I had a dream where I fell inside a loaf of bread, crushed nearly to death but unable to crawl out. When I opened my eyes, Hodou Yu lay beside me, using my arm as a pillow until it had gone completely numb.

I bolted upright, pushing her head away to free my arm. The movement woke her. She blinked sleepily at me. "Morning, Black Dragon Stream Lord."

"So," I said, "care to explain why you’re in my bed?" Her clothes were intact—she must have sneaked in while I slept. She scratched her head. "I mastered what you taught me! I wanted to show you, but you were dead asleep. I waited by your bedside... and somehow ended up sleeping here too."

I was stunned. "What? You mastered it?" If true, she’d awakened as an Ability User—and that was trouble. "Show me." I gestured for a demonstration.

Hodou Yu grinned proudly, pulling out the game coin I’d given her. "Then witness the power of the Green Dragon Princess!" she declared with cringey flair. She tossed the coin upward. Nothing happened. It simply dropped. "Are you joking?" I snapped. Awakening abilities wasn’t that easy.

She giggled. "Just warming up! Now for my *real* power!" She scooped up the coin and threw it forward. Abruptly, it froze mid-air. Not a strong ability—but undeniable proof. She’d truly awakened.

I pinned her down, looming over her. Her face flushed crimson. "B-Black Dragon Stream Lord! W-what are you doing? I-I’m not ready for this!" Ridiculous thoughts. "Have you shown this to anyone else?" She shook her head timidly.

I released her. "Never show this ability to others." She nodded knowingly. "Got it. True masters stay hidden, right?" Good. I fixed her with a serious gaze. "Unless your life’s in danger, *never* reveal your power. It’ll bring catastrophic trouble. Even death."

My intensity startled her. "Really?" I nodded grimly. "Since you’re an Ability User now, listen closely: some humans wield supernatural powers. We’re called Ability Users. My ability? Time manipulation."

"Time manipulation?!" Her eyes sparkled with awe. "Can you freeze time? Time travel? Time reversal?" All possible. "So you’re invincible?" she breathed.

I cut her off. "Changing time has a cost. Everything has a clock counting its remaining time. To alter it, you pay with equal time from your own life. A human lifespan? Pathetic. So you steal time—from others. Steal lifespans."

Right now, I could only steal human time. Once, during Time Travel, my body unconsciously drained time from plants too—but I couldn’t control that yet. Hodou Yu just stared at me, tears glistening, clearly not listening. "I can see your time," I added sharply. "Want to know how long you’ll live?"

"No! Don’t tell me!" Smart. Knowing your lifespan only breeds fear. Life’s beauty lies in its uncertainty.

"An organization codenamed ‘K’ hunts Ability Users. They perform inhuman experiments. If you don’t want to be vivisected, *never* reveal your power. Not even to your parents." My tone left no room for jokes.

*Damn it.* Unwanted memories surged—those so-called parents. "Tigers don’t eat their young"? Bullshit. I shoved the thoughts away. Hodou Yu had gone quiet, unnerved. "They caught you, didn’t they?" I neither confirmed nor denied. To her, it was confirmation.

Suddenly, she hugged me from behind. "Hey—what are you doing?" She didn’t answer, just held me tighter. The moment shattered as frantic pounding echoed at the door, accompanied by shouts.

K? No—they’d ambush, not knock. Peeking through the peephole, I saw a dozen black-clad delinquents. Their purpose was clear.

"Hide," I whispered to Hodou Yu. She nodded obediently. Once she was concealed, I opened the door.

A foot lashed out at me. Under Time Deceleration, I punched the kicker square in the face. With Time Acceleration, he flew backward, crashing into his buddies several meters away.

"Who are you?" I stepped forward. They retreated. Finally in the open, a yellow-haired leader sneered, "We know you’re tough. But we caught that red-haired girl near your place. Hurt us, and she dies."

Bastards. They had Tachibana Yuki—and it was my fault.

I pulled out a coin. "Release her. Or I blow your brains out." The yellow-haired punk laughed. "Shoot me, and my boys will carve her up. Such a pretty thing... what a waste."

I lowered the coin. "Let her go. I’ll come with you." His arrogance returned. "We came for you anyway. But first—interest payment." His fist slammed into my face. My cheek burned, but I didn’t flinch.

A kick to my stomach made me gag. Seeing my submission, the others joined in. Twenty minutes of brutal kicks and punches later, they dragged my bruised body away.

They took me to a derelict church. Broken pews littered the floor. Stained-glass windows were shattered. The crimson carpet had turned black from rain. Dozens of delinquents surrounded Tachibana Yuki, bound and lying on the floor amid flickering white candles.

"Boss, we brought him," the yellow-haired punk announced. A figure in black emerged—swollen eyes hid a sharp, piercing gaze. Their leader was a woman.