Strange Game - Anime Mashup

The Blue-haired guy was confused and couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until Lin Ye raised his hand and the wrapping paper appeared in his field of vision that he realized what Lin Ye had used.

The candy given by the boy had helped Lin Ye and Nanase Ren overcome this crisis!

Regret immediately welled up, but when Lanmao thought about how dangerous the game with the little boy had been, he quickly pushed the regret aside.

Rather than playing a game with the little boy to get a candy, it was better to sacrifice a companion.

Now that Lin Ye and Nanase Ren had "fed" the remaining two monsters, he felt relieved.

He knew that just as he had chosen to harm his companions to satisfy the hunger of the two monsters, Lin Ye might have done the same to him.

Compared to the beautiful Nanase Ren, his place in Lin Ye's heart was clearly much lower.

If someone had to be sacrificed, it would have undoubtedly been him!

Nanase Ren had witnessed the entire process and trembled with fear. She was not only horrified by the brutal scene of the middle-aged man being devoured but also terrified by the cold cruelty of human nature.

If Lin Ye hadn't used the candy to satisfy the monsters' strange appetites, would she have been the one...?

Lin Ye pushed his phone toward Nanase Ren.

She read the text on the screen.

—The only one who can eat you is me.

Nanase Ren: ???

For a moment, she thought Lin Ye had turned into a werewolf monster. But soon, she realized what he meant and immediately blushed, punching Lin Ye's leg lightly with her right hand.

"What are you saying? That's so embarrassing!"

At that moment, most of her fear and panic dissipated, leaving her feeling much calmer.

She knew the man next to her wouldn't sacrifice her.

He simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

'Hmph, men are all the same'

Lin Ye knew he had achieved his goal—Nanase Ren's spirits had improved.

The crisis at the third station was over, and the next stop was Chiba Station, a real human station where they could disembark.

A bright light appeared ahead in the direction the bus was heading.

The warmth and comfort of sunlight symbolized hope and light.

The sunshine felt so comforting,

Dispelling all the darkness.

Nanase Ren felt warmth spreading through her body. The fear and gloom in her heart were gone, replaced only by anticipation for getting off the bus.

She was looking forward to having a hearty meal tonight—pork bone ramen, delicious wagyu barbecue, and so many other tasty dishes until she couldn't eat anymore.

She couldn't hide her excitement.

Blue-hair guy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It had been a grueling journey, but he had made it through.

"We are approaching the station. Please prepare to disembark."

The bus slowed down and came to a stop.

With a clack, the front and rear doors opened.

In a flash, the blue-haired guy stood up and quickly made his way toward the exit. His legs were weak, and he stumbled a few steps but managed to steady himself by grabbing the handrail.

Lin Ye stood up, reached out, and helped Nanase Ren to her feet.

The nurse gave a small nod of gratitude.

She decided she would treat Lin Ye to a meal to thank him, and they could talk more during dinner.

"Boss, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. I, Miyazaki Akira, will repay you someday," Akira said in a low voice before stepping off the bus to embrace the warm sunshine. t/l: dk who this is

But as Akira disembarked, Lin Ye glanced toward the bus door and noticed a man boarding.

The man looked familiar—Lin Ye was sure he had seen him somewhere before.

"What's wrong?" Nanase Ren asked cautiously.

"Nothing…"

Yet the familiarity lingered. Lin Ye knew he had seen that man before.

Time Stop

He decided to spend more time recalling rather than rushing.

Lin Ye approached the man who had just boarded and observed him closely. Finally, he remembered.

"It's him."

Hase Takayuki.

He was the only person who died in the Chiba Station fire accident—a tragedy that left one dead and three injured.

Lin Ye had seen this man's photo in the accident records from Chiba City Hospital.

Realizing this, Lin Ye immediately looked outside, searching for a clue. His eyes fell on the electronic clock hanging on the station wall.

[April 8, 2024, 02:15]

[Monday]

This was the afternoon of the Chiba Station fire—the day his train was delayed for two hours.

