasn't long, but for the Great Witch, this experience was a unique and precious memory, different from her time on Witch Island and living with Chang Rong.

"I'm so happy to see Xiaoxue again... I really, really am. I know, Xiaoxue, you're definitely not the 'world-destroying witch' those people talk about. Xiaoxue is just Xiaoxue, right? If you really wanted to destroy humanity, you wouldn't have needed to give me the 'Witch Slayer' spell." Emma's expression was very firm. Behind her soft and cute puppy-like personality, the girl named Sakura Emma also possessed the same perseverance and courage that even the Great Witch trusted.

"Emma... I dragged you and Heero into this conflict all by myself, aren't you angry?"

The Great Witch asked softly, setting aside the issue of the dog stealing food, what she most wanted to ask Emma was the fear that had always been in her heart.

While she hoped Emma and Heero would fulfill the 'mission' she had entrusted to them, she was also filled with fear. She feared whether, when the ritual was truly successful and they met again, she would still be worthy to stand before her two friends once more.

"It would be a lie to say I didn't complain at all, but... hehe, maybe it's because I'm such an idiot, I just can't bring myself to be angry with Xiaoxue. Rather... after going through so many ups and downs, I still managed to keep the promises I made to Xiaoxue. Aren't I amazing, Xiaoxue~!"

Emma smiled, revealing her cute little tiger teeth. She leaned closer to the Great Witch and bowed her head slightly, looking exactly like a dog waiting for praise after completing a task.

"...Yes, you're amazing, Emma. My most trusted Emma, ​​my good girl Emma, ​​my kind Emma—you really, really tried so hard to protect the side of me you promised."

The Great Witch also revealed a subtle smile. She raised her arm and gently stroked the pink-haired girl in front of her. The murderous intent that had previously intended to destroy humanity had been completely purified and healed.

—Well done, as expected of Emma! The atmosphere is great right now, let's keep this momentum going and then go all out to fool Xiaoxue about the impromptu scene she saw!

Seeing this touching scene of sisterly affection, Chang Rong couldn't help but clench her fists and secretly cheer. If this atmosphere could continue, the witch resurrection ritual should be able to proceed smoothly.

As expected of Emma, ​​who can provide SAN recovery ability just by stroking her hair, it's so easy and simple for her to handle the Great Witch!

However, just as Chang Rong breathed a sigh of relief, Emma, ​​who had been stroked and was showing a satisfied expression, suddenly changed her tactics, and her pink eyes, which had just been sparkling with cuteness, instantly became empty.

"It's been a long time since I've been touched like this by Xiaoxue. It's so warm and I miss it. But... compared to Chang Rongjun's technique, Xiaoxue, you're just a little girl."

"...Hmm?"

The Great Witch blinked, equally bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

Emma stared blankly at the Great Witch as she slowly rose, took two steps back to a suitable distance for confrontation, and suddenly raised her hand to point at her.

"I'm really happy, Xiaoxue. But I also harbor anger towards you. I'm no longer that silly girl who would be so happy she'd snore if anyone flattered her. Now I'm Chang Rongjun's persona—"

"Don't use such misleading language!?" Chang Rong quickly interrupted. Although she didn't know what Emma wanted to say, it was obvious that this dog had only rested for a short while and was already craving food again!

"Ahem... In short, we're not the same people we used to be. Xiaoxue, your existence has indeed hurt some people, and among these people, the one you hurt the most... is naturally Chang Rongjun!"

Emma coughed twice, her face flushed. She was a little disappointed that her seductive lines had been interrupted before she could finish them, but she knew that getting down to business was the priority.

“Rong…” the Great Witch murmured the name of the flawless person.

"Xiaoxue, you made a mistake, and mistakes must be punished... and this is how we punish you!"

Emma swung her wrist and loudly objected to the Great Witch. The movement was fluid and stylish, showing that Emma had consulted Milia extensively for advice before this event.

"...Do you mean you want to take the banyan tree from me?" Xiaoxue asked coldly, veins bulging on her forehead.

“That’s not right, Xiaoxue.” Shiro also stood up from the side. She moved closer to Emma. The group of best friends who used to watch the sunset side by side on the rooftop were now on the verge of falling apart.

"The premise of 'stealing' is that the target already has a clearly marked owner, but who knows that Chang Rong belongs to your boyfriend? If he really is that person—why is this idiot rabbit alone on Witch Island? What's the difference between this and throwing a rabbit into a pride of lions? From the very beginning, you were the one who abandoned Chang Rong!"

Ignoring Chang Rong's muttered complaints, "You guys are the challengers," Hiro posed a soul-searching question to the Great Witch with unparalleled charisma.

"I don't……"

The Great Witch's eyes widened. She moved her throat, but couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

I abandoned Rong; that's a fact. It's an indefensible, inescapable original sin.

