Strange Game - Anime Mashup

Lin Ye took two steps forward, his eyes locking onto the female staff member who now radiated an aura of eerie malevolence as she stared intently at Taisuke.

Her once-beautiful face had contorted into something monstrous. Her bright eyes had turned blood-red and grotesque, while her rosy lips stretched unnaturally wide, the right corner of her mouth reaching all the way to her ear. A dark, viscous liquid oozed from her gaping maw.

"The face has changed, but I wonder if the body is too."

Lin Ye scanned the room carefully. The female monster stood frozen in time, thanks to his "Time Stop." Confirming she couldn't move, Lin Ye stepped closer, albeit cautiously.

After a moment of deliberation, he acted. Kicking Taisuke aside, Lin Ye moved directly to the strange staff member and began unbuttoning her suit.

Finding the process too slow, he abandoned delicacy and yanked at her clothes with both hands, opting for brute force. The fabric tore away, revealing patches of gray-brown skin beneath the crisp white shirt.

He inspected further, turning her around to check her back—it was the same.

"Sss…"

Lin Ye gritted his teeth and tore her black stockings apart, his focus unbroken. Her slender legs were also marred with the same gray-brown patches. A faint, fishy odor emanated from her skin.

"It's exactly what one imagines a 'weird' body to be."

Hoshino Ai stood rooted in place, her jaw slack in disbelief.

She had watched the entire spectacle—the unbuttoning, the ripping of clothes, and the shredding of stockings. Every moment was etched into her mind.

"So... this is what Lin Ye likes?"

Her thoughts spiraled. "He has that kind of perverted taste?!"

For a fleeting moment, she felt torn between laughter and tears.

"But… maybe, just maybe… I can accept it?"

Lin Ye ignored any judgment that might arise from his actions and grabbed a solid wooden chair from the room.

"Next, let's see if physical attacks work."

With one hand gripping the chair tightly, Lin Ye swung it with force, smashing it against the staff member's forehead.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Each strike landed cleanly. The resounding impacts were unmistakable, but whether they caused any damage remained to be seen.

Feeling the experiment was complete, Lin Ye turned away, walking calmly toward the elevator. He yanked the trembling Taisuke forward just as the effects of "Time Stop" ended.

Time resumed.

"Save me, Brother Lin!" Taisuke screamed.

Crash!

The wooden chair splintered against the staff member's forehead. She staggered backward from the blow, her flesh and blood splattering across the room. Yet, there was no reaction to the pain—not even a flinch.

The next moment, her blood-red eyes locked onto Taisuke once more. Her messy clothes shifted as she began to move, her heels clicking ominously against the floor.

"Despair..."

Her chilling voice reverberated through the hall, each step deliberate and measured.

"Serve..."

"Guest, you need service..."

Taisuke's legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed in terror.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man had already bolted into the elevator.

"Hurry up!" he bellowed, panic lacing his voice. "Get out of the way! We need to go upstairs!"

The approaching footsteps grew louder, and the middle-aged man's shouting turned frantic.

"Kid, don't come in! Lure that monster away!"

"You go if you want! I'm not doing it!" Taisuke shot back, rushing into the elevator.

But fear gripped them both—the monster was too close for them to close the doors safely.

"Brother Lin, hurry up and get in!" Taisuke called out desperately.

Hoshino Ai stood by the door, her hand poised but not moving to press the button. She was waiting for Lin Ye.

"Hurry up!" the middle-aged man yelled again, his voice tinged with hysteria. "Why isn't he coming in?!"

Before Ai could say anything, time froze once more.

In the stillness, Lin Ye moved deliberately. Approaching the staff member, he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and dragged her toward the hotel's entrance.

"Physical attacks don't work, so let's try the next test."

Lin Ye's mind raced. "Participants can't leave the hotel, but maybe…"

He adjusted his grip and readied himself.

"Let's see if the staff are bound by the same rules!"

When time resumed, Lin Ye delivered a powerful kick.

The female monster tumbled through the air, landing just beyond the hotel's entrance.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

A blood-curdling scream ripped through the air as the monster disintegrated, her form vanishing rapidly like a sandcastle swept away by the tide.

Her range of movement had been confined to the hotel—it was her prison.

Hoshino Ai, stunned, finally pieced together Lin Ye's method.

"That… was amazing!"

Her eyes sparkled, admiration gleaming in her expression.

Lin Ye turned, walking back toward Ai. Each step brought him closer, his calm demeanor steady.

Before anyone could speak, however, a voice echoed from the front desk.

"Hello, guest. I am Mayu Fukada, a staff member of Love Heart Hotel. Is there anything I can do for you? Any 'service' is fine."

At the front desk stood the same woman, now perfectly normal—no deformities, no blood-red eyes.

It was as if none of it had ever happened.

Several possibilities flashed through Lin Ye's mind.

