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

—This prison island was built to imprison prospective witches. In other words… there are… 11 more prospective witches like Nikaido who are considered landmines…

Oh my god.

Volume 1: Chapter 8. Impossible! My head-patting skills are unmatched!

"Chang Rongjun!? You...you, what are you doing here...!"

"Oh, Bessaki, I didn't see any guards or cameras on my way here, so I was wondering if this place is actually a place where the entire crew relies on their own initiative."

"It shouldn't be that simple, right...? By the way, if it's possible, could I ask Chang Rong-jun for a favor?"

"Please... help Hiro-chan! Although she might seem a bit strict at first glance, Hiro-chan is actually a very kind person! And she's more upright than anyone else, and much braver and smarter than me. I believe in Hiro-chan... I believe she can lead everyone out of here!"

"Yeah, it'll definitely work—ah, is that a guard coming over there? Hehe, you win, I'm in!"

…………

……

—Sakuraba-kun, it seems your dear, gentle Hiro-chan is planning to pack us up and take us away in another way.

The Nikaido Hiro that Emma Sakura described with a cute little tiger tooth in her memory was completely different from the real person, like a disillusionment from an online romance meeting in person.

Chang Rong had never studied micro-expressions, nor did he know about the dark psychology of social media manipulation or the capricious Mimi, but even so, he could realize that Nikaido Hiro was an "incorrect" existence.

Whether you call her a monster or a demon queen, her values ​​in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" are too radical, even making Chang Rong suspect that she has already become a 'witch'.

How to deal with this bloodthirsty landmine woman? I'm sure everyone remembers the wise words of the head of the guild hall, the old ninja, Hiroshi: "Just leave her alone!"

That's right, just leave it alone and find somewhere to hide, so you don't get targeted by the landmine woman. This is the optimal solution, especially for ordinary passersby like Chang Rong who have neither 'knowledge' nor 'power'.

However… faced with the unusual girl before him, Chang Rong felt a strong urge to do something.

It's not about having to do something, but about wanting to do something proactively.

From being punched in the refrigerator and pulled out by the blue-haired guy to now being in jail and stepping on a sewing machine, this is the first time in a long time that Chang Rong has truly wanted to take initiative.

I'm a master of glamour! A mere landmine girl is no problem!

"Crench!"

"……What are you doing?"

The scraping sound was particularly jarring in the cramped punishment room, and the abrupt noise even interrupted Nikaido Hiro. She glared fiercely at Chang Rong, only to see the boy groaning and moaning as he moved the mirror in front of Hiro.

"I'm just showing you a witch." Chang Rong replied calmly, pulling the mirror to the designated position while adjusting its angle so that Nikaido Hiro's reflection could be perfectly displayed.

"Witch...? What do you mean—uh!"

Before he could utter a word of rebuke, Hiro was choked by the 'monster' he saw in the mirror.

The person in the mirror was a guy dressed in tattered clothes covered in blood, paint splatter, and grime, with messy, tangled hair and a ferocious face.

That Yue Dongyi Xiyi was neither elegant nor shrewd, and Ling Ye Ni was completely at ease. She looked like a creature that was randomly tearing and biting to vent her anger, and was difficult to communicate with.

No, that's not right. This is absolutely not right.

That thing wasn't 'Nikaido Hiro', but some other evil entity trying to devour him.

"..."

"..."

"Even the most determined person will eventually face reality when they see their own miserable appearance in the mirror—that's what Nikaido-kun said, right?"

Seeing that Hiro didn't activate Blood Hunt to pounce on him and tear him apart like dried beef jerky, Chang Rong peeked out from behind the mirror and asked in a low, half-joking voice.

"Ah, that's right, thank you." An elegant, polite yet cold and aloof perfect smile appeared on Hiro's lips once again. The self-examination from a third-person perspective allowed this witch assassin to rediscover the pace she should have followed all along.

"I have to admit, even I was affected by the witch transformation—tsk, I should know this better than anyone else, after all, I was even affected by the witch transformation before..."

Hiro seemed to have thought of something, shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, and then looked at Chang Rong.

—Although he's an idiot whose future is predictable, how should I put it… he's surprisingly not unpleasant, just like Emma at the beginning… um?

Chang Rong walked straight up to Xi Luo. His actions were so confident and straightforward that Xi Luo was momentarily caught off guard.

Chang Rong walked up to Xi Luo, breathed on his right hand, and then placed his hand on Xi Luo's head to rub it.

"I understand that the pressure is too much, but don't push yourself too hard, that will only backfire."

"—What are you doing!?"

When she was being rubbed for the fourth time, Hiro finally came to her senses. She immediately slapped Chang Rong's arm away, took two steps back, glared fiercely at the white-haired boy, and loudly questioned him. However, the expression on her face was no longer the terrifying "red bean paste" look from before, but rather the panic and shyness that a girl of this age should have.

—Huh, my breath is fuming? Could it be that my head-patting skills aren't invincible after all? Impossible, my head-patting skills are unmatched!

