Chapter 1

[Superpower – Time Stop]

[Drawback: ■■■■■]

Lin Ye opened his eyes, blinking against the unfamiliar sight of glowing words suspended in the air.

After a few seconds, the text vanished as if it had never been there.

Superpowers? What's going on?

The thought barely formed in his mind before another memory surfaced, hitting him with the weight of its finality.

"I remember… wasn't I dead?"

After graduating from university, Lin Ye had become a 007-style corporate slave in an internet company. Late nights of endless overtime had taken their toll, ultimately landing him in the ICU. Despite the doctors' best efforts, he'd lost consciousness, succumbing to cold, silent oblivion.

But now...

Lin Ye looked around, bewildered.

The vibrant lights of a concert venue filled his vision. Colorful beams cut through the air, music boomed, and cheers erupted from a packed crowd. Glow sticks waved rhythmically, mirroring the energy of the performance on stage.

On the brightly lit platform, a group of young girls in red-and-black pleated skirts sang and danced, their voices blending harmoniously. The choreography was flawless, and the charisma of their performance had the crowd roaring in approval.

Lin Ye's confusion only deepened.

'Time travel?'

He instinctively reached into his pockets and pulled out a cell phone and passport.

A quick glance at the passport provided a flood of details. He was now seventeen years old, a citizen of a major eastern country, studying abroad in Japan on a high school visa. The photo was unmistakably his own.

'The same individual in a parallel world? Or did I go back to my youth while simultaneously crossing into another reality?'

Without further information or memories of the life he had assumed, Lin Ye could only conclude that his original self had traversed time and space to replace the version of him in this world.

The girls on stage brought their performance to a close.

A young woman with long, purple-black hair waved enthusiastically to the crowd. Her energetic voice filled the venue as she addressed the audience.

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you for continuing to support B-Komachi!"

Her eyes sparkled under the stage lights, her delicate features radiating charm. Every movement she made exuded the boundless vitality of youth.

"I hope you'll keep cheering for us. B-Komachi will bring you even more amazing performances in the future!"

Lin Ye froze.

Hoshino Ai.

The eternal center of B-Komachi, her name was as familiar as the sight of her dazzling smile.

'Hoshino Ai? Isn't she the heroine of Oshi no Ko?'

As Ai spoke, her gaze fell upon a man in the first row of the audience. Lin Ye noticed the interaction, but it took him a moment to realize something else: all eyes in the crowd were now on him.

The man—the center of attention—stood out.

"I was so surprised during this performance," Ai continued, her playful tone sparking laughter. "A fan boldly confessed their love for me! It's my first time experiencing something like this. I'm so excited!"

A chorus of laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Woo-hoo! Ai-chan is so kind!"

"This is why we love her!"

"She even rejected him so gently. Pure class."

The audience broke into cheers, teasing, and expressions of jealousy.

"But…" Ai's voice turned slightly regretful, her tone almost apologetic. "Ai-chan wants to focus on her idol career for now, so falling in love is not an option. I hope you understand!"

The crowd burst into laughter again.

"She's so considerate!"

"I should've confessed too! Maybe I'd get a reward!"

Lin Ye's mind raced as he absorbed the scene. 'So, I've traveled to the world of Oshi no Ko? Or maybe to a broader two-dimensional world?'

The concert ended, and the crowd began to disperse. Lin Ye remained in his seat, watching as Ai descended from the stage. She approached him, her every step exuding grace.

"Thank you for liking me and confessing your feelings," Ai said, her voice soft and sincere. She bowed deeply, her expression kind.

Her polite demeanor drew sighs of admiration from fans who lingered nearby.

Lin Ye's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Your thanks don't necessarily equal dislike. I understand."

Ai blinked, caught off guard.

"Don't worry," Lin Ye continued casually. "I won't trouble you further, and I'm not some lunatic who'll stab you out of obsession."

A flicker of unease crossed Ai's face. Was that... an implied threat?

Before she could respond, the blonde manager by her side stepped forward, holding a Polaroid camera. "Alright, everyone. Smile for the camera!"

Hoshino Ai forced a smile, stepping closer to Lin Ye. She raised a playful peace sign.

"Click!"

The flash went off.

Ai retrieved the photo, scrawling the date and her name on it with colorful pen strokes before adding a few hearts. She handed it to Lin Ye with a radiant smile.

"Here you go! I hope you'll keep supporting me in the future. Ai-chan looks forward to your continued support!"

Lin Ye accepted the photo, glancing at it briefly before slipping it into his pocket. He smiled faintly, his voice low as he muttered, "Support? Maybe in the next life."

