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

Chang Rong spoke up, pulling Xiao Xue out of the shock and chill of being in the freezer. He looked somewhat troubled, as if he really didn't want Xiao Xue to appear at this time.

—Rong, does he mean... that he plans to use magic to read about the witches' experiences all by himself?

Xiaoxue understood Chang Rong's words and realized why he had been acting suspiciously all day. Upon learning of the boy's actions, Xiaoxue's face first showed shock, then immediately turned to anger.

"If you don't want me to see those prospective witches, then what about you, Rong? Would you be willing to do it in your place?"

"I'll be fine, Xiaoxue. I've seen a lot of things like this before—"

"That's no reason for you to act recklessly! What qualifications do you have, Rong! In terms of the number of humans I've seen, this great witch has seen far more than you!"

Xiaoxue angrily interrupted the white-haired boy, refuting him so forcefully that her hands clenched into fists.

"You're always like this... always wanting to shoulder everything for yourself, unilaterally putting others before yourself... I don't like this arrogance, Rong. Since we agreed to share everything from now on, then stop trying to bear everything alone!"

"Xiaoxue..."

Chang Rong blinked. In his memory, he had almost never seen Xiao Xue so serious and flustered.

"But I still feel—"

"I also support Xiaoxue in this matter. Now that things have come to this point, as my accomplice, I can't let you bear this alone anymore, Chang Rong!"

"Lonely mushroom!"

"...What are you doing, you silly bird?!" "Coo-woo-woo-woo!? Why, why me of all birds—"

Nanoha Kaori also stood beside Yuki and chose to agree with Yuki's ideas, while Chang Rong grabbed the warden, who was also trying to make his presence known, and hugged him and started plucking his feathers.

After venting his 'anger' at being caught by Xiaoxue and hissing at her by taking advantage of the warden's presence, Chang Rong sighed and looked again at the short, imposing witch in front of him.

"Are you really sure, Xiaoxue? You want to personally witness... the end and the beginning of these aspiring witches?"

Looking into Chang Rong's light gray eyes, the Great Witch calmly nodded.

“This is my sin, Rong. They have not disappeared, nor will they be washed away by time; they have remained here, waiting for my arrival. Since that is the case, I have the obligation and the mission to witness it myself.”

"And... I won't get lost, because I still have Rong with me, right?"

"……I see."

Looking at the serene smile of the girl before him, as gentle as snowflakes, Chang Rong finally nodded.

He took Xiaoxue's hand and led her through countless ice coffins, metal cans, and filing cabinets, finally stopping in front of a block of ice that emitted a ghostly blue light.

Through the ice, Xiaoxue saw the figure of a girl suspended quietly within it—a girl with long golden hair dressed in a style resembling a lace maid dress.

"—Alice"

Xiaoxue's pupils widened. The girl's corpse before her, the one she had once held in her arms and let her play with her hair, that touch and warmth, now only left a numb coldness.

She had once dreamed of living happily ever after on Witch Island with Chang Rong, Meruru, and Alice, but that beautiful dream was ultimately shattered by the karma she herself had sown. Now, the girl's broken body hangs silently in the ice, devoid of anger or despair, only endless silence.

"I will stay with you, Xiaoxue."

“…I know, Rong.”

Chang Rong grasped Xiao Xue's hand and slowly pressed it against the ice coffin in front of them. The expression on the Great Witch's face changed from initial fear to tension, and finally to anticipation.

Her original sin ended there, but... this is not the end of everything. Just as her beloved, whom she thought was gone forever, is now by her side, giving her the courage to move forward, her testimony as a prospective witch is not for mourning, but for correcting mistakes and creating a future where everyone can be happy.

Then, the Great Witch touched the frozen girl and activated the [Illusion] spell.

In an instant, her vision was completely overwhelmed, and unseen scenes unfolded before her eyes like a projector.

The first thing the two saw was a dark, gloomy, stuffy, and sweltering scene.

For a moment, Xiaoxue thought the basement's lighting and cooling system had broken down, but as scattered light shone from the darkness and gradually filled the scene, Xiaoxue realized that the scene was not a basement, but a small, stuffy, and enclosed cargo hold inside a cargo ship.

The young Alice arrived in this land with her parents through unconventional means. Her rainbow-colored eyes peered out the porthole at the sea, filled with hope and fantasy for the future. It seemed that as long as she left her barren and hopeless 'hometown,' everything would be alright.

But the story is not that simple. Her life did not improve after she came here. When her parents hid Alice with despair on their faces, and were then 'invited away' by some people and never returned, this young girl was forced to mature and grow up quickly.

Unable to earn money, they had to sacrifice sleep to do illegal work. When they felt exhausted, they would bite their tongue and lips with enough force to draw blood. They had to smile and act obedient to everyone they met; only in this way could they possibly survive alone.

This almost hopeless and bleak life finally improved with the arrival of a kind couple. Alice's lovely appearance and endearing 'innocent' personality led to her being adopted by the couple.

She gained her own identity and name, her own room, and for the first time, a rainbow shone into her black and white life.

