In the world of anime with the power to stop time.

Chapter 031: Stay Here With Me!

The events of last night remained vivid in Taisuke is mind.

Alone in Room 307, he had faced the most terrifying experience of his life.

It was around three o'clock when, in what had been an empty room, a new presence suddenly appeared.

He couldn't see or touch it, but he could clearly feel its existence.

Occasional bursts of laughter, fluctuating in volume. Intermittent sobbing, sometimes faint, sometimes intense. Whenever he roared or tried to vent his frustration, everything would fall silent, but the moment he calmed down, it would start again.

He had raged, screamed, and even begged in fear and despair, but nothing worked.

He tried to leave the room, only to find the door utterly unyielding. He was completely trapped in Room 307.

In the end, on the brink of a mental breakdown, he stumbled into the bathroom. It was there, through the mirror, that he saw the horrifying creature clinging to his back a pale face, with black, hollow eyes.

He fainted.

When he woke up, he saw his reflection in the mirror again only this time, he had become a grotesque and distorted entity. Worse yet, he couldn't control his body anymore. He could only watch helplessly as his body wandered the room, roamed the hallways, aimlessly like a soulless husk.

At that moment,

Taisuke was consumed by despair.

He raged at the unfairness of it all. Why had he been chosen for this bizarre game? Why was he the one to die, to turn into this monstrous being? Why was Lin Ye still alive, accompanied by the idol Hoshino Ai, while he had nothing?

Then he heard the voice.

It offered him a deal: become a staff member of the hotel, and he would gain a chance to survive. The price was his freedom. However, the arrangement wasn't permanent if he fulfilled the hotel's duties, there was a possibility of regaining his freedom.

For Taisuke,

Even if there were no guarantee of freedom, he would have accepted the deal. He had no other choice.

Now, he had to fight for his "hope."

Taisuke is eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at the three of them.

At this moment, he feared nothing. Lin Ye might be clever, but how could he compete with someone who had become part of the hotel's staff? Here, Taisuke was invincible!

The memory of Lin Ye's previous cold, dismissive attitude only fueled his dissatisfaction.

But… he held back.

He suppressed the urge. This was only the beginning, and he wanted to savor it all.

A wave of unfiltered malice surged forth, crashing over them.

Kuroda Hikaru's heart sank. Taisuke felt more and more like a stranger to her.

The person in front of them wasn't Taisuke anymore. He was a monster, a creature whose body had been overtaken by the anomaly.

She kept reminding herself of this.

"Brother Lin, do me a favor,"

He grinned.

"Stay here. Stay in this hotel. It's great here unlimited time, eternal life, and guests who arrive periodically. We'd face them as staff members, not as terrified guests like we were last night."

"We'd be gods here. We could do whatever we wanted watching guests suffer, reveling in their fear and misery."

He slowly opened his arms, extending an invitation.

Lin Ye didn't believe a single word, but he had already formed some theories about Taisuke's current state.

"You, who've already failed the game and turned into an anomaly, your current task is to make us stay in this hotel, isn't it?"

With just one sentence, Taisuke froze.

"And persuasion is one of the few methods you have available right now."

Taisuke fell silent.

"So, move aside. Don't interfere with us checking out," Lin Ye said, waving dismissively, signaling for Taisuke to step away.

Taisuke is earlier words of persuasion carried a certain tempting allure, an almost irresistible pull that made one want to believe and give in.

But it was just a form of coaxing, not hypnosis, incapable of fully clouding someone's self-awareness. Even if it had been hypnosis, it wouldn't have worked on someone with a strong will.

Taisuke's smile grew even brighter.

"As expected of Brother Lin. My little tricks are useless against you. Fine! Brother Lin, you did help me before, and I'm not the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity."

He stepped slightly to the side, showing he wasn't planning to oppose Lin Ye.

"You can leave, Brother Lin,"

But just then, Taisuke immediately added,

"But Kuroda-san isn't going anywhere."

Kuroda Hikaru's eyes widened instantly.

"Taisuke… kun…"

"Don't want to stay?"

"I-I…"

"Kuroda-san, don't you like me? Stay here with me! Here, we can be together forever, for eternity."

As he stepped closer and closer, Kuroda Hikaru panicked and hid behind Lin Ye, shaking her head desperately.

"Taisuke…"

"You must leave someone behind! Brother Lin, how about… you stay in Kuroda-san's place? Or… Ai-chan could stay too! As a fan of Ai-chan, I'd be very excited for her to stay here."

At that, even Hoshino Ai moved to hide behind Lin Ye.

A pervert completely and utterly a pervert!

Lin Ye quickly realized that Taisuke was deliberately trying to provoke and anger him.

This was an attempt to manipulate him into breaking the rules, wasn't it?

There had to be hidden rules governing this hotel.

Seeing Lin Ye remain silent, Taisuke tilted his head back and burst into loud laughter.

"I thought Brother Lin was the type of heroic good guy who'd sacrifice himself for others! Turns out, you're just an ordinary person who values his own life the most. Looks like Kuroda-san placed her trust in the wrong person. Are you regretting it now, Kuroda-san?"

This immediately made Kuroda Hikaru raise her voice in a sharp retort,

"Not at all! Lin Ye-senpai isn't like that he's so much better than you in every way!"

After shouting, Kuroda Hikaru, timid once more, quickly retreated behind Lin Ye again.

"Sigh, it seems Brother Lin didn't see through my intentions after all. This time, I'm a little stronger than you, Brother Lin,"

"I was only trying to help Kuroda-san test if you were trustworthy. If Brother Lin had been willing to sacrifice himself, Kuroda-san would've found a man worth entrusting her life to. And, of course, I wouldn't really leave Brother Lin behind."

He shrugged, feigning helplessness as he spoke.

Kuroda Hikaru froze. Could it be… could it be true…?

Smack!

Lin Ye snapped her out of her thoughts with a quick pat on the head.

Even Hoshino Ai, for a brief moment, had almost believed Taisuke.

"Well, since Brother Lin won't make a choice, I suppose I'll have to make one for you," Taisuke declared.

As he finished speaking, a room key card appeared in his hand.

"This is the key card for Room 307,"

"It seems you understand what this means,"

"Kuroda-san can only check out and leave the hotel if you use this key card to complete the process."

"If it's destroyed, then… Kuroda-san will never be able to leave and will have no choice but to stay here with me."

He watched them, eagerly anticipating their reactions.

What kind of entertaining scene would unfold next?

His heart surged with excitement at the thought.

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