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

Rather, it was Futter's multi-camera frenzy of circling around and snapping photos of Chang Rong and the pink-haired girl that made Chang Rong want to punch her to see if her fists would hurt. She was using this method to determine if she was trapped in an illusion.

"Oh dear... Look at the ball (the seven children) I've been having this strange feeling lately (and it turns out it's not wrong). Nana, this child... I didn't expect her to become so bold after coming here~ You know, back in school, she was too afraid to tell the teacher when she found yogurt spilled in her schoolbag, and could only go to the bathroom to clean it by herself—until I found out and discovered the bully's quiet personality."

Always acting alongside the pink-haired high school girl, wearing the same women's uniform, and also the core of another small group, the long-haired high school girl with black hair, 'Mizuki Chisa', walked up behind Nana with a smile.

She placed her hands on Nana's shoulders, leaned out halfway, and teased Chang Rong with a smile that exuded a gentle and refined air. Her expression was perfectly between lively and dignified, giving off an unpretentious and youthful charm.

"Please, please don't laugh at me, Chisa-chan...!"

Nana's cheeks flushed red, and she closed her eyes tightly, speaking in a cute tone that was hard to tell whether it was a complaint or a coquettish plea.

"This isn't mockery, it's support and encouragement from a close friend to their companion, hehe." Mizuki Saki smiled, while giving Chang Rong a meaningful look.

"In short, Chang Rong—I...I'm serious, please accept my love, a...a love...!"

Pink-haired JK Nana stretched her hands forward again, the pink envelope almost touching Chang Rong's nose.

"Huh?!? Commoners, is this how love is expressed?! No, no, that can't be right, can it? I've never seen anything like this in romance novels!? Uh... without hundreds of kilograms of flowers paving the way or a city-level orchestra, how dare you confess your feelings in this kind of atmosphere?!"

The blonde heiress was equally shocked, her pupils dilating in disbelief. This blunt and pathetic confession was putting her will to the test.

That's not how it's described in romance novels! I forgot the beginning and the end, but anyway, Chang Rong should have taken the envelope Nana handed him, torn it up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, said "I'm going to kill you," and then coolly put his hands in his pockets and left.

"The only thing you're using to describe the quantity of flowers is common sense, Miss. Although this common sense makes it seem like the most outlandish statement. But in the end, hehe... humans are just aggregates of flesh and blood controlled by various hormones and electrical signals. It's not surprising that they would do anything if they were stimulated by certain 'external things'."

The girl in the white coat with her messy hair pushed up her glasses, put down her work of dissecting the indescribable food on her plate, and began to observe the farcical youth romance unfolding before her with great interest.

Right next to Chang Rong, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori, who witnessed everything, looked astonished.

—Oh no…! Although my intense observation of Chang Rong revealed that 'Sakuraba Nana' and 'Takahara Reika' have slightly higher feelings for Chang Rong, this kind of 'confession' should absolutely not have happened!

There must have been some unexpected variables that led to this situation...

Ultimately, the most important thing is to observe Chang Rong's reaction.

Kurobe Nanoka glanced briefly at Sakuraba Nana's long-haired, straight-haired Yamato Nadeshiko girl, 'Mizu Chisa,' who was almost inseparable from her, before looking at the person in question, Chang Rong:

"^q^ Hehehe, is this a dream? Did I get confessed to? Huh?"

—He looks like a complete coward, temporarily rendered incapable of thinking by the sudden turn of events! Just being confessed to, does it really have to turn into this?!

Nanoha Kurobe became increasingly convinced that she had chosen the wrong side when she formed a small group. The only person on her side who seemed reliable was actually just a nobody.

Is this some kind of seafood market?! Somersaulting fish, fish that crash when they hear a confession, dropout fish, jellyfish fish, sleeping fish—

What will become of our little group?

"Hey, doesn't that guy already have a girlfriend? Are young girls these days playing this dangerously? Stealing a man right in front of you?"

The girl, who was wrapped in bandages and called herself a "sand spirit criminal," and seemed the most abnormal, uttered the first normal human statement in the entire room so far.

“That’s right…! Chang Rong already has a girlfriend. Therefore, Sakura Nana, your behavior has already caused distress to the person involved, please stop immediately.”

Nanoka Kurobe quickly chimed in.

