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

"Lord Changrong, he... he pardoned my sins and gave me hope for redemption. Great Witch, if it were you, you would surely be able to... receive redemption as well."

—I have personally destroyed my own salvation, and now I want that light to shine again. Isn't that a bit too greedy, Meruru?

The prospective witches recounted one by one the treasures that the Great Witch had once possessed. These treasures, which they cherished so much, were actually the 'burdens' that the Great Witch had personally discarded.

“You were once closer to happiness than any of us, Xiaoxue. But you never cherished that happiness. You took all of Chang Rong’s gifts for granted, using excuses to disguise your willfulness and wantonly tormenting his soul.”

Nikaido Hiro stood before the Great Witch and issued a final ultimatum to the sinner.

"...We can still be companions again, Xiaoxue. But regarding Chang Rong, regarding that boy you abandoned and tormented again and again, we will never let you try to hurt him again."

Hiro's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a carving knife, wedging itself into the Great Witch's soul.

—Rong…I hurt Rong…No matter how many excuses I make, this fact will never change.

An incomprehensible emotion surged uncontrollably in her chest, making it incredibly difficult for the Great Witch to breathe. Her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, and if she wasn't careful, some kind of liquid might drip down.

Unlike the joy she felt upon seeing Rong after her resurrection, when she calmed down and heard her own 'original sin' from the prospective witches... the great witch named Yuki finally realized the irreparable mistake she had made.

—My happiness, my salvation… I abandoned it with my own hands, tore it to shreds, discarded it, and trampled it repeatedly.

"Xiaoxue, don't be too—"

"Rong"

Chang Rong noticed the Great Witch's unusual behavior. He wanted to say something, but before he could speak, the Great Witch interrupted him.

The snowflake-like girl looked at the white-haired boy, her lips curving upwards into a gentle smile.

"Rong, you've found your happiness, found someone worthy of your love, and found someone who deeply loves you. Is this happiness real?"

“…Hmm,” Chang Rong nodded, affirming her experience on the witch's island.

"Great, that's enough." Hearing Chang Rong's affirmative reply, the Great Witch's smile became even brighter.

"It's enough that you can be happy. Because I... will only hurt you."

“My initial goal was to use the magic of rewind to atone for the sins I committed, but now that you, Rong, have been resurrected and have found your own happiness, there is no need for me to go back in time. The fact that I can embrace you again is already a miracle that even magic cannot achieve, and there is no need to ask for any more fantasies.”

The Great Witch slowly walked to the center of the courtroom, raised her hands in front of her, and desperately tried to maintain a smile to prevent certain liquids from spilling out.

“This has been bothering you for a long time, so even if it's just this once—I don't want to cause you any more trouble.”

A violent vortex, as fierce as a whirlwind, swept through the courtroom, and countless scattered witch genes were being recalled and collected by their original owners.

“Emma, ​​Shiro—being able to be your partner is one of the few right things I’ve ever done in my life.”

"Xiaoxue, you..."

With snowflake-like eyes meeting the girl's gaze, Hiro wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the Great Witch.

"Meruru—I've never been a good guardian, but the time I spent with you on Witch Island still makes me happy."

"Great Witch...you, you intend to..."

“I want to do the right thing. When I am resurrected by the ritual, those humans should quickly notice the anomaly, and they will definitely not sit idly by. I will choose to disappear completely while being observed, although this cannot atone for the sins I have committed, but at least... it should allow you to live in peace.”

"What a joke, Xiaoxue! This isn't atonement; you're just trying to escape on your own. It won't solve anything!"

Looking at the girl's smiling face, as white as snowflakes, Chang Rong finally couldn't hold back and shouted in rebuttal.

Faced with the boy's reprimand, the girl simply continued to smile and shake her head slightly.

"I... am already very content. Please live happily, Rong."

—No, that's not it. This is Xiaoxue's fabricated evidence. You idiot, you're a complete idiot! Do you think I can't see it? That pathetic expression of you desperately sniffling, trying not to cry…!

Chang Rong's fingertips almost dug into his palm as he gritted his teeth and racked his brains.

Xiaoxue certainly didn't want this outcome, but under external pressure and the weight of her own guilt, she still chose this method. In her mind, this was perhaps the best solution.

But obviously, this is definitely not 'correct'. The question is, what should I do?

Even if I told her now, "I forgive you, live on," it would still seem too weak compared to the sins she knows.

Emma and Meruru... also looked surprised. It seemed that Yuki's sudden, unexpected self-destruction of Yura and Burube was far beyond their expectations.

