The world is balanced and fair. To gain something, you must lose something.

I’d stayed over at Rika Dojima’s place last night, but I had no clue why she was sleeping beside me. The girl in beige pajamas clung to my arm, drooling softly. I tried to slip my arm away quietly, but the movement jolted her awake.

“Senpai, you’re up,” Rika Dojima said, utterly unfazed by the situation. “Rika-chan,” I asked, “can you explain why we’re sleeping together?” She pouted, looking shy and wronged. “Huh? Senpai, don’t you remember what you did last night? Are all men like this?” A chill ran down my spine. Had I really lost control? Time to rewind and check.

After rewinding time, I flicked her forehead. “You snuck into my room yesterday. Get up—we’ll be late if we dawdle.” Rika jumped up happily. “I’ll make breakfast for senpai!” Official classes started at 8 a.m., and it was only 6:30 now. The train ride alone took an hour. Time was tight. Well, lucky for me I had my lazy super skill: “Time Deceleration!” I slowed time inside the room by two or three times. Even if hours passed here, only half an hour would tick by outside. I often used this when Nanami Hayashi woke me in the mornings—snoozing for extra hours while barely ten minutes passed out there. Back then, time crawled even slower.

Rika quickly cooked vegetable porridge. “Please enjoy it.” My throat was dry from sleep, so the porridge was perfect. “Thanks, Rika-chan.” As I ate, she stared intently at my face. “Do I have something on my face?” I set down the bowl. “Senpai’s face is prettier than any flower,” she chirped with a smile. Honestly, I never wanted to build a harem with my powers. But counting Rika, I’d hit the basic harem quota. Still, a bad feeling nagged at me.

“Huh? Weird. Only ten minutes passed?” Rika checked her watch as we left. It was just 6:40 a.m. “Is the clock broken?” Don’t sweat the details—it makes me look like a lazybones. (Well… maybe I am.)

The morning train arrived right on time. At first, it was nearly empty. But as we neared Yulin High, more students piled on, most in our school uniforms. After all, one stop was close to the school.

We got off, walked a few hundred meters, and reached the crosswalk. Among the office workers waiting for the green light, one middle-aged man stood out. His time was almost up. Normally, I couldn’t see an object’s remaining time unless I focused. But when something neared its end, its clock appeared—a warning of its demise.

“Sigh… that guy ahead won’t last long,” I murmured, just loud enough for Rika to hear. She gaped at me. “Senpai, are you the Grim Reaper? Where’s your scythe?” Scythe? Even reapers modernize—these days, it’s sniper rifles. “His time has only sixty seconds left. He’ll crash at the next intersection.” Seeing I wasn’t joking, Rika pleaded, “Can you save him, Senpai? Aren’t you a god?” So that’s how she saw me. “Easy. Just a gentle pull.” I tugged the man’s sleeve. “Sorry, uncle—we’re rushing for school. Mind if we stand ahead?” It was a reasonable request. He didn’t refuse. If he had, a car would’ve killed him right then.

His remaining time jumped to ten years after my intervention. Where did that time come from? From me, of course. The world’s balance demanded it—total time never changed. A small pull was trivial, but altering fate required payment. That was the world’s fairness.

Rika and I crossed the street. She gazed at me adoringly. “Senpai’s amazing! Changing lives like a god!” I rolled my eyes. Explaining the cost now would be pointless. Saving one person was cheap. But reshaping the world around me? The price would be unimaginable.

I’d never considered changing others’ fates. At least, not before today.

The first person I met in class was Yutangqian. “Not bad, kid! Even our class rep’s in your harem now.” He leered at me. “Did you two do anything naughty last night?” I ignored him, but Rika spoke up. “Senpai was so mean yesterday—he insisted on sleeping together!” Hey, that’s slander! When did I ever ask for that? She leaned close. “Senpai, tell her—did we sleep together? I’ll let you lie.” Hah. No winning here. I stayed silent. Yutangqian punched my chest. “You scoundrel! You’ve got Nanami-chan and now Rika-chan? Plus that second-year senpai? I bet you came to Japan just to chase girls.” These guys loved stirring trouble.

“Cold Creek… did you really sleep with Dojima-san last night?” A killing aura hit my back. Nanami Hayashi materialized like Sadako behind me. Words felt useless. “Explaining will only make it worse. See for yourself.” I placed my hand on her forehead and rewound time. Soon, she understood. “I see. So you two did sleep together!” Seriously? Focus on the right thing! She snuck into my room—I couldn’t predict that. Should I time-travel just to guard against her? Besides, any guy would keep quiet about this.

“Ahem. Class is starting. Stop flirting, kids.” The teacher’s arrival was a lifesaver, cutting through my awkwardness.

Lunch break was pure bliss. Just two hours—but in my hands, it could stretch to a year. “Senpai, eat with me?” Rika approached with her homemade bento. Before I could answer, Nanami cut in. “No. Cold Creek eats with me.” I could almost see sparks flying between their eyes.

The result? One on my left, one on my right, eating on the rooftop. Correction—Mingzi Baishi joined too. “Oh my, kouhai’s so popular! Mind if I join?” She plopped down without waiting, squeezing me between them. How could I eat like this? Time to speed things up and escape this harem mess.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. I looked up. A giant clock filled my vision—Yulin High’s time. And on it, only seven days remained.