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

Wow, it's a shaman!

Kaguya heard a child shout in surprise.

Wow, the shaman is dead.

Another child joined in the shouting.

The thing chasing Kaguya and Takami seemed to slow down a little at this moment, and it was unclear why a toy shaman would slow it down.

A series of gunshots followed. After moving a little further away, Gao Hai tested the waters with his pistol's unlimited ammo mode. As expected, he only heard the booming sound of bullets hitting the ground and walls.

So it really is something without a physical form. No wonder we didn't hear it open the door before. They closed all the doors they passed on their way out.

Should we use suppressor rounds? We only have 7 left... No, I know too little about this monster. Using bullets in this situation will be much less effective. Unless it catches up to us, we can't use bullets lightly anymore.

In that case, it's about time to try another obsession.

The rescue team members appeared at this moment and decisively went to meet the strange creature. Then, 1.7 seconds later, Gao Hai confirmed that the rescue team member had been killed again.

This bought them a little more time. It seemed that attacking these things, whether with toys or rescue team members, caused the monster to react with some kind of confusion, resulting in a temporary slowdown in its movement speed.

Open the door and enter a combination of a side room and a corridor that looks like a mansion.

Here, the path presents multiple options; there are doors on both sides of the side hall, and the depths of the corridor lead to who-knows-where.

A die with twenty different sides appeared in Gao Hai's hand. Because of the time pressure, Gao Hai roughly made up his mind whether running into the corridor to escape the pursuers was more likely than entering the door, and then threw the die directly.

pat!

The dice landed on the ground with a crisp sound.

Shaking and rolling, the die soon settled down, revealing the only upward-facing side.

d20=1

Gao Hai:? ? ?

Squeak—squeak—

The doors on both sides of the side hall opened simultaneously, and something black slowly emerged from inside.

Footsteps could be heard from ahead in the corridor, and faintly, a dark figure could be seen slowly approaching.

That's true. I already knew this when I was in the nap room. The "darkness" doesn't refer to a single individual. These strange creatures, whose true nature is still unknown, act in groups.

"Is this the so-called miracle of the God of Dice?"

Unable to suppress a muttered complaint, Gao Hai grabbed Kaguya with one hand and stretched out the other. The next moment, a door appeared out of thin air in the side hall, and he and Kaguya quickly opened it and entered, then closed it again.

In the dimly lit side hall, all sound and movement suddenly ceased.

Chapter Eleven: A Temporary Break and the Girl's Thoughts

"call……"

Gao Hai let out a deep breath, sat down directly on the ground, and stretched against the wall.

He looked around, at the various dolls placed in the room, and at the dim, warm light shining from the ceiling. His mood gradually relaxed, and he unwinded from the tension he had felt earlier.

This is Alice's Hut, a blessing given to herself by a little girl who was tortured and killed by researchers from Fujihana Middle School, and abandoned there. It's the complete opposite of the ruthless, eerie Alice. As long as he's in this room, Gao Hai will never have to worry about attacks from any supernatural beings; it's a truly safe house where he can let his guard down completely.

Kaguya, who had been pulled into the house by Takahashi not far away, was also sitting on the ground. After sitting still for a while, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing from the tension of running all the way, and immediately covered her head.

After she was out of the stressful state she had been in, Kaguya's dizziness began to intensify.

That was the mental exhaustion caused by the repetitive actions of opening the door, opening the window, and getting up in the bedroom more than 50 times. Moreover, because such a large number of meaningless memories were unlocked in an instant, Kaguya even felt in a daze that she was split into dozens of parts, as if she were in countless rooms at the same time, constantly cycling through the actions of getting up, opening the door, and opening the window.

If Kaguya's spirit hadn't been already incredibly resilient, and if she hadn't been strengthened by blessings and enhancements—though far inferior to Takahashi, she was still among the top players—this might have genuinely driven her insane. Of course, this was also related to the fact that Kaguya was rescued by Takahashi after only a short period of time in time travel. In fact, many players who explored this instance had already been trapped in a time loop for several days when they were found and rescued. As a result, upon rescue, these players were immediately overwhelmed by a massive amount of looped memories, and many went insane on the spot.

Even worse, there are those who repeatedly fall into different vicious cycles, constantly entering and being rescued due to failed explorations, which leads to more serious, or even permanent, brain damage.

