"I really time-traveled… This chat group is way too amazing!"
Kiana was practically bouncing with excitement.
Unfortunately, time in this world hadn't changed at all—she still had to attend class.
The moment she remembered that, her mood plummeted.
With a groan, she collapsed over her desk, utterly deflated.
As she glanced out the window, her gaze fell on a familiar, weary-looking figure passing by.
On the Train
This time, Nanashi didn't conceal their presence with aura manipulation—instead, he stretched the space around them.
To the average passerby, they looked to be just a meter away from the next passenger. But in reality, the space between them was expanded by dozens of meters.
The effect left both Eriri and Yukino wide-eyed with disbelief.
Eriri was momentarily stunned—then pouted.
Yukino nudged Nanashi's hand and whispered,
"Eriri seems jealous."
"W-Who's jealous of him? Hmph!"
Eriri flinched, reacting like a startled kitten whose tail had just been stepped on.
The tsundere routine had begun.
That was never a good sign.
Nanashi wrapped his arms around Eriri and kissed her firmly.
It only took a few moments for her resistance to melt into submission, resting quietly in his embrace.
This was his personal, tried-and-true method for handling Eriri-style tsundere behavior—simple, yet highly effective.
Once she was calm, Nanashi asked with a soft smile,
"So, what were you jealous about?"
Eriri blushed, baring her small fangs in embarrassment. She gave Yukino a sidelong glance and mumbled,
"It's your fault… You haven't spent any time with me lately. That day with Yukino…"
"!!!"
Yukino froze.
Her mind instantly flashed back to that day—the moment with the cat tail.
A red flush climbed swiftly across her usually composed face.
Don't bring up such embarrassing things!
"…"
Eriri shifted awkwardly, her cheeks pink and her thoughts disorganized.
Nanashi, watching them both, suddenly grinned.
"Eri… have you ever tried it here?"
Eriri blinked, confused.
"Here… on the train?"
Yukino, however, understood immediately.
She looked at Nanashi with disbelief—and alarm.
"We'll be at school in ten minutes!"
But to Nanashi, time wasn't a problem.
"Not necessarily," he said with a smirk.
He opened the chat group interface.
2.4 million Doomsday Points.
He navigated to the ability enhancement panel and selected the King of Time.
[Ding! 500,000 Doomsday Points have been consumed.]
[The King of Time has been enhanced to Lv. 6.]
Now upgraded to Lv. 6, the King of Time was more powerful than ever.
"Time—slow down."
A divine presence spread the moment Nanashi uttered the command.
Time bent to the will of the King of Chronos.
Under the stunned gaze of Yukino and Eriri, the world outside slowed to a near-standstill—as though time itself had stopped moving.
Truthfully, Nanashi could halt time for the entire planet.
But he didn't.
Freezing time for so long would consume too much energy for what he had planned. Slowing it down was more efficient.
Even though he had only slowed the time of the entire Earth, it had no observable impact on the world or universe at large.
He understood this the moment he gained the ability.
The laws of the world would self-regulate.
The area affected by temporal manipulation was like a block separated from the stream of time—it wouldn't generate any alternate timelines. When the manipulation ended, the block would seamlessly merge back into the original flow.
Everything would return to normal before the world even noticed.
Even residual fluctuations would be smoothed out by the natural laws.
There were no side effects to worry about.
"The time slows down!"
Yukino trembled in awe.
This power—the power to control time—was terrifying!
"Haha, I can stop time, rewind it… anything I want now," Nanashi said confidently.
"So, Eri… is that enough time for you?"
"Ah…?"
Before she could react, Nanashi had already moved in.
At the Paranormal Research Club
Everyone except Nanashi was already present.
Three girls slumped listlessly over the table.
Miko was barely conscious. She was tired and sleepy due to the evil spirits. Marin could understand her exhaustion.
But what about Eriri and Yui?
Both of them were sitting quietly… clutching their lower abdomens.
Did their stomachs hurt?
Marin leaned over to Yukino, concern in her voice.
"Yukino, are you okay? You look pale."
She then turned to Eriri with a frown.
"You too, Eriri? Are you not feeling well?"
"N-No, I'm fine. I just… ate too much," Yukino replied with a forced smile.
Eriri nodded and added stiffly,
"Yeah… same here."
Yumiko raised an eyebrow.
"Why eat so much? Don't you want to maintain your figure?"
"Hehe…"
The two girls gave awkward chuckles, glancing at each other.
In that moment, their eyes met—and despite everything, a silent understanding passed between them.
They both knew.
Eriri silently groaned in her heart.
Only we know what happened on that "train"...
Well—someone else knew too.