"Hey!"

Hoshino Ai froze in place, startled by the sudden exclamation. The manager, who had just taken two steps forward, stopped as well.

"I'm going to support Mai in this life. Mai will definitely be better," the voice declared.

Hoshino Ai blinked, momentarily confused. 'What?' She tried to process what she had just heard.

Damn it, what's so good about Mai Sakurajima?

Ai's thoughts spiraled, her stomach sinking. The smile she had been wearing faltered, her expression stiffening.

At the same time, Lin Ye was caught in his own dilemma, wondering if he should use his superpower to stop time and experiment with its effects right now. His gaze landed on Hoshino Ai, and he found himself observing her closely.

The intensity of his stare made Ai instinctively uncomfortable, her body tensing as an odd sensation swept over her.

"Love, love, my love..."

A low, chilling voice suddenly echoed from the shadows nearby.

Ai's eyes widened in fear, and the voice continued.

"Ai-chan... is mine. For Ai-chan, I... came back alive. I came back alive from the strange game..."

Her blood ran cold as a figure emerged from the shadows—a man clad in a black hooded coat, his head hung low. He spoke again, his tone feverish and obsessive.

"Ai-chan, I support you... Tonight, Ai-chan, stay with me..."

The figure stepped closer, his presence looming, and Ai's panic only grew.

"Hey, stop it, you creep—ah!" Manager Saito's voice was suddenly cut off by a strangled cry of fear. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling as if he'd seen something utterly horrifying.

"Mr. Saito!" Ai screamed, her voice cracking.

The man in black didn't stop. He rushed forward, laughing maniacally.

"If you dare not support Ai, you will die!"

He whipped his head toward Lin Ye, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light. A dagger flashed in his hand, its metallic sheen glinting in the dim light.

Lin Ye had intended to keep a low profile, to assess the situation without drawing attention to himself. But now, faced with the escalating threat, he sighed.

"I guess I can't just watch anymore."

Time stopped.

A faint, almost imperceptible hum of static energy filled the air.

And then, silence.

The world seemed to freeze. The man in black was caught mid-lunge, his weapon raised. Ai's face was frozen in an expression of pure terror, her wide eyes reflecting the scene in front of her. Everything and everyone were locked in place, like statues.

Lin Ye moved through the stillness with practiced ease. He approached the man, plucking the dagger from his grip without resistance. He considered tossing it aside but ultimately pocketed it after carefully wrapping it in cloth. Then, his attention shifted.

Curiosity got the better of him as he walked toward Hoshino Ai. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips. He waved a hand in front of her face, pinched her cheek, and even poked her nose. Her expression remained frozen, utterly unaware.

"This really is time stopping," he mused aloud. "But is the world truly halted, or have I just accelerated to a speed where everything appears still?"

Satisfied with his experiment, he turned back to the man in black. Pulling back the hood revealed a strange, black bead embedded in his forehead. Lin Ye stared, frowning.

"Mutation? Some kind of weird decoration?"

He decided not to take chances. Using the cloth, he pried the bead loose and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, with clinical precision, he began landing blow after blow on the man's abdomen.

"Think you can just kill me? A deranged fanboy like you?"

His punches were relentless, each one cracking through the frozen silence of the world.

"If I weren't here, Ai-chan would've been dead tonight. You don't deserve mercy."

After delivering a brutal beating, Lin Ye repositioned the man's body and placed the dagger back in his hand. He meticulously wiped away any fingerprints, erasing any evidence of his involvement. Finally, his gaze returned to Ai.

"This is your reward," he muttered, his tone laced with a mix of irritation and amusement. "If I hadn't intervened, you'd have been in serious trouble tonight."

Time resumed.

The man in black staggered forward, a strangled cry escaping his lips. Blood spurted from his abdomen as he stumbled, clutching at his midsection.

"What... Why..." he rasped, his voice hoarse and filled with despair. "I... I just wanted to be with Ai..."

He collapsed to the ground, his body twitching violently. With one final, guttural scream, he fell silent, lifeless.

The air was thick with the scent of blood. Ai stood trembling, her mind struggling to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

Lin Ye calmly stepped forward, positioning himself between Ai and the man's body.

Meanwhile, Ai's thoughts raced. Her mind replayed the moment everything stopped—the world frozen in time, Lin Ye moving freely, his actions unbound by the laws of reality. She wanted to scream, to demand answers, but fear and confusion paralyzed her.

Who is this man? And what kind of power does he wield?