This was merely the first challenge that Takahashi and Kaguya encountered when they first came into contact with the bizarre instance of [Hayatei Elementary School].

"It's tough, isn't it? Relax, try to relax, focus on the present moment, focus on what you see, hear, and feel right now. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by those memories. You'll be okay, Shigo, you'll definitely be okay."

Gao Hai naturally understood why Kaguya was in pain; after all, he had experienced the same agony of being overwhelmed by a flood of memories after she shot him. So he stepped forward, gently patted Kaguya's shoulder, and comforted her.

"Um... I'm fine, Gao Jun. How about you? Are you alright?"

With a pale face, Kaguya managed to lift her head and smile at Takahashi, then asked in a low voice with some concern.

“I’m fine. Let’s get some rest. I just checked the time. We’ve been in the dungeon for almost 20 hours, and it’s almost dark. Hmm, this room can last for 5 hours. We can rest here for a while. It should be close to midnight when the room disappears. We’ll go back to that corridor then. Maybe those things surrounding us won’t be gone yet, so let’s get some sleep while we can.”

As he said this, Takahashi sat down next to Kaguya and closed his eyes to rest.

With the 10 minutes of immortality maintained by the blessing power ending, Gao Hai's body had fully recovered. Of course, mental anguish and exhaustion remained, and the forgotten and recalled memories also placed a considerable burden on him, a fact Gao Hai himself could not deny.

However, his willpower was far stronger than others, and he had already endured various forms of torture, such as boiling water baths, cave hamburgers, and being a live doll. At this point, this level of mental exertion wouldn't be able to do much to Gao Hai; at most, he'd just suffer for a while. In comparison, linking his willpower with Yotsuya Miko and having that girl connect with the core obsession was far more dangerous; that could truly break through Gao Hai's willpower and kill him.

Moreover, unlike Kaguya's almost entirely repetitive and meaningless memories, Takami's memories were different each time he explored, so the mental torment he endured was relatively less. Of course, even so, he wouldn't be complacent about it. After all, who could be much more remarkable than another in terms of surviving in such a hellish place? He should focus on figuring out how to break out of this hellish place, find the person as soon as possible, and go back.

"20 hours... plus 5 hours of rest, which means..."

In other words, Hayasaka now only has three days left. After a full day in the instance, she and Takami have found it extremely difficult to even leave the room they started in. In the end, the two of them explored less than ten rooms together. Kaguya herself, apart from obtaining a rule sheet, spent most of her exploration time trapped in the starting room.

If things continue like this, will we really be able to rescue Hayasaka?

Kaguya couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Are you still worried?"

At that moment, Gao Hai's voice came from beside her.

Kaguya turned her head and saw Takami, who had opened her eyes at some point and was looking at her sideways.

“…I’m fine.”

The girl shook her head slightly, clearly not intending to tell Gao Hai the truth.

After all, he had been the one dragging the team down in this mission, and it was really unnecessary to express such concerns that were meaningless in changing the situation to the person who was willing to help him and who had gone into danger with him.

Kaguya knew perfectly well that these thoughts in her heart were unnecessary. With Takami here to help her, and with his seemingly invincible ability to rewind time, she should have been hopeful and confident in rescuing Hayasaka. However, after personally experiencing the power of Hayate Elementary School, this strange place, Kaguya no longer had such thoughts. Even though she knew her worries were unnecessary, she still couldn't help but feel anxious.

Is it because...that's the only friend I've been able to trust wholeheartedly for the past ten years?

For someone like herself, a member of the Shinomiya family whose life and future had been predetermined from the very beginning, and who had always lived amidst deception and harshness, only she was the one who had stood by her side from start to finish. Hayasaka Ai, the one arranged by the family to be by her side, who accompanied her as she grew up, became her personal maid and the head maid of the mansion, was the only person she could truly trust.

So, I never knew I could have such a great fear of losing something I already have?

Gao Hai, who was beside him, did not speak, but continued to sit quietly against the wall, his breathing gradually becoming even.

He could naturally sense Kaguya's emotional instability, but he was also exhausted and simply didn't have the energy to comfort her. Moreover, in Gao Hai's opinion, Kaguya wasn't the type to falter at times like this; even if she felt uneasy or uncomfortable, she would surely be able to find a way to adjust on her own.

