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

In that case, it's not too bad. Although it's cold here, it's not a big problem to hide here for a while. After all, he estimated that the terrain of this instance would change again soon.

"Don't go too far into the room. Let's sit down and wait a while somewhere further out."

Thinking of this, Gao Hai sat down on the ground a little distance from the entrance, leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes to rest.

Hayasaka was initially frightened when she heard the noises coming from the cabinets, but seeing Takami's reaction, she felt a little relieved and followed him over, sitting down next to him against the wall.

bang bang bang-

The knocking continued.

The sound of footsteps was chaotic, followed by knocking on the door, which increased from one to two, three, four, and even more.

Hayasaka could hear those things calling out, hearing the familiar voice of Kaguya calling his name, just like the countless times he had done so in the past. There were also other voices, some seemingly children's voices, others seemingly adult voices, both men and women.

They seemed to be talking to themselves, or perhaps they wanted to say something to her.

I still can't understand what they're saying.

It looked like he was smiling.

It also sounds like she's crying.

There was also a sharp sound, like someone scratching at a door frame.

One sound followed another.

Hayasaka instinctively shrank even tighter, almost curling herself into a ball.

She tried hard not to think about the sounds, to ignore what was outside the door. But the more she tried to think about it, the clearer the sounds seemed to become. She even had the feeling that the door was approaching her, and that what was outside the door was closing in on her.

bang-

"Well!"

A sharp sound came from another metal cabinet, as if something was hitting the cabinet door.

Startled by the sound, Hayasaka instinctively wanted to scream, but she suppressed it before the sound could fully erupt, ultimately only letting out a muffled groan.

"Don't worry about it. The more you worry about it, the stronger its influence on you will be."

Seeing that Hayasaka's mental stress was gradually accumulating, Takami whispered to her.

"……Ok, I know."

The girl nodded softly, her voice weak, then couldn't help but shiver.

So cold.

Her clothes were already soaked, and the temperature in the cold room was close to zero degrees Celsius. Even someone like Hayasaka, whose physical abilities were close to the human limit, would find it very uncomfortable in this environment. After all, no matter how powerful she was among ordinary people, she had never truly surpassed the limits of the human body.

"Sit in my lap."

At that moment, the girl heard Gao Hai's calm voice beside her.

"Hey?"

Hayasaka was taken aback by Takami's words and looked up at him, but he couldn't detect any evil intentions in Takami's eyes.

"The temperature in this room is still dropping, and you'll get hypothermia if you sit like this. Come sit in my lap. I'm stronger and can withstand the temperature changes here. You'll stay warm if you sit in my lap."

Gao Hai's expression remained unchanged, and he spoke in a very serious manner.

"...Okay, thank you, Mr. Gao."

After a brief hesitation, Hayasaka moved and snuggled into Takami's arms, sitting down with her back against him.

It's impossible to say that Hayasaka has no sense of shame as a young girl. No matter how powerful she is raised by her family, she is still just a young girl in the prime of her life.

However, she knew she had no room for sentimentality in this situation. To Mr. Gao, whose abilities far surpassed hers, she was no different from a burden. Therefore, faced with his kindness, she shouldn't dwell on the differences between men and women, nor should she speculate about his true intentions. Honestly accepting it was the right choice.

Besides, only he can save the young lady. So, even if he really has some ulterior motives, I...

Hayasaka's mind was a little confused.

She could only try her best to suppress her worries and random thoughts, and try to shift her attention.

It would be quite easy to distract myself, since there's a headless ghost knocking on the door and a cabinet inside that seems to contain a corpse that keeps rattling. If I just focus on these things, those thoughts in my mind will naturally... No, no, no, doing that will only lead to bad results. Mr. Gao specifically emphasized that perception and thought often achieve a certain mutual resonance in the face of these things. If I focus my attention on them and get a response, it could cause big problems.

Hayasaka felt her mind was even more confused.

"Take this T-shirt off."

Gao Hai spoke up at this moment.

"?!"

Hayasaka didn't make a sound this time, but she froze for a moment, her already somewhat muddled mind showing signs of burning up.

“This T-shirt is completely soaked. We’ll be waiting here for at least an hour or two. Wearing wet clothes in this kind of room will have a big impact on your health. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you. I know what kind of situation this is.”

Gao Hai's voice was completely flat, suggesting that he was genuinely considering Hayasaka's best interests.

That's true. It's freezing cold here, and the only thing she's wearing is soaked. If she's going to be in this room for a long time, it's essential to take off her wet clothes, otherwise she might not be able to continue following Gao Hai.

Hayasaka Ai knew perfectly well that Takami was right.

But... but...

I want to be here, in Mr. Gao's arms...

"I see."

Hayasaka's voice trembled slightly.

She sat up slightly, leaned forward, lowered her head, and grabbed the hem of her clothes with both hands to lift it up.

A fair back then appeared before Gao Hai's eyes. Under the cold light, the skin, which looked very wet because of the wet clothes, seemed to reflect light.

He could feel the girl's body trembling slightly.

Reach out.

After Hayasaka put down her wet clothes, Takami reached out and put his arm around the girl's shoulder, pulling her into his arms. Of course, he kept his eyes closed. Although he was naturally fond of shivering, Takami could still sense Hayasaka's near-explosive state of mind, so he obediently kept his eyes closed, simply holding her tightly in his arms, using his body heat to warm her.

As for Hayasaka herself, she was practically curled up into a ball in Takami's arms.

