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

He released the doorknob and looked behind him at the dilapidated little living room, which seemed to have been abandoned for some time.

What was I just doing?

With a furrowed brow, Gao Hai lowered his head and saw crooked, illegible writing on the back of his hand, which seemed to have been written by himself at some point.

It only had a very short sentence written on it:

[Right next door]

Gao Hai then turned his head and looked at Ji Gang, who was hanging dead beside him.

Is there something next to me?

Chapter 3: Are you going in circles right now?

slam-la-

Kaguya awoke in the dark room amidst the raging rain.

She frowned slightly and subconsciously reached out to cover her forehead. She could feel waves of dizziness and headaches, like the kind of mental fatigue that comes from not getting enough rest for a long time, making it difficult for her to concentrate.

Where am I? I can't hear Gao Jun's voice, which means I've been separated from Gao Jun and put in different places? This is really not a good thing...

Jingle bell—jingle bell—

Amidst the crisp clinking sounds, the translucent, crystal-like decorations hanging from the ceiling swayed and collided gently.

The window, veiled in a thin mist, let in a faint light. Because the glass itself was inexplicably blurry, Kaguya could only barely make out that it seemed to be daytime; she couldn't clearly see what was outside.

In any case, you can't stay still; you have to make sure you're aware of your surroundings.

Thinking this, Kaguya sat up from the bed full of dolls, carefully got off the bed, and looked around.

The bedroom is decorated in pink throughout, with various cute decorations and toys. The clothes in the wardrobe show that the child lives a comfortable life. The books and certificates placed on one side of the room also illustrate the child's excellence.

【Hana Miyazawa】

This is the girl's name on the certificate; it's the name of the child who most likely lived in this house.

I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before.

Kaguya, with this thought in mind, first searched the room thoroughly but found nothing of interest, such as a rule chart. Then she tried to open the windows, only to find that the windows on either side of the bed seemed to be blocked by some force, and even with her enhanced abilities, she couldn't open them easily. So she then turned her attention to the only door in the room that allowed her to enter and exit.

This should be the way to leave the bedroom, but what will it be like outside? Considering the inherent danger of this instance, Kaguya thought it best to be more cautious.

Slowly walk to the door, press your ear against it, and listen to what's happening outside.

Kaguya listened carefully for a while but didn't hear anything unusual.

So she reached out and grabbed the doorknob, turned it gently, and the unlocked door opened.

Outside the door was a rather spacious hall.

A round carpet that appeared to be somewhat moldy was laid in the center of the hall, its pattern faded so much that its original appearance was no longer visible.

There was a door on each side of the hall, and both doors appeared to be security doors, which seemed quite out of place with the hall's wooden architectural style. There was also a staircase on the left side of the hall leading to a higher platform. Standing below this platform, Kaguya could see another door on it.

Where is this place? The architectural style is completely different from the bedroom we just left; it's as if two rooms have been forcibly pieced together.

Feeling the chill in the air, Kaguya instinctively shrank back, clutching her chest and gripping her sleeves. Then, she carefully stepped forward, slowly entering the cold and dimly lit hall.

Soon, she noticed a notice that was posted on one side of the lobby, which was already a bit yellowed.

[Hayate Elementary School Daytime Management Regulations]

1. Ensure all students are within the teacher's line of sight. If a student is found to have strayed from the area where their assigned teacher is located, the teacher must immediately retrieve them. Students must not be allowed to roam freely within the school grounds unsupervised.

2. Strictly manage student activities according to the student schedule, and take student counts at any time. If a teacher discovers that the number of students is missing, the activity must be stopped immediately until all students under the teacher's supervision are found.

3. Students may only stay in their assigned classrooms and are not allowed to leave without a valid reason. If a student needs to leave for a necessary reason, such as to use the restroom, they must be accompanied by at least one supervising teacher.

4. Teachers should carefully understand the content of conversations among students and strictly control topics such as myths, monsters, and strange tales. Such topics are not allowed at Zaoli Elementary School. Teachers should guide students to view the world with a scientific perspective.

5. Students who violate the management regulations should be subject to appropriate corporal punishment, and it must be ensured that the student recognizes the error of their behavior. Students who repeatedly fail to correct their behavior should be supervised by a special management teacher.

6. When parents come to pick up their children from school, teachers need to ask students to check the parents' eyes, nose, and mouth in turn. Only after the parents have checked can they take the child home. If a student is crying, the parents must wait in place for 10 minutes before taking the child home.

