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

"what happened?"

He lowered his head and met the gaze of the girl sitting next to him. Then, Hayasaka subconsciously lowered his head, avoiding Takami's gaze and not daring to look at him.

"Can we... rescue Kaguya-sama and leave this place safely?"

Hayasaka's voice trembled slightly, perhaps she had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but only finally said it now.

"Yes, of course. Look, I got rid of that weird thing that was attached to you, didn't I?"

Hearing this, Gao Hai smiled and answered without the slightest hesitation.

However, Hayasaka clearly wanted to say more than just these things. Therefore, after a moment of silence, the girl hesitated before continuing to speak.

“I believe you, Mr. Gao. Thank you so much for rescuing me from the kennel. Thank you for coming here with Miss to rescue me. I… I’m sorry, I was just thinking that maybe I’m not worth all this effort from you, Mr. Gao. I… I can’t help you in any way. I’m just a burden here. I…”

As she spoke, the girl's voice trembled more and more violently, and finally she couldn't help but break into a sob.

There's no longer any way to disguise myself with a mask.

All the pain she had felt since entering this instance was slowly released, accompanied by the girl's soft sobs.

Despite her obvious vulnerability, she never showed it to anyone other than her mother.

But at this moment, facing Takahashi who was smiling and watching her, and seeing that Takahashi, who had been unconscious for a long time, had finally woken up, Hayasaka could no longer suppress her true emotions and began to cry softly.

"It's good to cry a little."

Reaching out, Gao Hai gently embraced the girl.

"Fate is a fickle thing, and sometimes it can really drive you crazy. So it's good to have a good cry and let it all out. Anyway, in the end, we always get through it."

As Gao Hai spoke, he felt the sobs of the girl in his arms and inexplicably felt a sense of melancholy about taking care of a child.

It was at this moment, because he could only wait for the status to refresh, that Gao Hai's mischievous side began to surface involuntarily.

So his next words were spoken in a joking tone.

"In short, all you need to do is trust me, that's all."

"I'm an expert at taking on challenges beyond my level. Although I'm mostly forced to do them, my basic skills are still quite good."

"As for the reward, just let me kiss you after we get out. I really like kisses from beautiful girls."

As he spoke, Gao Hai noticed that the girl in his arms had stopped trembling.

Slowly, she raised her head.

The blonde girl, her eyes still red, stared blankly at Gao Hai, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, I just—"

I was just joking; that's what Gao Hai originally meant to say.

But before that, Hayasaka hesitated for a moment, then tilted her head back, lightly touched her lips, and conveyed a soft sensation to Takami.

"I believe in Mr. Gao, I believe in you."

Gently, she rested her head on Gao Hai's shoulder.

Hayasaka's voice trembled again, but this time it was no longer from sobbing.

Chapter 56: You must keep today's events a secret from the young lady!

That light kiss lasted only a moment, leaving almost no feeling.

It wasn't until after it was all over that Gao Hai belatedly felt the soft touch on the corner of his mouth and realized what the girl in front of him had done.

How many times has this been since a girl kissed me?

Subconsciously, Gao Hai pursed his lips, trying to savor the sensation of that moment.

That was a kiss unlike any other between Maki and Chika.

There was no scalding temperature, no cloying sweetness or moisture.

Upon careful reflection, the only thing that seems to be present is softness.

It's soft, like the sweet sensation of kissing a piece of pudding.

Sweet...?

Gao Hai couldn't help but become somewhat lost in thought.

As for Hayasaka, although she seemed to be making very intimate movements, leaning directly against Takami, she actually didn't even have the courage to look up and meet Takami's gaze. She could only avoid possible eye contact in this way, while her heart pounded wildly because of the physical touch.

What on earth am I doing?

The girl cried out silently in her heart.

She could tell that Takami was joking when he said it. If it were Maki or Chika, they might have thought that Takami was just being lewd and wanted to do something. But Hayasaka had been tracking and investigating Takami for more than a month and had a good grasp of his personality and psychology, so she knew that he was just saying it on purpose.

But for some reason, she couldn't take it as a joke and ended up actually kissing him.

Why would I do something like that?

Hayasaka didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment.

Clearly... clearly, I was supposed to help Miss win over Mr. Gao. I devised so many plans for her and came up with so many ideas for her, but in the end, I did something that was tantamount to betrayal.

Hayasaka was already under immense pressure from having to report Kaguya's daily life to Shinomiya Hikari. Now, the thought of doing something tantamount to cheating on his mistress, especially when she was in critical condition and had been transformed into a monster, made Hayasaka feel like his brain was about to completely go haywire.

But it seems pretty good.

The girl didn't know how to describe this feeling.

I can't say I hate it.

No, I don't dislike this kind of thing at all.

You could even say you like it?

