Strange Game - Anime Mashup

The mirror reflects the true nature of the hotel's guests.

This was the conclusion Lin Ye reached.

Looking at Ichiro Tanaka and Kamimura Mihui now, they seemed perfectly normal—too normal. Their apparent harmlessness masked something far more sinister. The shadowy reflections in the TV confirmed his suspicion: they were no longer human.

Lin Ye hesitated. "Taking them to the shower isn't an option."

If exposed to the water, their concealed forms might emerge in full. In their mutated states, they'd pose an even greater threat to everyone in the hotel.

He scanned the room one last time, noting its layout and items before stepping out.

Time resumed

"Brother Lin, don't just stand there," Ichiro Tanaka called out with a wide grin. "Come in and join us! It's much safer in here than wandering around. The hallways can get... unpredictable."

As he spoke, Tanaka slapped Kamimura Mihui playfully on her butt, eliciting a crisp sound and a giggle from her.

Lin Ye's reply was curt: "I refuse."

The refusal seemed to trigger something in the pair. Their demeanor shifted abruptly, the joviality melting into something unsettling.

"Love hotels demand love," Mihui said in a singsong voice.

"Without love, you're not a good guest," Tanaka added, his eyes narrowing.

Their movements became jerky, as if strings were pulling their limbs. Slowly, they began advancing toward Lin Ye, their smiles grotesque.

"I have Hoshino Ai," Lin Ye said loudly, motioning toward Hoshino Ai.

Startled but quick to respond, Ai carefully set the unconscious Kuroda Hikari down before rushing toward him. Lin Ye wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

Ai blinked, confused by the sudden gesture, but didn't resist. The warmth of Lin Ye's touch and his calm composure made her heartbeat quicken.

"And Kuroda-san's with us, too," Lin Ye added smoothly. "We'll be doing plenty of 'love' back in our room."

The advancing pair froze mid-step, their expressions blank.

"Together...?" Mihui muttered.

"All of you?" Tanaka echoed, a flicker of something human returning to his face.

Lin Ye nodded. "I'll try things out with Ai and Kuroda first, then I'll come back for you two."

The pair exchanged glances before breaking into eerie laughter.

"Brother Lin is a true man—one dragon, two phoenixes," Tanaka said, nudging Mihui.

"And you?" Mihui shot back at him. "Nothing but a scrawny mutt."

Ignoring their banter, Lin Ye began guiding Ai out of the room. "We'll head back now. Don't worry—I'll close the door for you."

Without waiting for a response, he shut the door firmly, isolating the two inside.

"Lin Ye," Ai said quietly, her voice trembling. "Those two... They're not normal."

Even without understanding the full extent of their transformation, Ai's intuition told her something was very wrong.

Lin Ye nodded. "We'll figure it out. Let's go."

But before they could take another step, a chime echoed through the corridor.

"Ding"

The sound came from the direction of the elevator.

"Crack..."

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a figure stepping out.

She was dressed in a black suit that clung to her elegant frame, her long black hair flowing like a shadow behind her. Her beauty was undeniable, yet there was something chilling about her aura.

It was the receptionist from the first-floor lobby.

'Why is she here?' Lin Ye thought. 'Is it time, or did we break a rule?'

The receptionist's sweet voice rang out, tinged with something sinister.

"Guests... Making noise late at night... Disturbing other guests' rest... That's not allowed."

Her voice cracked, the smooth cadence becoming fragmented and robotic.

"Return to your room... Return... Complaints... Complaints will lead to... deduction... deduction of performance..."

Her head jerked unnaturally to the side with a sharp crack, the sound of bones snapping.

Hoshino Ai grabbed Lin Ye's hand, her face pale. "Let's go! Back to the room, quickly!"

She rushed to the nearest door, but as she tried to open it, she collided with the solid surface.

"Wha— It was open a second ago!" Ai cried, holding her forehead.

Lin Ye reached for his room card, always kept handy for emergencies. Swiping it against the lock, he was met with a sharp beep.

Authentication failed.

"What's going on?" Ai asked, panic creeping into her voice.

