Night fell faster in Tokinomachi. The sun never truly rose in this world—only a dim glow like a foggy morning that slipped into deep darkness within minutes.
Zetsu stood in front of a massive building that resembled a city hall, though colder. The architecture was classical, yet filled with giant clocks and digital glows pouring out of glass windows. Above the main gate was written:
"Time is Will, Time is Life."
Lifa tugged on Zetsu's sleeve.
"Don't look nervous. Time merchants can smell fear."
Inside, the atmosphere was a blend of casino and courtroom. A huge holographic screen floated in the center of the room, displaying the time lot to be auctioned tonight:
Auction Item number seventeen:Time remaining — three hours and twenty-seven minutes.Previous owner — unknown, removed by system execution.Starting bid — ten minutes.
Zetsu swallowed hard. "Three hours of life… being sold like merchandise?"
Lifa turned to him, her face as cold as ever. "Better sold than wasted. Here, time is a commodity."
Participants either stood or sat in transparent chairs, each wearing a watch of a different color. Most were blue, like Zetsu's. But some were purple, red, even gold. The higher the color, the more time its owner had—and the higher their social class.
"If you want to move up," Lifa whispered, "winning an auction is one of the fastest ways."
Zetsu looked at his watch: 84 hours, 1 minute, and 17 seconds.
He had more than three days. But to join the auction, he had to be ready to lose part of it.
When the auction began, an old woman with a golden watch stood in the center of the podium. She wore a blazing red gown, decorated with clock-like gears on her shoulders.
"Good evening, time-movers," she said haughtily. "We begin the auction with Item number seventeen. Three hours and twenty-seven minutes, starting bid at ten minutes."
Suddenly, the hologram displayed the first bid.
Bidder F2D88 offered twelve minutes.
"Up to twelve already," Lifa murmured. "That was fast."
Zetsu gritted his teeth. He wanted to join, but fear still clutched at his chest. Was he ready to lose time… for time?
Bidder A1R99 raised to fifteen minutes.Bidder Z4T31 pushed it to eighteen minutes.Then, an anonymous bidder jumped to twenty-five minutes.
The screen flickered, showing only "???" for the latest bid.
Lifa sneered. "The 'Upper Time' people. They often hoard leftover time just to stock it up."
Zetsu clenched his fist. "They're playing with people's lives…"
"Lives already lost," Lifa snapped. "You're too idealistic. This world has no room for sympathy."
Zetsu stared at the screen. The current bid was twenty-five minutes. Ten seconds left to bid.
He scrolled through his menu. A small button appeared: Bid Time.His fingers trembled as he prepared to give up part of his life. But he forced himself to stay calm.
"Twenty-seven minutes," he whispered, and pressed the button.
The screen updated: Bidder ZETSU offered twenty-seven minutes.
The room went silent. A few people turned to look at him.
Bidding closed.Winner: ZETSU.
Zetsu stood frozen. His watch immediately dropped—he now had 83 hours, 34 minutes, and 17 seconds. He had lost nearly half an hour of his life.
Then a notification blinked.
Three hours and twenty-seven minutes successfully added.
His watch now read 87 hours, 1 minute, and 17 seconds.
Lifa gave a low whistle. "Not bad for a rookie. You've got guts."
Zetsu didn't speak. He stared at the watch. For the first time since arriving in this world, his remaining time had increased—not decreased.
It was strange. Strange, but… satisfying.
That night, they walked home through the city's alleys. Blue lights from digital time signs lit up Lifa's face.
"You know, Zetsu," she said softly, "if you keep doing things like that, the system will notice you."
Zetsu turned to her. "The system?"
Lifa nodded. "The Fourth Dimensional Bank doesn't just observe. They control. And they don't like new players rising too fast."
Zetsu gave a faint smile."I'm not trying to rise. I just want… to survive."
"Well," Lifa muttered, "they don't like people who survive too well either."