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

But... why do you always have such a sad expression on your face, Chang Rong-jun?

Even in the flower field, you had that sad expression, as if you had forgotten something.

At times like these, Emma Sakura wishes she truly possessed magic, the kind that allows her to see into other people's hearts.

However, life will definitely go smoothly from now on. I will discover Chang Rong's true feelings and reveal my true feelings to him completely.

That's right, we all have plenty of time to become friends and open up to each other, right?

Chang Rong, still asleep, did not respond.

And the "Witch"—also did not respond to Emma Sakura's expectations.

The brief peace, the hypocritical peace, the childish peace, has been shattered.

Volume 1: Chapter 72. The Kite with a Broken String

Good morning, Noah?

"No no no no..."

As Chang Rong got up from the sofa in the early morning and opened the door, the first thing that caught her eye was a large blob of pure white, and next to it, colorful balloons with an expression of 'having caused trouble'.

"...Noah?" Chang Rong felt his brain was unusually active first thing in the morning. This large blob of white powder was much more energizing than espresso.

"Noah was planning to surprise Rongrong, but he accidentally tripped and fell..."

Noah Kinosaki was holding a plastic bucket containing some white powder, while more powder was spreading out in a radial pattern throughout the corridor.

—Thank goodness Emma went back last night, otherwise she would have been tortured by her lie detector-detecting little darling again… Hmm, why do I feel like one of those sleazy men who go around fooling around?

Chang Rong, who was clearly a complete 'victim of the door-kicking incident,' began to wonder whether he could be considered a cheating scumbag in the broadest sense.

Although I was sucked into God-son mode by Emma's [Stamina Absorption] magic again yesterday, the recovery speed this time was much faster than before.

In my dream, I seemed to be fighting with an axolotl. In the middle of the fight, the axolotl suddenly kissed my mouth. After that, although the dream became more chaotic, I no longer felt the fatigue I had before.

Emma sneaked back around 4 a.m. Although it was during her confinement period, Kurobe Nanoha had previously sent everyone the guard duty roster she had hallucinated. There was a period in the early morning when there were almost no guards patrolling the castle, which is why Emma was able to swagger back to her cell even though she had sprained her ankle.

Hehe... Although my head was all foggy last night, I still managed to develop a 'special relationship' with Emma. If we're talking about Galaga, this would be considered a key turning point, right?

From now on, Emma and I will be... well, what kind of relationship?

Ally? Accomplice? Fan leader? Knight? Dad? Assistant? Dog? Ordinary friend? Big dog chewing? Fire hydrant?

None of them quite match up...tsk...why did such a strange option as 'food reserves' pop into my head?

"Rongrong is just staring blankly with a silly grin on her face."

"Um! No, nothing, anyway—what's going on?"

Having long since given up on himself, Chang Rong left a crack in the door, then carefully followed the wall, leaving a footprint in the white plaster as he approached Noah.

"No, no, no..."

"Don't worry, Noah. Mistakes can be corrected. This is... cough cough cough! Quicklime powder?"

As Chang Rong approached Noah, the white particles flooded her nasal cavity, causing her to cough repeatedly.

"Hmm! Rongrong, look—um!"

"In short, stay away from them for now."

Chang Rongyi Lingyi Qisi Wu 罒韭紦 took the bucket from Noah's hand and put it aside. Then she held Noah's hand away from the large clump of white powder at the door.

"Lime is harmful to the body, so tell the others not to come near here for now."

Chang Rong took photos of the terrible scene at the entrance and sent them to a group text message, only to be criticized by Coco with a comment: "Anime content?"

"Rongrong, look!"

Noah pulled out a piece of black paper with a pattern drawn on it using lime powder, which looked like a reflection of himself.

Unlike previous paintings, although the 'resolution' is not high, at least it is well preserved on paper, and it is not abstract.

"It's a really good painting. Although it doesn't have the same dazzling feel as the ones at art exhibitions, it seems to contain Noah's passion in its simplicity."

"Hmm! Noah has discovered it! As long as it's not a liquid or a material that Noah considers suitable for 'drawing', Noah can draw!!"

"Really? No wonder he's Noah, he's amazing!"

—What is Noah babbling about, teacher?

Chang Rong happily rubbed balloons. Although she didn't understand what Noah meant by what he just said, since Noah was so happy, it must be a good thing.

"After Noah discovered this, he immediately drew a lot of character portraits for An An's script!"

"Finally, it's not 0/17 anymore! No wonder it's Noah! How about we go find Kurobe-kun at noon today and have her make a cake for Noah? [False evidence] Noah will get 7 and I'll get 3."

"...Rongrong, you idiot!"

—Hmm, I forgot Noah could see through my false testimony. Should I have left Noah with 2%? But too much dessert isn't good for kids... No, no, Noah is so cute, he can eat as much as he wants!

Perhaps it was a withdrawal reaction from cookies, but Chang Rong had already begun to mentally refute herself because of the non-existent method of dividing a cake.

After coaxing and cajoling Noah, who was covered in dust, to dry and clean him up, Chang Rong went to the cafeteria.

"Chang Rong-jun~! Over here!"

"...?"

Upon seeing Chang Rong, Emma Sakura immediately stood up and waved for Chang Rong to come over. This unusual action caused Hiro Nikaido, who was standing to the side, to frown.

—Was Emma always this proactive?