Cherishing all of this, Alice began to pay more attention to her performance. She always played the role of the innocent, naive, and pure Alice, trying in various ways to make the couple who adopted her happy.

One day, Alice suddenly discovered that she could 'draw' a real rainbow in the sky. She couldn't wait to show her parents this ability, hoping to bring a smile to their faces.

But when Alice saw the rainbow appear out of nowhere from the living room ceiling, she noticed that her parents' faces were not smiling, but filled with fear and panic.

In that instant, the happiness that was almost within Alice's grasp vanished from her world. She realized that this beautiful and dreamlike rainbow was not a blessing for her, but rather a curse that felt almost like a cruel joke.

She became more cautious, desperately observing the atmosphere around her, burying this ability deep inside; everything would surely get better again—

But after that, she opened her eyes in the cold, dark cell. After a brief moment of shock and panic, she finally chose the white-haired boy and resolved to cling to him and live as long as possible.

She no longer yearned for fairytale-like illusions; she just wanted to survive. But her brief experience on this prison island allowed the girl to truly feel the beauty of 'family love' without any pretense for the first time.

Until the sharp knife pierced her body, and in her last moments, as blood and life flowed away from her body, Alice's only thought was—she had to do something to ensure that 'Mom and Dad' could continue to live.

So, the girl endured the excruciating pain and used her magic to hide the clues leading to the truth, believing that her 'father' would definitely notice her little trick, and then closed her eyes.

------

"I...I...what have I done—"

Upon returning from the illusion's magic, Xiaoxue almost uncontrollably knelt on the ground, covering her cheeks and trembling uncontrollably.

The grand mission converges on the individual, while the individual's experiences play out before her eyes. "Original sin" is no longer an empty slogan, but a wound she truly perceives, deeply etched into her heart.

The girl who forced herself to remain optimistic and innocent forever to survive—all of this vanished the moment she was about to touch the happiness that came after her suffering—because of the witch's influence she had during her walk. "Xiaoxue, I once told Alice about the 'Great Witch.' But that child never resented you, nor did she resent Meruru. What she truly wished for was to meet us again."

Chang Rong squatted down beside Xiao Xue, gently stroking her hair as he spoke.

"Will you continue on this path so that you can reunite with Alice? Or you can leave it to me. I respect your choice, Xiaoxue. Whether you move forward or stop, I will support you."

"..."

"I want to... continue. Next, I'll look into that idiot reporter's past. It feels a little strange without that idiot pretending to be stupid in my ear."

Xiaoxue wiped her eyes and stood up again, looking at the tombstones of the prospective witches in front of her, her eyes becoming even more determined.

Continue to witness, witness your own sins, witness their past, and then—create a better future.

Chang Rong said nothing, but gently embraced the snowflake-like girl before him. In that instant, the witch, who had once been incredibly interested in humans, also experienced the complex yet resilient human soul.

For the next period of time, Witch Island entered a period of peace and tranquility.

During the day, Xiaoxue would discuss with Mag the operating theory and improvement methods of witch magic. As an instinctive type, Xiaoxue was forced to cram in the basic principles of magic that she had been missing for a hundred years, but the improvement of the retrograde magic also made steady progress.

At noon and in the afternoon, Xiaoxue would join the brutal brawl of the lowly women on Witch Island. However, the naturally kind-hearted Great Witch was at a huge disadvantage in this regard, losing repeatedly. In the end, even the other prospective witches, fearing that Xiaoxue would become malnourished if she continued like this, couldn't bear it and invited her over to have a bowl of rabbit soup.

The good news is that Chang Rong's perspective on herself hasn't changed after all that she's been through.

The bad news is that this wretched rabbit doesn't consider itself a unique and special being either.

It's unclear whether Chang Rong has completely given up or surrendered. He has fully embraced the identity of the 'trophy,' as if saying, "I'm right here, I'll catch it without flinching or dodging, whoever grabs it can keep it."

The only saving grace was that she still had the right to share a bed with Chang Rong. However, every morning after waking up, either the blankets would disappear or she would inexplicably find herself on the sofa next to him, which made Xiaoxue increasingly confused about what happened in Chang Rong's bedroom after she fell asleep at night.

Not only Xiaoxue, but the other prospective witches also began to devote more energy to preparations for 'returning to society'.

Emma and Hannah have been dragged to tutoring by Heero. Everyone has decided to help Hannah enroll in school after leaving Witch Island, but for the little dog and Hannah, catching up on the missed lessons is the biggest challenge.

Recently, Tachibana Sherry has been following Saeki Miria to learn about legal and criminal law. Although Sherry always acts carefree, saying things like, "The era of Sherlock Holmes is over, from now on it's a battle in the courtroom, Watson!", Chang Rong knows very well that she actually plans to proactively reveal her past actions at the orphanage after leaving Witch Island. However, according to Miria, Sherry doesn't need to bear too much responsibility for her actions; the orphanage itself has far more serious problems.

