Chapter 462: Emotion Control

San Yue Qi: "........"

She lowered her head and stared at the little thing, her expression indescribable.

"Are you serious?"

"Tick! Of course I'm serious!"

Clockboy wore a solemn expression, "This is the standard incantation for Time Stop! It's universal across the cosmos! It won't activate without chanting! Tick!"

San Yue Qi placed a hand on her forehead.

Whatever, no one saw anyway.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and mimicked that strange pose—

"Zawa, Zawa Rudo..."

The sound was as tiny as a mosquito's hum.

"Tick! Too quiet!" Clockboy stamped his foot in displeasure, "It has to be loud! It needs presence! Tick!"

San Yue Qi's face flushed red.

After all, she's one of the Pioneers of the Starry Sky Train, after all she's seen grand scenes, and now she's reciting such embarrassing lines to a clock.

"... Cafeteria Spicy Sauce."

She muttered it in a hurry.

Clockboy nodded satisfactorily, "Tick! It's done!"

It raised its hand and gently snapped its fingers.

In an instant—

The bird that had swooped past the window halted midair, its wings spread like an amber statue.

The folds of the curtain froze, and the dust floating in the sunlight ceased drifting.

Even the second hand of the wall clock hung motionless.

San Yue Qi widened her eyes, watching the frozen world.

"Eh?" she looked left and right, "Is it... really stopped?"

"Tick." Clockboy snapped his fingers.

The bird whooshed away, the curtain fluttered, and the second hand continued "tick-tick."

The world returned to normal.

San Yue Qi stood stunned in place.

"... Just now," she stammered, "how long... did that... stop for?"

"Seven seconds!" Clockboy proudly raised seven fingers (it actually had seven), "Tick! How's that? I didn't lie to you, right?"

San Yue Qi fell silent.

She hadn't felt anything just now.

No dizziness, no oddity, no sign at all—seven seconds slipped through her fingers, and she didn't even notice it had vanished.

"What about... Time Reversal?" she persisted, "Can you make time flow backward?"

"Tick! Of course!" Clockboy hands on hips, "Slogan—Loser Eats Dust! Tick!"

This time San Yue Qi didn't hesitate long; after all, she'd already recited something more embarrassing.

"Loser Eats Dust!"

Clockboy snapped his fingers.

"... Done?"

San Yue Qi looked around blankly, "Why didn't I feel anything? Did time flow backward? Did we go back a few seconds?"

"Tick!"

Clockboy spread his hands, "Rewind requires recording a Time Node first! I just got here, haven't saved any file, how would I know where you want to go back? Tick!"

San Yue Qi: "... Then what was the finger snap you just did for?"

"For the sense of ceremony!"

Clockboy declared confidently, "Tick!"

San Yue Qi: "........"

She felt her intelligence had been subtly insulted.

But she couldn't prove right then whether the guy was telling the truth.

She didn't feel the Time Reversal, emotion control...

Wait, she could try emotion control first.

San Yue Qi was about to have Clockboy demonstrate the Emotion Regulation Function, when suddenly—

"Clack."

The bedroom door inside opened.

Yuan Ban Lin let her black hair down, wore loose home clothes, and staggered out of the room with sleepy eyes.

She was clearly just awakened, her bare face still lazy, lacking her usual elite sharp demeanor.

She yawned, rubbed her eyes, walked toward the living room, and then saw San Yue Qi curled on the sofa.

"Um... San Yue Jie?" Lin's voice was still hoarse from the morning, "You're up so early."

San Yue Qi instinctively waved, "Morning, Lin! Actually I just—"

She suddenly stopped.

Her gaze slowly shifted to the coffee table.

Clockboy stood there, his round dial face tilted upward, curiously appraising the black‑haired girl.

San Yue Qi swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"That... Lin?"

She tried to make her tone sound casual, "You... did you see anything on the coffee table?"

Lin followed her gaze toward the coffee table.

Clean, tidy, completely empty.

She tilted her head in confusion, "Nothing? San Yue Jie, what are you talking about?"

San Yue Qi's pupils narrowed slightly.

She looked at Clockboy.

Clockboy stood with his hands on his hips, swaying his head proudly, his face saying "See, I didn't lie to you."

"Tick! I told you, didn't I!"

Only San Yue Qi could hear its voice, "Only frank, pure-hearted children can see me! Your friends can't! Tick!"

San Yue Qi fell silent.

Lin watched San Yue Qi stare blankly at the air, and, a bit worried, stepped closer, "San Yue Jie? Are you okay? Could a Servant have infiltrated and attacked you last night?"

San Yue Qi hadn't had time to answer when she saw—

Next to Lin, a huge circular panel materialized out of thin air.

It hovered about half a meter beside Lin, its edge bearing fine gear patterns that turned slowly.

The panel was divided into four fan-shaped sections, each marked with a chibi icon indicating an emotion:

A small face with eyes closed, serene — Calm.

A small face baring a grin, angry — Rage.

A small face laughing broadly, delighted — Joy.

A small face looking listless, melancholy — Melancholy.

The needles in all four sections were frozen at zero.

San Yue Qi opened her mouth wide, pointing beside Lin, "Lin! You, you, you, there's a huge panel next to you!"

Lin looked around blankly, even turning in a circle.

"... plate?"

She saw nothing at all, "San Yue Jie, you didn't have a bad night's rest, did you? Or perhaps a Servant attacked you mentally?"

Her expression shifted from bewildered to wary, and on the nearby Emotion Panel, the needle for Rage shot up one notch.

San Yue Qi saw it.

She swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"That..."

She tentatively whispered in her mind: (Turn into Joy and try?)

Clockboy sensed her thought and snapped his fingers.

Lin's expression changed instantly.

She still stood there, still with that plain face, still in a just-woken, lazy posture — but the corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily, her brows softened, and she exuded an inexplicable aura of happiness.

"Um,"

Lin was a bit puzzled herself, scratching her cheek, "The weather seems nice today... I'm feeling pretty good..."

San Yue Qi: "..."

She whispered again in her mind: (Rage.)

The needle jumped.

Lin furrowed her brows, crossed her arms over her chest, turned her face slightly aside, lifted her chin, wearing a tsundere expression of "Who offended me?"

"... Although I don't know why,"

Her tone carried a hint of displeasure, "But I suddenly feel a bit annoyed. San Yue Jie, did you secretly use the hair gel on my sink last night?"

San Yue Qi: "I didn't..."

(Lazy!)

The needle jumped.

Lin's expression instantly became listless.

Her shoulders slumped, her eyes half-open, and she seemed as if her bones had been pulled out.

"... So tired," she murmured, "I just got up... why am I sleepy again... San Yue Jie, I'll sleep a bit more..."

She turned and headed toward the bedroom.

(Joy!)

Lin stopped in her tracks, turned around, her face beaming, "Fine, I won't sleep after all! My spirit feels especially good today! San Yue Jie, are you hungry? I'll make breakfast!"

(Melancholy!)

Lin's expression collapsed, her eyes slightly reddened, "... I don't know if Father and Mother will notice... it feels so painful..."

(Rage!)

Lin gritted her teeth, "Why does Tohsaka's Magic have so many things to memorize! It's so annoying! Can't those ancestors write something in human language!"

(Calm!)

Lin exhaled slowly, "Fine, I'll learn it slowly; rushing won't help."

(Joy! Rage! Joy! Melancholy! Lazy! Joy; Rage! Rage! Rage!)