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. "This isn't Room 306."

The realization came just as movement flickered at the edge of his vision.

Taisuke Sawanaga, the man Lin Ye had helped earlier, darted into the correct room.

"Click!"

The sound of the lock turning echoed mockingly.

"That bastard locked us out," Ai growled, her voice shaking with anger.

Lin Ye remained calm, but his sharp gaze swept the hallway.

The third floor was no longer what it had been.

The once simple, square layout had twisted into a grotesque labyrinth. The red-and-black corridor stretched unnaturally, its walls shifting like a living thing. Doors hung upside down, furniture littered the space haphazardly, and the air grew dense with an oppressive gloom.

The truth of the "Love Hotel" was finally laid bare.

In the distance, the receptionist continued her slow, deliberate approach.

"Disturbing rest..."

"Punishment..."

"Expulsion..."

Her voice was cold and hollow, each word a harbinger of dread.

Ai clung to Lin Ye, her trembling hand gripping his sleeve. "Lin Ye..." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Lin Ye scanned their surroundings, weighing their options.

"We need to move," he said firmly.

The receptionist's lifeless eyes locked onto them, her twisted smile growing wider.

"Punishment awaits..."

The corridor ahead writhed, reshaping itself into a dead end. Behind them, the receptionist's shadow stretched unnaturally long, reaching toward them like grasping hands.

The air grew colder.

And the true nightmare of the Love Hotel began to unfold.

Hoshino Ai was almost scared to death.

She was caught off guard by the sudden change.

The corridors can even mutate!

"306, where is Room 306?"

She turned her head and looked down the corridor behind her, but it was a dark mix of black and red, stretching as far as the eye could see. The twisted doors and room numbers on both sides were unrecognizable.

"Lin... Lin Ye..."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

The words, as calm as lake water, soothed Hoshino Ai's heart like gentle sunshine. The tension and panic evaporated in an instant.

Yes!

With Lin Ye here, with Lin Ye—the person with the superpower to stop time—she would be fine. She would definitely be fine.

Despair…

Tatta...

The crisp sound of high heels echoed steadily through the twisting corridor.

The female receptionist kept walking toward Lin Ye and Hoshino Ai, her footsteps steady with a faint "click" sound.

She didn't seem to be in any hurry, nor did she worry about Lin Ye and Hoshino Ai trying to run. She just walked, step by step, and hoarse, tearing sounds emanated from her now and then.

"Noisy... guests,"

"Expel..."

Time stop

It started again.

Hoshino Ai immediately realized what had happened and saw Lin Ye take the initiative to walk toward the female receptionist.

Facing the ugly, grotesque receptionist, Lin Ye didn't react unnervingly; instead, he began to observe her closely.

"It's not much different from what we saw on the first floor."

Their first priority was to return to Room 306.

Stopping time would keep him safe, but the flow of time was essential.

Otherwise, they would never reach the six o'clock check-out time.

He grabbed the female receptionist by the back of her collar and dragged her toward the far end of the corridor, looking around, searching for the number plate of Room 306.

No.

No.

There was none on this side.

Just in case, Lin Ye tied the receptionist's hands and feet.

"It would be best if this works, but if not, it can at least delay her for a while."

He didn't expect the restraints to fully immobilize the strange female receptionist, but it was worth trying.

Once finished, Lin Ye turned around and walked to the other side of the corridor. He circled the third floor, but still couldn't find Room 306.

He even found Rooms 207 and 408—rooms that should have been on the second and fourth floors.

It was a mess. A complete mess.

"The whole hotel is twisted, and the rooms are completely scrambled."

Room 306 was, as expected, on another floor.

But how would they get there?

There wasn't an emergency staircase, nor could Lin Ye find an elevator entrance.

"There must be a way to deal with this. Otherwise, this fatal change will leave no chance for the participants to survive."

Lin Ye returned to Hoshino Ai's side and released the time-stop state.

"Lin... Lin Ye..."

She was conscious now, having guessed what Lin Ye had done during the time stop.

"Room 306 isn't on this floor. We need to wait for the floor to change. Follow me closely and don't lose me."

