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

Whether there are red candles or not, it doesn't make much difference, since you weren't here last year, and nothing happened when I went in alone. Everything at Fujika Middle School is over. Even without those red candles, nothing will come out to attack us.

The figure beside him continued speaking, his voice tinged with a hint of emotion.

Perhaps so. But for me, the only reason I came here is to find a suitable way to get rid of what was left over from back then.

Gao Hai's voice remained unchanged, his tone flat as he continued to move forward.

The playground was overgrown with weeds, and the lines of the original court and running track had become blurred.

The roof of the swimming pool collapsed, and the pool accumulated a large amount of rainwater, which was then filled with algae, and the stench could be smelled from afar.

The teaching buildings and dormitories were covered in dust and looked dilapidated. Some places still bore traces of where homeless people had lived.

He simply placed the candles down and lit them in the playground, the swimming pool, the teaching building, and the dormitory building, then turned and left.

The candles were made from the blood of students, a byproduct of research conducted by researchers at Fujika Middle School. They could suppress the activity of evil spirits to some extent. After the school was destroyed, he took the red candles stored in the school and, in the following years, returned them to the school and lit them, returning the blood to the ruins.

The young man beside him put down the white flowers and solemnly left them at the school.

Does this make any sense?

he does not know.

Just as he didn't know the point of destroying those candles.

With Alice's loss of control, the entire school was completely destroyed, and the survivors, after escaping, faced the country's defeat and the ensuing chaotic era.

When everything finally stabilized, he and the student risked their lives to return to the school, only to find it completely reduced to ruins, an abandoned place that no one cared about.

All the corpses and all the blood had vanished without a trace.

Even traces of Alice can no longer be found. Perhaps it's because the school was destroyed that the thing lost its foundation for existence.

He carefully checked many times, finally confirming that the original research data at this location had been almost entirely destroyed due to Alice's loss of control. Although the military and the later-taken-over Ameri army had searched the area, they could only find fragmented pieces of data; recreating the bloody research was virtually impossible. Furthermore, the Hayate Elementary School project was also abandoned, and the school itself had vanished without a trace. In contrast, Yoruyama Middle School was still operating, but after investigating, he found that the school had essentially stopped experiencing paranormal events and seemed to have returned to normal.

In other words, it's all over.

This whole thing, filled with sin and madness, has finally come to an end.

He said goodbye to his students.

He left alone, heading towards his humble house, hidden deep in the mountains in a remote place.

His story seems to have come to an end here.

But there was someone else watching all of this from the sidelines.

So he turned his head, and Gao Hai saw Alice, who had been hiding in the shadows the whole time, laughing softly.

Teacher, could you please help Alice?

Help Alice find a body that allows her to leave the school.

[If it were a teacher, they could definitely do it, right? After all, teachers usually know the research materials and the methods to achieve the conditions, don't they?]

Darkness had enveloped the entire scene.

Gao Hai couldn't see what happened next, but he already knew what had occurred.

The body of [Idol Alice] was probably created by this last researcher. Although he didn't know the method, he guessed it was somewhat related to the instrument that fused flesh and blood. In any case, it was impossible to complete all of this without anyone dying.

After Alice gained a mobile body, Fujii Goro's son, Fujii Hiroshi, was lured into Fujihana Junior High School. Initially, Alice may have wanted to get the school running again. However, perhaps finding it too boring or too time-consuming, she changed her mind and chose to become an idol, thus beginning her subsequent nationwide idol career, which nearly caused a huge crisis.

So... what was the teacher's fate?

Since Hiroshi Fujii was unable to revive Alice after her death, the research data he obtained must have been incomplete. This means that the data possessed by the postwar Japanese high command was incomplete, and it also means that what the teacher possessed was ultimately not passed down.

Hirano Sosuke was unaware that his teacher had died, believing he was continuing his reclusive life, but it seemed he and his teacher were still maintaining some correspondence...

That's it...

Gao Hai learned about the teacher's fate.

The letters that the man named Hirano Sosuke received from his teacher in his final years were apparently all written by Alice herself.

He completely absorbed his teacher's personality and essence, then impersonated him, writing letters to the only student he cared about, pretending to be living a peaceful and idyllic life.

Even if Hirano Sosuke didn't take action because of the victim's family's pleas for help, Alice would probably find them one day, reveal the truth, enjoy watching Hirano Sosuke break down, and then kill him.

However, she did not expect that the other party would take action first, which led to her losing everything.

"..."

Gao Hai, who was watching all of this, remained silent.

He continued forward in the darkness without saying a word.

Continue forward in this seemingly vast and boundless darkness, where there is no end and nothing exists.

There seemed to be nothing left for him to explore further.

But he didn't stop.

One step, then another.

Gao Hai didn't know how long he had been walking.

But he eventually reached his destination.

