Rebirth was just a dream to me—or a respawn. With Temporal Power, I was like a gamer who could rewind and restart. But my power never reached into the future.

I opened my eyes. The blood on my face was either gone or dried up. Huh? Why was it still so dark? Shit—was I buried alive in a coffin? I pushed against the barrier above me. No heavy resistance, but I was indeed in a coffin. Glancing around, the decor confirmed I was still in the Rose Villa.

I sat up in the coffin and stretched. Lying motionless for over ten hours left my whole body stiff and numb.

Memories of my death surfaced. That blond guy had handed Iris to me. Did he really trust my character that much? Stuck with such an innocent girl, who knew when my beastly instincts might flare up?

I snapped out of my fantasies as my stomach growled. It must be the next day. Wait—what about White Stone and Rika? I called Rika: "Hey, Rika-chan? You okay?" A lively, playful voice chirped back: "Senpai actually called to check on me? I’m so touched..."

I hung up. That energy meant she was fine. After confirming White Stone’s safety too, I sighed in relief. So that guy really did release them both.

Because of me, others kept getting dragged into danger. Would it be better if I just left? Shaking off the thought, a savory aroma drifted over. It was probably morning. I rarely ate breakfast, but since lunch yesterday, I’d only had one cup of tea—and it felt like it’d burned a hole through my gut.

In the hall, Iris, the young butler, and the maid girl were present. The other three guards were likely on duty elsewhere. Iris, expressionless, greeted me: "Good morning."

"Morning," I replied politely. Anxiety prickled my chest—this pure-hearted girl was now tangled in my mess. K wouldn’t let me go easily.

I’d joked about building a harem before, but now it was actually happening. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if I exploded walking down the street someday.

Iris held out a piece of bread. "Want some?" Then, as usual, she stared at me unblinkingly. I took it without hesitation, wolfing it down and gulping her milk. "I was starving."

Watching her slowly stand up, I realized she hadn’t eaten breakfast. "Sorry," I said, "I ate your food."

"It’s fine. I wasn’t hungry." Her voice stayed calm, then her eyes widened. "Why?"

I flinched. "Why what?"

She pressed a hand to her chest. "Why does this hurt?"

So this blank-slate girl wasn’t emotionless—just terrible at expressing it. I ruffled her hair. "It hurts because someone important left."

"I see." She lowered her head, lost in thought.

"Time for school, Miss," the butler said, handing her a backpack. The blond man had planned everything—sending Iris here was just to keep her safe.

Crap. My backpack was still at Nana’s. I called her to bring it since I couldn’t show up empty-handed.

The butler was supposed to drive Iris to school, but she insisted on walking with me—and kept staring.

We walked slowly. At this pace, we’d be late.

"Carry me," Iris stopped abruptly.

"What?" Her bluntness always caught me off guard. "We’ll be late."

"So carry me." Her tone was flat.

I ended up sprinting to school with her in my arms. Let me be clear: this was purely to avoid tardiness. Nothing else!

Near the gate: "Hey, you can get down now." She ignored me, her slender arms locked around my neck. If I carried her inside like this, the harem drama waiting for me was unthinkable. "Don’t be difficult," I pleaded. She buried her face in my chest, silent.

Since I couldn’t drop her, I carried her in. Honestly, it wasn’t *me* at a disadvantage—just the awkwardness if someone saw us. My arms were killing me after this long.

Stepping onto campus, an invisible force weighed me down. If looks could kill, I’d have died ten thousand times over.

Ignoring the death glares, I carried Iris to the shoe lockers. "Now get down." She finally slid off, reluctance heavy in her movements. Even with Time Acceleration, carrying her from the villa gate had nearly broken my arms.

"Senpai~ Such a steamy scene this early morning?" A chilling voice came from behind. Rika Dojima glared at me, then pouted. "Carry me like a princess too."

"Maybe next time," I brushed her off. My arms were about to snap.

During class, I couldn’t focus—not that I ever did. Wait, wasn’t there an exam this week? Ugh. I shoved the thought away like a nightmare.

Iris’s father had warned me: another person with my genes would appear soon. That meant another Temporal Power user. But what type? Even among time manipulators, abilities differed.

Take me: Time Acceleration, Time Deceleration, Time Reversal, Time Distortion, Time Stasis, Time Travel, and Temporal Looting. But no destructive time-based attacks.

Huh. Silence fell. The teacher’s voice, scribbling pens, even birdsong outside—all gone. Everyone froze mid-motion. The scene was eerily familiar, like my own Time Stasis. Even leaves hung suspended mid-fall.

I snapped my head toward the window. A girl in a gothic black dress hovered in midair, staring straight at me. Her words cut through the frozen air:

"Found you at last... *Brother*."