I will not blame them, because this is indeed a sin that Xiaoxue committed herself. If we want Xiaoxue to have a true "new life", we must face this original sin of the past.

There are many ways to atone for one's sins, and Xiaoxue must have so much more to say to me.

This is the final "judgment." Something must be done to make her reveal her true feelings—hmm?

Chang Rong paused for a moment. He thought of a seemingly feasible method, but the problem was... if he really did it, he was afraid he would die.

But... I'm a Sigma man! Getting drained to death a few times is no big deal!

Having made the realization that belongs to the golden spirit of humanity, Chang Rong gently opened her mouth:

"Um—speaking of which, Xiaoxue, did you know? Emma may seem very well-behaved, cute, and clingy, but if you hurt her, she'll actually bite with her fangs, you know?"

"Kiang!?"

"Is that so...? Why are you telling me this...?"

The silly dog, confused as to why the topic had suddenly been thrown at him, made a sound effect of being hit, while the great witch was momentarily stunned and asked in a somewhat hesitant tone.

"It's nothing, I just wanted you to know. Also, Milia sometimes covers her eyes with her hands because she's too shy, so if you want to go all out, saying something cheesy beforehand to make her unable to protect herself is a good strategy."

"Ugh, waaaah... Objection! Uncle, I, I didn't...!"

"—What, what exactly are you trying to say, Rong?"

Milia was also startled, while Xiaoxue had to stop absorbing the witch's factor and stare wide-eyed at Chang Rong.

“Arisa is the most virtuous and gentle among us, the most docile of all. Although she herself would not admit it, during the first battle at Hulao Pass by the lake, Arisa had actually instinctively and without a teacher learned the art of slow cooking at a constant temperature, just to make me more comfortable.”

“Kill, kill… um… don’t say these things all of a sudden…” Arisa Shito’s delinquent persona failed to take over, and she could only hurriedly pull at her hood to try to cover her bright red cheeks.

"Rong, what...what exactly are you planning to do...!?"

Xiaoxue trembled all over, and the blissful smile she had just worn, like that of a martyr, had vanished.

"Hmm? It's nothing. You just do your thing. Just think of me as telling a story to Xiao Chunu, who is pitiful and pathetic, and who had to take a taxi home alone after participating in impart."

"I—I'm not...! I'm the first S1 champion to eat rabbit meat!!" Xiaoxue blushed, clenched her hands, and stood on tiptoe, trying to bring up her seniority.

"Really? Who would believe that? Emma, ​​do you believe it?" Chang Rong shrugged and ignored her.

"...I can't imagine what Xiaoxue looks like, she must be fake." Emma shook her head after thinking for a moment.

"Emma...! Rong, you...you...you idiot...! Well then, I'll prove it to you...!!"

Forget about any great sacrifices or final farewells for now; the most urgent thing right now is to give this brat from Asakusa a real shock with his seniority!

------

Xie Chenyu 314. I am the champion... none of you are...

"Although Margot seems to be actively guiding and taking control of the conversation, she's actually surprisingly cute and innocent. Especially that expression of her biting her finger, unsure whether to beg for mercy, is the most delicious seasoning compared to her usual con artist personality!"

"Oh my... even if it's my husband, I still feel a little shy saying that, don't I?"

"Rong, you..."

In the courtroom, Chang Rong continued to face the Great Witch's tantrums. He lovingly stroked Bao Sheng Mag's hair while boasting to the Great Witch, who had already begun to subtly reveal her back.

"As for An'an, although she was the most hesitant and resistant, she was also the witch who surrendered the fastest. That's a kind of contrast, isn't it? An'an's unique 'misfit' quality is an indispensable part of the charm of Witch Island~"

"We're not as shameful as you make us out to be!! Really!"

"Rong, stop talking...!"

The great witch stomped her foot and hissed, trying to interrupt Chang Rong, but the white-haired boy completely ignored her. After teasing Natsume An'an, he immediately turned his attention to the blond-haired Renmi Rhea.

"As for Rhea-sama, uh... um..."

"..."

"Why did you suddenly stop talking when it was my turn, Chang Rong! Even if it's false testimony, you should at least say something at a time like this!"

Your silence was deafening! Ryota Hasumi blushed and immediately began to loudly complain about Chang Rong's blatant double standards. "Don't I, the number one idol of Witch Island, have the right to complain?!"

"Rong... that's enough, Rong, you idiot, moron, moron, you're just a damn damn rabbit...!!"

