Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

Xiong Mi, frowning, asked.

"To cast a curse?"

Gao Hai was somewhat surprised, not expecting this player to suddenly bring up such a thing.

“You don’t seem like a fool, the kind of person who would risk their life for no reason. So, are you under a curse? Does that mean you can’t leave unless you break the core obsession of this place?”

Xiong Mi asked very seriously, and Gao Hai's attitude clearly made her realize something, which is why she made this deduction.

In a sense, she was right, so Gao Hai followed her words with a helpless expression.

"...You could say that. In short, I can't leave, but I really can't do it alone, so I have to find a way to get help."

Gao Hai shrugged and sighed as he said this, while Xiong Mi covered her head with her hand after showing an "I knew it" expression.

"What a hassle. I never thought I'd run into something like this one day."

As she spoke, Xiong Mi sighed deeply. No one knew how she did it, but she tossed aside the curtains she was using to cover herself, and a set of light casual clothes was already draped over her. Then, the woman casually pulled a cigarette from her pocket, lit it, and looked towards the passageway ahead.

"Let's go then."

She began by saying this.

"Although I wasn't in charge of investigating the dormitory building, I still know a bit about the situation. It's more dangerous there than the teaching building. Once inside, we'll be separated and randomly assigned to a dormitory room, and then given a puzzle. This puzzle can only be solved by ourselves; we must never reveal it to anyone else. As for more details, you'll understand once you see the relevant rules. Remember one thing: those rules may not necessarily restrict Alice, but they will definitely restrict us. There's no fairness in this game; preserving your own life must always be your top priority."

Xiong Mi's expression had become serious and earnest.

Even knowing that getting involved in this matter could cost her her life again, she still made the decision to help Gao Hai and venture into the dangerous land ahead.

If I had to explain why, it's probably a matter of tit for tat. Someone saved her life, so she should reciprocate; it's not something to agonize over. If she were truly the kind of person who fears death, she wouldn't have actively participated in the Red Moon-level dungeon. Instead, she would have been like most players, endlessly cycling through five Twilight-level dungeons and one Dark Night-level dungeon, barely scraping by. She might survive that way, but what's the point? Becoming a player, possessing extraordinary power—is that all she's got? What's the difference between that and her previous life as a corporate slave, constantly working overtime and staying up all night?

"Thank you very much."

Seeing that Xiong Mi had made the decision to help him, Gao Hai felt much relieved and sincerely thanked her.

"Let's make this clear first: if things really come to a head, I might not be able to save you. After all, I'm not capable enough right now. And besides, do you really want to take this little girl with you? I don't see what she's capable of to survive the next exploration."

Seeing Gao Hai's attitude, Xiong Mi couldn't help but give him another warning before turning her attention to Yotsuya Miko, who had been unable to participate in the conversation from beginning to end.

"Although she is not a player, she has innate perception abilities and can see many things that we cannot see, so it is very necessary to bring her along."

Gao Hai said earnestly, his attitude very firm.

If we don't keep Miko with us, and she gets possessed by Alice or some other weird thing somewhere we can't see and then comes looking for us, then we'll really have to fight her to the death.

Gao Hai didn't say this aloud; he just silently murmured it to himself.

"I...I will try my best not to hold anyone back..."

Feeling somewhat disliked, Yotsuya Miko muttered to herself, but faced with Kumami's gaze that inexplicably made her feel incredibly uneasy, she instinctively hid behind Takami, who made her feel safer.

"Fine, whatever. You're the client, just don't make me do a riot of colors in black."

Seeing Zi's obvious dependence on Gao Hai, Xiong Mi shook her head and said nothing more, then strode towards the passage.

Alice, who was frozen upstairs, is almost ready to regain her mobility.

Therefore, Gao Hai did not hesitate and immediately followed Xiong Mi with Jian Zi.

The girl beside him was practically glued to Gao Hai as they moved forward, instinctively reaching out to grab his sleeve.

This action made Gao Hai somewhat concerned. After all, it was already the third time around, and Yotsuya Miko hadn't seen many strange things yet. Logically speaking, she shouldn't have such a strong sense of dependence on him, right?

It's a little worrying, but the power of the blessing confirms that Miko is now a completely human being, and Alice shouldn't be able to possess Miko at this time.

In fact, even Yotsuya Miko herself was unaware, and of course, she was even less aware, that she had developed a certain dependence and trust in Takami, and even felt a little guilty about it.

It was as if she had actually gone through a difficult exploration with Takami, as if she had been protected by Takami in dangerous situations more than once, as if she had hurt Takami multiple times under duress. Even though these memories were not inherited, it seemed that for some special reason, Miko had a vague impression of them, and thus developed feelings for Takami earlier than in the previous two playthroughs.

This is why, in both the second and third playthroughs, Takahashi cut off a girl's arm to establish his authority. However, in the third playthrough, Miko did not feel fear towards Takahashi like she did in the second playthrough. Instead, she instinctively felt that what Takahashi did was "understandable and acceptable," and therefore did not care at all.

squeak-

Xiong Mi pushed open the entrance to the dormitory building and stepped into it from the corridor at the junction of the teaching building and the dormitory building.

Gao Hai and Jian Zi followed closely behind, and the three of them disappeared into the darkness.

Then, the door slowly closed, shutting itself silently, leaving only the reflection of a long-haired blonde girl in the glass window behind the door, a faint smile playing on her lips.

A new friend is coming to play games with Alice!

Her voice carried into the distance in the darkness.