"Um."

Hoshino Ai nodded gravely, gripping the corner of Lin Ye's clothes tightly with one hand, holding it so firmly that it seemed like she wouldn't let go until the end.

"Aoao..."

A sharp roar suddenly sounded.

At the end of the corridor, the sound of the receptionist struggling could be heard.

Ripp...

A ripping sound followed.

Lin Ye realized that his bindings hadn't been very effective.

At that moment, he had already arrived at the door of Room 307 and helped the unconscious Kuroda Hikari to her feet.

Boom boom boom...

At Lin Ye's signal, Hoshino Ai knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

"Taisuke, please open the door. Kuroda-san is still outside."

But still, no movement came from the door.

Tatta...

The footsteps grew faster now. The female receptionist's hoarse whispers seemed more menacing, constantly grinding on their nerves.

"Lin Ye, what should we do?"

They couldn't go back to Room 306!

"You wake her up..."

Hoshino Ai pushed Kuroda Hikari to the side, and Lin Ye found a broken wooden stick, taking the initiative to walk toward the female receptionist.

"This time... I'll try to break both of your legs and feet."

He didn't know if he could stop her, but he'd try it first.

Time Stop

In the silent, time-stopped space,

Lin Ye dragged the female receptionist to the end of the corridor, swinging the wooden stick at her. But that wasn't the end.

Remembering that the receptionist could still make sounds, Lin Ye focused on her mouth, stuffing a piece of cloth into it to silence her.

After finishing, Lin Ye returned to Hoshino Ai.

Click...

The moment time resumed,

The strange female receptionist stood, confused. How had she ended up here? Her body was battered, as though abused violently.

"Noisy... guest... expel..."

In an instant, her tattered body healed.

She stood up, her dead gray eyes fixed on the three living people in the corridor, and took another step forward.

It never ended.

No matter how many times she was hindered, the strange female receptionist kept returning.

At this time,

Kuroda Hikari had woken up and understood the situation after hearing Hoshino Ai's explanation.

Each time the horrific receptionist came closer, Kuroda Hikari trembled with fear. But, for some reason, the moment she blinked, the receptionist would vanish and then return again.

Eventually, she grew used to it and felt that nothing bad would happen to her.

The one most at ease was Hoshino Ai. Knowing the whole story, she felt it wasn't impossible for the situation to drag on until six o'clock.

But Lin Yejun must be very tired!

Sure enough, they still had to get back to the room.

Ka-ka-ka...

Suddenly,

The corridor began to shake.

"Hold me, the terrain is changing."

At Lin Ye's reminder, Hoshino Ai immediately grabbed his left arm. Kuroda Hikari reacted just as quickly, remembering what Lin Ye had told them earlier.

In an instant,

The corridor twisted and changed, completely different from before.

Hoshino Ai immediately looked at the room number on the right.

"It's 409. I remember it was 301 before."

"Ten minutes,"

Hoshino Ai suddenly realized Lin Ye had been recording the time intervals of the changes.

"I'll go check on the situation of the rooms on this floor."

"Well..."

Kuroda Hikari hesitated, unsure. Was Lin Ye really going to leave them alone to search for Room 306?

She wasn't feeling great about it.

"Senior Lin Ye, let's search together!"

"Room 306 isn't here, but Room 304 is."

"Well."

Kuroda Mitsuru felt reassured by Lin Ye's confident attitude.

"But hasn't Miss Mihui and the others in Room 304 already... turned into monsters?"

"Yes."

"That..."

Lin Ye didn't explain further. He simply set off.

The two women followed closely without hesitation.

Boom boom boom...

Boom boom boom...

Lin Ye knocked on the door.

"Mihui, Tanaka, it's me. I've brought Ai and Kuroda."

Were they really planning to take refuge in Room 304?

The two women couldn't help but wonder.

But if Lin Ye dared, they dared too.

Crack...

The sound of the door opening.

As long as someone was willing to open their door.

Lin Ye glanced at the figure in a suit, her graceful form standing in the corridor, and couldn't help but smile.