Resurrection? Refresh?

Each guess seemed plausible.

Meanwhile, Hoshino Ai stared at the female staff member, who had screamed in agony one moment and reappeared the next, perfectly normal. Her chest tightened with panic.

The air in the hall grew colder, making her shiver uncontrollably. But even as fear gnawed at her resolve, she forced herself to calm down.

She took a deep breath, recalling the pressure of her debut performance and the sting of failure at her first concert. Those bitter memories helped her regain her composure.

Lin Ye halted and turned back.

The female staff member stood there, smiling warmly as she gave a slight bow.

"Sir, what do you need? What service can I provide for you?"

Time Stop

Without a word, Lin Ye activated his Time Stop ability once more.

The world froze.

Lin Ye approached the staff member and carefully inspected her again.

This time, there were no abnormalities.

Her body was indistinguishable from a normal human's. No patches of gray-brown skin. No fishy smell.

"So, it's confirmed," Lin Ye thought. His suspicions were validated.

Time resumed.

The staff member glanced down, realizing her disheveled state. Confusion flickered across her face.

"Sir, you are too impatient. If you need anything, your can—"

Time Stop

Before she could finish, Lin Ye used Time Stop again and swiftly kicked her toward the entrance.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

The now-familiar scream echoed as the staff member vanished once more.

But within seconds, she reappeared behind the front desk, smiling as if nothing had happened. Spotting Lin Ye, she began her approach once again.

"Sir, what do you need? What service can I provide for you?"

This time, Lin Ye didn't bother engaging. Instead, he turned, grabbed Hoshino Ai's hand, and led her into the elevator.

Inside, Taisuke and the middle-aged man trembled, their faces pale as ghosts.

The agonized screams and chilling voices from earlier still echoed in their minds, striking fear deep into their hearts.

Why wasn't Lin Ye fazed at all? How could he be so calm?

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Taisuke glanced out and met the eyes of the staff member standing eerily in front of the elevator.

His heart sank.

"She's targeting me… I'm being targeted!"

Cold sweat drenched his back as the elevator began to ascend.

The group arrived on the third floor.

Taisuke and the middle-aged man bolted out of the elevator, their steps frantic.

Kuroda Hikari and Kamimura Mihui, who had been waiting for them, let out sighs of relief upon seeing their return. But when they noticed the fear on their faces, they quickly realized something had gone wrong downstairs.

"You two should check your rooms first," Lin Ye said, his voice steady. "If they're still king-sized beds, you'll need to go downstairs to check in again."

The words made both Taisuke and Ichiro Tanaka shiver.

Hurriedly, they used their room cards to open Rooms 304 and 307.

Both switched on the lights and checked their rooms.

"King-size bed," Taisuke muttered weakly.

"Same here," Ichiro Tanaka added, his voice trembling.

The two collapsed onto the floor, relieved.

"At least we don't have to go back down there..." Taisuke exhaled heavily. "I couldn't face that thing again."

Lin Ye entered Room 304 and conducted a quick search. The layout was identical to Room 306, with no apparent differences in facilities. Checking the bedside table, wardrobe, and bathroom, he found the 'Hotel Rules (part 2)' note taped inside the bathroom, just like in the other rooms.

The same discovery was made in Room 307.

All three rooms came equipped with televisions, clocks, lubricants, and other items typical of a love hotel.

"Tonight... why don't the four of us use one room?" Taisuke suggested nervously.

"No way," Ichiro Tanaka interjected immediately.

"I've decided to follow Lin Ye's advice. Mihui and I will share a room."

"Wait, I'll share with you—"

"No, absolutely not!" Tanaka cut him off. "I'm not staying with you."

He turned to Mihui Uemura, her black shoulder-length hair framing her calm face.

"Mihui, would you share a room with me?"

Mihui, understanding the tension from the events on the first floor, nodded.

"Alright."

With that, the pair entered Room 304 and shut the door firmly.

"Well… I guess I'll share a room with Kuroda-san," Taisuke said hesitantly.

Kuroda Hikari gave a slight smile. "Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll protect you."

Turning to Lin Ye, Taisuke's tone shifted to gratitude.

"Brother Lin, thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead by now. I won't forget this. I'll repay you someday, no matter what."

With that, he retreated into Room 307, leaving Kuroda to close the door gently behind him.

Lin Ye and Hoshino Ai returned to Room 306.

Hoshino Ai glanced at him curiously."Lin Ye-kun..."

"What is it?"

"Kuroda-san is... really cute."

Lin Ye smirked knowingly.

"She is."

Hoshino Ai's cheeks reddened slightly as she lowered her head.

"...But not as cute as you, Ai."

Her heart skipped a beat, joy flickering in her expression.

"Go take a shower first," Lin Ye added.

"Ah!" Hoshino Ai gasped in shock.

"This... is too fast!"