Chapter 44: The Beginning in the Dormitory Building and the Girl's Moment of Fright

I felt a suffocating heaviness.

I managed to open my eyes, but all I could see was pitch black, as if I were completely enveloped by darkness.

My body was almost unable to move, as if I had lost the strength to move, or as if I was being pressed down by some heavy object, so much so that my whole body was numb and I was unable to move at all.

"Huh...huh..."

Breathing became increasingly difficult.

A strong squeezing sensation came from my chest, yet I could clearly feel that there was nothing on my body.

Is this... sleep paralysis?

In a daze, Gao Hai seemed to hear sobbing coming from all around him.

And the sound of footsteps that rang out beside him, like someone slowly pacing back and forth.

The next moment, Gao Hai opened his eyes completely.

He found himself lying on a metal bunk bed. The sheets smelled musty and hadn't been washed in a long time. The pillow behind his head was a little hard, making it very uncomfortable to sleep on.

A red candle sat beside his pillow, burning silently and providing a faint light. By its glow, Gao Hai could make out the general layout of the dormitory and confirm his location as bed number 4. The dormitory had a total of four beds, each a metal bunk bed with a ladder. The lower bunk had a small table with drawers, and the upper bunk was the bed itself—a common type of bed in student dormitories.

Between two beds on the same side of the room are two large wardrobes placed side by side, presumably for students to store clothes and other belongings. On one side of this not-so-large dormitory room is a shelf displaying towels, toothbrushes, cups, and similar items. On either side of the shelf is a window, both currently closed. Opposite the windows is the main entrance to the dormitory, slightly ajar, through which the corridor outside can be vaguely seen.

Gao Hai slowly sat up from the bed.

He turned his head and saw a passage on the wall beside him that appeared to be written in chalk.

Alice's puzzle game is about to begin!

In this game, the riddle you need to solve is this—

Everyone should have a small broom; patrol morning and evening to sweep away dirt and grime.

It's a very, very simple riddle! Quickly guess the answer and place it in the correct position!

Once you finish the game, you'll be Alice's best friend!

It still uses the same cute, Alice-inspired font, but combined with this thing's various monstrous behaviors of killing and torturing people, it's really not pleasant to watch. You can only feel the full malice beneath the surface of its docility.

"I've started to hate the kind of behavior that's deliberately cute."

Gao Hai, after making this comment, took the candle and looked around.

The room was quite dark at the moment, with no light source other than a burning candle on each bed.

It was at this moment that Gao Hai discovered a crumpled piece of paper under him, on which were written the specific rules of the Alice Game in the dormitory building. This was the rule sheet of the "Alice's Decryption Game" that Gao Hai had investigated before entering Fujika Middle School.

You can't tell anyone your riddles or ask anyone to help you find the answers, or you'll be attacked by the "Very Bad Wolf." If you don't clean your dorm room and fold your bedding properly, you'll attract the "Broom Teacher." After dark, the "Owl Aunt" will check on people sleeping in their beds. The dorm building doesn't have a basement—that's a prank by bad kids. You'll encounter "Grandpa Cow" in the stairwell. "Uncle Cat" forbids students from going to the rooftop. The "Giraffe Inspector" doesn't allow anyone to stay in the dorm during the day. "Faucet Brother" will open the heads of people who waste water. The toilet lights are broken, so you can't tell the difference between the men's and women's toilets, and something inside responds to people outside... That's about it. Like the school building, it's a place full of all sorts of eerie things.

After roughly recalling the rules of the dormitory building, Gao Hai got off his bed and onto the ground.

The other three beds were occupied by students whose eyelids had been cut off, leaving their eyes wide open. Their bodies, hidden under the blankets, were soaked in blood, which had almost completely stained the beds.

Like the school building, these ghosts were temporarily immobilized by the burning candles.

They put on the sheep's head hood and maintained their self-awareness by having the rescue team badge and the hood counteract each other.

Carrying a machete, Gao Hai chopped off the heads of the three strange students, stole their candles and stuffed them into his black watch. He also stuffed his own candle into the watch and replaced it with another candle. Only then did he walk towards the dormitory door and slowly pull it open.

Only then did Gao Hai see the room number of his dormitory room.

【304】

Is this number targeting me?

Feeling very unhappy, Gao Hai frowned and then stepped into the corridor.

A footstep sounded beside me.

He turned his head and saw that the door to the dormitory next to his own opened at that moment, and a figure walked out from inside.

squeak-

The ear-piercing sound of the door rattling was particularly loud in the dark corridor.

……

A few minutes ago, Yotsuya Miko also woke up.

She felt as if she were having a dream.

A vague dream, where I can't remember exactly what happened.

In her dream, Gao Hai stayed with her, and the two of them walked through one dark and gloomy place after another.

It seemed as if something terrifying was chasing her and Gao Hai, using a sweet voice and tone that carried a chilling malice.

The dream ended with pain and despair.

She seems to have done something to Gao Hai; she hurt him, she tortured him, she... killed him.

It seemed to be just a nightmare that wasn't anything special.

However, for some reason, I had a strong premonition that this was not a dream.

And as the dream is about to end.

Everything seemed to have turned blood red.

[Holy crap, what's going on?!]

And he also heard Gao Hai, whom he should have killed, exclaim in surprise beside him.

Hey, wake up!

And the words the other person said when they leaned closer.

Then Jianzi woke up and found herself lying on an iron-framed bed with a burning red candle beside her.