I'm in a crossover anime world, and I've been transported to Hogwarts twice.

"It's absolutely mind-numbing! This morning, he blocked my office door, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, almost hugging my leg and wailing, saying that his century-old business had been destroyed in an instant and that tens of thousands of mouths under his command were starving."

"It's the same old thing over and over again. They're practically spitting all over my new carpet!"

She curled her lip in disgust and continued, "That tragic hero act, he almost believed it himself, didn't he?"

"Does he really think the Five Great Philanthropists run a charity? Do they expect them to spit out the meat they've already eaten?"

“Naoe Jinnosuke has lived to such an old age, he can’t possibly not understand this principle. This is clearly just him pretending to be crazy and making a fuss, trying to use Chaldea and us to be the scapegoat for him, to play the victim and put pressure on the Five Good People so that he can profit from it!”

As Yukino Shino spoke, she grew increasingly angry, her words coming out in rapid succession, her chest heaving slightly.

She grabbed the untouched glass of ice water from Genichiro Hanyu's table, tilted her head back, and gulped down a large mouthful before she calmed down a little.

She leaned forward, her hands braced on the smooth tabletop, her gaze fixed intently on Genichi Hanyu's calm face: "Genichi, this can't go on like this. That old man keeps wailing and crying in my room every day. I'm going to have a nervous breakdown! Tell me your plan, tell me straight up how to get rid of him."

"If this continues, my office as the Chaldea chief will soon become the funeral parlor for the Naoe family!"

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the soft click of the pocket watch in Genichi Hanyu's hand opening and closing, and the distant, low hum of the city, a symbol of the vibrant life of the new world.

Genichi Hanyu finally stopped wiping.

He gently placed the pocket watch, which gleamed dimly under the lamplight, on the table, and then slowly raised his head. His deep eyes, like an ancient, cold pool, met Yang Nai's fiery gaze without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

"How to do?"

Genichi Hanyu's lips curved into a very faint, almost imperceptible smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes; instead, it revealed a bone-chilling coldness.

"It's very simple, it depends on how sensible Naoe Jinnosuke really is."

He leaned back comfortably in the wide chair, his fingers casually interlaced on his abdomen, his posture languid, yet his words were sharp as knives scraping across ice.

“Yonai, remember this: in this new world, Chaldea is not a babysitter, much less a charity.”

"We are the maintainers of order and one of the rule-makers."

“If Naoe Jinnosuke is sensible enough to understand his position and knows what he can think about and what he can’t even touch, then, for the sake of the little bit of past affection and stability, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to let him and his hungry subordinates have some leftovers through their fingers, throw out a bone with a bit of meat on it, to appease them.”

"Consider it a way of getting rid of a watchdog that at least wags its tail."

"but."

Genichi Hanyu's voice suddenly dropped, and the faint smile vanished completely, replaced by a chilling indifference.

"If this old guy gets blinded by his inflated ambition, loses sight of his own limitations, and starts having some inappropriate thoughts."

He narrowed his eyes slightly: "For example, trying to use Chaldea's power to benefit themselves; secretly conspiring to do some underhanded things; thinking that Chaldea is weak and easy to bully, and that they can take whatever they want from them..."

Genichi Hanyu's voice was like a venomous snake chilled to the bone, slowly and clearly uttering his final words.

"Then let's make sure everyone in Naoe Jinnosuke understands one thing: there's never a shortage of dogs in this world who want a piece of the pie."

"If a dog is old, greedy, and doesn't know how to read its owner's face, then replace it with a younger, more obedient dog that knows how to wag its tail and beg for mercy."

"It's just a small favor for us, and it might even be a good thing for the stability of the new world, don't you think?"

His final question was light and casual, yet it carried an undeniable air of judgment.

The air in the office seemed to freeze. The cold, all-encompassing aura emanating from Genichi Hanyu made Yukino Yukinoshita unconsciously hold her breath.

She knew that Genichi Hanyu was not joking.

To Naoe Jinnosuke, his wailing and sob were nothing more than a farcical spectacle.

The outcome of this farce depends entirely on whether the old dog chooses to continue wagging its tail or foolishly bare its fangs.

Yukino took a deep breath, and the last bit of agitation in her eyes was replaced by calm.

She understood the line that Genichi Hanyu had drawn.

Now that the rules have been set, all that remains is for her to implement them.

She stood up, straightened her impeccably tailored suit skirt, and her face once again displayed that shrewd, capable, and flawless professional smile.

"understood."

Her voice returned to its usual cool and crisp tone, "I will properly convey your message to Naoe, and I hope he can make a wise choice."

She deliberately emphasized the words "proper" and "wise".

Genichi Hanyu nodded slightly in satisfaction, his gaze returning to the antique pocket watch on the table, as if his cold declaration had never happened.

Naoe Jinnosuke's greed was within his expectations, but how to deal with it was a matter of Chaldea's prestige under the new order.

He needs an obedient dog, but he's also always ready to snap its neck with his own hands before it tries to turn on him.

120 Time-Stop Pocket Watch, Yang Nai's Desire

"Oh, by the way, here's a pocket watch for you."

Genichi Hanyu's calm and unassuming voice broke the heavy atmosphere that had lingered in the office due to his previous cold declaration.

He stopped wiping the antique pocket watch and casually handed it forward, the motion as fluid as handing over an ordinary pen.

Yukinoshita's thoughts were still on how to properly deal with Naoe Jinnosuke's troubles, so she subconsciously accepted the offer upon hearing it.

It feels cool to the touch, and has a heavy, metallic feel.

