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

The pitiful-looking girl gently rubbed her cheek against Gao Hai's shoulder, slowly moving her head close to him.

First, her forehead gently touched Gao Hai's chin, then the girl, who was standing on tiptoe, raised her head slightly, and her soft profile brushed against Gao Hai's neck.

As she exhaled, a tingling sensation ran down Gao Hai's neck.

The girl's slender fingers had already slowly circled Gao Hai's back, finally stopping to gently stroke his lower abdomen.

The delicate fragrance emanating from her hair filled Gao Hai's nostrils.

Hayasaka's body was almost completely pressed against Takami's, so close that even her body temperature could be clearly felt. Takami even realized that the girl's coat was probably empty underneath, otherwise the soft touch wouldn't be so vivid.

"May I... call you Master... Woof... Is that alright?"

Hayasaka, who wanted to lick Takami's neck but tried hard to suppress the urge, looked at Takami with a flushed face as if she were a little drunk and said in a weak voice.

In his extremely abnormal mental state, Hayasaka was completely unaware that he was clinging to Takami and tightly entwined with him, nor was he aware of the series of tempting actions he had taken that were three times more intense than expected. He was just cautiously asking questions with a little bit of anticipation.

As for Gao Hai, who remained silent, already in a slightly excited state upon waking up in the morning, his thought process had become incredibly simple.

Fight!

Then let’s fight!

Then let's go with Hayasaka Ai!

What shameless things are you two doing?!

Kaguya, still in her pajamas, sprinted at a speed equivalent to 7 seconds per 100 meters to the middle of Takami and Hayasaka, forcefully reaching in and separating them.

Kaguya's plan didn't go smoothly because Hayasaka Ai, who had always been obedient to her, suddenly hugged Takami tightly after realizing she was trying to stop him, refusing to get off him. This made Kaguya, who was already in a bad mood all night, even more furious. Her face puffed up, and she gritted her teeth, desperately trying to push the two apart with her body.

Naturally, this also means that Kaguya is now clinging to Takami, like a puppy vying for affection forcibly squeezing between its owner and another puppy, and fiercely fighting with Hayasaka.

"..."

What should I do at this time?

Gao Hai, who reached out and hugged the two beautiful girls who were pushing each other, fell into deep thought.

Should I say "Stop fighting" or "I have two O's"?

As he pondered, Takahashi, sensing a familiar presence approaching, looked up and saw Shijou Maki standing at the end of the corridor, staring at him with an expression of utter disdain.

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai realized the right way to start the conversation.

"Consort Zhen, you have arrived just in time."

With a healthy smile on his face, Gao Hai extended his hand to invite Zhen Fei.

Five minutes later, in the lobby on the first floor of Kaguya's mansion.

With a still very displeased expression, Zhenfei picked up her green tea, took a sip, looked at Gao Hai who was sitting to the side with a smile, gave a soft "humph," and turned her head away, deliberately ignoring him.

"So, Kaguya and Hayasaka were turned into dogs by the ghost story's power, and that's why their minds were affected, which is why they did those things? Ugh, I feel like this kind of aftereffect is a reward specially given to Umi."

After listening to Takami's words, Fujiwara Chika, who was sitting to the side, pondered for a moment and finally gave this summary.

"Of course! He was even inviting me to join him when I went upstairs. Were you so eager to do that kind of thing with the three of us? And what's this? Are you sure everything's alright this time? Was that KP you mentioned really completely taken care of? I just can't shake the feeling that I'm not entirely at ease..."

Maki snorted again, clearly still not over her earlier displeasure. But as always, after a brief moment of annoyance, the young woman became concerned about Takahashi, worried about the unexpected enemy he had encountered.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Although I can't say what will happen in the future, at least this enemy we encountered this time won't bother us anymore."

Gao Hai nodded and solemnly assured him.

After all, so far, he has never seen anything other than the object of his obsession that had been swallowed into the watch be spat out.

"Since Ahai says it's okay, then we'll trust him. But is it really alright to get the sold coveted item back? I think we should communicate with Mr. Xiaohe as soon as possible?"

Chika, who completely trusts Takami, has shifted her attention to another issue, one that truly needs to be taken seriously.

