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

"Too, too close, too close...! And his hand... his hand touched... that... um... Waaah!"

Kurobe Nanoha, who just wanted to prove that she was "not a burden," never expected Chang Rong to pounce on her so directly. With almost zero-distance contact, she instantly turned into a human oven, standing there dumbfounded and at a loss, only able to let Chang Rong touch her all over. It wasn't until Chang Rong was torn off Kurobe Nanoha by Hiro and Tachibana Sherry like ripped tape that this sudden farce was brought under control.

Finally, adhering to the core idea of ​​'since we're already here,' everyone ate the bread that Kurobe Nanoha had farmed while watching Noah's spray-painted butterfly show.

Apart from--

"Ugh... I hate this...!"

"Eek! A ghost has crawled out!? What, what's wrong, Xiao An?"

Inside the entertainment room, Saeki Miria accompanied Natsumi (3) and Mio er to watch a horror movie to pass the time.

But Milia quickly noticed that An An wasn't watching a horror movie; instead, she was staring at her phone, gritting her teeth, seemingly engrossed in something on the screen.

"We, we must—"

Natsume Anan wanted to say something, but in the end she just locked her phone and turned her attention back to the movie, watching the villainous assassin on the screen preparing a murder plan.

Volume 1: Chapter 58. The Witch's Night Banquet (5K)

"What the hell... Damn it, what the hell is going on...!"

"Oh my, you know what? If there's a plot that's even more thrilling than 'the protagonist finally defeats the villain after going through countless hardships,' it's 'the protagonist and the villain are forced to temporarily team up due to an accident,' right?"

"What the hell are you talking about... Why did I have to be with a jerk like you... Tsk, how did it all turn out like this?!"

Spirited Little Sister, Competition-Level Jiahao, OD Master, Pink Claw, A Girl Like Allen Walker: Zifang Arisa raised the broom in her hand high, swung it down hard, and before hitting the wall, she suddenly pulled back her strength, and finally slammed it lightly on the table in a fit of rage, -1hp.

"Perhaps this is what they mean by 'with great power comes great responsibility.' Heh, I am truly a man burdened with sin, carrying the weight of everything..."

"If I'm guilty, just drag me to trial and give me a quick death... Why are you torturing me like this, you bastard...!"

Looking at the white-haired boy beside her, who was captivated by her handsomeness, Arisa Fujito wished she could immediately initiate the witch's trial and help herself escape this torment.

The two were still in the studio on the 2nd floor, but the studio now seemed smaller than usual.

It's not that the room itself shrank; even if Tachibana Sherry were bored, she wouldn't be idly playing with the room.

The studio felt cramped because it was practically a complete mess. It looked like a chaotic scene had just unfolded.

Yes, this is the 'accident scene,' an incident involving almost everyone, which recently unfolded in this small art studio—

Noah's original "Operation Hero and Goodness" went astray from the very first step due to various reasons related to Natsume An'an. In addition, the cheesy live stream title of Hasumi Ryoya, which Chang Rong could never reach in her entire life, managed to fool almost all the aspiring witches.

And because Kurobe Nanoha somehow managed to get her hands on some rich, milky, toasted bread, everyone's spirits were immediately and completely lifted.

After taking a bite of bread, Sakura Emma immediately declared that she would be Nanoha Kaori's loyal dog, but Chang Rong immediately retorted that he was the only believer and lackey of Kurobe God, and he would bite anyone who dared to take it from him, even Sakura Emma.

As soon as Chang Rong finished speaking, he was easily knocked out by a punch from the sickly wheelchair detective Tachibana Sherry. But as Sherry said, "My assistant has caused you all trouble," and tried to drag Chang Rong away, Nikaido Hiro stopped the two of them.

“Although you are a member of the ‘Monster Detective Club,’ that doesn’t mean you, Tachibana Sherry, have the right to control Chang Rong. That’s ‘incorrect.’”

Nanoha Kurobe wanted to say something, but Tono Hanna and Shito Arisa's heartfelt praise, "It's so delicious! Are you a genius, Nanoha?!" left Nanoha, who was surrounded, unable to do anything but huddle in her hood and blush.

Chang Rong knew that Kurobe Nanoha was a self-proclaimed indifferent nobody who was actually completely defenseless against other people's 'dislike', but he didn't know that it wasn't just 'dislike', even if you fed Kurobe Nanoha too many words of 'praise' at once, this older sister-type nobody would still turn into an uncommunicative mode.

"Hehe, I've finished drawing, everyone! The first clue is [Idol]. Although it might be a little hard to guess, I believe that if you try hard, you will still have a chance to find the correct answer!" Ryota Hasumi, who was not distracted by the bread incident, sat in front of the canvas and casually tossed her hair, seemingly very satisfied with her painting.

"What's so hard to guess about this clue? I mean, is it hard to guess just how arrogant and narcissistic this guy is?" Ze Du Ke Ke, who was forced by Chang Rong to act as a phone stand, complained helplessly.