"It was evening when I left the hospital, but now it's still afternoon."

This wasn't their stop.

They couldn't disembark here.

Lin Ye turned to the route map on the bus and noticed something new. On the right of Chiba Station, a previously hidden stop had appeared: Chiba City Hospital.

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. That was the real destination.

Grasping the situation, Lin Ye took Nanase Ren's hand.

Time resumed

Everything resumed its flow.

But Akira was beyond saving.

Despite Akira's betrayal earlier, Lin Ye tried to bring him back on board, knowing the journey ahead was filled with unknown dangers. But Akira had already stepped too far out.

"Take care of yourself."

As Akira stood on the ground, confusion clouded his face.

He watched as Lin Ye led the beautiful girl back to their seats. Doubts filled his mind.

'Why are they going back? Aren't they getting off?'

Then he noticed something strange: four strange figures disembarking the bus.

Suddenly, it clicked.

'Wrong stop!'

"Wait, let me back on!"

Akira tried to reboard, running toward the bus doors, but they seemed impossibly far away.

Meanwhile, Nanase Ren, back in her seat and struggling to comprehend, looked on in despair.

Why were they sitting down again?

Hadn't they reached Chiba Station? Shouldn't they have disembarked?

As the doors shut, hopelessness consumed her.

'It's over. There's no going back. I'm going to die here'

'I can no longer eat delicious pork bone ramen, savory wagyu yakiniku, or any of the other mouthwatering meals I love...'

There is no hope.

She was going to die here.

Nanase Ren looked utterly despondent. Her back pressed against the chair, her shoulders slumped in defeat. A trace of tears glimmered in her beautiful eyes, threatening to spill down her pale cheeks at any moment. The weight of despair seemed unbearable, as if she had already resigned herself to her fate.

At that moment, Lin Ye gently placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch was light, as if to ground her without imposing further distress.

Seeing that Nanase Ren wasn't about to cry out or panic, he retracted his hand. He pulled out his phone and began typing quickly.

—We can't get off at this stop. It was nighttime when we boarded the bus, but it's daytime outside now.

Turning the screen toward her, he waited for her response.

Nanase Ren, the nurse with her soft cherry-colored hair cascading around her shoulders, stared at the screen. Her wide eyes reflected the growing realization that something wasn't right.

It was daytime outside the bus. That much was clear. Yet how was that possible unless they had spent the entire night riding?

She hesitated for a moment before taking the phone from Lin Ye. Her cold fingers typed her response quickly:

—What if we did spend a whole night on the bus? Maybe the flow of time is now different.'

Her thoughts were guided by the many films, TV shows, and anime she had consumed over the years—stories that explored strange time phenomena.

Lin Ye shook his head and began typing again.

—The day we boarded was Friday, April 12, but the electronic clock outside says it's April 8.

This revelation widened Nanase Ren's eyes further. Lin Ye gestured toward the route map displayed above the aisle.

The next stop is Chiba City Hospital

Nanase Ren froze. That was her hospital. The very place where she worked.

A strange sense of relief mingled with her anxiety. The familiarity of the hospital brought her a sliver of hope, a tenuous feeling of belonging that she clung to.

She stared at Lin Ye with determination and made her decision. She would trust him.

While Lin Ye occasionally said embarrassing things and didn't bother hiding his fondness for her, she knew he was dependable. When it came to her safety, he was unwavering.

The doors to the bus closed with a definitive thud. There was no turning back now. All she could do was follow Lin Ye's lead.

"The bus is about to depart. Please take your seats," the automated announcement chimed.

Nanase Ren instinctively looked toward the aisle. The man who had just boarded the bus was slowly walking down toward the seats. His steps were steady, and he eventually settled directly in front of her.

Unlike the unnerving passengers who had boarded earlier—those who seemed otherworldly and grotesque—this man appeared completely ordinary. His demeanor, his gait, even his clothing screamed normalcy.

