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

If things continue like this, my speed will slow down. I can't keep Mr. Gao waiting for me. In this situation, even waiting for a second longer could lead to something bad happening.

Hayasaka looked ahead and noticed a dim streetlamp. She suddenly accelerated, unleashing all her strength to leap up, hooking her arms and legs around the lamppost. Using the momentum of her jump, she spun twice on the lamppost and flew out, where she was caught by Takami, who had already seen what was happening and was leaping into the air. The two of them soared through the air, clearing the military camp gate and directly crossing the blockade.

Then it plummeted into the endless darkness outside the military camp, where nothing existed.

Chapter 48: Warmth and Darkness Hidden in Deepest Memories

It seems I've seen something.

The image was blurry and distorted, as if it were covered by something.

It was dark, as if it were lurking in some corner, slowly crawling forward.

Then, they discovered a faint light and a figure walking within it.

Where is this?

What are those people doing?

Judging from your appearance, you must be new here. Do you know why these children are being used as test subjects?

The man was organizing his notes when he suddenly turned to look at one of his subordinates beside him.

Under the stark white light, on the experimental table lay a corpse whose original form was unrecognizable… No, it wasn't a corpse at all, but something still trembling, not yet completely dead. Strange, yet somehow familiar, it involuntarily evoked some very ominous possibility.

Meanwhile, the subordinate was staring at the object on the test table, his expression clearly not good, as if he couldn't stand the sight of it.

Is it because...they are easier to control and there's no way for them to resist?

The subordinate, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant, frowned and, after thinking for a while, tried to give an answer.

No, no, no, how could it be such a superficial reason? If it were just for ease of control, why go through all this trouble? With the military's capabilities, controlling whomever we want would be a piece of cake. We chose these children because they are ignorant, naive, and more easily manipulated. Just like how religions cultivate followers from childhood, gradually turning them into fanatical believers, we chose these young children because they are more easily influenced by external forces, thus achieving our plan.

The man wagged his finger and grinned slightly.

[While that's true, I've heard from previous researchers here that this research has been going on for over two years, and all they've created are a few monsters that can't expand outwards, right? Those "dark" things lose all their effects or even vanish on the spot if they encounter someone who doesn't understand them or believe in their existence. The butcher is the same; even a child who doesn't recognize him won't turn into a dog if they meet him at night. All this research has resulted in something completely unusable on the battlefield.]

The subordinate sighed, his words carrying a hint of complaint and confusion.

In the face of the unknown, taking detours and going astray is only natural. But ultimately, we will reach our destination; understanding this is enough. Two years of accumulation is sufficient for us to understand many things. Now, as long as we maintain a steady pace of experimentation, we will surely achieve the results we desire.

[Like this little guy now, hehe, isn't this the first time an unrelated person has been transformed by "rumors"? Our experiments have entered a new field, a place never before explored, haven't they? Moreover, one of our research projects has already achieved success, and perhaps one day you'll be qualified to be invited to "Takamagahara" (High Heaven).]

Hehehe, I really can't wait to see what happens next.

The man chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of longing, as well as an emotion that was hard to decipher.

[But the number of new students this year is clearly excessive... While I can't control what those above think, Mr. Sato, is this really alright? Won't something go wrong? Like this individual, we still don't understand what exactly happened to him...]

The subordinate's voice was still full of worry.

But the man had no intention of continuing the conversation, so he simply smiled, waved his hand, and stopped talking about it.

call……

Suppressed breathing echoed softly in my ears.

The man and his subordinate, oblivious to the subtle noise, continued their conversation, taking out scalpels and various experimental tools, and began dissecting the object on the experimental table with remarkable ease.

Suppressed screams rang out.

Foul-smelling, yellowish-black grease kept gushing out, flowing everywhere.

The obese body was still trembling violently, but it could not make a sound, as if its throat had been completely blocked.

call……

The suppressed breathing seemed to become even heavier at this moment.

I heard the crunching sound of teeth clenching tightly together.

Then the light gradually receded, and everything around us returned to darkness.

No, that's not right.

It wasn't the light that was moving away.

Instead, the figure that had been spying in the darkness was slowly retreating back to where it had come from.

huh... huh...

Amidst heavy breathing, the small figure crawled through the narrow pipe.

Without saying a word, she carefully moved to the end of the duct, then climbed out of the filthy ventilation pipe into an empty storage room, where she changed back into her school uniform. Although the uniform wasn't exactly clean, and the stains looked like something had been spilled on it.

The girl carefully concealed the pipe she had squeezed into. The entrance to the pipe wasn't large at all, seemingly too big for a person to pass through. Of course, if the girl hadn't been so small and thin, she wouldn't have chosen such a passage. It was precisely because of this stark contrast that she was able to learn about things on the other side of the world that she would never have known before, even until her death.

【…】

After seeing something she shouldn't have seen, the little girl didn't react unusually; she simply remained silent as always.

Just like any other day, I continued living my life as usual, without any changes.

Is that so?