“Well, um… Xiaoxue must have been feeling conflicted about her identity back then, so—” “Chang Rong-jun, this is between us and Xiaoxue, and we hope you can let us continue. We agreed on this from the beginning, didn’t we? We are going to judge the Great Witch’s sins, and we were prepared for this before the ceremony began.”

Chang Rong tried to ease the tension, but Emma made a serious request, hoping that Chang Rong would not interfere with the standoff.

"……I see."

Seeing the serious expression on the pink and white puppy's face, and Hiro's nodding attitude beside him, Chang Rong realized that this confrontation was inevitable.

In fact, he knew very well from the beginning that the cause and effect he had caused had to come to an end for both the prospective witches and the great witch. Otherwise, even if the prospective witches could accept it, Xiaoxue herself might not be able to simply turn the page.

He originally intended to use the 'Witch's Twilight' plan to forcibly delay the arrival of this confrontation, but the plan failed due to some problems.

Incidentally, the main reason the plan failed was that Emma intercepted the mysterious pill, and Chang Rong couldn't find a substitute from Meruru. From this, you can probably guess what the so-called 'Witch's Twilight Plan' was all about.

"Are you going to judge me? — Fine. I listen to my own guilt."

The Great Witch closed her eyes slightly, placed her hands in front of her, and her expression was no longer angry, but instead showed a kind of gentleness that was almost sad.

"...Xiaoxue, well, anyway, this is indeed a judgment on that stupid great witch!"

Emma hesitated for a moment when she saw the Great Witch's expression, but she shook her head vigorously and decided to continue their previous agreement to put the cruel Great Witch, who took pleasure in tormenting Chang Rong, on trial.

Emma moved closer to Chang Rong and gently took Chang Rong's arm.

"Chang Rongjun...you are always so gentle, no matter what. Xiaoxue, you once enjoyed this gentleness all to yourself but never cherished it. Now—Chang Rongjun's gentleness belongs to me, woof!"

"...Yes, Rong is always so gentle and accepting of everything about me, even my soul."

The Great Witch nodded gently, without anger or a desire to blow up the Earth. She simply nodded serenely and softly acknowledged that it was her sin.

"Watson is actually very clever! He knows how to please Miss Sherlock Holmes, but you've easily thrown away that cleverness. You're the fool, Miss Great Witch!"

Shirley Tachibana also came over, vigorously rubbing Chang Rong's temples, and sticking out her tongue at the Great Witch to make a face.

"...That idiot Rong does come up with some interesting little ideas sometimes."

The Great Witch recalled the little tricks the boy in front of her had secretly done to persuade her to live together.

"My knight will diligently protect me from despair. He was once your knight, but you personally kicked him out of the party!"

Tono Hannah bounced around, trying to make it look like she could still float. She clung to Chang Rong like a princess, questioning the Great Witch's stupidity.

"Rong often gets into fights with other students to protect me, he's such an idiot..."

The Great Witch thought of Chang Rong's duel with the true man who inherited the will of the overlord in order to protect her on campus.

"Chang Rong will seriously criticize things that are wrong, and he will not go against his conscience because of pampering. Is it this strictness that makes you feel resistant and disgusted?"

Arisa Fujito spoke with undeniable charisma, but she herself was somewhat shy and awkward, simply standing beside Chang Rong.

"Rong...did advise me not to be a picky eater and not to use slapping to make the TV work."

A blush crept onto the Great Witch's cheeks.

"Xiao Rong occasionally shows a cute, innocent side, but even that can't move you... Is it possible that witches are truly beings without blood or tears?"

—It reminds me of Rong getting angry and bristling after being hit by stones by penguins; she really did look like a child.

"Chang Rong has the awareness to become an accomplice with me. He must have wanted to become your accomplice, but you rejected him on your own."

—The words Rong couldn't say to himself back then... Will he accept my sin as the 'World-Destroying Witch'?

"My fan has a keen eye for beauty. The one whose gaze I now hold must have once cast a burning look at you, but you cruelly ignored it!"

—No, Rong's gaze was fixed on me from the very beginning.

"Rongrong's education may not be the best, but it's definitely the most comfortable for Noah! You look just as immature as Noah, you must be pretending to be profound to rebel against Rongrong!"

—That idiot's education level isn't much better, but... he's definitely better than me at taking care of kids.

"Onii-chan is someone who can become my family. This kinship that transcends blood ties—is it something meaningless to you witches?" —Onii-chan…? Hmm, it seems someone really has become Rong's sister. That feeling should be pretty good…

"Although the idiot monster can be quite wicked at times, he genuinely gave us the courage to move forward. You coward, don't you even have the courage to take that final step?"

—I... will always just run away, I've always been selfishly running away.