– ‘Well, by the way, I don’t like this dress—you have to be light. What’s with all this padding? You got mad just because I touched your coat—not even your tunic!’

– “You touched my... Damn, that’s why I got mad at you before.”

– ‘Wanna play that again?’

– “I’ll kill you. And you told Mom directly without even telling me about that guy!”

– ‘Of course I didn’t. You wouldn’t have given me control. I told Maa the truth—that’s why she agreed. And now you’re just changing the topic.’

– “Ugh… well, I like this kind of dress.”

– ‘No, that’s not what I asked. I meant—’

– “Shut up. If you don’t like it, we’ll change.”

Suddenly, Yuki spotted Yuta. – ‘Huh? Hey, look—it’s Yuta.’

– “Huh? Oh, that idiot is watching the screen here? I already knew that.”

Yuki stepped closer with a purposeful stride, her tone coaxing but firm. “Hey, why didn’t you come to the arena?”

Yuta turned his head slowly. “Now you’re Yuki, huh? Why is Neesan letting you take control?”

Yuki tugged at his ear playfully. “You have to give respect—and that’s our problem. I ask why you’re watching here without coming to the arena.”

“Don’t order me around. You’re only one year older.”

Yui’s voice rose sharply. “Hey, Yuta!”

“Huh! Neesan? Well… my number is 44.”

Yui’s anger flared, her voice raised. “You have to give respect. Yuki is in our family now.”

– ‘Hey, don’t scold him. He’s right—I’m just a year older.’

Yui let out a long sigh. “Yuta, what kind of combination did you come up with for your nonsense sentiment now?”

“That’s not nonsense! 4 + 4 = 8. I want to come after eight matches.”

– ‘So that’s his sentiment? He thinks if he follows it, he’ll win?’

– “I said the same. Well, it’s his belief.”

“Why’d you come?”

“Hmm, I just came for sightseeing. Yuki wanted to find you.”

Surprise flickered on Yuta’s face. “Huh? She wants to find me? Why?”

Yui teased, light and playful, nudging at him. “If you’re around, we can talk more, right? That’s why she wanted to find you.”

Yuta’s face twisted in discomfort. “Ugh, don’t talk like that. Fine, I’ll come later. You go.”

“We’ll go together later. For now, you stay and watch—I’ll go buy some clothes.”

“Go. Just don’t come back until then.”

Yui walked toward the clothing shop, glancing back with a soft smile.

– “Hey, you know how he is. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

– ‘Why do I feel wrong about it? He’s my brother too now…’

***

“Now the match between 200 and 204.”

Arata vs Kazuki.

(Katana users wear a cord to tuck the katana at their waist.)

Arata’s katana with a gleaming icy-silver blade; Kazuki’s katana, in contrast, shimmered with a dull icy-brown hue.

Kazuki (25 years old) smirked slightly. “Hmm… I think we may fight with our katanas, but at the same time, I think it’s not possible.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s end this quickly.”

***

At the same time, Kazuma descended slowly, tapping Sakura’s shoulder from behind with a playful touch. “Buuu.”

Sakura spun around, startled, her voice carrying a hint of shock. “Ahh! Master! Where did you go? Wait, how did you even go?”

Kazuma smiled knowingly. “Did he call my number?”

“No. And stop changing the topic.”

“We went to get Hisagi healed. He needs three days to recover.”

“Huh? Master, you’re not even a healer. Didn’t the healer say she’d take care of him? You’re avoiding the real answer again.”

“Nothing serious. Let’s just watch the match.”

Sakura turns back to face the fighters, her expression sulky but focused.

Kazuma also turned his attention to the arena floor.

***

Maki watched intently, nudging Toshi with curiosity. “Hey, Toshi, your disciple’s up. What do you think will happen?”

Toshi shrugged. “If it goes the way I expect… the fight’ll be over in seconds.”

Miya crossed her arms. “Tch, don’t exaggerate. Over in seconds?”

“Miya-senpai, where do you think that guy disappeared to?”

“You’re still on that? I already forgot. I don’t care.”

Kiko grinned teasingly. “Really?”

Miya snapped back, “Really. You dumb girl.”

Maki leaned closer to Toshi, pointing at Arata. “Toshi, that katana… it looks like that one. Is it that?”

Toshi nodded. “Yeah. That’s why I said.”

Miya and Kiko leaned forward too, their eyes fixed on the katana.

***

Kazuma’s face twisted in shock. “Hey… that katana!”

“What? Master?”

Kazuma’s mouth opened, but before he could finish—“That–”

—the arena fell into utter silence. The arena froze, time itself halting—except for one person.

Arata had stopped time.

He walked toward Kazuki, raising his katana to strike.

As he neared, a strange unease crept into his mind. ‘Huh!… probably nothing.’ he reassured himself, tightening his grip on the katana.

Suddenly, Kazuki moved.

In a flash, Kazuki shifted his katana, parrying Arata’s blow—and counterattacked in the same motion.

Arata barely managed to raise his blade in time, but before he could step back, Kazuki slammed a vicious kick into his stomach. Arata was sent flying, crashing hard against the ring wall.