"Girlfriend...? You mean that tiny little girl? Isn't she—Chang Rong's younger sister?"

"—"

As Sakuraba Nana asked in a naive yet timid voice, everyone was stunned for a moment.

...Huh? Come to think of it, Chang Rong has never really talked about his relationship with Xiao Xue before? Rather, it's more accurate to say that the relationship between the two of them is that calling them a couple feels a bit strange, and calling them 'father and daughter' would be more accurate, but their ages obviously don't match up.

But if they are 'siblings'—

The mystery has been solved!

"Huh? No, no, it's not that. Xiaoxue, she..."

"You're wrong, Nana. Xiaoxue is indeed not Chang Rong's girlfriend." Kurobe Nanoha suddenly took a step forward.

"If Xiaoxue is Chang Rong's sister, then Chang Rong's girlfriend is me."

Kurobe Nanoha walked to the white-haired boy's side, grabbed his arm and lifted it up, making Chang Rong's arm wrap around her as if she were piloting a mecha. Kurobe Nanoha herself leaned against Chang Rong's chest, her face flushed but her tone unquestionable.

"Eeeeeeee!?" "Eeeeeeee—Pfft!"

The pink-haired high school girl and Chang Rong both exclaimed in surprise, but before Chang Rong could say anything more, Kurobe Nanoha Kaori directly stuck her finger into her mouth, posing in the way someone with excellent marksmanship would do.

"So, do I need to repeat myself a second time, Nana Sakuraba? Your behavior... is hardly what a good child should do, you know?"

Nanoha Kurobe asked softly, her tone calm but revealing an aura of domineering authority that left no room for doubt.

"Ugh—sorry...! It's my fault, I was so rude...!"

Seeing that her attempt to be the blonde had backfired and she had accidentally offended the person in question, the pink-haired girl immediately withdrew her love letter and fled the cafeteria like a frightened animal.

"Hey Nana, wait on me—tsk... Hmm, it seems my friend has caused you two some trouble. It's because I failed to discipline her properly. I hope you won't mind. That child is just too stupid, isn't she?"

The black-haired high school girl was taken aback by the pink-haired girl's sudden departure, but she immediately put on her elegant and dignified demeanor, bowed to Chang Rong and Naoya, and then left the cafeteria as well.

With the person involved fleeing, this sudden confession scandal also abruptly ended. Realizing there was no more juicy gossip to be had, everyone left the cafeteria.

"Um, Kurobe-kun, what you just did was—"

Chang Rong, finally snapping out of his daze, blinked frantically and looked at the girl nestled in his arms, asking her a question.

"Ahem... I was just protecting you, Chang Rong, no need to thank me."

Kurobe Nanoka reluctantly got up from Chang Rong's arms, took off her cycling hat, and tidied her slightly disheveled hair in response.

—Although I was somewhat bothered by the way that rich young lady left with a resentful expression, biting her handkerchief, I could at least consider that I had prevented the biggest storm from happening for now.

Another day of diligently protecting the white-haired boy, Xiaoxue, please rest assured.

"Protect... uh, protect me..."

Chang Rong wanted to complain, "Who protects someone by snuggling into their arms?!", but Kurobe Nanoha's overly confident words and unwavering gaze made Chang Rong wonder if she was the one who had played the wrong game.

"Ahem... To be serious, there's something going on between Sakuraba Nana and Mizuyu Chisa."

This time, Kurobe Nanoka's words did clear Chang Rong's muddled mind a bit.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, my [Vision] spell was activated for a moment just now. Although the specific image is still unclear, I am certain that Sakuraba Nana's purpose in contacting you was definitely not a simple 'confession'. That was just her disguise."

"Pretending... Come to think of it, I was too shocked to notice earlier. Actually, Sakuraba-san was a bit strange during her 'confession'. She seemed to secretly glance at Mizuyu-san a few times, but it didn't seem like she was nervous and looking forward to her best friend's encouragement."

After regaining her senses, Chang Rong began to review and analyze this abrupt confession, noting that Sakuraba Nana's reaction was indeed somewhat strange.

"Of course, it's strange that I would be confessed to... haha—"

"Don't say such temperamental things, Chang Rong."

"Huh?"

The white-haired boy habitually rubbed his hair, half-jokingly, but was immediately interrupted seriously by the twin-tailed girl in front of him.

