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

"Of course—"

Hiro instinctively wanted to say, "Of course it's the sea, you idiot rabbit," but she immediately remembered being tricked by Emma Sakura, so she changed her mind.

"—Yes, what is it? I'm looking for the answer too." Nikaido Hiro fiddled with his hair, speaking with a melancholy air as if he were about to insert a card and transform at any moment.

"...It's the sea, isn't it, Hiro-chan? Didn't we climb up to the roof from the second floor to observe it before?"

"So Nikaido-kun finally succumbed to the pressure and started rambling... No, wait, she seemed to have started rambling from the very beginning during the Witch Trial. This is kind of maintaining her persona—Gwaa ...

—Damn it, why is the effect so different? What's wrong with me?!

The buyer's show and the seller's show don't match at all. While blushing as he knocked out Chang Rong, Hiro wondered what the difference was between himself and Sakura Emma, ​​and why Chang Rong's reaction was completely different.

As for Chang Rong, his original plan of 'exploration outside the wall & Fulton recovery plan' was abruptly cut off by Hiro before he could even tell the two of them.

Incidentally, the core of the plan was to tie a rope around Hannah Tono, then have Sherry Tachibana throw Hannah over the wall like a ball. After Hannah landed safely using magic, she would be responsible for gathering intelligence as part of the Survey Corps. Once it was almost time, she would pull the rope as a signal, and Sherry would pull her back like a fishing rod being reeled in.

It can only be said that Chang Rong's punch was fate; at most, it was just that the reason for being beaten was different.

After the three of them talked for a while about the wall, the prison break, and the 'island', Emma Sakura was the first to react.

"No, that's not right...! Didn't Chang Rongjun say he was coming here to clear his mind?! Why did it turn into this discussion about prison...?"

Emma complained a little awkwardly, but given her soft pink and white skin tone, even her breath looked much like she was being coquettish in Chang Rong's eyes.

"Tsk, it's easy to get used to it without realizing it... I've been investigating this castle lately." Hiro rubbed his hair, somewhat annoyed. He had fabricated a lot of false evidence and even kicked his daughter out, not so that he could replace the exploration team and continue searching for clues.

"Oh dear, this can be considered a way to relax, right?"

Chang Rong didn't care, after all, the idea of ​​"coming out to relax" was just something he made up on the spot, and his goal was simply to avoid Arisa Zifang.

"No, no, that doesn't count! I imagine relaxing with friends would be... more romantic! Chatting while staring at a wall or something... Well, since it's all just chatting anyway, at least we should have a better setting!"

Sakura Emma was really breathing heavily like a puppy; she seemed to genuinely hope to spend a carefree morning with Chang Rongxi Luo.

Emma hurriedly ran to the center of the flower field, then tried to stand on tiptoe to look around.

"Sakuraba-san...?"

"She probably really wants to play this kind of friend game, even in an environment where it wouldn't be surprising if someone suddenly died."

Chang Rong looked at Sakura Emma with confusion and worry, while Hiro frowned and spoke.

"Friends game?"

"Ah, as far as I know, that guy seems to have barely spoken to anyone in the class for two years, let alone made any friends."

Hiro Nikaido's tone was somewhat heavy, and her gaze towards Emma was also somewhat complicated.

"Two years? Sakura-chan... she actually had this kind of experience?" The topic turned unexpectedly heavy, which made Chang Rong also restrain his nonchalant demeanor.

—But so what…? It was all her own fault. Yes, she has nothing to pity. It was all, all, all of it, a choice made by Emma Sakura herself…!!

Nikaido Hiro clenched her fist with such force that it seemed she would tear the white glove apart, but the next second, her hand was enveloped by Chang Rong.

"—!"

"Although I don't know what exactly happened between you and Sakuraba, you probably don't really hate her, right? In that case, we should fulfill our duties as 'friends'."

"I—well, never mind, they're all guys who don't listen to anyone at all... idiot dogs, and idiot rabbits."

Nikaido Hiro didn't pull back the hand that Chang Rong was holding, but instead let the white-haired boy lead him to Emma's side.

"Hiro-chan, Chang-rong-kun! There's a grassy area over there that's perfect for lying down and watching the clouds!"

Emma waved happily to the two of them, then pointed to a spot not far away. Immediately afterward, the pink-haired puppy took the lead and rushed over, pounced on the haystack, and started rolling around.

—That's so nice, so cute! As expected of Sakura-chan. If it were me, Hiro would probably just call me a jerk.

Looking at the girl's innocent and romantic scene, Chang Rong thought to herself.

"Hey Emma. Lying directly on the ground isn't right—ugh!?"

Hero was about to correct Emma's 'mistake', but before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly splashed with a handful of weeds.

"Don't spoil the mood at a time like this, Nikaido. The 'correct' approach is to join in, isn't it? Haha~ Haha... Ha?"

Chang Rong picked up a handful of weeds and threw them at Xi Luo, laughing as she asked her why she was so serious, but then she fell silent.