‘What?! How is he able to move?!’ Arata thought, stunned.

Time resumed its flow.

***

Kazuma’s eyes widened in shock. “What just happened? Why is he down by the ring wall?” he thought, blinking. ‘Was my guess right?’

A voice from the crowd whispered, “What happened? I didn’t even see them move!”

Toshi’s face went pale. “Why is Arata on the ground?!”

Maki leaned forward. “Wait—did he actually freeze time? You said he’d finish it in seconds! Why’s he the one down?”

“I’m confused too,” Toshi admitted.

Kiko turned to her. “Maki-senpai, did you just say he froze time? Then that katana—it’s Jikan Kōri, right!?”

Miya frowned. “Wait… how the hell did he get that?”

Toshi replied, “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me—even when I asked.”

***

Kazuki walked forward slowly, leaned close to Arata’s ear, and whispered.

But Arata remained cautious.

“Don’t worry, I won’t attack,” Kazuki said softly.

“If you have Jikan Kōri, I have Jikan Kuzushi. I’ve been waiting for you to come. You blocked my sneak attack, I think we can't fight with katanas now. If I wanted to win, I could do it easily—but I won’t. Get up. I’m going back. Let’s fight without katanas.”

“Huh? Why?” Arata asked, confused.

“Because I respect you, that’s all.”

***

Outside the arena, Yuta frowned at the screen. “Huh? Why did the feed stop? Is the screen stuck? What are the controllers even doing?”

In the streets, anxious murmurs spread as people noticed the sudden freeze.

Suddenly, the live broadcast resumed—showing Arata collapsed on the arena floor.

“What happened? Did they fight while the feed was down?”

***

Back in the arena, Arata rose to his feet. They faced each other once more.

“Shall we begin?”

“Of course.”

But time froze once more.

“Huh? Hey, what are you thi—”

Arata didn’t wait. He slashed fiercely—a horizontal cut aimed straight at Kazuki.

Kazuki leapt aside just in time. The slash smashed into the ring wall—cracks spider webbing through the stone.

“You idiot! I gave you a chance—and you still pull this crap?”

Time resumed.

“Huh? Did something just happen?” the crowd murmured.

Kazuma squinted at the cracked wall. ‘I think my guess was right—he’s freezing time.’

“Thanks for holding back… but sorry—you’ll regret it later.”

Kazuki wiped the sweat from his brow. “Huh? And how exactly are you planning to defeat me?”

“Just wait a little longer. You’ll see,” Arata said calmly.

From the crowd, voices buzzed in confusion.

“Hey, what nonsense are you two talking about?” one spectator shouted.

“Stop arguing and watch the match!” another barked.

Toshi leaned forward. “I think that other guy also has a katana like that. Even if the ranks differ, his katana counters Jikan Kōri.”

Miya frowned. “Hey, do you really believe those ranks mean anything?”

“Well, here’s what we know, Jikan Kōri is a time-freezer—ranked 7th. The other one, Jikan Kuzushi, is a time-breaker—ranked 11th.”

Kiko looked puzzled. “But Jikan Kuzushi is dominating right now.”

Maki sighed heavily. “The scrolls don’t list everything. Some only show rank and power, some mention limits. But only the users themselves truly understand the full abilities.”

Miya huffed angrily. “Why don’t the users just write everything down? It’s a waste—only explaining what it does and cooldowns.”

“Miya-senpai, that’s probably all the info anyone’s able to get.”

Suddenly, time froze again.

Kazuki shouted, “Hey, this is useless!” just as Arata swung his katana from afar—without even stepping closer.

The ground trembled violently. The floor cracked, and debris scattered into the air.

“Heh, I can block that easily. Why waste your strength on useless moves?”

The crowd remained frozen—unable to move or react—as the two clashed.

***

“Shit, why is the screen stuck again? What the hell is happening in the arena?” Yuta shouted.

Yuki and Yui are choosing the clothes.

Meanwhile, Ren was walking briskly through the crowded streets. Suddenly, a strange feeling—he spun around sharply but saw nothing suspicious.

***

“Damn it, again!” Miya muttered, frustration creasing her forehead. “I didn’t see it, but just by looking at the arena, I can guess. And Kiko, I don’t think the users wrote everything. At the very least, before dying, they should’ve written it down for future generations.”

Kiko adjusted her glasses thoughtfully. “Senpai… maybe they really did write everything. It’s just that we can’t read it.”

“Tch... Seriously, does he think he can just play with time however he wants?” Kazuma snapped.

“Master, what are you talking about?”

“He’s freezing time—”

Suddenly, time froze again. Arata’s voice rang out, “I’ll freeze as many times as I want. And sorry—I’m not giving you any chances anymore.”

“Huh? Freeze all you want. It won’t work inside my katana’s radius. Time flows normally near it.”

“How far is that radius exactly?”

Kazuki laughed low, amusement dripping from his voice. “Why would I tell you, idiot? Sounds like you’re bluffing.” 

Time snapped back to normal.

“I’m not bluffing.”

“Well then, let’s test it out.”