Chang Rong, who was dismantled, was even more surprised than Xi Luo.

"Noah is happy just from being touched...!"

"Huh!? I haven't even touched Noah's head yet, and you're already doing this!!"

"Huh? What do you mean—"

"As expected, you are the biggest [incorrect] one, and I will correct you!"

"Guwa!!??"

The two rehearsed their sword and spear stage play on the spot again. If the prince were here, he would probably applaud and praise Chang Rong for his rapid progress. The feedback of being beaten would be much more realistic.

After another round of friendly academic exchanges, Chang Rong, whose hair was disheveled, seemed to remember something and shifted her body to look at Nikaido Hiro, who was wiping away stains.

"Hey Nikaido, wanna form an alliance with me?"

"An alliance?" The somewhat unexpected question startled Hiro, who then snorted coldly.

"Is this another suggestion from Emma Sakuraba?"

"Ibuqi has nothing to do with Sakura Ryuuyu. It's purely my own judgment. I'm basically certain that you're not the mastermind. Of course, if you really are the big boss, then I'll admit defeat. It just means my intelligence has been completely outmatched, and there's nothing I can do about it."

“Interesting, but unfortunately, I don’t trust you yet,” Hiro coldly refused.

"It's alright, even if it's just a one-sided alliance, I won't ask you to do anything, and I'll try my best to fulfill your request as a way of showing my sincerity, how about that?"

"...Let's talk about it after the witch's trial."

After a moment's hesitation, Nikaido Hiro neither refused nor agreed this time.

How ironic! I was thrown into this prison because no one trusted me, yet now someone wants to ally with me because of that?

A guy shrouded in mystery, an abrupt guy, a guy with absolutely no sense of boundaries...

Nikaido Shiro glanced at Chang Rong, then immediately turned her head away and frowned deeply.

Let's figure out how to get through this trial first.

In the end, Heero made a decision she would almost never make—to leave it for now.

After an unknown amount of time, the dull tolling of a bell suddenly echoed through the prison.

Clang—clang—clang—

"That voice is..."

The cell door opened, and the guard appeared before Nikaido Hiro, accompanied by the sound of a bell, confirming her suspicions.

The Witch's Trial is about to begin.

The smiling monster, hidden among the crowd, was now waiting for him in the courtroom.

Hiro straightened her collar, smoothed the hair that was draped over her shoulders, and walked towards her battlefield with the most perfect posture.

……

"..."

Hiro came out, but the other inmate remained motionless. The guard had to hunch over and shrink into the cell, only to find him lying motionless on the ground in the corner, like a rabbit that had been single-handedly killed by Hakimi.

The guard nudged Chang Rong, who then slowly raised his head and met the guard's gaze with a disheveled expression.

"...?"

"Um, Nikaido-san needed to change clothes, and I told her, 'I always feel inexplicably confident when it comes to helping others change clothes, want me to lend a hand?' And then I was..."

Chang Rong pointed to the old clothes that had been taken off on the table. The guard was silent for a moment, then picked up the old clothes, grabbed Chang Rong by the back of the neck, and dragged her out.

Although Chang Rong couldn't understand what the guard was saying, he felt that the guy was saying he deserved to be beaten.

—Anyway, in short… [The Witch's Trial]? A debate where death can strike at any moment, a debate where someone will inevitably die at the end, a debate filled with lies and truth.

On her way to the courtroom, Chang Rong could clearly feel her heart racing.

Fear, tension, unease, and something else—

excited.

Perhaps I'm actually looking forward to this battle more than I thought?

Volume 1: Chapter 9. Go judge the witches, why are you judging me?

The distance from the prison cell to the courtroom was much shorter than expected. Before Chang Rong could even cram for help from the "YUKI Love System" after getting the phone, the two had already arrived at the corridor in front of the courtroom.

It seemed that the sewing machine duo was the last to arrive; the rest of the girls had already gathered in front of the heavy gate, each with their own thoughts and solemn expressions.

"Is this the door to the courtroom? I feel like it would take me at least seven or eight punches to open it. Wow, that's impressive!"

Of course, as always, the only one out of place was the blue-haired girl "Tachibana Sherry" who was holding a magnifying glass and seemed to be cosplaying as a detective. She acted more like a child who was interested in everything in an amusement park.

"Hiro-chan, Changrong-kun! I'm so glad you're alright...!"

Emma Sakura immediately came over and said happily after seeing that the two had arrived safely.

"What could possibly happen with a guy like that..." Hiro replied, turning his head away somewhat impatiently.

"Huh? This...this strange atmosphere...it seems Chang Rong-jun is really amazing~"

Emma paused for a moment, her pink eyes quickly scanning the two of them before finally focusing on Chang Rong. Although her tone was cheerful and soft, her eyes, devoid of any luster, were unsettling no matter how you looked at them.

"Hey, why are you staring at me like that? Didn't you tell me to try my best to get along with Hiro?! Now that I've actually done it, you're not happy anymore."

This pink fur doesn't seem as innocent, soft, and delicious as it looks at all...!