circuitpython: PyPortal RTC/time stops advancing when I2C device connected

On the PyPortal if I connect any powered I2C device to side 4 pin connector, the RTC/time stops advancing and just pauses. The time continues again (does not restart, just picks up where it paused) after disconnecting the I2C device’s power. The code I used to just check the time behavior as follows, then just power on/off the I2C device:

import time

i = 0
while True:
    i = i + 1
    print("time: {0}, counter: {1}".format(time.time(), i))

I know the devices are correctly connected because I am able to control/read their value. I tried externally powering the I2C devices also, but still had the same behavior.