It's more enjoyable than watching videos of hydraulic presses, and it even seems to make you want to keep watching.

What is this supposed to mean...?

After kissing Gao Hai.

After seeing his stunned and surprised expression, and his loss of composure due to his impulsive actions.

Leaning against him, I nestled in his arms, feeling his warmth and heartbeat.

Hayasaka, still savoring that rough kiss, found that she seemed to be starting to like the feeling.

So this is what it feels like to have someone you can rely on wholeheartedly.

Now, I think I can understand the choices made by the two young ladies of the Shijo and Fujiwara families. If I were in their shoes, I probably would have done the same thing and developed a close relationship with this man. Even if I couldn't have him all to myself, I didn't want to let go, I didn't want to leave. It's truly frustrating.

Subconsciously, the girl recalled the time she had spent in the freezer.

At that moment, I was sitting naked in Gao Hai's arms, being held tightly by him, and I was almost losing my mind amidst the alternation of cold and heat.

Looking back now, after getting dressed again and leaving that man's embrace, I felt somewhat lost.

Perhaps it was from that moment that I was completely captivated by the sense of security he provided, and began to instinctively crave his presence.

Yes, that's it.

Even if it's betrayal or something, this kind of betrayal can be sweet.

So this is the kind of person I am, Kaguya-sama. I'm sorry, perhaps I'm destined to always be sorry to you...

It was as if some kind of restriction had been broken, and we had arrived in a new world unlike anything we had ever seen before.

At that moment, Hayasaka understood everything.

She was completely transformed, as if she had undergone a super evolution and reached a whole new level.

Slowly, she raised her head again to meet Gao Hai's gaze, looking at him intently. Her light blue eyes, now misty with the girl's emotions, seemed to shimmer. She leaned against Gao Hai, trembling slightly, and carefully pressed herself closer. Then, shyly, she lowered her head, biting her lip in embarrassment, her hands unconsciously wrapping around Gao Hai's waist, refusing to let go.

"Mr. Gao, please don't tell Ms. Kaguya about what just happened."

Finally, Hayasaka just said this in a low voice.

For the girl, her courage can only go this far at present, and there is no way to go any further for the time being.

"……Oh well."

As for Gao Hai, after hearing this classic line about sneaking out, he was speechless for a long time. He had a lot of complaints he wanted to say, but he couldn't because of the girl's shy appearance, so he could only give a dry reply.

I never expected that, even though I came here with Kaguya to rescue Hayasaka from danger, the rescue ended up feeling like we were going to end up in bed together.

While this development was entirely predictable, given the previous sightings of her naked body, changing clothes, and being pressed together, coupled with the ever-present suspension bridge effect, it was entirely foreseeable what the girl being protected would do in this situation. Ugh, thinking about it this way makes me feel even more despicable, like using a dangerous environment to seduce a young girl.

Despite inwardly criticizing himself, Takami reached out and put his arm around Hayasaka, showing no intention of letting her go, and naturally enjoying the embrace of such a young girl.

Well, how should I put it? This face-to-face hug feels a bit more substantial than Maki's, but the difference isn't particularly significant. As for Chika, there's no comparison, and Miko is clearly inferior as well. I'd rate it as a small to medium cup size, probably about the size of a hand.

However, this kind of thing is definitely not suitable to be done here. Let's first try to investigate this place, gather clues, and find a way to crack the dungeon.

It's unacceptable to let lust interfere with important matters.

"Alright, it's about time to get moving. We've come this far, there's no reason to stop now."

As the feeling of exhaustion gradually subsided, Takami reached out and grabbed Hayasaka's shoulder to help her up.

"Um……"

The girl simply responded softly, obediently stepped back a little, then got off the bed first and helped Gao Hai get off and stand up.

At this moment, Takahashi sensed a hint of a docile little pet in Hayasaka, and even had the illusion that the girl had grown dog ears and a big tail, and was watching him while wagging her tail incessantly.

If I were to ask Hayasaka to change his way of addressing me from "Mr. Taka" to "Master" right here... no, no, no, let's not do that. Let's talk about that later. Let's not think about it now.

Suppressing the wicked thoughts that surfaced in his mind, Gao Hai wondered if the déjà vu was caused by Hayasaka's long dog-like transformation. He then stretched his aching limbs and stepped to the door.

He has now basically regained his mobility, and the wound on his abdomen is no longer visible.

Although his reaction speed, strength, and agility were still slightly weaker than normal, he could already begin to explore and investigate. Gao Hai didn't think he could stay in this room indefinitely; he needed to obtain clues as soon as possible and find a way to break the core obsession.

Thinking this, Gao Hai's gaze fell on the door in front of him, which looked very old.

Then, my gaze moved downwards, landing on the crack below the door. At that moment, a faint light was seeping through the crack, but only half of it entered the room; the other half of the crack remained completely dark.

"..."