An'an bumped into Arisa while sneaking a snack. Afterwards, the two would encourage and comfort each other from time to time. They wanted to return to their families and apologize to their parents, but An'an's hypnosis and Arisa's arson past made it difficult for them to make the decision. The two, sharing a similar plight, comforted each other, but ultimately, due to a disagreement over the unequal distribution of Chang Rong's usage, their close friendship vanished like snowflakes. Their solution to returning to their families was ultimately simplified to, "As long as I bring Chang Rong home, everything will be alright!"

Nanoha Kaori clung to her older sister, as if trying to make up for the past two years, never leaving her side. This should have been a beautiful and touching story, but for Chang Rong, there was no time for sentimentality. The most night-raiding enthusiast on Witch Island had found the most skilled lock-picker on the island. Sisters working together were invincible, and Chang Rong hadn't slept a single night since that day. Key locks, fingerprint locks, chain locks, heart locks, magic locks—none of them worked. Her bedroom had once again become a public toilet.

Rhea Hasumi has taken a liking to Meruru Ice's costume-making abilities. In order to make a name for herself in the industry with the agency run by Miss Reika after her return to society, Rhea has been trying to persuade Meruru to become her costume designer. However, Meruru Ice's own desires lie elsewhere. She always finds ways to shake off Rhea and go to Hosommag to teach her human language and wisdom, determined to become a doctor who can truly save lives. During this time, Noah travels to various parts of Witch Island to sketch the scenery. Without magic, her painting skills, though slow, are steadily improving, and Noah's use of color is truly unique, even earning praise from Heero. After hearing a story about a journalist from the old days, Noah wants to draw every detail of Witch Island before it all ends, to prove that painting is no less effective than photography and can also preserve the most beautiful memories.

Of course, don't misunderstand. Noah's progress in painting has absolutely nothing to do with these landscape paintings; it's simply due to the experience and improvement she gained from body painting.

Sawatari Coco removed all her messy, flashy decorations and signature cat-ear headphones. Now, she looked nothing like a trendy internet savvy person; instead, she resembled a cute, approachable girl next door. In Coco's words, she was going to introduce her older brother to her grandfather when they got back, so she naturally wanted to be presentable and tidy. However, Arisa was somewhat anxious about this. She hadn't expected that after defeating Heero, Coco-chan would emerge as a contender in the "Yamato Nadeshiko, the virtuous and kind wife" category.

Despite being on a magical island floating in the clear sky, all the aspiring witches on the island are diligently working towards their goals, including the island's master, the "Great Witch." (Only a certain silly bird, who considers herself a mascot and can get by on its own, remains engrossed in watching human soap operas.)

Every night, Xiaoxue and Changrong would use illusion magic to experience the lives of those aspiring witches and confirm the time points of the time travel.

Ultimately, Xiaoxue and Changrong personally witnessed the past of the 641 girls who were buried here.

"...It is time for the witch's journey of redemption."

After the final outcome of the last prospective witch was recorded and observed, Xiaoxue looked at the notebook in her hand and gently squeezed the hand of the boy beside her.

This is a story I started, so I should also correct it myself and put a period to it.

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Thank you all for the donations! I forgot to check the backend yesterday... 319. Our Future

Why did it turn out like this...? Something's definitely wrong. This is a dream... It must be a dream—

The girl's eyes trembled as she looked at the scene unfolding before her. Her friend, who had been laughing and chatting with her just a minute ago about whether to go eat cake after school, was now lying on the classroom floor in pieces.

"This, this is fake... I didn't do anything... I, I..."

The girl stared at her hands, unable to comprehend what had just transpired. It was as if something had taken root and grown within her, finally blossoming and bearing fruit in the blink of an eye. And the price for that sprouting was the dismemberment of her best friend before her very eyes, a process utterly inexplicable by reality.

Even though he hadn't touched her at all, a voice deep in his mind kept telling him that the brutal and bloody scene before him was caused by him, or more precisely, by the fruit of his actions, by some kind of power that humans couldn't explain.

But... none of that matters anymore. Soon the other students will return to the classroom, and I will become the sole perpetrator of this brutal murder, bringing my nascent high school life to a complete standstill.

Rather than be misunderstood by others and become a murderer, it's better to take the first step before that happens.

"Ahem, have you ever fed a rabbit braised duck by the roadside?"

"—!?"

My mind, which was on the verge of collapse and about to completely fall into a mad rush, was abruptly interrupted by these sudden and inexplicable words.

The girl turned her head in alarm in the direction of the sound and found a boy with short white hair standing in the corner of the classroom, which should have been empty.

“Rabbit…?” The girl repeated the boy’s ambiguous words blankly.

"Beep beep—wrong answer, I'm not that rabbit, I'm the roadside."

"Uh……?"

The girl blinked, but the boy ignored her confusion and took advantage of the moment to walk over to Shang Yang's 'corpse' to examine it.

"Hmm... Don't worry, while your magic can indeed 'split' objects, the act itself doesn't harm them. She just fainted temporarily due to the shock. Now take a deep breath to calm yourself down, and then try using the magic you just learned again."