***

Miya glanced sideways at Haruto, who lay sprawled on the floor. Her voice boiled with irritation. “See that bastard? Sleeping right there, no tension at all.”

Kiko smiled softly. “Maybe Senpai thinks they won’t harm anyone.”

“What if it’s by accident? Kiko, you always back that idiot up.”

***

“Master, what’s going on? Why is the floor cracking like this?”

Kazuma’s expression hardened. “I already told you… well—”

Again, freeze. He lifted his katana, the icy silver blade gleaming. “I’ll tell you my limits. Can you say yours?”

Kazuki’s lips curled into a slight smile. “No, I don’t have limits like that. My katana just disrupts the freeze, forcing time to flow normally.”

Suddenly, Ren appeared beside Kazuma, teleporting smoothly back to the spot where he had been sitting moments before. ‘Uff, no one sits here’ He shivered, fingers twitching nervously as his eyes flicked sideways toward Kazuma. ‘Ugh... my body feels frozen.’

 “I can stop time for about 10 seconds... maybe 11.”

Ren’s eyes narrowed, confused. ‘Wait… what are they talking about? Stopping time?’

“I know that. Why are you saying it now? I didn’t agree to your offer before.”

Kazuma's voice continued, “Well, I don’t know how many katanas there are… Wait... did he freeze time again?”

He blinked, turning sharply toward Ren. “Hey, how did you get here!?”

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes hazy. “Umm... my head feels fuzzy. Did something happen?”

“When time stops, you can’t think or move.” Kazuma pointed at the katanas. “He’s stopping time with that katana.”

Sakura gasped. “Huh! Really!? Master, how did he get one? Wait—if he can freeze time, why is the other guy still fighting?”

Time froze again, the crowd falling silent.

“Do you get it now? Until I defeat my enemy, I can freeze time as many times as I want.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you. The radius is three meters. But what good is stopping time if I can disrupt it just as every time? It only delays the fight.”

Ren’s katana trembled in its sheath; a faint vibration ran through the hilt. His eyes widened. ‘Huh? Why is it shaking?’

He glanced subtly at Kazuma, who was frozen in place. Ren moved his hand slowly in front of Kazuma’s nose.

***

“Thanks for telling me… Now it’s my turn. The cooldown is the same as freezing time.”

“I know that. Say something new.”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s new, but I can only use it on one person a day. And today, that person is you.”

***

Kazuma swatted the hand Ren held inches from his nose. “Hey, why is your hand in front of my face? What are you doing, idiot?”

“I’m testing if you’re still breathing when time is stopped.”

“Wait, you didn’t freeze when time stopped?”

“Ken!”

“Umm... not sure. But I can move—just a bit.”

“H–” Suddenly, time froze again.

‘Kazuma? Wait, he froze again? What’s that guy thinking?’

***

“Shit, again and again. Can I just go to the arena and watch? Why is the screen stuck and playing like this?” Yuta muttered in frustration.

***

Meanwhile, during the normal flow of time between freezes, the controllers who control the ghost moths—to broadcast live via data pulses (video + sound)—watched in confusion.

“Huh? Did something happen? Why is the arena floor all cracked? What are they even talking about? Wait... is he stopping time? Then live feed won't go to the screens. Nobody knows what’s going on here.”

“Senpai, what should we do?”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now. If anyone asks, just tell them what happened here.”

***

“I’m getting bored. Hey, please stop that—it’s getting nowhere.”

“I won't stop. Admit defeat.”

“Huh? Are you crazy? Shit, I should’ve defeated you at first only!”

“That’s your mistake.”

***

Kazuma blinked. “Huh, hey... how are you able to move?”

“You stopped again in the middle.”

“Well, answer my question first... Wait, I didn’t even ask how you got that exactly! You said, ‘I got it from the same place.’ Hand it over, idiot.”

Kazuma snatched Ren’s katana from his side, examining it with narrowed eyes. “Huh? What’s this dirty, worn cloth? Why do you have this wrapped around the hilt?”

He flipped the katana, squinting at its backside. “Huh... there are some letters. ‘A’? Shit, that’s faded too.”

“Give it back. Even if you use it, you won’t be able to open dimension portals.”

Sakura froze. “Ken, you can open dimension portals!”

“I got this katana by accident... so I can open it. Nothing more.”

Kazuma folded his arms. “I know you’re opening dimensions with that… but I’ve never seen any information about it.”

***

Miya fists clenched tightly. “Hey Toshi, how many times will he freeze?! Is this some kind of joke to your disciple?!”

Time stopped again.

“Well, until you admit defeat, I’ll keep freezing time. That’s the only thing I can do.”

Kazuki sat cross-legged. “Well, if that’s what you want. I’ll sit here. When you lose patience, call me to fight.”

“Well... I’ll wait for you to stand. Until then, I won’t freeze time.”

Author’s Note :

Dear readers,

I sincerely apologize for trimming expressions and actions in this chapter. Due to character limits, I had to condense more than intended. This approach will continue through Chapter 28, as I’m currently re-editing within the constraints of already uploaded chapters.

Please understand that my goal was to offer a more detailed and visual narrative. Thank you for your support!