The notice was written entirely in Japanese, with some wording and grammar slightly different from today's, but it was not difficult for Kaguya to decipher.

As the first rulebook she had obtained in this instance, Kaguya carefully read it several times from beginning to end, memorizing its contents. Then, out of caution, she tore it down. Afterwards, as she pondered whether to explore other areas further, a door on the right side of the hall suddenly opened.

Startled, Kaguya quickly retreated. Unable to find a place to hide, she could only retreat towards the stairs, where she could choose to open the door on the left or escape up the stairs if she encountered any problems.

squeak-

The next person to push open the door was Gao Hai.

How's things going on your end?

While asking this question, Takami did not immediately approach Kaguya. Instead, he closed and locked the door behind him, and then carefully asked Kaguya while keeping a distance.

"We haven't encountered any problems yet. Have you found any trace of Hayasaka on your end?"

Kaguya shook her head, carefully observing Takami as she spoke, without immediately approaching him.

Teammates who are separated in a dungeon may not be able to trust each other immediately after reuniting; both of them understood this simple truth.

The power of blessing is determined to be human, without malice or personality distortion, so there should be no problem.

After carefully observing the situation, Kaguya, who had roughly confirmed that Takahashi in front of her was alright, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

step-step-

But at that very moment, Kaguya and Takami both heard footsteps approaching from above the stairs, from the second-floor platform surrounded by railings, and from that door.

Very strange.

Kaguya was certain that she had never heard those footsteps before.

But the moment she heard that voice, she felt a strong sense of familiarity.

[Quick, hide! That thing might have come out looking for people!]

Ji Gang spoke somewhat nervously, reaching out to open the door to the bedroom where Kaguya had just come out.

[Everyone, come with me! We'll be safe here!]

Miyazawa Hana also spoke hurriedly.

We must hide immediately.

"You go first, I'll follow behind."

As Gao Hai spoke, he took out his pistol and warily stared at the door above the platform.

Kaguya quickly ran back to the room she had just left, then lay down on the floor and hid under the bed.

We're safe here; we definitely won't be found here.

"It's Hana Miyazawa, who's hiding with her," she said earnestly.

Click——

Gao Guan, who had just entered the house, closed the door, locked it from the inside, and then turned around to face the house.

A rumbling sound of thunder came from outside the window.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dimly lit room and cast Gao Hai's shadow onto the bed.

At that moment, Kaguya seemed to vaguely sense that something was moving on the bed.

Hiding alone under the bed, Kaguya shifted slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable, and placed the torn-off notice beside her before touching a few scraps of paper.

Um? This is……

Kaguya turned her head slightly in confusion and saw that they were two yellowed pages crumpled into a ball, just like the notice she was holding.

She let go, and the crumpled notice she had been holding fell to the ground, next to two other wads of paper that appeared to be identical in color and size.

Sensing something, Kaguya's eyes widened slightly. She grabbed one of the crumpled pieces of paper, unfolded it, and found it was a notice. It was exactly the same as the one she had torn off earlier, even down to the tear marks.

"..."

In a moment of silent daze, Kaguya looked to the side, then to the front of her, to the bed in front of her, and saw a line of slightly rough writing, scratched out with her fingernails.

Am I going in circles?

Am I... going in circles right now?

Jingle Bell--

With a crisp clinking sound, Kaguya slowly sat up from the bed.

Miyazawa Hana sat at a small table in her bedroom, humming a song, and wrote something in her notebook.

Ji Gang yawned, idly fiddling with a roly-poly toy on the toy shelf.

Gao Hai stood leaning against the door, not holding a pistol, just standing there silently with his head down as if he were dozing off. But after Kaguya got up, he immediately raised his head and met her gaze.

【are you awake? 】

Gao Hai asked.

"Hmm, this instance... well, it's not as scary as I expected."

Kaguya Shinomiya shook her head and got off the bed. Her forehead touched the ornaments hanging from the ceiling, which made a series of clear, tinkling sounds.

Fortunately, the two players are together at the start of the dungeon, which avoids many problems.

Kaguya, feeling a sense of relief welling up inside her, looked at the four figures standing in the room.

Chapter Four: I am alone, acting ...

Gao Hai stood up from the sofa.

He looked around at the dilapidated little living room, which seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.

Then, he lowered his head and looked at the words written on his two hands.

I act alone.

I need to find my teammate, Kaguya Shinomiya.

I need to find Hayasaka Ai, who went missing in the Hayate Elementary School instance, and I only have less than four days.