I knew I couldn’t dodge a sniper bullet with normal reflexes. Slowing time around me would cost far more energy than just accelerating myself. With time flowing ten times faster for me, others would only see extreme speed. Time Stasis worked similarly—if I froze the target’s consciousness along with time, none of my actions during stasis would register to them.

The real problem remained the hidden sniper. Their movements looked painfully slow to me. Time to end this fast. I pulled out four coins. After Nana’s complaints about me losing real coins every time, I’d switched to game tokens. Still bought with cash, but better than throwing away actual money.

I hadn’t trained to throw four coins at once. My first target: the butler boy leading them. The coins whistled through the air and struck true—but he didn’t collapse like I’d expected. Interesting.

Somewhere in the shadows, a dark reaper spat life-reaping fire. But under Time Acceleration, I could dodge.

As I evaded the sniper round, I aimed at the two guys I’d captured earlier. Their durability couldn’t match the butler’s. I flicked a coin from each hand. Both dropped instantly.

Then the maid girl began playing her violin. Broken notes reached my ears. Dizziness washed over me. My Time Acceleration weakened without warning.

*Mistake. Should’ve neutralized the unknown threat first.* Another sniper shot came—this one flying several times faster. I barely rolled away, dirt spraying as the bullet grazed me. I grabbed another coin. *Must silence the maid. Her violin disrupts my focus, weakening my powers.*

Fine. Time Stasis it is.

Just then, a blonde girl stepped out of the villa. *Iris?* The new transfer student from two days ago. She raised her left index finger toward me. Darkness swallowed my vision. *Too careless this time.*

I woke to dim light. Only a wall lamp illuminated the room. A chair and table stood nearby, a red rose-patterned teapot and two cups resting on it. My arms were shackled.

A door clicked open. High heels tapped on the stairs. Iris appeared in a gothic purple lolita dress, her beautiful face utterly expressionless. She sat across from me.

"Cold Creek," she said flatly, "we meet again."

I stared straight back. "Yeah. Iris. What’s the point of locking me up?"

She poured tea from the pot. "Care for some?" Her tone treated me like a guest, not a prisoner.

I declined. Who knew what she’d laced it with. "Just state your purpose." I sounded nothing like a captive.

Iris sipped her tea. "Father crafts perfect dolls. You’re his chosen material."

Her words were brief, but I understood now why No.1 through No.5—and Iris herself—showed no emotion. "Then why doesn’t your *father* face me himself?"

She refilled her cup, unhurried. "He’s delayed. But he’s on his way." *Fine. Play along until the puppet master arrives.*

Watching her, I felt disgust. Turning living people into dolls? A sick hobby.

"Describe your father," I pressed. Useful intel before he showed up.

At the mention of him, a trace of fanaticism flashed in Iris’s eyes. "Father is perfection incarnate. He grants perfection to those he deems worthy, making them his children." *Brainwashed deep.* She leaned close, stroking my cheek. "Soon, you’ll join our family. You should feel honored." *Honored? More like trapped with a cult.*

My phone rang—from Iris’s pocket. She checked it. "Nanami Hayashi is calling. Shall I answer?" *Is she really this naive after brainwashing?*

Iris connected the call. "Hello."

Nana’s voice crackled through: "Huh? Who’s this?"

"Iris. The new transfer student. Cold Creek is with me. Would you like to speak with him?"

I stayed silent. No point dragging Nana into this mess. Iris pressed the phone to my ear.

"Nana, I’m fine. Just visiting Iris’s place. I’ll be back tomorrow."

Disappointment thickened Nana’s reply: "Be careful." The line went dead.

Iris pocketed the phone, her gaze locked on me.

"What are you staring at? Flowers on my face?" Her intensity made me uneasy.

She leaned closer. "Why didn’t you call for help?" *So that’s what’s bothering her. Not completely stupid then.* "If you suspected I’d call for help," I countered, "why give me the phone?"

*Back off. Her faint perfume was distracting, but this wasn’t the time.* "Perfection as Father’s child is a gift no one refuses," she murmured. "Even if you called for help, you’d still join our family in the end." *Confident much? Scratch that—she’s genuinely delusional.*

"I’ll refuse," I stated flatly, trying to provoke her. She didn’t even flinch, just sipped her cooling tea. "It’s gone cold." *Was she even listening?* She stood, teapot in hand, heading to reheat it.

Minutes after she left, my phone rang again on the table. *Time to break free.* I gripped the iron shackles. **Time Acceleration.** Metal aged rapidly under my power—rust bloomed across the chains, crumbling them to dust.

I snatched the phone. "Cold Creek speaking."

Yueyue Shenlian’s voice came through, teasing but relieved: "Little brother, you’re alive! You scared this sister half to death." Her concern felt genuine beneath the playful tone. "You didn’t just call to check on me, did you?"

A pause. "Planned to rescue you, but seems you’ve got it handled. Actually, this call wasn’t for you originally. Since you’re free, we’ll scrap Plan B. We spotted a black sedan parked outside earlier—masked man inside."

*The father.* "Where is he now?"

"He got a call and drove off." *Cautious old fox.* Whoever phoned him saved him—for now. No need to linger here. I’d take Iris instead. She knew more than the others.