She glanced toward Yukino, her eyes full of accusation.
Yukino's body tensed. Her ears turned red, and she avoided Eriri's gaze.
Eriri had begged her for help.
But Yukino... had chosen shame over solidarity.
She had been too scared to get involved.
Mainly because…
She still didn't understand the things Nanashi and Eriri had done.
Nanashi was always gentle—when he wasn't facing her.
But when it came to Eriri, everything changed. It was intense, rough, and completely different… yet Eriri seemed to enjoy it in a way that was equal parts painful and pleasurable.
That's why she had been genuinely frightened at the time.
All she could do was stand off to the side, merely assisting Eriri in "pushing the ball."
She had done her best—whatever that meant in that strange, awkward situation.
The silence in the room was growing thick.
Knock knock!
A sudden knock on the door disrupted the tense atmosphere.
Yukino quickly cleared her throat, composed herself, and responded in a cool tone,
"Please, come in."
Clack!
The classroom door slid open.
The moment the newcomer stepped in, everyone had the same first impression: a striking blonde girl who bore a resemblance to Marin.
Of course, they all knew Marin wasn't really the "gyaru girl" type—she just dressed like one.
But this girl… it was hard to say.
"Yohoo~ I'm Hayasaka," she announced cheerfully, strolling into the room like she owned the place.
Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice turning sharp.
"Hayasaka-san… Do you have business with our club?"
Hayasaka's gaze swept over everyone in the room with subtle precision.
Years of observation training—combined with prior investigation—let her quickly size up the mental and emotional state of each girl.
Yukino.
Classmate of Nanashi.
Second daughter of the Yukinoshita family. Ranked third in academics. Popular and elegant.
Currently… appears to be in a post-embarrassment calm.
Yumiko Miura.
Classmate of Nanashi.
A stylish blonde with a sharp personality.
Potential personality clash with Yukino?
Miko Yotsuba.
First-year student.
Shy, plain, and often melancholic.
Marin Kitagawa.
Dresses like a gyaru but is actually sweet and generous. Loves cosplay.
Yui Yuigahama.
Classmate of Nanashi.
Emotionally perceptive, cheerful disposition.
Currently showing signs of post-activity exhaustion...?
Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
Classmate of Nanashi since elementary school.
Secretly a genius illustrator with a hidden identity.
Also appears to be suffering from post-activity symptoms...?
"Hiss…"
Something didn't add up.
A club filled entirely with girls…
And if her micro-expression analysis was right, two of them were displaying the telltale aftereffects of… you-know-what.
And one of them was probably Nanashi's girlfriend.
This situation had completely blindsided her.
"Hayasaka-san."
Yukino's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Oh—ah, no commissions or anything! I'm just here to look for Nanashi-kun," Hayasaka replied with practiced ease, quickly slipping into a relaxed, casual tone.
But the moment she said it—
All eyes turned toward her.
All except for Miko, who was fast asleep.
"…"
Hayasaka suddenly sensed something was off.
The stares—especially from Yukino and Eriri—carried a strange intensity, making the hairs on her neck stand up.
What the hell is this pressure…?
No… there was one more.
Her eyes darted around.
There was another gaze—watching her.
But she couldn't see the person.
Just ten centimeters away, Megumi stood silently, watching her.
Especially watching those constantly shifting eyes.
This girl is investigating Nanashi, Megumi noted inwardly.
"!!!"
A cold chill crept down Hayasaka's spine.
This club… something's seriously wrong here!
Feigning calm, Hayasaka reached up to scratch the back of her head and laughed,
"Haha, looks like Nanashi-kun isn't here. I'll just come by again another time~!"
Clack!
With a swift motion, she exited and closed the door behind her—then bolted down the hall.
"There's something off about that Hayasaka," Megumi said flatly.
The others turned toward her.
"She's investigating Nanashi."
Marin furrowed her brow.
"She doesn't know we're espers or anything… right?"
Yui looked even more worried.
"W-What if she's some agent sent by a mad scientist?! What if they're here to kidnap us?! I need to protect Armin!"
Yumiko rolled her eyes.
"Protect him? He's the one who'd be protecting you, love-brain."
Megumi shook her head.
"I don't think that's it."
"She felt… weak. Just an ordinary human. If she did know about our powers, she wouldn't have acted so casually. She only panicked after Yukino and Eriri let out their aura."
Like Hayasaka, Megumi was also a keen observer.
And from just ten centimeters away, she had studied Hayasaka's every microreaction.
If I had wanted to… it would've been easy to slit her throat right then.
Yukino shared the same intuition. She nodded in agreement.
"We'll tell Nanashi about this later."