Yet, despite his outward appearance, Nanase Ren felt uneasy. There was something vaguely familiar about him that she couldn't place.

Where had she seen him before?

Her mind worked furiously, cycling through possibilities. Then, in a moment of startling clarity, it came to her.

This man...he was the victim of the Chiba Station fire accident!

She remembered reading the reports, seeing his picture, and even hearing his name mentioned at the hospital.

Her body tensed as the realization struck her like a physical blow.

Hands trembling, she quickly typed out this information on Lin Ye's phone and passed it back to him.

Lin Ye glanced at the message and gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Without hesitation, he gestured toward the single-row seats on the right side of the bus.

He stood and moved purposefully, positioning himself in the row closest to the new passenger.

Nanase Ren suddenly understood what he was doing.

Lin Ye was deliberately choosing to sit near the strange man, placing himself in harm's way.

Although Akira and the middle-aged man from earlier hadn't been harmed by the eerie passengers seated beside them, that didn't mean there was no danger now. Lin Ye wasn't taking any chances.

The thought warmed her heart despite the grim circumstances.

'I'm so lucky to have someone like him here.'

At Lin Ye's urging, Nanase Ren quickly moved to the single-row seats, settling herself on the far side of the aisle. From her new vantage point, she watched Lin Ye intently, her heart filled with both admiration and worry.

'You have to make it out of this safely', she thought, clenching her hands tightly in her lap. 'When this is over, I'll treat you to all the barbecue you can eat.'

The bus began moving with a soft rumble. The sound of its engine hummed steadily, punctuated only by the occasional jolt from the uneven road.

Inside the bus, the air was thick with silence.

Lin Ye, ever vigilant, kept his gaze trained on the man beside him while also scanning the interior of the bus. His eyes darted from corner to corner, not missing even the smallest detail.

"The quieter it is, the more dangerous it becomes," Lin Ye muttered to himself.

The man sitting next to him appeared completely at ease. Arms folded and eyes closed, he looked like any other tired commuter, enjoying a brief moment of respite.

But Lin Ye knew better than to let his guard down.

Suddenly, he noticed something unusual. The bus was gaining speed, its engine revving higher.

Even stranger, the sunlight streaming through the windows was fading unnaturally fast. What had been a bright midday glow was now dimming into the hues of evening.

It was as if time itself was accelerating.

Lin Ye's mind raced. He turned to examine the man beside him, half-expecting him to burst into flames like the figure from a previous encounter.

But nothing happened. The man sat there, motionless.

Frowning, Lin Ye reached out and placed his hand on the man's forehead.

"It's hot," he muttered.

A fever.

This man wasn't on fire—he had a dangerously high fever.

Lin Ye immediately understood. The strange rules of the bus demanded they address this fever.

Rushing to the first-aid kit, he rummaged through its contents, searching for anything that might help. But there was no water, no fever-reducing medication—nothing remotely useful.

Then his eyes landed on a bottle of alcohol.

Alcohol for cooling...this might work.

He unscrewed the cap and dipped a cotton swab into the liquid, carefully applying it to the man's forehead. The alcohol evaporated instantly, taking some of the heat with it.

The bus's speed decreased slightly, but it wasn't enough. The temperature outside continued to drop rapidly as daylight gave way to twilight.

Lin Ye's heart raced. They were running out of time. If they couldn't stabilize the man's fever, the bus might never stop at Chiba City Hospital.

At that moment, a slender hand reached out and took the alcohol from him.

It was Nanase Ren.

The nurse gave him a faint smile, her eyes brimming with confidence.

Leave this to me, her expression seemed to say.

Lin Ye stepped aside.

As a professional nurse, Nanase Ren knew exactly how to reduce a patient's fever efficiently. Watching her take over, Lin Ye felt a renewed sense of hope.

Not only was Nanase Ren proving her competence, but she was also facing the situation head-on with remarkable courage.

Lin Ye couldn't help but feel grateful. He had chosen the right person to trust.