As this thought crossed her mind, the girl's gaze suddenly turned to the wall beside her, to the gazes that she could never have seen through, the gazes watching her from behind the wall.

slam-la-

Cold rain fell.

Splash—splash—

A continuous downpour descended from the sky, and darkness almost completely obscured everything.

Gao Hai opened his eyes.

The image of Chiyo Hachiya, whom he had seen before, discovering the secret passage of the research base in Hayate Elementary School and infiltrating it, was still echoing in his mind.

Takahashi didn't see the detailed cause and effect of how she did it. But what is certain is that before becoming the core obsession of Hayate Elementary School, Chiyo Hachiya already knew the truth about the school to some extent, and understood that everyone was just a sacrifice for the military, a consumable tool used to create weapons.

She even knew about the existence of Takamagahara, which is why she was able to sever the connection between Hayate Elementary School and Takamagahara after becoming a monster. It is probably because Takamagahara could not exert any influence on Hayate Elementary School that this instance retains so many clues related to Takamagahara.

How could a malnourished girl of about ten years old know these things? Was it a deliberate leak from higher-ups? No, that's unlikely. If it were just information related to Hayate Elementary School that was deliberately leaked, that might make some sense, but the crucial project of [Takamagahara] would be something absolutely no one would dare to leak, not even Sato. In that case… we can only consider the Keeper (KP).

Just as Fujika Middle School miraculously survived the destruction of a teacher and a student, at Hayate Elementary School, a young girl who was destined to die in ignorance unexpectedly learned a dark truth that could overturn everything.

Once she understands her situation, what will she do?

After learning all the inside information, what could she do?

The enemy was an absolute violence that was impossible to contend with, and he was all alone, without even a peer to support him, or an adult to rely on. Discovering the truth under these circumstances, Gao Hai frankly felt only an extremely wicked sense of amusement. He could almost picture the smile on the KP's face as he orchestrated this scenario, and the self-righteous praise he gave for his own design.

How disgusting.

Gao Hai slowly got up from the ground.

All around was a deathly darkness, and apart from the cold rain, there seemed to be nothing else.

No, that's not how it works...

Gao Hai's vision gradually adjusted to the dark environment.

He began to see his surroundings clearly and realized that he was actually in a small garden. The grass was withered, and the shrubs and trees looked like they were about to die.

Despite the relentless downpour washing over the earth, these plants seemed unable to survive.

Looking up again, Gao Hai saw a dilapidated building in the pouring rain, a two-story building that looked very old.

call--

The cold wind sounded even more desolate in the rain.

Gao Hai started walking towards the building.

He noticed the graffiti on the wall, depicting several small figures and three taller people. They seemed to be playing a game with each other, each with a smiling face, decorated with flowers, trees, clouds, and the sun.

squeak-

Amidst the jarring sound, Gao Hai had already pushed open the door.

The light suddenly turned on, flickered, then went out, then turned on again, then went out again, finally flickering with an extremely dim, almost indistinct light.

Gao Hai saw the tables and chairs that had been overturned on the ground, and the toys that had been trampled on.

Dirty footprints came and went, turning the once spotless floor into a mess of black stains.

【■……■■……】

There seemed to be a sound in my ear, but I couldn't make it out clearly.

Gao Hai walked to the small table in the center of the room and saw the note on it.

【Chiyo, dinner is in the kitchen. We've taken Riko outside. If you see Nana when you come back, please remind her not to run around.】

The person who wrote the note must have been a very gentle person, which is why Gao Hai was able to sense the lingering warmth in the handwriting.

That must be someone who established this orphanage and took in many children.

Even though it was a difficult time when many people could barely take care of themselves, the person who had the means still decided to do something. So he took the initiative to adopt children who had lost their families, tried to teach them, and found ways out and livelihoods for them.

But that person is no longer here.

After school that day, I was bullied again, my textbooks and notebooks were torn up, and I was kicked several times.

After composing myself, wiping the dirt off my clothes, and trying to imagine happy things to make sure I wouldn't give myself away when I got home, I found the front door open. I saw my neighbors coming and going, as well as expressionless police officers and soldiers.

The soldiers claimed it was poisoning, but what she saw was that everyone except her was covered with a white cloth.

Her home, the home where those who had lost their families gathered, was now an empty house. Neighbors had come in one after another while the house was unattended, taking almost everything inside. Only some handmade toys, unwanted, were thrown on the ground and trampled. As for the tables and chairs, if they hadn't been broken during the scuffle, they probably would have been taken as well. Of course, if she had returned any later, those broken tables and chairs would have been taken as firewood too.

Now that the orphanage is empty, you can stay at the school. The accommodation at Hayashi Elementary School is quite good, and they can easily take in a little girl.

A calm voice sounded from behind.

When Gao Hai turned around, he could see a phantom male figure appearing and disappearing in the hall of the house.

He couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but he had memorized that voice.

Sato?

【■■……■……】

The voices around me seemed clearer, but I still couldn't make out what they were saying.