"Hmm... Noah thinks Leia's drawing is wrong. Not only is the perspective wrong, but the human anatomy is also terrible, the color scheme is a disaster, the brushstrokes are also wrong, the composition is completely bad, and the movements are stiff to death. She's just wasting Noah's drawing paper~?"

Startled by the sensationalist headlines in the live stream, thinking that her cheap rabbit dad was about to be... well, you know... by a golden retriever, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go find Shiro. As expected, she was severely scolded by Shiro. Then, after being dragged to the art studio by Shiro, she realized that the two of them were just playing a game of charades. Completely baffled by her motives, she made an overly sharp and sarcastic comment on Hasumi Ryoya's painting.

"Pfft!?"

Kinosaki... Noah—!!

Hasumi Ryoya, who was mercilessly demoted to the ground and stomped on twice, almost vomited blood. She glanced at Noah, who was tilting his head and pretending to be cute, and began to recall the assembly and synthesis table of the simple spear in her mind again.

A scabbard! A rapier! A mop handle! An insect arrow!

Super assembly!

Ah, so you've always been with me (referring to the murderous intent emanating from the balloon).

Of course, Hasumi Ryoa was only annoyed by the direct confrontation. Now she has begun to learn to stop caring about other people's opinions and only need to let the eyes of those she cherishes look at her.

Thinking of this, Hasumi Ryoya smiled and looked at Chang Rong—

"Kurobe-neechan, please... just one more bite, I'm crawling on ants... just one bite! I know I was wrong, please, just one more bite—oh, by the way, Sakura-kun! I see some breadcrumbs on your collar, don't move, I'll lick them off for you—"

"..."

Chang Rong, who was disgusted to the point of wanting to die from the cafeteria food, was clinging to Kurobe Nanoha Kaoru's slender black-stockinged feet, desperately begging for another bite of bread. When he realized that Nanoha Kaoru's face was flushed and she had lost her language module ability due to overheating, he immediately turned around and went to Sakura Emma to snatch food from her mouth.

—Wow… Is he the [Number One Fan] I want to shine for from now on…?

Ryota Hasumi often hears stories of fans who develop unrealistic expectations of their idols, only to break down when those expectations aren't met. One of the most serious stories even resulted in a death, causing the downfall of a rising 20-year-old superstar.

But the situation where an idol is so easily swayed by fans' expectations and then breaks down on their own... seems to be unprecedented. Heh, as expected of me, even my expectations of fans are so unique. Hasumi Ryoua, you are indeed the idol destined for me!

"What's with that silly grin over there all of a sudden... Come help me, this idiot rabbit has finally gone completely mad, we have to get rid of him harmlessly."

Nikaido Hiro interrupted Hasumi Rhea's mysterious daydream. After gathering the power of the golden retriever, he finally managed to make Chang Rong docile. However, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori seemed unable to have a normal conversation for a while. Judging from the fact that her cheeks were hotter than an oven, it looked like she would have to let her cool down for a while.

After the commotion caused by the Black Q Department Ecology* Small Noodles n, V Shirosaki Noah I also took the opportunity to show everyone her skills as a 'balloon artist'.

The paint from the spray can danced and burst forth on the white paper, making the description of "possessing the life of a chess piece (power three)" no longer an empty phrase, but a concrete statement. Countless bizarre lines twisted, separated, and merged, ultimately becoming one painting after another that I "don't understand, but I am deeply shocked" by.

"Look, look! Rhea-sama, Tohno-sama, Emma-kun, isn't our Noah amazing... (sniffs) Coco-chan, you absolutely have to record this! We need to pass it on to Saeki-kun and Natsume-kun too... no, we also need to pass it on to the guards and the warden!!"

"It's so noisy, meow! I'm recording, it would be better if you could just shut up and be quiet!" Ze Du Ke Ke complained, a little annoyed.

The white-haired guy had been acting like he was at a parent-teacher conference and heard the teacher praising his child—a really annoying look.

"I...I understand...I understand everything...This is a miracle..."

"Hey, you've started too!?"

Originally, it was thought that only Chang Rong was having an episode, but for some reason, Zifang Arisa, who usually always breathed on Chang Rong and seemed uninterested in anything, was now behaving like a reserved little girl visiting someone else's house, with her hands clasped in front of her chest and looking at Noah with the expression of someone watching Jesus come down and playing catch with their palms.

"It is indeed beautiful, but the visual effects and art style seem somewhat similar. It's more than enough to fool these unsophisticated prisoners, but if they want to go further and reach a global audience, they'll need to learn at least two or three more painting styles..."

Zedu Coco glanced again at Nikaido Hiro, who was sitting next to Chang Rong, who was wiping her nose and tears. She was only wearing a polite and elegant social smile in the face of Noah's performance, nodding slightly while frowning, and reciting a training plan that sounded suffocating.

—Well, in a way, this guy is the scariest one... What a cheesy couple!

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—ah, the paint's all gone, that's it for today."