Hiro didn't respond to Chang Rong's laughter. Instead, he took out his notebook, scribbled something on it, then snapped it shut before finally smiling at Chang Rong.

It looked like a smile that said, 'Finally, I can harvest the crops!'

"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered there's something I didn't finish saying to Nikaido! Hmm, we can make up—Goo-wah!"

As a result, Chang Rong still couldn't finish saying that sentence this time.

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.

-

"Hehe...that cloud looks like ice cream!"

"Like Ubisoft's poop logo"

It should be cumulus clouds.

Emma Sakura smiled and pointed to a cloud, and the two people beside her followed suit with their opinions.

"That feels a bit like a cupcake!"

"He looks a bit like Brother Hu"

"It's probably cumulonimbus clouds."

Emma Sakura pointed to another cloud with a half-smile and said.

"Hey, Hiro-chan and Chang Rong-jun, that one looks just like a heart!"

"It feels like... like the Fog Gate... uh, dead memories..."

"It's probably cumulonimbus clouds, but the seasons and weather on Prison Island always seem to be the same, with only localized rainfall at most. Perhaps it's some kind of terrain magic that's deliberately maintained? Speaking of which, the cherry blossom trees in the library, the rainbow in the flower field... could they be magical effects cast by the prospective witches who were previously imprisoned here, just like Noah's 'blood butterfly'? Perhaps it's worth investigating."

"Hmm... Hiro-chan and Changrong-kun are really idiots."

"I... I just lack imagination...!"

"What—Sakura Emma…!"

Emma Sakuraba's long-cherished wish—to lie on the grass and watch the clouds with her friends—was easily destroyed by two pieces of wood beside her when it finally came true.

The three of them lay in a flower field surrounded by a gentle breeze and the scent of grass and flowers, lazily gazing at the sky as Emma Sakura pointed.

However, only Emma Sakura's speech was in line with her age and mentality; the other two seemed to be there to cause trouble from every angle.

This 'boring' activity continued for a while, and before anyone knew it, Nikaido Hiro's cloud science lecture was interrupted.

"call……"

The black-haired girl, who always strives for propriety, is now resting on the lawn in a very inappropriate way.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her actually flat chest rising and falling slightly, hot breath coming out from her nose, and her eyes were slightly closed. At first glance, she looked just like Princess Kaguya sleeping in a bamboo tube in a fairy tale.

"Hiro-chan... Hehe, Hiro-chan is really amazing. She's been pushing herself so hard so that everyone can survive safely in this place."

Emma Sakura carefully sat up, looked at Hiro with a smile, and said.

"When she was beating me up just now, it seemed like she didn't even consider how to keep me alive."

Chang Rong muttered to herself, while feeling her eyelids starting to droop.

“That’s Hiro-chan’s cover-up,” Emma said with a laugh.

"cover up?"

"Hmm...explain again? Going to dance would be too unfair to Hiro-chan, wouldn't it? You're so smart, you'll definitely be able to figure it out yourself, right?"

"...?"

Chang Rong was completely confused by Emma's words. He only felt that the pink-haired girl in front of him had very cute pointed canine teeth when she smiled.

"Why do I feel a little sleepy too? Did I get up too early..." The white-haired boy rubbed his eyes, but only felt that his thinking was even more sluggish.

"Chang Rongjun, you should also get some rest. I'll wake you up before your curfew starts!"

"No, no need, I still have to... um?"

Chang Rong, who was sitting on the grass, was gently pulled down by a force, and the back of her head felt something softer than the grass.

However, within that 'softness' there was also a cold, metallic texture that felt like a metal ring.

A soft touch, a metal ring... wait?

When the adorable smiling face of a pink-haired puppy suddenly appeared in her vision, which had previously been focused solely on gazing at the white clouds, Chang Rong finally realized the reality of her situation.

That's right, this is a lap pillow, Emma Sakura's lap pillow, and that thing that's bumping your head is the leg ring that Emma wears on her legs.

"Waaaah... I, I really just did it without thinking... Hehehe, well, I didn't feel my legs were that numb, but they just felt so itchy and weird..."

The girl smiled shyly yet excitedly, placing her hands on Chang Rong's shoulders.

Chang Rong wanted to shout, "This...this is wrong!" but she had no energy left to do so...

As if possessed by some kind of magic, Sakura Emma kept pulling Chang Rong's consciousness into its deepest depths.

Before being completely engulfed by the dream, Chang Rong heard a voice:

How pleasant, Rong!

However, this routine will inevitably come to an end.

"—!?"

Unable to open his eyes, Chang Rong eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Volume One: 65. Snowflake Fragments, Part Two

Are you alright?

The screams coming from the second floor made Chang Rong and Hei Bu end their chat and immediately go upstairs.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

As soon as Chang Rong arrived at the entrance of the recreation room, he saw a girl kneeling on the ground, covering her mouth and vomiting repeatedly.