The girl's blush spoke volumes. Under Chang Rong's relentless onslaught of affection, the promising witch finally couldn't hold back any longer and exploded like a bouncing bomb. She threw all thoughts of sins, sacrifices, and atonement to the back of her mind and pounced on Chang Rong with a whoosh.

"Whoa!?"

Chang Rong hadn't expected his tactics to be so effective. When the snowflake girl smeared his face, he didn't even have time to react before he was thrown aside as if he had been bitten by a facehugger.

"Hey, I mean... it can't be my imagination, right? Why does it feel like this great witch's persona of a cold, gloomy, ill-fated, static beauty is crumbling at a visible speed?"

Zedu Coco, who witnessed all of this from the VIP viewing seats, muttered to herself that the oppressive aura that this great witch had brought to everyone when she first appeared was rapidly dissipating at the same speed as a little dog running over after smelling Chang Rong's scent.

"Ha, because this guy wasn't the kind of person you thought he was from the start." Hiro sighed, rubbing her forehead. Others might not know the true nature of her best friend, but Hiro, who had gone through school life with her, knew it all too well.

"In the end, Xiaoxue only resembles the aloof, cold, and literary girl you might imagine in appearance. In reality, she's a complete idiot with a quirky personality. Sometimes she'll even do somersaults for no reason and then strike a mysterious up/down finger spinning pose."

"Eh—there's such a thing..." Everyone blinked, casting surprised glances at the Great Witch.

"You wretched Hiro...you bad boy Hiro...! Don't be so smug. I'll make Rong regret this and then I'll kill you, and then I'll kill myself...!"

The witch, whose shortcomings had been exposed in public, kicked Chang Rong's shin while glaring at Xi Luoha.

"Alright, alright, provided that you, Xiaoxue, can really make that idiot rabbit realize his mistake." Hiro replied nonchalantly, her tone sounding more like a provocation. Her nonchalant attitude further enraged the Great Witch, who vowed to kill Chang Rong and then settle scores with her best friend from her school days.

"Haha... Uncle, I have a feeling that this situation is not quite what I expected... I originally thought that the situation would become more tense, even more confrontational and uncompromising than in court."

As Saeki Miria watched the precious scene of the Great Witch attempting to hunt Chang Rong, she awkwardly rubbed her cheek with one hand and whispered.

Although Chang Rong consistently tells everyone that the Great Witch isn't some twisted monster who enjoys torturing people, as a 'higher-level' being with the ability to destroy humanity, the prospective witches don't believe she's someone they can easily approach. In extreme cases, perhaps Xiao Xue's human side will only be revealed to Chang Rong; perhaps deep down, she remains a vengeful figure who sees humanity as an enemy.

Milia's layer of worry was quickly shattered by Xiaoxue's series of actions. This great witch was no longer a vengeful figure; she was practically a child even more childlike than An'an! "The great witch has always been very gentle... She would hold me in her arms and read me bedtime stories, she would use magic to make flowers bloom around my bed for me, and she would patiently use magic to adjust the boiling hot tea to the perfect drinking temperature... The great witch has always been a delicate and warm presence, but after meeting Chang Rong... she's become a little strange."

Meruru clasped her hands together. After torturing the Great Witch along with the other prospective witches, she finally remembered her hidden identity as the Great Witch's fanatical supporter.

"It's definitely not the final boss confrontation we originally envisioned... Although I didn't initially intend to do anything to her. After all, that great witch is very important to that stupid monster, and if things really continued as they were just now, it would be very difficult to handle..."

Although everyone was dissatisfied with what the Great Witch had done to Chang Rong, they only vented their frustrations and that was it. Whether from Chang Rong's perspective or from the perspective of the "original sin" between humans and witches, there was no real, irreconcilable hatred between the prospective witches and the Great Witch.

"I don't need your pity, and what do those looks mean... Listen up, you humans! You are the challengers, and I, the great witch, was the one who first picked up that rabbit head on the table! Before you even arrived on Witch Island, Rong was already completely mine!"

Xiaoxue shrieked and breathed at the aspiring witches, but to little avail. After hearing Xiaoxue repeatedly emphasize that she was a veteran champion, most of them showed little interest.

"...Why are you all so calm?" Xiaoxue, who was cosplaying as a sloth hanging around Chang Rong's neck, blinked, unable to understand why these junior employees were so indifferent.

"Hehehe, it's kind of embarrassing to say it~ But now that everyone has a rabbit to eat, to be honest, no one really cares about the S2 and S1 championships anymore, since the championship can't be used as a reward to redeem Watson's vouchers~!"