The spray paint can in his hand stopped spewing paint, and Noah didn't think much of it, simply looking at everyone to indicate that the art exhibition was over.

"Well done, Noah! Did you all see our Noah? That's right, it's our Noah, it's me—Goo-wah!!"

"You've repeated yourself too many times, Watson~~"

Chang Rong was halfway through taking credit when he was punched to death by Tachibana Sherry. Although the blue-haired detective still had a smile on his face as always, today's smile seemed to have added some unnecessary emotions instead of the naivety he had shown before.

"Good job, Noah. Consider your previous failure to show up as an equal damage. Even the best performance is meaningless if you're late. Remember not to get the time wrong again." Nikaido Hiro was as stern as ever.

“Balloon Master…it really is Balloon Master…I was captivated by your work even before I ran away from home…! Your paintings are like they’re imbued with magic…no, they are magic!” Arisa Wisteria wiped her eyes and exclaimed in a devout tone.

"Hmm... It's not magic, it's not magic. Noah has to go now." Noah Shirosaki paused for a moment after hearing Arisa's praise, then revealed his usual carefree smile and left the studio in a nonchalant manner.

"...?"

Chang Rong, who was still violently proselytizing to Hakimi while dragging Zedu Coco along, noticed something amiss about Noah, but because Noah ran away too quickly, he didn't have time to examine him closely.

Noah had barely left when Saeki Miria rushed into the studio. However, all she saw was a messy room, a baking tray with bread crumbs scattered around, Chang Rong licking the tray, Emma Sakuraba standing to the side drooling as she watched Chang Rong lick the tray, Hiro Nikaido pulling on a rabbit's head to stop Chang Rong from licking the tray, Sherry Tachibana with an enlarger, searching Rhea Hasumi from head to toe, Hannah Tono using a feather fan to cool down Naoka Kurobe, who was lying on the floor with a flushed face, and Arisa Fujito, who was devoutly bowing three times to a painting.

"Um, Uncle, am I being ostracized?... Hahaha... Hahaha—Uncle, you should just find a corner and quietly turn into a cockroach and disappear, or you could go to an izakaya, drink until you're kneeling on the roadside and vomiting, get dragged into the Metropolitan Police Department and wait for your kid to come and bail you out, then smash a beer can over your head—"

"Where are you from, uncle?!"

As a result, this art exhibition also had a hidden closing event – ​​comforting Saeki Miria.

After the controversy surrounding "Balloon II: The Deletion of Balloon" completely subsided, a new problem arose: who would clean up the mess?

After enjoying the mysterious magic of 'undoing a painting,' the little balloon floated away mercilessly after being cupped. The mess left behind couldn't be left for the guards to clean up, so the trainee witches had to take care of it.

"I haven't finished cleaning the cell yet..."

"Well, I also need to go back and help Hannah-chan... she can't handle the cleanup by herself."

"I heard Coco can also edit videos. As this is my first live broadcast, hmm... I definitely need to supervise it myself!"

"Why did I become your free labor?! It's all that bastard's fault—"

“Coco is right.”

"Eek, I was just saying it casually, meow!?"

"No, I mean this art exhibition was actually a joint idea between Noah and me, so I'll take care of cleaning up here."

Chang Rong took the initiative to accept the job, and surprisingly, she didn't seem to be so resistant to cleaning.

"Then I'll do it too. I have nothing to do right now, and cleaning is a good way to relieve stress and clear my mind."

Nikaido Hiro naturally chose to join, but just as she was about to pick up the broom in the corner, Sakura Emma grabbed her wrist.

"Hiro-chan... wait a minute, didn't you say you were going to check over the wall today to see if there were any vulnerabilities that could be used to escape?"

"—Emma!"

What was originally a legitimate and straightforward action was completely rendered untenable by a single, casual question from Emma Sakuraba.

—This guy, because he just said he still had to accompany Tono Hannah, chose to adjust his tactics and drag me down with him, right? You… evil being!

"Huh? Right, I suddenly remembered, I don't seem to be in a huge rush to clean out the cell walls..."

"Hey, Hannah was complaining this morning about having so much work to do, wasn't she? I wanted to help, but you told me I was too strong and shouldn't get in the way~~"

"—That wretched gorilla woman!"

Tono Hannah originally planned to change her mind at the last minute, but before she could have any effect, her bold and shameless words were immediately blocked by Tachibana Sherry who suddenly appeared.

"Hehehe, now I'm the only one who can help out! Well, what can I do? Our Monster Detective Club's motto is 'mutual help'!"

"No, no, no, please stop your supernatural powers, President."

Shirley Tachibana, a talented woman, was preparing to clean the room with Chang Rong, despite her reluctance. However, she was firmly refused by Chang Rong before she could even touch the broom.

"0v0... Hmm? What does that mean, Watson?"

"Many of the brushes and shelves here are very fragile. President, you should just continue being your sickly, wheelchair-bound, coughing-up-blood detective."