“That’s right, that’s a problem that can’t be ignored. The ‘market’ has been quite supportive of us. Although it’s understandable that you took back the object of your obsession, Hai Jun, you still need to explain it properly and return it. We can’t let communication problems turn former allies into enemies.”

Upon hearing this, Maki's expression turned serious, and she immediately offered earnest advice to Takahashi.

The conversation quickly shifted from Gao Hai carrying two girls to more serious matters. It was clear that neither Maki nor Chika were truly concerned about the incident. Aside from the maids in the mansion looking at Gao Hai with even greater awe, the small incident of the morning didn't bother anyone much.

Well, saying "anyone" might be a bit too absolute, since there were two people upstairs who cared a lot at the same time.

In Kaguya Shinomiya's own bedroom, Kaguya sat on an upscale chair on one side of the room, her fingers unconsciously unbuttoning her pajamas, then buttoning them up again with an uncomfortable expression.

Then, she turned her head and looked in Hayasaka's direction with a very complicated expression.

"..."

The silence lasted for several seconds.

"Hayasaka, you—you'd better put your clothes on right now!"

Then came Kaguya's somewhat exasperated voice, and a blonde girl's helpless sigh after being discovered.

Interlude 3-15: On the issues of betrayal and feelings of the foolish young lady.

I was betrayed.

At that moment, Kaguya Shinomiya gazed at Hayasaka Ai, whom she had once trusted most, and an incredibly strong thought arose in her heart.

Hayasaka Ai, whom she had always trusted and relied on, whom she believed would never betray her, and who had grown up with her, had now betrayed her.

stare--

Kaguya Shinomiya's crimson eyes were fixed on Ai Hayasaka, who was sitting uneasily not far away.

That's terrible, absolutely terrible.

But aside from glaring at her, Kaguya didn't know what else to do.

"Can't I really take it off?"

Hayasaka, with a calm expression, raised his head and looked at Kaguya, asking slowly.

"Of course not, what are you thinking? You're back in the real world now, hurry up and get over this."

Unexpectedly, the other party brought up the same topic again, and Kaguya immediately became displeased, frowning as she replied.

"This isn't something you can adapt to in a day or two. I was turned into a dog for over 72 hours, and it took me an hour last night just to relearn how to walk. Everything else can only be done slowly; you can't do it all at once. Don't you know that, Kaguya-sama? Although you were affected much less than me, you should still be able to understand that feeling of discomfort all over your body, right?"

Just like in a normal conversation, Hayasaka explained and defended himself in a cool and swift tone, without changing his expression at all.

But she saw clearly how he looked when he collapsed into Gao Hai's arms.

Even though she has no outstanding figure like me, and usually just uses padding to create fake breasts, she suddenly put on a lewd expression like she was in heat when she fell into a man's arms, making all sorts of provocative gestures. Haha, now she's acting all innocent, but when she sees Taka-kun, she's like an excited bitch seeing her master. So this is what Hayasaka is really like, it's just too much—

"Your expression is too obvious, Kaguya-sama. In the end, wasn't I just pushed there by you? You knew that my mind was affected after I was turned into a dog and that I regarded Mr. Taka as my master, but when I woke up this morning, I was too scared to go to Mr. Taka by myself. So you made me go and check the situation first. In other words, this was ultimately your own choice, Kaguya-sama, wasn't it?"

Hayasaka's witty remark was straightforward and revealed the truth directly.

That is, while Takami was still resting and sleeping, Kaguya and Hayasaka had already woken up. Then, when Hayasaka suggested that Kaguya go and wake Takami up, Kaguya hesitated several times before ordering Hayasaka to go and check if Takami was awake first, which led to the scene described earlier.

Kaguya, who was still radiating negative energy, suddenly froze in place.

Thinking about it carefully, that's really how it is.

Even though she already knew that the maid had betrayed her, she still subconsciously pushed her away when the maid urged her to wake Gao Hai.

As a result, the push actually sent the person flying. Judging from the situation, if she hadn't stepped in to stop it, things might have taken a very bad turn, although she didn't know exactly how bad it would have been (Knowledge: 4).

"No, that's not the point at all."

However, Kaguya quickly realized that Hayasaka was changing the subject, so she focused her gaze on him again.