The pocket watch case is made of some kind of deep dark gold alloy, with intricate geometric patterns etched on the surface that are dizzying and unlike any known civilization on Earth. In the center is a deep blue-black gemstone, as dark as the starry sky, that seems to absorb all the light.

She looked through them with a puzzled expression, her fingertips able to feel the indescribable ancient aura emanating from the patterns.

What is this pocket watch?

Yukinoshita raised her head, her eyebrows slightly raised with her usual inquisitive expression.

Genichi Hanyu never does anything meaningless; what he gives is definitely not an ordinary thing.

Genichi Hanyu leaned back in his chair, still looking languid, as if discussing a trivial trinket: "Press the button on top, and time will pause."

"..."

Yukino's eyes, which always gleamed with shrewdness, froze instantly.

A time-stopping pocket watch?

These six words exploded in her mind like a mental bomb, instantly dispelling all her worries about the old fox, Naoe.

Her gaze was fixed on the small object that Yuzuru Genichi had been playing with just moments before, now lying quietly in her palm, and she unconsciously held her breath.

The hustle and bustle of the city outside the window, the low hum of the air conditioner, and even the sound of my own blood flowing, all seemed distant and unreal at this moment.

Time paused?

This has gone beyond the scope of precious items or powerful weapons; it is a forbidden object that touches the rules of the world and manipulates the fundamental laws of the universe!

Even the legendary artifacts are nothing special, right?

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes becoming extremely strange, as if she were seeing this man for the first time.

There was shock and disbelief in that gaze, but even faster was a scrutiny mixed with mischief and intense suspicion.

"you..."

Yukino's voice carried a hint of dryness and teasing that she herself was unaware of.

"You wouldn't have used this pocket watch for some shady business, would you?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "unspeakable," her eyes scanning his handsome yet unfathomable face, trying to catch a trace of guilt or a flaw.

"For example, pausing time to peek at girls changing clothes? Or something even more outrageous?"

The scene she imagined seemed a bit far-fetched to herself, but with such a magical device in hand, it was hard not to think in the wrong direction.

Genichi Hanyu's expression remained unchanged, but a very subtle hint of helplessness flashed across his deep eyes, so fleeting that it seemed like an illusion.

“Yang Nai, even though we are close, I can still sue you for defamation for the way you are.”

He paused, seemingly feeling the need to explain the origin of this thing to avoid damaging his reputation.

"This thing was found in some fragments of small worlds that Gaia had merged into before. Those worlds had chaotic rules and all sorts of strange things. In one of the fragments, there was a lucky guy who picked it up and started a ridiculous life that was probably like that of a protagonist in an adult anime."

Yukino drew out her melody, her fingertips tracing the cool case of the pocket watch. The dark blue gemstone seemed to respond to her touch, and the nebula inside seemed to swirl faster.

"Didn't you ever even have the slightest thought of using it to do something bad?"

Her curiosity grew wildly, like weeds that had been set ablaze.

The temptation is too great!

Pausing time means absolute control, absolute initiative, and absolute freedom to do whatever you want.

Even Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel her heart race.

Upon hearing this, Genichi Hanyu's lips twitched upwards in an extremely rare manner, a smile that was a mixture of absolute confidence and a hint of disdain.

"If I wanted to do something bad, would I need this pocket watch?"

His gaze swept over her calmly, yet it carried a powerful aura of dominance, as if the rules themselves were in his grasp.

Yukino Yukino was instantly speechless.

Yes, given Genichi Hanyu's methods and status, if he really wanted to do something, he wouldn't need to rely on such external means. He has more direct, effective, and despair-inducing methods.

"I gave it to you for self-defense."

Genichi Hanyu added casually, as if he were handing over not a forbidden artifact that could manipulate time, but an umbrella.

“That old fox Naoe, or someone who might be even more unpredictable in the future, might do something desperate. Having this can at least buy you some reaction time or create some opportunities.”

Before he could finish speaking, he didn't even give Yang Nai any chance to react or refuse, and flicked his finger lightly.

The heavy pocket watch, bearing the weight of time, flew precisely in a short arc towards Yang Nai.

"Hey!"

Yukino was startled; her heart nearly jumped out of her throat.

This thing can stop time!

What if it breaks?

She frantically reached out her hands and narrowly caught the pocket watch just as it was about to hit her chest. The cool touch against her palms made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Immediately, an indescribable excitement and an extremely malicious thought, like vines, instantly entangled her reason.

Self-defense?

What a perfectly legitimate reason.

But at this moment, Yukinoshita Haruno only had one thought in her mind.

Try it!

We have to try it right now!

Otherwise, how would you know if this thing is real?

What if Genichi Hanyu, that guy with a twisted sense of humor, is playing a trick on her?

And this is a pause time!

Golden opportunity!

Her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like a feline discovering a new toy, gleaming with cunning, excitement, and a hint of impending mischief.

She carefully felt the tiny bump on the side of the watch case with her thumb, her heart pounding in her chest.

Genichi Hanyu seemed completely unaware of her dangerous intentions, or perhaps he was aware but simply didn't care.

It's now!

Yukinoshita held her breath, and with an almost pious yet mischievous excitement, pressed the button hard!

0Request flowers0

"Click."

A very faint, crisp sound, as if from the depths of the soul.

There was no earth-shattering light, no spatial distortion.

But at the very moment the button was pressed—

The whole world froze.

Inside the office, Genichi Hanyu's profile as he gazed out the window, his pensive expression frozen in time, not even a single tremor of his eyelashes could be seen.

Outside the window, the city, which was originally brightly lit and bustling with traffic, was instantly transformed into a huge and eerie still image.