As Gao Hai pondered this, his consciousness gradually sank into a dream. He didn't sleep very deeply, because he didn't intend to sleep for a full five hours; Gao Hai had set his rest time at around four hours. In his view, that would be enough. The remaining time should be used to discuss and analyze the next steps, such as how to leave himself with clues that would be effective each time he retraced his steps, and where to go next in the investigation, and so on.

Soon enough, Kaguya realized that she was the only one still awake in the room.

Gao Jun, you fell asleep so quickly.

Looking at the man beside her, Kaguya couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

She really wanted that ability to fall asleep so easily, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

With a slight sense of emotion, Kaguya looked at the stains on Takami's clothes and couldn't help but recall the scene when they first worked together at Shirakawa Apartment.

Back then, Gao Hai wasn't nearly as powerful as he is now; in fact, Gao Hai was significantly stronger in combat at that time. But now, he has surpassed her in every aspect.

Do not……

In fact, even back in Shirakawa Apartments, Gao Jun's potential had already surpassed his own.

Kaguya knew very well that even though he wasn't strong at the beginning, his opponent was far superior to her in both decisiveness and the incredible endurance to withstand various forms of torment. As a descendant of a powerful family, she herself wore various titles and honors, but in reality, her greatest skill was nothing more than scheming and manipulation; she had merely imitated the adults in her family, transforming herself into a cunning and ruthless little adult. He, on the other hand, truly possessed the ability to accomplish great things and achieve extraordinary feats; it was just that this talent could only be displayed on the supernatural and cruel stage of the Sacrifice Game.

Maki is already with him, and so is Fujiwara. The girl Yotsuya Miko, whom he rescued at Fujihana Middle School, probably has some other feelings for him too. Given this guy's flirtatious nature, there will probably be more and more girls vying for his attention.

I never imagined that one day I would rely on such a guy who was unfaithful to his partner. No... no, he never hid it from the beginning, so it doesn't seem like he can be described as unfaithful? It's a pity that I don't know the inside story of the changes in the relationship between Maki, Fujiwara, and Takami. After all, I had always been an outsider who couldn't get involved.

But how do I view Gao Jun now?

Suddenly realizing this, Kaguya's gaze froze on Takami.

He trusts himself a lot.

That's why they can sleep so peacefully beside me.

And when I encountered difficulties, he was the one I ultimately chose to rely on.

It seems that deep down, I've always believed that whenever I encounter trouble, he can find a way to help me solve it, just like how he helped me finally get rid of my family.

He is indeed a very horny person.

But because I never expressed my feelings for him, he never bothered me. He would play all sorts of embarrassing pranks on Maki and Fujiwara, but he wouldn't do such things to me. Because we didn't go that far in our relationship, he was able to completely restrain his true nature in front of me. In that respect, could he perhaps be considered a gentleman?

So, how do I view such a powerful man who is not bound by worldly forces, who believes in and trusts me, and who is even willing to risk danger and pain for me?

Kaguya was unable to come up with an answer to the question for a moment.

She simply gazed at the sleeping Gao Hai, slowly, slowly, she moved a little closer, reached out, and gently stroked Gao Hai's cheek.

Gao Hai's eyebrows twitched slightly; he didn't wake up, but unconsciously tilted his head.

"What kind of person are you, really?"

These words swirled in Kaguya's mind for a long time, but in the end, she still didn't say them aloud.

Kaguya, whose mood had finally calmed down a bit for some reason, quietly leaned against Takami's side, carefully resting her eyes and closing them to rest.

This time, she didn't suffer from insomnia.

Chapter Twelve: Memories of Kaguya and Reflections on Dungeons

When Gao Hai opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground.

The small bedroom had a soft carpet on the floor, so sleeping on it was not much different from sleeping on a hard bed, and might even be more comfortable, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

But what about this girl lying on his chest?

Shinomiya Kaguya.

This icy beauty, who always had a cold expression, was now lying on his chest, sleeping peacefully and breathing evenly.

Her long, black hair cascaded over Gao Hai, brushing against his neck and causing a slightly ticklish sensation. The red ribbon Kaguya had been wearing was gone—no, it must have been lost when they escaped the [dark] pursuit together. The bullet must have grazed her ribbon when he fired, causing it to fall off during their escape.

Come to think of it, Kaguya was actually the first anime girl I ever truly encountered, and she even got to share a bed with me right from the start.