Because Takahashi had given the T-shirt to Hayasaka, Takahashi was currently shirtless, so Hayasaka could clearly feel the texture of Takahashi's rough skin from his back, as well as his still-warm body temperature in the cold room.

Don't panic, don't panic. This is just a necessary measure to combat the low temperature in this room.

The girl desperately told herself this in her heart.

Mr. Gao was her savior. Although her investigation revealed that he was indeed quite lewd and very frank about his desires, even Mr. Gao certainly wouldn't want to do such a thing under these circumstances; he was capable of discerning the situation. Besides… and even if he really wanted to, she wasn't incapable of cooperating. After all, he had saved her life, and to save the young lady, she needed Mr. Gao's help. Therefore, if he had such intentions, she should be even more eager to cooperate.

No, no, no, what am I thinking? Given Mr. Gao's personality, would he hide what he wants? He's definitely not that kind of person. How many times have I secretly watched and followed his dates with the young ladies of the Shijo and Fujiwara families? I know this man's character perfectly well. The fact that he hasn't done anything like that proves he genuinely doesn't have those kinds of thoughts. If I presume to know his thoughts and try to be overly attentive, it might just make him dislike me and think I'm a frivolous woman…

Hayasaka felt like his head had probably been completely burned to a crisp.

She was caught up in a bizarre sacrificial game instance, personally faced all sorts of terrifying monsters, and was even turned into a dog for three or four days. After returning to human form, she continued to run through thrilling and terrifying chases and escapes. Now, she is being held in a man's arms, with the only thing separating them being the sweatpants he is wearing.

What on earth is going on...?

The girl was unable to provide a logical interpretation of her experience.

But... this feeling... is really warm...

Even though the surroundings seemed to be growing colder, even though the knocking and banging on the cabinets never stopped, even though those terrifying monsters were always watching her intently, at this moment, held in Gao Hai's arms, curled up in his embrace, what the girl could clearly feel was the warmth emanating from Gao Hai's body, like a flame, yet it wouldn't harm her, just a gentle, tender touch.

This feeling... I seem to be unable to resist getting immersed in it...

Hayasaka closed his eyes.

Takahashi, who was holding her, never made any move that crossed the line. He simply held her quietly and didn't move. So after the initial panic and fear, Hayasaka gradually calmed down and even started to enjoy the feeling.

No longer do I spend all my time running around trying to manage every aspect of my young lady's life and dealing with all the difficulties she encounters, as if I'm always exhausted and never find relief.

No longer needing to worry about the various matters concerning the Shinomiya family, nor needing to dwell on her past betrayals, she could completely let go of all her thoughts and simply lean quietly against the other person's chest, feeling their warmth.

Am I becoming dependent on the other person?

From the time she met this man until now, the two of them probably haven't exchanged more than ten words.

Hayasaka's feelings became somewhat complicated.

In Mr. Gao's eyes, he must be just a complete stranger, someone he's barely had any contact with, right? Apart from his relationship with Miss Kaguya, he's probably nothing to him, he's nobody.

However, as for myself, I actually know a lot about Mr. Gao. His life, his personality, every aspect of him, whether it's his love for Chinese food and spicy food, his proficiency in various games and his extremely wide range of hobbies, his fondness for eroticism and mild sadism, or his simultaneous relationships with two girlfriends... Apart from his past experiences being almost entirely blank and highly suspicious, I can say that I know Mr. Gao very thoroughly.

Especially after being trapped in this terrifying and bizarre world, the last piece of the puzzle in her understanding of Mr. Gao, which could not be completed, was finally put together.

Now she understands why her young mistress is so fond of Mr. Gao, why he is simultaneously developing relationships with two young ladies, and she can comprehend the close relationship between the members of this small group. She can also more or less guess what will happen in the future.

So, in your eyes, what kind of person is Mr. Gao?

Having come to know him so well, and having a clear understanding of every aspect of his life, how do I now view this man?

Hayasaka felt that her emotions, which she had finally managed to calm down, seemed to be getting chaotic again.

bang bang bang-

[Taka-kun, Hayasaka, open the door! Why are you hiding inside?]

Kaguya continued knocking on the door, but Hayasaka was no longer paying attention to her voice.

The clanging sounds from the metal cabinets grew louder and more piercing, but the girl treated them as insignificant noise.

Her attention was no longer on these things at all.

"..."

In the silence, Gao Hai could feel the girl in his arms gradually relaxing.

From being completely tense at the beginning, she is now lying in his arms. She even tilted her head slightly and rested it on Gao Hai's arm, almost completely pressed against him.

The girl's body fragrance permeated Gao Hai's sense of smell.

His gaze shifted slightly downwards, and he noticed Hayasaka's beautiful figure revealed by her relaxed posture.

Even if there were indeed uncontrollable factors, wasn't she being far too relaxed? Was she really so confident that he wouldn't turn into a big bad wolf and eat her up?

Gao Hai couldn't help but complain in his heart.

The heavy knocking on the door and the thuds from inside the cabinet intertwined, creating a deafening roar like a raging band.

Feeling the warmth and softness of the girl in his arms, Gao Hai was somewhat distracted, but because of Kaguya's constant calling from outside the door, he had a strange feeling that he was doing something to betray Kaguya, so he eventually suppressed his disharmonious thoughts.

Speaking of which, Hayasaka's body... well, it does feel a bit "harder" than Maki Chika's.