Her violet eyes fixed on Lin Ye's back as questions swirled in her mind, unanswered and overwhelming.

The male fan who had confessed to her but was rejected turned out to be someone with superpowers—abilities that seemed to allow him to stop time. Hoshino Ai couldn't help but feel a mix of worry, fear, and undeniable curiosity.

A real, bizarre person with a supernatural power.

The kind of person who only existed in rumors.

Lin Ye, standing nearby, noticed the fear in the girl's expression out of the corner of his eye. It was only natural for a young girl to feel terrified after being attacked by a crazed fan and witnessing a bloody, traumatic incident.

"Ugh… ahhh…"

The metallic smell of blood filled the air, and the deep crimson liquid continued to pour from the dying man's body.

"Why… why… is it like this…" the man stammered, his voice trembling with pain and regret.

"I… I just wanted to be with Ai…"

His bloodied hand reached out toward Hoshino Ai, as if desperate to grasp the panicked girl, his eyes wide with desperation.

"Aahhhh…"

The final cry escaped his lips, heavy with rage and unwillingness, before his body collapsed entirely. He fell silent, lifeless on the ground.

At that moment, Hoshino Ai realized the horrifying truth: the man who had attacked her was dead. Her hands trembled as she clasped them tightly, her mind clouded with confusion. She stood frozen, her body shivering uncontrollably.

Lin Ye, on the other hand, was calm. The immediate danger was over, and his mind turned to practical matters: the limits of his time-stopping ability. He decided now was as good a time as any to test its boundaries.

"Time stop activated," he muttered.

The world fell silent, frozen in a state of unnatural stillness. Lin Ye began to count his heartbeats to measure time.

Walking out of the scene, he observed his surroundings carefully. Everything within his field of vision was locked in stasis. For a moment, he felt a noticeable change in his heartbeat—it quickened slightly.

"Five minutes," he noted.

He continued to count, letting the ability stretch further. At around the ten-minute mark, he felt a wave of fatigue washing over him. His breathing grew labored, but the world remained still.

Despite knowing he could likely extend the pause indefinitely, Lin Ye understood his own body had limits. Pushing beyond those limits would inevitably lead to collapse.

At twelve or thirteen minutes, Lin Ye returned to the concert scene and stopped the time-stopping ability altogether.

"Five minutes is the safest duration," he muttered under his breath, "Ten minutes is manageable, but any longer requires serious caution. Overuse will lead to cumulative physical and mental strain. Rest periods will be necessary."

He mused further, wondering whether increasing his physical stamina might enhance his ability's duration. However, a troubling thought lingered: 'Does my life span shorten while the world is stopped?'

He flexed his fingers, scrutinizing them for any sign of aging or change, but the short duration of the tests made it difficult to draw conclusions.

Meanwhile, Hoshino Ai, frozen in time once again, silently bore witness to everything. She could only watch Lin Ye as he moved freely in the still world, conducting experiments and observing his surroundings.

Her mind raced with questions: Who is this man? What is he capable of?

The figure of Lin Ye was etched into her purple, starry eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, the police arrived at the scene. The body of the attacker was taken away, and Hoshino Ai's manager, Saito, still shaken, was rushed to the hospital.

Both Lin Ye and Hoshino Ai were taken to the nearest police station for questioning.

About half an hour later, the formalities were complete. The two of them stepped out of the police station into the cold, quiet night.

Hoshino Ai clutched her coat tightly, her face pale and her mental state visibly fragile.

"Can you take me to the nearest hotel? It's about two hundred meters away. I remember there's one there," she asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Lin Ye hesitated, but agreed.

The two walked side by side down the dimly lit street. The atmosphere felt heavy, the silence punctuated only by the sound of their footsteps.

As they walked, a dense fog began to roll in, muffling the world around them. The air grew colder, the streets eerily quiet—no insects, no breeze, just an unsettling stillness.

Soon, a building came into view, its sign glowing faintly in the dark. Red and purple lights illuminated the structure ahead.

Lin Ye squinted, reading the sign aloud.

"Love Heart Hotel."

He froze. It was a love hotel.

For a moment, his thoughts spiraled. 'Hoshino Ai asked me to take her here. Is she hinting at something? Could this mean…'

Lin Ye's mind raced. The very idea of such a bold move from someone like Ai was both thrilling and surreal.

But before he could say anything, Ai herself looked at the building. Her face went pale as if a sudden realization had dawned on her.

"Ding!"

A chime rang out as the automated door slid open.

"Welcome to the Love Heart Hotel," a robotic voice announced cheerfully.