"I clearly asked you to help me find a way to make Gao Jun fall in love with me. You were asking me to do you a favor. Why did you end up helping yourself? If I remember correctly, you retained a memory of a past event, right? That means you and Gao Jun must have done something shady, right? I know that only those who have an impure relationship with Gao Jun can gain the ability to retain memories along with him!"

With a raised finger, Kaguya pointed at Yoshimasa Hayasaka and spoke sternly.

"I see. So, it's because I've fallen for Master, and because of what we did together, that's how things have developed? Hmm~ Now I can understand the relationship between Miss Shijou, Miss Fujiwara, and him even better. In that case, Kaguya-sama, I think you should carry out the final plan I mentioned before."

Hayasaka, who only now realized why he was able to retain his memories, frowned slightly, quickly looked up at Kaguya, and said seriously.

"What final solution? No, that's not the point. I'm asking if you actually have one—"

"In short, you can just do OO and OOO with your master."

Before Kaguya could finish speaking, Hayasaka's surprising remark immediately made the black-haired girl's cheeks flush.

"What OO?! Hayasaka, stop changing the subject! Wait, you called him master again?! Whose servant are you anyway?"

Somewhat annoyed, Kaguya spoke loudly, stood up from her chair, and unconsciously stomped her foot.

"Judging from the current situation, I think I will belong to the master sooner or later, so you need to do something before then, Kaguya-sama. Otherwise, the later someone enters, the less attention and importance they will receive, and the lower their status in the master's heart may be. Anyway, I will take care of the arrangements. You just need to lie down when the time comes."

In contrast to Kaguya's growing anxiety, Hayasaka appeared incredibly calm, analyzing the situation as if she were completely detached from it all.

"I would never do that! Those kinds of things are only allowed after marriage, that's what the law says! And Hayasaka, are you planning to completely betray me and run away from the Shinomiya family?!"

Kaguya's voice began to grow louder and louder.

"The law is unimportant in matters like this; as long as you're willing, Miss, that's all that matters. As for my future, since I can no longer escape the [Sacrifice Game], it's only natural that my master and I grow closer. After all, Miss Kaguya, you've known your master for so long, so why has he already dated two girlfriends, and now his third and fourth are almost settled, while you've still made no progress?"

Hayasaka, however, remained completely calm.

"This...this kind of thing...wait, what's the fourth one? Didn't you report three results to me before?"

However, it was at this moment that Kaguya noticed some key information in Hayasaka's words, and her eyes instantly sharpened.

"The fourth one is me, Kaguya-sama. Isn't that a fact right in front of you?"

The next second, Hayasaka's words made Kaguya's fist harden.

"Hayasaka, you..."

"Alright, alright, Miss, you're not stupid. I've gotten to know Master's personality very well through our long-term interactions. As long as you take the initiative a little, he'll definitely come over. That man won't hold back when it comes to feelings. I think you should also understand that Master was willing to risk his life to come to Zaoli Elementary School with you to rescue me, which shows how much he values ​​you. If you were just a stranger, he would never have taken such a risk."

Before Kaguya could erupt, Hayasaka sighed, casually unbuttoning his clothes as he continued speaking.

Hayasaka was certain that even though she had kissed Takami, and even though she had left a deep impression on him—enough to retain memories of their time together when he used his time-reversal power—her importance in that man's heart was far less than that of Shijou Maki and Fujiwara Chika, and perhaps even less than that of Yotsuya Miko. After all, the length of her acquaintance and the duration of her time with him were simply too short.

Gao Hai couldn't have come to Hayate Elementary School to save her; he must have been willing to risk his life for Kaguya, the lady he now serves. That's just his personality; he doesn't care too much about the lives of strangers, but he'll risk his life for those who are on his side.

so good.

Once Hayasaka clearly realized what kind of person she had come into contact with, she felt an involuntary sense of joy, and even wanted to run to his side immediately, to be affectionate with him, to lick his hand, to let him pat her head, and ideally, to be taken out for a walk... No, stop, calm down, I'm not a dog, I'm a human, this kind of thing only happens between humans and dogs, I need to figure out my identity.

"In short, Miss, the problem between you and him is that you're not cherishing this relationship enough. Even if you want to show some girlish reserve, after he stood by you against the higher-ups of the Shinomiya family and helped you get into Hayate Elementary School, you should have taken the initiative. Because he has indeed done things that are good for you, hasn't he?"