We arrived at the school at the end of the darkness, where lights were on and noise was coming from.

As you walk across the playground, you see students playing and frolicking on the court.

Behind the glass windows of the swimming pool, you can see men and women in blue school swimsuits exercising.

Someone was hanging washed clothes to dry in the window of the dormitory building.

Inside the spotless classroom, students were already reading aloud, swaying their heads as they read.

None of them had faces; they were all empty and pale afterimages.

Each of them was Alice, turning their heads to look at Gao Hai and secretly smiling.

Each of them was a naive child, just a middle school student. They entered this school, dreaming of their future. They were caught up in a cruel tragedy from which they could not struggle. In the end, they became nourishment, nourishment for [Alice], and then only these remnants remained.

And now, if they still have any wishes or obsessions, it is probably only that they wish for peace.

Even so, they could not do it, because they had become part of Alice. As long as that artificially created evil continued to exist, they could only continue to exist, continue to exist in this endless darkness.

Maybe……

The fact that Hirano Sosuke was able to become the core obsession of Fujika Middle School, rather than sharing the spotlight with Alice and becoming a dual-core regional instance, is also due to these lingering desires for peace.

What happened after killing Alice's body and chasing those four fanatic fans back to the school that allowed Hirano Sosuke to escape alive from the monsterized Alice and walk out of the school ruins?

The answers to these questions probably cannot be found here.

Gao Hai could already vaguely sense the presence of [Alice].

She is here, and she is not here.

She sealed away the object of her obsession, preventing the strange creature from appearing. But even so, strong traces of her still remain in this instance. Unless she truly disappears and dies, no matter how long she is sealed, her lingering spirit here will never find peace.

"..."

In the silence, Gao Hai opened his eyes.

wake up.

I couldn't feel the refreshment that comes with a good night's sleep; instead, I felt even more exhausted and had some aches and pains all over my body.

It seems that sleeping on a hardwood table is indeed not a good choice.

Thinking this, Gao Hai sat up from the table and just then saw Jianzi rubbing her eyes and sitting up from her chair next to him.

Compared to before she went to sleep yesterday, the chairs were obviously placed closer to Gao Hai. In addition, seeing the dark circles under her eyes, it was clear that she hadn't slept well last night and had secretly moved the chairs closer, perhaps feeling safer if she was closer to Gao Hai.

Xiong Mi slowly walked up from a short distance away, looking at Gao Hai and Jian Zi with a serious expression.

Let's go, we're ready for court.

Xiong Mi, speaking through their mental link, led the two back to the courtroom.

open the door.

The once empty courtroom is now filled with a large number of people.

Through the efforts of the Red Moon-level players and the Shinomiya Group over the course of a day, a stage exactly like the courtroom in the instance has been built in the real world, and through the power of the obsession objects with spatial properties, the courtrooms from the two different worlds have been superimposed here.

Next, a trial will be held in the real world, with all participants, from judges and lawyers to the audience, played by Red Moon-level players. Ordinary people within a few kilometers of the stage in the real world have been evacuated, and all the players participating in the trial are prepared for a fierce battle.

In the two years since the introduction of the Sacrifice Game, even players who manage to conquer Red Moon-level dungeons have only managed to obtain the core Obsession item. As for breaking the obsession and destroying the Red Moon-level dungeon, no player has yet succeeded. Understanding the core obsession, comprehending the opponent's obsession, and attempting to resolve it is simply too dangerous. Coupled with the limitations of the Red Moon level, even top-tier players lack the ability and confidence to do such a thing.

But now, with these players uniting, perhaps everything will change today.

Gao Hai walked into the audience and sat in the empty seats left out by the projectors.

Miko Yotsuya carefully followed Takami and sat down next to him.

[All personnel are present; court is now in session!]

The judge struck the gavel with a resounding thud, and the lawyers and jurors, who were already prepared, began to act out their roles according to the procedure, step by step refuting the two absurd trials from years ago.

The monsters that the victims and their families had transformed into silently entered the courtroom, watching everything unfold in silence.

Gao Hai had already furrowed his brows deeply.

Useless.

Even though the process is less than halfway through, he has already sensed from the aura of those strange creatures that this role-playing ritual is useless.

Something is missing.

This ceremony lacks a key element; even if the process is completed, it's useless.

The fact that Hirano Sosuke has not appeared at the scene is a prime example; no matter how this trial continues, it will never achieve its intended effect. The missing part must be filled in; the missing link must be repaired.

And that missing thing...

[Hehehe, teacher, you know perfectly well, don't you?]

In his field of vision, Alice, sitting in the defendant's seat, was smiling and speaking to Gao Hai.

That's right.

If there's anything missing, it's that one thing.

Gao Hai couldn't help but close his eyes again, letting out a sigh that felt heavy.