Previously, Sakura Emma would only secretly follow Chang Rong after he had chosen a spot; it was rare to see her so openly like today.

—)—In the end, it was just self-inflicted humiliation~ That's all, that stupid rabbit is already used to sitting with me... Hmm.

"You look so energetic, Sakuraba-kun."

Upon seeing Emma's greeting, Chang Rong almost immediately walked over to Emma with a plate containing only apples, sat down, and greeted her. Her movements were so fluid, as if they were second nature.

"Is it still [Sakuraba-san]...?"

"Oh dear... After all, gender issues are still an objective reality, and using honorifics can ease a lot of awkward situations."

"Ugh... Okay, Chang Rong-jun."

—Why did Emma suddenly ask about this form of address? And why did that idiot rabbit suddenly start rubbing his hair and laughing again?

Nikaido Hiro watched the two chatting happily in the distance, her hand holding the plate trembling slightly.

Finally, after a few seconds of intense and brutal mental battle, Hiro picked up his plate and moved to stand next to the two of them.

Good morning, Nikaido~

"...Hmm, it's alright." Nikaido Shiro glanced at Chang Rong and replied indifferently.

—At least this idiot rabbit didn't add the word 'classmate,' which means I'm definitely more familiar with him.

—Huh, why do I feel like I've been given a second chance at life...?

Being targeted by Hiro's murderous intent early in the morning was something Chang Rong was already used to, but today's inexplicable and unprovoked murderous intent still left Chang Rong completely baffled.

"Reya-sama and the others said they're going to fly kites in the courtyard at noon today. Nikaido, are you going?"

"Forget about those meaningless activities." Hiro shrugged. Although 'entertainment' was a rarity in this prison, some forms of entertainment were less appealing to Hiro than writing in his diary in his cell.

“I’ve always wanted to fly a kite with my friends… Can I join you?” Sakura Emma, ​​on the other hand, eagerly raised her hand.

"Although they only have four kites for the competition, it should be fine to go and watch the fun, and then fly them together for fun after the competition."

"I see. Will Chang Rongjun go?"

"I was originally planning to go with Noah, but Noah's hanging out with that gloomy bean sprout again...tsk, and the club president said that if he doesn't see me, I'll be the first to fly the kite in the second competition, and the kite will be watched from the stands...so I'll definitely be participating with high expectations~"

Chang Rong forced a smile and said.

"Let's head over after we finish eating. See you tonight, Hiro-chan~"

"—Thinking about it carefully, since that group of people wants to compete, they can't do without a qualified referee. Although I don't want to interfere in such a stupid thing, since it's a 'competition,' it must abide by the rules and be correct." Nikaido Hiro changed the subject and began to give false testimony in a serious manner.

"Why does it feel like the scale of the competition is getting bigger and bigger... This is not good."

Chang Rong vaguely recalled that when everyone was discussing the competition trophy, the uncle half-jokingly said, "How about Xiao Rong as the prize?" The others looked at him with bloodthirsty eyes... Chang Rong swallowed hard.

—Speaking of which, it's been almost a day since Nanoha Kaori moved to the secret base and I haven't seen her. What's she busy with? She hasn't replied to my messages either. I'm a little worried...

Most people weren't surprised that Nanoha Kaori secretly ran away and moved away. During the time they spent together, everyone basically thought that Nanoha Kaori was a lone wolf pro with extremely high jungle skills. Only when she was baking bread did she show a bit of cuteness that was appropriate for her age.

But Chang Rong knew Nanoha Kaori's true nature. When he heard from Hannah that Nanoha Kaori had moved away, Chang Rong was really worried.

Go find her after you've finished flying the kite, just in case the child gets into any real trouble.

During the lunch break, everyone gathered in the courtyard as previously agreed.

"Nanoha Kaori seems to be still outside the castle doing something, Natsume Anan and Kinosaki Noah say they've 'seen inspiration' so they're working overtime in their cell to finish their manuscripts (although the original deadline has long passed), and Fujito Arisa said the event was too childish so she didn't participate. Sakura Emma, ​​Chang Rong, and Saeki Miria will be the audience. Tachibana Sherry, Tono Hanna, Hasumi Rhea, and Sawatari Coco are this year's contestants. The head referee is me—Nikaido Hiro. Well then, without further ado, let's begin the competition."

"..." "..." "..."

Hero stood beside the dried-up fountain and gave a speech, while the people below remained silent.

"What, is there a problem?" Hiro rested his chin on one hand, pondering whether there was anything 'incorrect' in his previous statement.

"Rather than asking if there are any problems... it's more like after listening to it, it felt like some kind of assessment activity, desuwa...!"

"Hiro-chan, um, in situations like this, being too formal can actually backfire..."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, speaking in such official jargon, it looks so stupid! He's practically an idiot—"

"Coco-chan~~"

"Eeeeeeeee!!!? How do you manage to sneak up behind me so silently every time!? Meow!?"

"Haha! This is more like it, after all, our competition is no joke, right!"

Suddenly, Ryota Hasumi burst into laughter and walked in front of everyone, looking confident and determined.

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! Since Rhea has issued the challenge, this great detective can't let his assistant down!"

"I, I won't lose either, Desuwa!!"

"Wait, what are you guys even arguing about? — Huh!? I, I also have reasons why I have to win!"

Ze Du Ke Ke instinctively used foul language, but after Chang Rong patted her on the shoulder, she immediately became full of energy.