"The problem is only the act of [Sakuraba Nana confessing] itself, not [Chang Rong, why were you confessed to? Although we haven't known each other for very long, the courage, kindness, and initiative you've shown are among the best I've ever seen in a guy. You can be more confident in yourself. Even if I—cough cough, even if someone really confessed to you, it wouldn't be surprising."

"...Is that so? Thank you, Kurobe-kun."

Unexpectedly receiving such a serious reassurance, Chang Rong nodded shyly to Kurobe Nanoha.

"I'm not exactly the kind of guy who likes to belittle myself, it's just that I've never been confessed to by a girl before, and how should I put it... um, I always have a feeling that I'm the type who would confess to someone and then get rejected on the spot...?"

As Chang Rong spoke, he fell into deep thought. Although he had never confessed his feelings before, he still felt a sense of frustration, as if he had been dumped many times.

Moreover... when faced with Sakuraba Nana's advances, Chang Rong should have immediately said, "I already have Xiaoxue," but for some reason, it was difficult to utter these words that should have come naturally.

Although his relationship with Xiaoxue was generally stable, Chang Rong always felt a sense of stagnation, as if the progress bar was stuck at 99%.

What kind of opportunity or 'event' am I still missing to reach the ending CG of Xiaoxue's personal route?

And ultimately—how does Xiaoxue really see me?

Could it be that she has actually always seen me as something like an 'older brother' or 'guardian'...?

Chang Rong's thoughts were finally interrupted by Kurobe Nanoha's statement, "If we encounter a tricky situation again, I don't mind continuing to pretend to be your girlfriend."

A few minutes later—

"Huff...huff...you wretched Alice, you foolish Alice, you bad child Alice...Rong, next time you'll take care of the child—Rong?"

Panting and wiping away sweat, the Great Witch dragged and pulled her adopted daughter, risking her life to finally throw her back into the cell so she could sleep to her heart's content. When she returned to the cafeteria, it was deserted.

"Oh, Xiaoxue~~ Have you finished your game of house with Xiao Ai? What a pity, you just missed a super interesting juicy piece of gossip—whoa!?"

Tell me, where is Rong?

The photography girl, who was still in the restaurant fiddling with a bunch of photos she had written down, greeted Sato Yuki cheerfully, only to be startled by the latter's sudden, almost teleporting, gesture of slapping her face.

"Hmm? He went to the entryway to look for you, looks like you just missed each other. It's okay, it's okay, just send him a message, waaaaah—"

Fu Er Te took out his phone and sent Qi Xiaoxue Jiu's location report to Wu Chang Rong, but before he could press send, the white-haired girl in front of him grabbed his shoulder and shook him back and forth.

"What's this about the confession? And what's with that Nanoha Kaori?"

"I don't really know the specifics... but Nana's confession to Arong was interrupted by Anai. Anai and Arong are really something! It turns out they've been secretly dating for a while! What a pair of smiling tigers."

"—Love, romance?"

Sato Yuki blinked. The words spoken by the photography girl wearing a newsboy cap were clearly incomprehensible, obscene human language, but her brain couldn't convert them into a form she could understand.

"To be honest, they're actually quite a good match—look, right? Waaaaah, don't pull my collar!?"

Fute handed Sato Yukinen the photo she had written. In the photo, Kurobe Nanoha was leaning shyly against Chang Rong, who had inexplicably turned into the size of a double-door refrigerator. Next to her, a pink heart-shaped speech bubble appeared with the caption, "Oh my god, Chang Rong, you're so naughty. Do you have to make me say it out loud?"

Upon seeing the photo, Xiaoxue was instantly enraged. If she weren't so weak, she probably would have strangled Fut to the underworld for a rafting trip.

"Rong, you deserve to die. Humans, you deserve to be killed."

"Ahem... Xiaoxue, you're not cut out to be a mother figure... Oh, right, we didn't know that you're Ah Rong's sister! You should have said so sooner! We were wondering for a long time if Ah Rong had become too cuckolded!"

"...My sister? Me?"

Completely incomprehensible words kept hitting the Great Witch's little head like popping beans.

I was just a little angry because I remembered my past experiences, and then I was bothered by my adopted daughter for a little while... How did I become Chang Rong's sister when I came back?

This is utterly absurd! It's complete nonsense!

My sister...?

My younger sister seems pretty good too...?